Disclaimer: I own nothing except what I made up. Fair enough.
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Lucia awoke to find herself sprawled on the floor in a small dungeon room in Dracula's castle. She closed her eyes, trying to remember how she got there. The last thing she remembered was being carried off with Carl. A quick scan of her body revealed that she was still in her original clothes and armed.
She sat up, and gasped as she realised she was not alone in the room. Vladislaus was here too, looking angry, his jaw extended, fangs out, pinning Carl to the wall. Carl looked petrified and was muttering in Latin. Lucia realised with a painful jolt what Vladislaus was about to do.
"Get off him!" she screeched, leaping to her feet. "Vladislaus!"
He ignored her, leaning into Carl's neck. Lucia gave a low scream and ran forward, summoning all her strength to pull the vampire away from Carl by his waist. Vladislaus stood before her, fangs still glittering dangerously in the afternoon light. His eyes were narrowed as he stared at her. She pulled out her stake and held it threateningly.
"Leave him alone," she ordered quietly, heart racing.
A small smile curved his lips. "Darling, do you really think you have it in you to kill me? To wipe me from the earth?" His smile grew as she lowered her eyes. "Even if you had the power, would you?" His fingers wrapped around the wrist of the hand holding the stake and firmly lowered it to beside her. Then he lowered his lips to hers, pulling away suddenly as she kissed him back. "I think not. If I really wanted to kill the friar, you could not stop me."
With that, he turned back to Carl, who was leaning against the wall weakly. The vampire grabbed his neck with both hands and squeezed hard, forcing life out of him. Carl choked, becoming blue, and Lucia felt tears fill her eyes as she stepped back towards the wall, realising she indeed could do nothing. To her relief, Vladislaus released Carl, tossing him lightly across the room, then sweeping from it, slamming the door behind him.
Lucia collapsed to the floor, hugging her knees and sobbing. Vladislaus was right. She could not destroy him. She would watch him murder... because she loved him. The type of evil she had fought all her life, and here she was in love with him. "I'm sorry," she whispered to Carl.
He sat down beside her, panting gently. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Don't be. I understand. Well... I don't, but you're one of us. A Hunter of the Church."
She looked up at him, smiling grimly. He wasn't a bad looking man, with silky-looking soft blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "I don't think I can be, after this. Maybe fighting evil isn't my calling after all." The reality that everything she had built her life around, all her morals, were false made more tears flood down her face, and she pressed her face into her knees.
&&&
Lucia woke up two hours later to find herself lying in her spot on the floor. Carl was asleep in the corner, snoring softly. He gave off an aura of innocence, and Lucia found herself feeling sorry for the man. He really shouldn't be involved in this at all.
She crossed to the window. It was small and high up, but with a little effort Lucia found herself sitting on the windowsill, looking out at what appeared to be a small courtyard. The door behind her opened, and she turned her head to see Vladislaus enter, looking serious and rather sad. Anger filled her; she was very annoyed at the way he had acted before.
"Lucia, may I talk with you?" he asked seriously, standing in the doorway.
"I doubt you'll need my permission to do so," Lucia replied bitterly, turning back to the window. "You'll find you're keeping me here against my will."
He appeared on the windowsill beside her, making her jump. Close up, she noticed his eyes were wet. He touched her shoulder softly, and she winced as the werewolf scratch ached. "You would not leave even if I said you may," he said softly, stating what they both knew. A tear rolled down his cheek, and she reached out and wiped it gently away without thinking. "Lucia, I am so sorry. My actions before were wrong. They were cruel."
"They proved your point," Lucia admitted in a whisper, closing her eyes. "You're right." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Lucia had never felt so loved, so safe. She buried her face in the warmth of his tunic.
"I did not mean to hurt you," he whispered into her ear. "I would never mean to hurt you, my love. I love you, Lucia. I love you with all my heart."
"I love you too," she replied. "Oh, Vladislaus, I was so scared when Gabriel took me from you during the fight. I was sure I would never see you again."
To her surprise, he chuckled softly, his chest moving with the low sounds. "You underestimated me, darling. Hell is back on my side. I made a pact with the Devil." He ignored her horrified gasp to explain. "I will be crowned King of the armies of Hell once I have killed Van Helsing and destroyed the Church."
Lucia scooted backwards out of his arms, horror-struck. Her head was full of images of Vladislaus slaughtering Gabriel, and they brought stinging tears back to her eyes. She could not stand the thought of either of the men she loved dying.
"Lucia, my darling, I want you to be my Queen. Help me, love me, be my Queen."
"I could never be part of such evil," she cried, starting as he pressed a small kiss to her lips and stood up, heading for the door.
"Oh, but my darling, you already are. I will make you see things my way, I promise."
TBC.
