Chapter 11

"You accept? Wonderful!" Orlox said, clapping his hands once together.

"I'm tired of waiting for Alucard to come around to my way of thinking. I want to be immortal…to be a vampire, instead of a dhampire," Sage said, looking down at her feet.

"Fantastic!" Orlox said, elatedly.

Sage looked him in the eye. She seemed to be searching for the words to form her next statement. Finally, she sighed.

"What is it, my dear?" he asked, coming to put his arms about her shoulders.

"It's only…what will become of my sister? I have to think of her as well…"

Orlox seemed to give a small growl, but when Sage turned to look at him, he was only smiling. He gently turned her about to face him. He slowly slipped his hands up from her shoulders to hold her face.

"You don't have to worry about her anymore, Sage…" Orlox said, still with that enchantingly creepy smile.

"Yes, I do!"

"No, dear…listen to what I'm saying…once you are turned, the world is yours. You don't have to care about or for anything you don't want to."

"But I want to care about my sister!"

"Now you do, but wait until you're turned…"

"That's not going to happen, Orlox!" cried a voice from above.

Jumping to the ground, with Terence and Iris safely wrapped in his arms, was Alucard. Orlox growled in such a way that reminded Sage of a starved predator. He whirled her about and gripped her shoulders so tightly that she had to try hard not to cry out in pain. Alucard let Iris and Terence go so that they could stand at his sides. Terence had already drawn out his family's whip, while Iris was doing something Sage had not seen her do yet. Little red magical energy balls were gathered at her sibling's hands, awaiting her command. Orlox held Sage tighter still.

"How did you get here so quickly?" he hissed.

"You forget, vampire, that this is my father's castle. I have ways of maneuvering around it quickly if I must," Alucard said, slowly unsheathing one of his many swords.

Orlox chuckled. "Well, you're too late, Master Alucard. Your dear lady has chosen to be turned!"

"What?" cried Iris, taking the smallest of steps forward. Terence glanced quickly at her. "That's not true! Sage, tell me that's not true!"

But Sage was staring at her sister. Instead, she turned to Alucard.

"A son? Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, rather despairingly.

Alucard's eyes widened. "No…Sage…you don't…" he said quietly.

Sage was staring at him rather coldly now. From behind her, Orlox was smiling.

"Sage, don't do this…please…" Iris begged.

"Too late," Orlox said, as he forced Sage's head to one side and bit deeply into her neck.

Even Sage had a shocked look on her face. Orlox drank quickly, until the moment when Sage's eyes closed, then he shoved her at Alucard.

"No!" shrieked Iris.

The magic at her hands turned quickly from red to black. She hurled them at the unsuspecting vampire. He was instantly incinerated.

Then all attention was on Alucard and Sage as he was laying her gently upon the ground.

"Sage…Sage…no, please," he muttered.

Sage opened her eyes weakly. Looking up, she saw him over her and said, "Adrian," as she smiled.

"Sage, I'm sorry," he said, tears now falling. "I should've told you about Trevor. I'm sorry. But it was all a mistake, dear. We never meant to have a child together. I'm sorry…I'm sorry I drove you to this…"

But Sage had feebly placed a single finger to Adrian's lips.

"I…didn't mean for this to happen…I didn't want to be turned…"

And with her other free hand, she withdrew from one of the inner pockets of her dress a stake. Adrian picked it up and stared incredibly at it.

"Take care of Iris," Sage muttered, seemingly to no one in particular. She then let out a shuddering gasp and closed her eyes.

End Notes: How did you like that? It's not done yet, though! Please R & R! Bye!