Aleera waited in the woods until she heard the familiar snarling and growling. She walked towards the noise and came to a clearing, it was late at night so she stepped out. The creature looked up and was ready to pounce, but seeing who she was just whimpered and whined.

"Hush, I am not here to torment you."

The werewolf looked at her curiously, stood full height waiting for her to speak.

"The moon is going."

The wolf looked into the sky and the clouds were covering the moon, next thing she saw was him lying on a heap on the floor.

"Welcome back Prince Velken."

"What do you want Aleera?"

"Come now, we have always been friends."

Aleera moved towards the Prince smiling, he backed away from her.

"Friends?" He spat, "Friends is when you torment me with tales of my sisters death or my fathers disappearance?"

"There is a lot worse that I could do, believe me."

Her temper flared but she calmed quickly.

"I want your help."

"Help? What do you want?"

"Helping you means helping me. I will tell you how to kill Dracula."

The look of shock on the Prince's face was enough to bring another smile to her face.

"Kill…but."

"Do not wonder why, just swear that as soon as he is gone me and my sisters can leave peacefully without your sister hunting us."

"I am never human long enough to tell her anything."

"Ah, but you are to write. Write down what I tell you and give it to her next time you see her, that is if you don't kill her before hand."

Aleera sat on the damp ground and picked out strands of grass. The Prince came and sat before her.

"It was you."

She looked at him.

"You were the girl taken years ago. The tale has been told many times but the name was lost. I have often wondered which one of his brides it was."

Aleera looked back to the ground but Velken lifted up her chin and made her look at him.

"What happened to you? They say she was turned and killed her own family. Did he make you do it?"

Aleera looked ashamed then tears spilled down her cheeks. She shook her head and he drew his hand back, she thought about taking it again but didn't.

"Verona and Marishka came to me one day and talked to me. The rest of the village came out when they threatened my life, not that they intended to kill me. Verona and Marishka flew off and told the village I was the next bride, my mother and father abandoned me. For a whole year my own family and friends shunned me, then when I tired to move on I found the news travelled. When he finally came for me I embraced my fate and first thing I did was kill my family for disowning me in my hour of need. I did it in my human form so they could see what they had done to me."

She sobbed and lay on the floor, spilling years of sorrow and regret for her actions. She felt Velken stroking her hair and back and felt comforted.

"I would have stood by you."

Aleera stopped crying and sat up, the Prince was looking at her the way the master did sometimes. It took her a moment to realise it was love. She stood up and backed away.

"How long?"

Aleera say the realisation that she knew.

"Since I first saw your human form."

"No, this cannot…I must go."

"Wait, how do I kill him?"

Aleera stopped before she flew off.

"Bite him, then I will give you the antidote."

Aleera saw him struggle to believe it was so simple.

"What about us?"

Aleera smiled.

"Antidote first, then we shall see what you think of me."

She flew off into the night, heading back for Castle Dracula

"But master it was not her, it was mine and Marishka's fault."

"Then you should have said something instead of letting her take the blame. Where is she now?"

He saw them hesitate.

"We do not know master, she flew out of the castle and hasn't returned since."

"And when were you going to tell me this?"

They were silent, Dracula snarled then left them standing in the room. He walked towards Aleera's room hoping she was in there. Out of all his wives she was the most rebellious and the only one out of his wives to know how to kill him. He could remember as if it was yesterday.

"Master? Why do you keep antidote for the werewolf?"

"To keep them in line, if they rebel against me I shall simply give them the antidote."

"Why must you fear their rebellion, they are just dogs."

Dracula smiled at his youngest bride and beckoned to her, she took his hand and they stood in front of the jar.

"Because they are the only things that can kill me. Nothing but a werewolf bite will kill me."

Dracula smiled at the shock on her face.

"But why does it kill you and not us, we have fought werewolves and lived."

"You can be killed by other means, neither sunlight, stakes of holy water can kill me."

They stood together silently.

"Do not tell Verona and Marishka, they do not know."

Dracula had made the mistake of thinking that the youngest and newest of his brides would be the most obedient. Instead she had proved to have a fiery temper that matched his own and Dracula sometimes feared she was becoming just as powerful. But seeing her taking orders from Verona seemed to ease his worry, though he didn't know if it was an act. He reached Aleera's room and opened the door, Aleera was lying on her bed with her eyes closed. He walked over and sat on the bed next to her, she didn't open hr eyes or even acknowledge his presence.

"Aleera."

She opened her eyes and sat up.

"Where did you go?"

"Flying around."

Dracula put his hand under her chin and turned her face to where the gash was. She flinched as he touched it, it disappeared in front of his eyes and Aleera touched her now clear cheek. He stood and she got up next to him, she went to walk out the room but he grabbed her arm.

"Where did you go?"

He had noticed the grass stains and twigs clinging to her clothes and hair.

"Flying over the woods."

"Not into them?"

"Just a little bit."

"Did you meet the Prince there?"

"What?"

Dracula frowned and made her turn to face him.

"The Prince was in the woods tonight, did you meet him?"

"Yes, we talked."

Dracula could feel his anger flaring once again.

"What about?"

"Me, he knows I come from Transylvania instead of somewhere exotic like Verona and Marishka."

Dracula calmed down again. Aleera was always the one that worried him most if she disappeared unexpectedly. No matter what he did she never changed, part of her human side still held sway over her. The last year as a mortal had turned her slightly savage and that made her a deadly enemy. Dracula often regretted his decision to have her an outcast, neither of his other brides had murdered their family as soon as their transformation. Neither of them had been willing when he finally came to do it, Aleera unnerved him though he never admitted it.

Aleera watched the family through the trees, she had been wandering for days. Scavenging for food, barely surviving the cold climate. She would stop at villages and steal any food she could, passing through never stopping more than a day.

"Hello."

Aleera whirled round and faced the young buy, he was smiling at her.

"My names Milas, who are you?"

"Aleera."

"You're pretty."

"Thank you, you're very handsome".

He held out his hand and she took it, he pulled her out into the open before she could stop him. The family stopped what they were doing and looked at her. The children watched her curiously and the adults took in her haggard appearance.

"Who are you child?"

Aleera didn't want to answer, every village so far knew her name. It was best to remain anonymous to receive kindness, she had forsaken her identity many times for food and drink.

"Her names Aleera."

Too late, the child with her hand let go and ran over to his mother.

"She's pretty isn't she?"

The mother ushered her children inside the house and faced Aleera.

"Why are you here?"

"Please, I am no threat."

"No threat, what if Dracula comes for you and he finds you here? You are more of a threat than you realise."

The man put a calming hand on his wives shoulder and shook his head.

"We do not want you here, please leave."

"I will go, spare some food and water before I leave?"

They both hesitated then the woman rushed into the house and hurried back out again holding a loaf of bread and a cup of water. She held it out to Aleera and as Aleera stepped forward she put it on the ground. Aleera was too hungry and tired to care about this insult. She grabbed the food and ate it as fast as she could before turning her back on them. She walked away from them without looking back. The forest was her home, the forest was her protector, the forest was all she had left.