Authors note:

Sorry, guys! I've had LOADS of homework and finals, so I studied instead of uploading. I'll make it up to you guys by uploading as much as possible over the next few weeks, k? Don't give up hope on me! D

"Stupid…good for nothing…they don't wear tight leather…the wear peasants cloaks…Hi, I'm Mr. I-know-everything and I—WAH!" Lena jumped as she ran into someone. Apologizing, she moved on through the village, trying to find out exactly what she'd be doing. Wearing the tight clothes made her uncomfortable, and when she was uncomfortable, she wasn't very friendly.

There was no turning back now, the carriage long gone. She chuckled to herself as she pictured the infuriated drivers face as she whined at him. Everything from 'I'm cold' to 'I don't wanna go'. She just loved to annoy people, especially when they were so easily irritated.

"Oof, excuse me, miss…would you know where—" She began to ask a woman that walked by, but the woman kept on shuffling by, ignoring the strangers words. "Hm. Guess not…sir? Sir!" She waved down at man who actually stopped and looked at her. "Would you know where I could find an inn?" She asked. The man laughed, tipping his top-hat to her and grinning, showing his disgusting teeth.

She winced in disgust as the man brushed a strand of greasy white-blond hair out of his eyes and made his way towards her. He again dipped his head in a small bow before talking to her.

"Hello, you must be new here." He chuckled. "For anyone who lives here knows that there is no inn. My suggestion would be to keep moving, and look in the next village." He turned to walk away.

"Wait!" She called with reluctance, not wanting to talk to the disgusting man. But he seemed to be the only one that knew anything or would talk to her. "Isn't this the village that is plagued by vampires?"

The last word drew his attention, and he turned with his eyes narrowed. His expression had changed from polite and mildly creepy, to irritated and very creepy. She stepped back, wondering if she'd angered him.

"Why would you want to know a thing like that?" He asked, striding towards her and backing her into a wall.

"I…uh…was just curious…" she stammered. Now the man had a knife, and all the villagers had noticed what was going on and had gathered around. She stared at the man, her mouth partially open and eyes narrowed in fear.

"Answer truthfully, newcomer." The knife was at her throat. Instincts kicked in as she felt the blade against her skin. In lightning reflexes, she caught his elbow and pulled his arm away, jumping behind his back and twisting his arm. He let out a sharp cry of pain and staggered forward as she shoved him and ran. He turned and glared at her, calling out to the rest of the peasants to chase after her. She looked over her shoulder, trying to suppress her laughter.

Suddenly a screech pierced the air. Lena stood dead in her tracks and looked up at the sky. Four winged creatures were soaring through the air, one much larger than the rest. Her heart began to race as she realized that it must be the vampires. She turned tail and sprinted in the opposite direction, the peasants already scattering and making for their way inside. She began to form a plan, wondering what was going to happen.

This could be bad. She hadn't expected Dracula to show up with his brides. Now she had to ensure that she'd be caught and carried back by Dracula, not one of his brides. If she were caught by a bride, she'd most likely be bitten and killed. But if she were caught by Dracula himself, the risk still presented itself. It was a matter of luck and words.

One of the girls flew towards Lena, and her claws grazed the air above her head as she threw herself to the ground. She flipped on her back to see the other two girls coming towards her, the larger one flying in circles around the village.

Lena pushed herself to her feet, turning to see the vampiress coming towards her again. She waited until the last minute to duck to the side, narrowly avoiding another collision.

The three lady vampires were now in human form, walking in circles around her almost tauntingly. One with black hair chuckled, speaking for the first time while the rest laughed and toyed with her, lunging forward and swiping at her, only to back her into the other, who would repeat the process.

"You must be a newcomer here, young girl." She smiled devilishly.

"New blood…fresh blood for my master…" The red-haired vampire spoke.

"Tell us your name, girly." Another blond vampire spoke. Lena looked around in a panic, trying to find a way out.

"My name is Lena. I beg of you, please do not kill me." She tried to sound as afraid as possible. Hopefully she could make a run for it and give Dracula a chance to catch her. She didn't want to sound too confident, for fear of rousing suspicion. The red-haired vampire clicked her tongue, cackling.

"My master needs fresh blood…I can see it in you…racing with your heart." She hissed. Lena took it as her cue and dove in an opening between the two. She broke through and ran for it, looking up for the larger figure. She smiled to herself as it paused in the air, looking at them. She turned and kept running, taking her eyes off of him for a brief moment.

The girl vampires were in a monster-form now, flying into the air and quickly catching up to her. She stopped suddenly and watched them fly past, then turned and ran. She looked up again for the larger figure, but to her horror saw nothing. Her heart began to race, and her breathing grew heavy in panic. She didn't like not knowing where he was, that could be catastrophic. She frantically searched the air for Dracula, knowing that if she didn't find him, her plan could fail.

There was a loud roar from behind her, and Lena yelped as she felt something dig into her shoulders and her feet leaving the ground. She looked down at the ground that quickly fell away, and felt overcome with primal fear. She looked at her right shoulder, and winced as she saw several streaks of blood making their way down her arm.

Sinking into her shoulder were claws, large ones. They dug deep into her skin mercilessly, holding her in a firm grip. There was another roar, the same one as before. She looked down below her, seeing the village disappearing and three figures appearing below her. The vampire brides. Wait….three…? Vampire bri—

She swore. Dracula had her. How could she have been so lucky as to have him catch her and take her away without so much as trying to bite her? At least her plan had worked…now hopefully Dracula would be taking her to his castle somewhere.

It was a long flight, and her shoulders were throbbing, but they'd made it. He dropped her a little ways above the stone ground, letting her land on her feet before he landed himself.

She landed and fell to her knees almost instantly, skidding a few inches before stopping. She stayed where she was, not turning around as she heard footsteps. She put her hand to her right shoulder and winces, feeling the blood steadily ooze from the wounds. She closed her eyes trying to endure the pain. She'd never experienced pain such as this before, never in all her fights along side Van Helsing.

She heard a deep Transylvanian accent come from behind her.

"Welcome, Lena, to Castle Dracula."