A/N I just realised something – I own three characters! It's so cool to be able to say that!Am I not just the most horrible person in the world to make you all wait like this?I'm terribly sorry if my chapters are bad and if they take ages to come out – I'm in the middle of a pretty hectic time and I'm bordering doing very very badly in a few subs at school, so please be patient! But feel free to flame if you see fit…
Lady Sirinial: One large order of fluff coming up! Now, what kind of writer would I be if I told you whether or not Drac gets Anna, hmm? But, I'm still very open to ideas, so if you have anything particular in mind, let me know!
M: Nice to meet ya, Em! Thanks once again for a lovely review - I'll definitely try to always update asap!
Verona: ACK! Could it be? She's reading my story again?! Just jokes! Lovely to hear from you again! You've helped give my muse some very good ideas for the ending, but she's in a bit of a rut as to which one to use!
Chapter 12: Silence before the Storm
Anna awoke in the early afternoon to an empty room, feeling more content than she had ever been. Keeping her eyes closed, she cautiously stretched, trying not to cause herself more pain than was necessary. Anna relaxed and thought peacefully about the night before. She winced and placed a careful hand on her torso, remembering the pain she'd gone through as Carl endeavoured to fix her again-broken ribs. Gabriel had stayed at her side, comforting her as much as possible, visibly suffering when the pain got too much and she cried out in agony.
Gabriel. She remembered the soft feeling of his lips on hers and found her fingers unconsciously moving to her mouth. If she had been told how she was to end up a few weeks ago, she would never have believed it. The famous Van Helsing, the most wanted man in Europe, was in love. With her. And she with him. No doubt things between them had moved quickly, but in her heart, Anna knew Gabriel was the man she wanted to be with. She recalled the relief that had flooded through her when she awoke in Castle Dracula to hear his voice, taunting Marie, in that special way only he could master.
Anna gently ran her fingers along her lip, suddenly craving Van Helsing's touch once more.
At that second, the door swung open.
"Gabriel?" Anna asked hopefully.
Carl poked his head round the door. "Sorry – it's only me!"
Anna smiled, but Carl noticed the disappointment in her eyes. "Come in Carl. I see Marie's powder didn't have any lasting effects on you."
"Yes, thankfully not. But Van Helsing's convinced that it axed some of my memory," Carl explained, " I woke up believing I was a pirate, but it was only because of the dream I was having. I tried to tell Gabriel but he's so stubborn. You know he-"
"Carl," Anna was smiling and shaking her head at his babbling. Her tone grew serious, "Where is Gabriel?"
"Van Helsing? He said he had some business in the village so he left me with a silver stake and ordered me to see to it that you were safe. Said he wouldn't be long," Carl said.
"He left?" asked Anna, feeling disappointed. Carl nodded. Anna frowned, "And he didn't tell you where he was going?"
Carl quickly caught-on where Anna's thoughts were taking her. "He didn't go after Dracula, if that's what you're thinking," he reassured her.
"Oh." Anna nodded in relief. A grim silence followed during which Anna busied herself with avoiding Carl's gaze.
Carl broke the silence. "So, how are you feeling? Better than last night I hope?"
"Yes." Anna said quietly, keeping her eyes on the end of the bed, "Much better."
"Good." Carl said. The silence returned and Anna felt her eyes begin t to grow heavy. The past few days had really drained her and her body, it seemed, had decided to seize the opportunity to recuperate. When Carl turned to begin the conversation again, he found her slumbering peacefully once more.
His eyes scanned her and he began to understand why Gabriel had fallen for her. She was indeed beautiful, but she possessed a hidden quality. A magic that he couldn't fully describe but that he knew his friend felt. Smiling down on the sleeping princess, Carl replaced the duvet over her, checked the window and turned to the door.
Once outside, he gently closed the door and was about to turn to leave when he heard footsteps. Quickly reaching into his robe, Carl withdrew the silver stake Gabriel had left him with and pushed himself against the wall behind a suit of armour.
Slowly, the footsteps grew closer and closer. Carl's heart began to race, his palms grew sweaty. Tap. Tap. Tap. The footsteps were loud now as their owner rounded the corner to the corridor that gave way to the bedrooms – the corridor Carl was hiding in!
Carl held his breath, silently praying that he hadn't been seen. The footsteps continued. 'They're heading for Anna's room!' Carl's mind screamed. He would have to do something! Slowly, agonisingly, he leaned to peer out from his hiding place.
"Oh good God!" Carl cried out.
The dark figure immediately spun around.
"Carl? What are you doing there?" Van Helsing asked, cocking his head to the side and frowning as he made his way over to the suit of armour.
Relief flowed over the friar as he looked up to the monster hunter and demanded, "What are you doing walking like that? Like some crazed creeping vampire, come to kill us all?"
Van Helsing raised an eyebrow and gave Carl a doubtful look. "You know sometimes Carl, I think you're slightly over-paranoid." He smiled at Carl who grunted and scowled back.
Gabriel got the message quickly. "Actually, I was worried that Anna would be asleep. I wouldn't want to disturb her, especially given her condition."
"Well, you'll be happy to know that she is asleep. I went in just before you got back and she fell asleep after asking after you." Carl said.
"She asked about me?"
"Well of course she did. She's only completely infatuated with you. Seemed right disappointed when I told her you had left," Carl muttered.
Van Helsing's face lit up and he quickly crossed back to Anna's room and eased the door open, stepping inside. Carl sighed and followed him.
The curtains were open, casting a soft light from the overcast day outside over the room. Gabriel scanned the room, his eyes settling on the princess's still form. Never before had he felt this way about a woman. That she returned his love was undoubtable, but what would happen when the assignment was over? Would he return to Rome? What would the cardinal think? But he would have to worry about that later. For now, Van Helsing had more urgent problems. How the hell could Dracula be alive? Not four nights ago, they had killed him and all his children along with him. Where had these three new vampires come from? None of it made sense to Gabriel. He and Carl would have to do a bit of reading.
Gabriel hurried to Anna's bedside and placed a long parcel wrapped in gold paper on the table beside the bed and touched Anna's hair, slowly running his hand down her cheek to her chin. The princess moaned softly, snuggling to his touch. Gabriel placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before turning to the friar.
"Come on Carl. We have a lot of reading to do," he muttered, heading for the door with his friend not far behind him.
Jacob was woken by Dracula's ferocious roar of waking. He pulled himself to his feet cursing when a familiar pain rang out in his leg. Velkan Valerious had been the cause of it. He had shot Jacob as he and Marie fled. Being reminded of that night did nothing for Jacob and his temper grew swiftly. He began to pace the room.
"We resurrected him, brought him back to life," He raged, "and what do we have to show for it?! My sister and friend are dead - one again at the hands of a Valerious! And HE has done nothing! I must provoke him into action," forgetting the pervious night's 'discussion', Jacob stormed from his room straight to Dracula's chambers.
He threw the door open to find Dracula seated at a large wooden table, calmly sipping a glass chalice of blood.
"Aah, Jacob. Welcome – I trust you slumbered well?" he said pleasantly.
Jacob was undeterred, marching up to Dracula and yelling, "What have you done?! Tell me Count! What are you doing? We brought you back to life, gave you the power to finally seek revenge and this is how you repay us! By letting the princess run free while my sister lies as a pile of broken ashes?!"
Dracula narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Jacob, contemplating how to react. To Jacob's surprise, the Count gave him a wry smile and tapped his head to one side.
"Jacob, Jaocob, Jacob," he mocked, "You do not know the very tip of the power I possess let alone what I can with it. I do not like to be questioned, Jacob," Dracula's voice grew louder in fury and he fixed Jacob with a glare, "or thought incapable by my servants." Dracula began to tremble. "I believed we addressed this last night, but perhaps, just perhaps," Dracula crushed his glass in his fist, "I was incorrect."
Jacob's eyes darted to to broken glass shards and the blood beginning to drip from Dracula's palm. Before he realised, Dracula had hold of his neck and was holding him up against the wall, far from the ground. Jacob gasped for breath and tried to release himself.
"Do not question me, Jacob! And do not think to disrespect me in this manner again!" Dracula howled, "Is that in any way unclear!?"
"No my Lord," Jacob gasped.
"Good," Dracula let Jacob drop to the floor.
He walked a few steps and turned to face Jacob. "I was going to delay this, but since you are so hasty to see your revenge, I shall bring it forward a little."
Jacob eyed the Count suspiciously as rubbed his throat and he got to his feet. Dracula ignored him.
"Go to the Valerious Manor and look through Princess Anna's window"
"What am I to see, my Lord?" asked Jacob.
"Why, one of my most favourable abilities and the continuation of your torment of Anna Valerious," Dracula said with a glint in his eye.
Satisfied, Jacob bowed and turned to the window to leave.
"Oh – and Jacob!" Dracula called, "Why not catch us some food while you are in Vaseria?"
Jacob nodded and took off, quickly transforming into the white beast.
Dracula watched him fly away for a few seconds then turned from the window, chuckling lightly at Jacob's audacity. He seated himself in a tall armchair and closed his eyes, preparing to begin his attack on Anna. Suddenly, he stopped, looking down at his hand. Harsh cuts marked his palm and fingers. Harsh unhealed cuts.
'Why have I not healed?' demanded Dracula's mind. He thought on it for a moment but could not find a reason. He soon gave up, supposing it had yet to take effectand closed his eyes once more, concentrating on Anna. 'You shall see my servant, see what I can do'.
A/N Sooo… what do you think? About the chapter, not the ridiculous time it took for me to write it! A few reviews might just earn the next chapter by Thursday…. So please give me a piece of your mind grin!>