Disclaimer: I don't own this stuff. I never will. But what I did own it….?
Additional Notes: I do apologize. I sincerely meant to have an update before Christmas. However, my niece died this past month and so writing was no the first thing on my mind. But I am now back in the game and have the next chapter planned out and ready to write. But in the meantime, please enjoy this chapter!
Devil's Love
Chapter XIII
Dracula's hand froze. "What?"
"If you twist that and release the final chemical, it will combust and create a light equal to the intensity of the sun! You'll die and I, at the very least, will go blind!" Carl rapped out in a hurry. He scrambled to the foot of the bed and attempted to snatch the compressor out of the vampire's hands.
Dracula held it over his head, out of the friar's reach. "A light equal to the intensity of the sun? An impressive toy you've got here."
"It's hardly a toy!" Carl snapped. "That's twelve years of hard work you're playing with there!" Dracula moved so that he was now holding the orb behind his back.
As Carl reached out for it, he suddenly hesitated. The memory that had just flooded his mind seemed to have shut down his thought process.
-
"Did you invent this?"
Carl only had to glance at the orb in Van Helsing's hands before he rushed at Van and reached out for it. "I've been working on that for twelve years. It's compressed magma from Mount Vesuvius with pure alkali from the Gobi Desert. It's one of a kind!"
It was clear that Van really hadn't absorbed any of the significance of what Carl had just said. Instead, his face lit up with that mischievous grin that Carl both loved and hated at the same time. The hunter didn't hand over the compressor—he drew back, dodging Carl's outstretched hand. Carl snorted in annoyance and reached for it a little faster. Van, with much experience against much quicker creatures, easily evaded and held the compressor over his head.
But then Carl shoved him. Not very hard of course and only with one hand, but it still surprised Van. The friar usually relied on his sharp tongue, never his physical strength, of which there wasn't very much. Van's hesitation gave Carl enough time to hop up and take the compressor from the hunter's hand.
Carl smiled, but hid it by shoving the crossbow into Van Helsing's chest.
-
"I apologize."
Carl started, the memory fleeing from his mind. He looked up to see Dracula holding the compressor out to him. The vampire stood in front of him, arm outstretched, his fingers lightly cradling the glass orb. "It wasn't very befitting of me to toy with your possessions in such a way," the count continued.
Carl reached out and took his precious compressor from Dracula, the glass cold against his skin. A thought suddenly struck him—why hadn't he just let Dracula twist the knob? It would have killed him, but I'd have been free. Blind, still waiting on Van Helsing, but free. And Dracula would've been dead. I…I only stopped him because of the risk to myself.
Dracula was suddenly at the door, his hand resting lightly on the polished metal of the doorknob. There was something strange about his face, the expression in his eyes…but then he opened the door and walked past the threshold, leaving Carl with only the sight of his retreating back before the door snapped shut.
Carl's confused feelings flooded his senses just as silence flooded the room.
End of Chapter XIII
The next chapter will be a combination of pretty much everyone…Dracula, Carl (maybe), the brides, Anna, and Van Helsing. We haven't visited Anna and Van lately, have we? So obviously, the next chapter will be longer than the chapters have been as of late. Feel free to review. Feel free to send me emails or instant messages to make me get my lazy self in gear if I don't update for awhile (Email's on the profile…but I have suddenly fallen into a writing mood, so hopefully I'll be all over it. But by now, you readers have to know that I never get the update out as soon I say I will, do I?)