Funny how, as she fell, time seemed to slow down. Crina found herself paying very little attention to how stiff her body had become, how her long hair fluttered around her face, how cold she was, how when the lightening flashed the blonde man appeared to have sharp fangs as he grinned. Instead, she felt a sense of calm. She wondered if Ioan would be waiting for her when she reached the bottom.
But Crina never reached the bottom.
She must have been almost seven feet from it when strong arms caught her gently.
Blinking in confusion, she looked down to see Vlad standing, quite calmly, on the floor, looking up at her, his arms raised above his head, holding her. He smiled softly at her, in a caring sort of way, then lowered his arms, cradling her long, slender body into his torso.
Everything that had just happened seemed to hit Crina suddenly. She began to shake uncontrollably and felt herself begin to cry. She buried her face into Vlad's neck, feeling safe. He had saved her. Impossible as the catch had been, he had saved her, he had caught her.
"Viktor!" he thundered up, sounding more frightening than anything she had just experienced. "Viktor! You will pay for this, you have no right!"
Silence answered his words. Crina looked up gingerly, seeing that Viktor had vanished. The knowledge that he was still prowling around the castle chilled her. She sobbed.
"Hush, child, hush," Vlad whispered comfortingly. "It is over."
Crina remembered Vlad flying at her that afternoon, and realised it had scared her more than the entire experience with Viktor. But now Vlad was being kind, so caring, and she felt completely safe. "Vlad..." she whispered.
"Will you come with me?" Vlad asked softly, his blue eyes earnest. He clearly didn't want Crina to think he was doing anything against her will. Still, Crina feared if he put her down her legs would simply give way, so she didn't have much choice. She nodded.
He carried her to the nearest door. It opened onto a small, yet grand bedroom. Red curtains were closed over the window. Lamps cast a warm golden glow on the room. There was a large four-poster bed made up in white silk, with white curtains around it, a desk with an armchair, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers. Vlad walked over to the bed.
"Please," Crina begged, finding her voice at last. "Please don't put me down."
Vlad raised his eyebrows, but did not let go of her. Instead, he sat down upon the bed himself, so that Crina was sat upon his legs, curled up against him. "Why don't you want me to put you down?" he asked quietly.
She blinked, lowering her eyes. "Because... I feel so safe."
Vlad nodded. He looked momentarily pleased. Then he pressed a gentle, reassuring kiss to Crina's forehead. "Are you alright, Crina?"
Crina closed her eyes. She wasn't alright, she had never been so scared in her life. There was something wrong in this castle. "No," she whispered.
They were silent for a long time, Crina burrowing into Vlad, inhaling his musky, pleasant scent. Vlad rocked her back and forth slightly, stroking her long soft hair with his fingers, making no comment as to how tangled it now was. They listened to the thunder crashing and the rain pouring down.
Crina broke the silence. "How did you catch me, Vlad? It's practically impossible, I'm sure."
Vlad chuckled, turning her head gently so she was looking into his eyes. "Trust me, it was not hard. As long as I'm around, I will always catch you when you fall. I promise."
"Thank you," she said quietly, lowering her eyes. "But seriously, how?"
"I have excellent reflexes." He chuckled to himself, then sighed. "I'm sorry, Crina, I really shouldn't let him wander around this place. I know what he's like."
Crina shuddered, twisting her hands together as she remembered. "He... he licked my blood."
Vlad suddenly looked livid. His eyes glowed manically. "He bit you?" he demanded.
"No, no. He scratched me." Crina gestured to her cheek.
Vlad's expression softened. He touched the scratches gently. "I am sorry. Viktor is quite mad, especially when it comes to women. I assure you, Crina, he will pay for this. He will definately pay for this."
Crina bit her lip thoughtfully. Now was the time to bring up a topic that had been bothering her. "Vlad? Don't you feel a little worried about your wife, wandering around when Viktor is here?" She studied his reaction closely.
For a moment his expression remained the same, then slowly it darkened. He sighed and pushed Crina gently onto the bed, standing up and crossing over to the window, fingering the curtains slowly. He was silent for about a minute, then he spoke in a soft voice. "Crina, I don't think this is the right time to talk about this."
She glared up at him, trying to remain calm. She wasn't going to let him get out of talking about Brianna by being emotional and quiet. "No, Vlad. I want to talk about it now. It isn't fair on me if we don't."
He turned back to her, his eyes darker than before. His expression was impassive. "I warn you that you may not like what you hear."
"That does not surprise me." She felt tears prickling her eyes. "Vlad... how do you feel about me?" Her heart was racing. She knew how deeply she felt about him.
"Interesting question," he replied slowly, apparently caught off-guard. He carefully fixed a loose strand of ebony hair. "I must know... do you have feelings for me, Crina?"
She stiffened automatically. "You can't ask me that," she responded, dark eyes flashing. "My heart is Ioan's. I feel for no other." But even as she said the words, she knew they weren't true, and she hung her head.
"Crina." She started as his hand touched her shoulder. He was kneeling beside her on the bed. A strand of hair had escaped again and was hanging in his face. He was biting his lip. It made him look very vunerable and it made her heart melt. "Crina... you keep kissing me. That clearly isn't true." He took her hand slowly. "Please... tell me the truth, Crina. I need to know."
Hiding under her veil of hair, she felt herself begin to cry. Was there any use denying the truth, when it was obvious to both of them? Pushing Ioan out of her mind, she replied quietly, "I'm not sure, Vlad. I care about you... deeply. I- I think I'm falling in love with you." There, she had said it. Her shoulders trembled.
Vlad was silent. It lasted for a very long time until finally Crina couldn't stand it anymore and looked up into his face to see him looking at her intently. His expression was typically unreadable. Upon seeing her sad face and wet eyes, he squeezed her hand gently.
She blinked at him. "Say something," she whispered. "Please."
"I would if I knew what to say. Oh, Crina."
She sniffed, fighting the urge to burst into tears. "You knew anyway."
"I knew not that your feelings ran so deep, beautiful one." Vlad closed his eyes slowly, lowering his head. He looked almost sad, sorry. He released her hand and chewed his lip. "However, I knew you cared. That is why I did not tell you about Brianna. That is why you could not know. It would hurt you."
But he wasn't telling her the full truth, and she knew it. She stared at him. "Is that the only reason, Vlad?"
He blinked, surprised, holding her gaze steadily. "No." He stood up again and wandered to the end of the bed, holding onto one of the posts with both hands, facing away from her. When he spoke his voice was loud and deep with emotion. "No, Crina! I did not tell you of Brianna because I knew it... it... would make you hate me! I could not bare to lose you, have you hate me, because I..." His voice trailed off desperately.
She waited for him to say something. He cared? He wanted to be with her? He loved her? She didn't care what he said... just so long as he finished his sentence. However, he did not. Pushing back her hair and standing up, she said, "Vlad, please be straight with me."
He turned to her suddenly. His expression was intense, dangerous, yet caring. He wrapped one arm around her waist and drew her to him, then held the back of her head with his other hand and pulled her head towards his. She closed her eyes as his lips met her own in a long, deep, passionate kiss. It didn't exactly answer anything but she knew it was the best she was going to get.
When their lips became detached, he whispered, "Would you like to watch the sunrise? I believe it is due."
She sighed. "I have many more questions."
He held her tightly, one strand of his hair tickling her nose. His expression was sincere. "Please, Crina. Not tonight. Not now. All of your questions will be answered eventually, I promise. Now, please sit down."
Crina, sighing again, giving up, sank back onto the bed. Her head was heavy. Vlad went over to the window and, in one swift strong motion, he tugged the curtains open. The pale, pre-sunrise light filtered weakly into the room. Crina was sure she heard him hiss as he returned to her, sitting down beside her. No words were spoken; he wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned against him, resting her head on his chest, and together they watched the sunrise, Crina wondering how deep Vlad's feelings ran.
To be continued.