Pouting prettily, Crina poured herself some punch. She was uncomfortably hot, feeling a little sticky. She smiled politely at a handsome young man beside her, then pushed her way through the crowd to a bench at the side. She sat down gracefully, sipping the punch. It tasted sharp, a little too alcoholic for her tastes.
She watched Vlad. He was standing talking to a young lady and gentleman. They were obviously a couple, but the lady kept tossing her blonde curls flirtatiously and fluttering her eyelashes at Vlad. He was standing, hands clasped behind his back, talking politely.
Crina could tell Vlad didn't want this woman. Vlad wanted Crina. The thought warmed her and chilled her. She loved him, completely and utterly, but she had no idea how strong his feelings for her were. Did he love her? And there was still the issue of the two wives, the obvious fact this castle was shrouded in mystery. She thought of Viktor and shuddered in horror. And he was still loose in this place.
She needed to get out, but she couldn't... or wouldn't. Whether she liked it or not, she knew she was bonded to this place.
A gloved hand touched her shoulder from behind suddenly. "Ma'am?"
She only had time to turn and register the face she now knew as Gabriel Van Helsing, grim and serious, before suddenly he had grabbed her roughly, his hand over her mouth, dragging her towards a curtained alcove. Nobody noticed. Nobody heard her squealing behind his hand. The glass of punch lay on the floor.
He pushed her roughly in. It was dimly lit and deserted. Nobody would find them here. Her heart was racing. She longed to shout for Vlad.
"Hey-" she began, but he tackled her to the floor suddenly, pinning her down. She didn't think to argue or try to escape. He radiated strength and power, and despite the situation, she still wanted to trust those soft eyes of his.
"No funny business," he said in his deep, soft voice. "Or else." And then he produced a silver stake.
Crina felt a horrible idea build up inside of her. She knew what silver stakes were related to... Ioan had told her, so long ago, on one of their training days. But no... it couldn't be true...
"Vampires." She spoke around a large, painful lump that had formed in her throat.
Van Helsing cocked an eyebrow.
"I'm not... I'm human..."
"Sure," he said, rolling his eyes. Then he seemed to relent, checking her pulse at her throat, then narrowing his eyes. "Alright, then who the hell are you?"
But the horrible idea was taking over. "Wait... why the stake... why vampires?"
Van Helsing stood up, tugging her up gently. She leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. For a moment he just stood, looking at her through those amazingly kind eyes. Then he let out a grim chuckle. "You mean you didn't know? They all are... everyone in that room... they're vampires."
Crina didn't wait. She dashed from the alcove, collapsing against the nearest wall, numb. Her head was spinning, eyes watering, heart racing. It had to be a lie... it had to be. And yet it made everything make sense. Viktor's fangs, Vlad catching her. It explained why Viktor had called her 'mortal'.
Vlad... Vlad a vampire? She was horrified that she believed it was true. She loved... a vampire. As the dancing couples twirled before her, Crina remembered with a jolt that vampires couldn't love. They simply had no feelings.
She needed to get out.
Vlad appeared before her, blue eyes deep and locked into her own dark ones. He was holding out his hand to her, but she could only think of the terrible winged vampires that she had watched in fear from her bedroom window as they attacked the village. Vlad was speaking, his voice urgent, but she couldn't hear.
She darted past him, sprinting for the stairs, crying, finally completely heartbroken.
To be continued.