Thanks, Elwyndra, I'll try to work harder. My spellmistakes make me upset, really! Well, keep reading

Chapter 7

The Railway Accident

The beautiful scenery of night Walachia was whistling past the window. Vladimirine was reading some book in Romanian all the time while Gabriel was admiring the mountains behind the glass and watching her brown eyes running through the text. Something pleasant and mysterious was in her look, the way her eyes sparkled with every sun flash or her lips curled into a half-smile made him all crawl. She seemed to become calm again so he decided to speak:

"I had a talk with one witness of the werewolves' crime. She said there were two women with the pack."

"Really?" Maria looked at him attentively, "what else?"

"Well. I think those women could be a trace leading to the whole clan. Or …"

"Hey, detective, Transylvania is not the right place for making theories. You can't trust neither your eyes neither ears. Just sit and relax."

"But we don't move at all! I start thinking you're not the best werewolf hunter." he grinned, knowing the result. His partner closed her book and rose up quickly. "How dare you!" she started in her usual manner, but the sudden stop of the train made her to shut up.

All the lamps switched off immediately. Some passengers left their coupes to see what happened. That stop wasn't in the timetable.

"It's not a station," Vladimirine looked into the window. It was dark outside with tall trees of the forest from both sides.

"Maybe something broke?"

"No, I don't think so … Listen!"

The hunters heard some strange noise on the roof of the train. Like something huge fell down.

"I'll check," Gabriel told Mary, well, her dark silhouette actually.

"Hey, don't leave me here alone!" Maria grabbed his wrist, her eyes lit up with icy-blue.

"Are you afraid?"

"No! Just let me act like a fragile woman at once!"

"As you wish!" Van Helsing pressed her by shoulders, making the "fragile woman" to sit and then ran into the corridor.

'Fool,' she thought, settling down with a comfort. 'Still why did Fenris start the plan from here. If it was he …'

Vladimirine hurried to follow the Vatican agent on the roof with daggers in her hands. When she reached the roof, the battle had already started. With her dampier's vision the woman could see at least ten werewolves in a column next to her and twelve more, climbing up. Gabriel was really in a bad situation. But he could move freely while the monsters were trying to reach his throat, unwillingly hurting others.

"Come on, Mary, I need your help over here!" the hunter cried, killing a big werewolf behind him. "Mary" kept standing; she didn't know what to do. It wasn't in the plan! She wanted to destroy her enemy by her own. In the same time it was pleasure to see him suffer.

While the battle was going on, the blind witness, the moon, was rising. It showed the true faces of the marionettes below. Vladimirine felt strange cold and fear; something made her to turn back. There, far away was a huge wolf with light-grey, almost white fur. His yellow orbs were observing the woman's pale face. 'He'll attack!' she thought, walking back rapidly. The daggers sparkled in the night.

Then the werewolf started skulking closer and closer to the chosen victim. Maria tensed all her muscles, but her eyes were seeking for her spy Fenris. Fenris was fighting with Van Helsing, who was calling her loudly. She didn't hear, she was deathly frightened.

Dracula's daughter was one of those women, who prefer to hide their fears deep inside. She wasn't afraid of anything actually. But that night she felt weak and feeble woman. The monster was so close; she could smell his rotten breath on her skin. When there stayed only one step between them, the werewolf stopped snarling. He sniffed that intoxicating aura of hers and took ribbon off, so her hair fell on her shoulders. Vladimirine didn't move, she was like a statue, watching the wolf and trembling from his every touch. Something familiar was in those amber eyes. Something scaring and dangerous.

That sweet moment was broken by Gabriel. Two silver arrows reached the monster's shoulder so he howled from pain and jumped off the train quickly.

"Are you alright?" Van Helsing asked. He looked tired, but glad of his victory. The pack left.

Mary flinched, then blinked twice and looked at her partner. "Devon…" she whispered and then fell in his grasp unconscious.

Deep into the forest the wolf howled into the dark.

"How do you feel?" Gabriel interested, touching her forehead. It was hot.

"Where am I? Oh, I remember," Vladimirine was lying on the bench in their coupe, while the train was passing on a high speed.

"You look sick. What happened on the roof? Why didn't you help me?"

Maria tried to smile, but the whole body seemed not to work.

"Alright, I won't torture you, but tell me one thing. You called me 'Devon'?"

"Really?" she rubbed her temple, "Well, sorry, I guess you reminded me my husband."

"Your husband?"

"Yes. Devon Valentine. He died the day after the wedding and I had a child from him."

"The child!"

"Relax. I lost him when I was on the fifth month. I spent one night with Devon and soon found out about pregnancy. My stepparents persisted on the wedding. When the carriage was carrying us to our new home, the wheel broke. It was a rainy night, the ground was wet and the bridge was destroyed by the river. The accident on the rode. I survived, but Devon dripped in eternity. That's all."

"You've kept well since the tragedy."

"The only thing I miss is my beautiful dress. I looked like a goddess!" she smirked evilly, staring into the ceiling.

"Can't believe the man's life costs less than the dress!"

"Haven't you understood, Gabriel? I'm a bad girl, you're good. Don't try to change me, hunter, I'm not like the others. I'm special! Soon you'll know why. And now I want to sleep." with these words she turned back to him and closed her eyes.

'You're wrong, Mary, I will change you …'