I don't own Hellsing or Harry Potter, and I'm not making any money from this.

Lemongrass. Lavender. A faint twinge of rosemary. Mihnea's nose twitched at the calming scents that reached for him through the nearly overwhelming odor of his own blood. His head instinctively turned toward it and he found his face pressed against something soft. Smooth fingertips brushed across his temple. He inhaled deeply and pressed his face further into the softness. He liked this smell. It was soothing and safe. Like a balm.

"Shh." A girl's voice whispered next to his ear. "You're alright. It's me."

Mihnea didn't have enough presence of mind to know who this 'me' was, but the voice and scent were familiar and he believed them. He slowly cracked open an eye and was greeted by a blur of yellows, blues, and blacks. A quick flash of silver. His eye closed again, too tired to remain open for long.

"You've lost a lot of blood." The voice said, and he felt the small form holding him shift. "Here."

The fingers in his hair urged his head upward and he soon found his nose and lips pressed against a smooth, curved column of what must have been skin. He could feel the steady pulse of fresh blood rushing just beneath the surface. He inhaled deeply, taking it in. So thirsty…

"It's alright." The voice soothed. "Take what you need."

Running on pure instinct and in no condition to do otherwise, Mihnea parted his lips and bit down.

The hospital wing was in chaos.

Fudge's face was so red that it looked like his head might explode at any moment. "How did this happen, Dumbledore?" He demanded. "The man had no wand and no means of escape! How did he get out?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Minister." The Headmaster replied calmly. "How did he manage to escape Azkaban and the dementors before?"

The Minister blanched. "You couldn't have found a more secure location to keep him?" He asked.

"What good is that now, Cornelius?" Professor McGonagall asked sternly, hands planted firmly on her hips. "Hogwarts is a school, not a prison!"

Professor Snape, for his part, looked positively livid. "I have no doubt this is one of Potter's hair-brained schemes." He spat. "Perhaps we should ask them what happened."

McGonagall gasped as he thrust a finger toward the trio of Gryffindors being tended to by Madam Pomfrey. "Severus, you cannot be serious!" She admonished. "Black has been hunting Mr. Potter all year and you actually think he'd help him escape?"

"He attacked me, Minerva!"

Dumbledore held up a hand. "He is just a boy, Severus, and was under duress at the time. He may not have understood what he was doing."

Snape grit his teeth in frustration. "Black could have confounded him then. It wouldn't be beyond his capabilities."

"Without a wand?" The Headmaster asked. "Even if that were the case, when would this grand escape plan have taken place? Mr. Potter and his friends have been in this room since you brought them here." He turned toward the Mediwitch going about her duties. "Can you verify that they have been under your care since they arrived?"

The woman straightened, looking a bit perturbed by the accusation that she might lose track of one of her charges. She gave a formal looking nod. "Of course, sir." She replied. "These three have been here with me the entire time. No one has come in or out other than yourself, Headmaster."

Dumbledore smiled kindly. "Thank you, Poppy." He turned back to the disgruntled Potions Master. "The door was locked from the outside when we arrived, if you'll recall. Now, unless you wish to accuse me of helping Sirius Black escape…"

Snape shot a look at him that said he might be willing to argue that point, but Minister Fudge interceded before he could say a word.

"Don't be ridiculous, Dumbledore. No one believes you would do such a thing."

As the small group continued to debate the matter amongst themselves, a shimmering silver wolf padded into the room through the open door behind them. It locked eyes with the Headmaster – the only one in a position to see it – pranced about nervously, then vanished. Dumbledore's brows knit together and he cleared his throat.

"While this discussion is an important one, this is hardly an appropriate place for…" He began, only to be interrupted.

"Sir!" One of the Minister's aides suddenly burst into the room, waving a slip of parchment in the air. "Sir, he's been spotted! We have a sighting of Sirius Black in Hogsmeade! The witness claimed he was flying off on a hippogriff!"

Fudge started at the news and whirled around. "Hippogriff?" He mouthed, only for his eyes to light up. "Why, it may be the same beast that escaped us earlier!" He exclaimed. "Send out our best Aurors! Stay on his tail! We can still catch him while the trail is hot."

Dumbledore clapped his hands together, looking pleased. "Wonderful! A break in the case! I'm sure that there will soon be no end to the business you must see to." He patted Fudge on the arm and turned to his two teachers. "Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, if you would be so kind as to escort the Minister out? And do see that proper arrangements are made for the removal of the dementors." At the man's look of protest, his eyes twinkled. "With Black soon to be caught, there will be no further need of them, will there? I have full faith in your abilities, Minister."

He ushered the confused and slightly disgruntled group toward the exit. Upon pressing them all through the door, the Headmaster pulled it shut and whirled around.

"Could I trouble you to use your floo?" He asked the Mediwitch. "I need to check on updates from the other teachers."

The woman gave him a hard look. "May I expect some peace and quiet to return once you're finished?" She asked. "I don't know how you expect me run a hospital like this. All this shouting and running about! Honestly!"

Dumbledore had the good sense to appear properly contrite. "I apologize for the excitement, Poppy. I'm sure that all will be set to rights soon enough."

Madam Pomfrey crossed her arms with a sniff, but gestured toward her private quarters all the same. Inside and to the right was a fireplace, along with a privacy screen spelled to dampen sound so that conversations would remain unheard by anyone who tried to pry. The Headmaster stepped over to the mantle and availed himself to the screen. His jovial expression was switched out with a more serious one as he flooed Professor Lupin's office.

"Remus." He said, announcing himself.

The man's face appeared in the flames immediately. "Headmaster." He greeted in a somewhat strained tone. "I'm afraid this will be too complex to fully explain…"

"I expected as much, given your current state." Dumbledore interrupted, though not unkindly. "Your patronus looked rather agitated. What's happened?"

Lupin took a deep breath. "It's Mihnea Bassarab, sir. I believe he may be in trouble."

Dumbledore stared intently into the fire. "What sort of trouble?"

"He's injured, Albus. More seriously than he's let on. He left my office a while ago to return to his dormitory, but he never made it there. I've been watching on the map. He stopped just before reaching the staircase to the dungeons and hasn't moved since." The man noticeably paused. "It looks like Miss Lovegood is there with him as well."

The elderly wizard considered the information carefully. "I see." He said, rubbing his chin. "Thank you for informing me of this. I'll take of it."

Without another word, he severed the floo connection and took a moment to think. This situation hadn't been factored into the plan, and so would have to be carefully handled. Time was of the essence. The wizard brought his hands together with a sharp clap.

"Flipsy!" He called.

The senior elf for Slytherin house immediately appeared before him with a deep curtsy. "Headmaster needs Flipsy?" She asked expectantly.

He inclined his head, then gave her a serious look. "Mr. Bassarab has found himself in a bad way, I'm afraid. I need you to go to him. Transport him and Miss Lovegood to the private room off of my office. Make sure to clean up any mess left behind."

Flipsy's massive eyes went wide and her ears dropped. "Young sir is hurt?" She asked in concern. "How badly?"

"We won't know until you've collected them." Dumbledore told her. "I'll be returning to my office shortly. Once we have the situation contained, I need you to deliver a message to our friends in London."

The tiny creature straightened and nodded at him with resolve. "Flipsy understands, Headmaster. She will get it done straight away!"

The house elf vanished and Dumbledore stepped out of the room just long enough to inform Madam Pomfrey that he needed to return to his office to take care of some important matters. A more detailed discussion with Miss Granger and Messrs Potter and Weasley would have to be put off for a later time. The Mediwitch was more than happy to be rid of him, as it would insure the return of the hospital wing to a state of calmness. She told him that she would inform her three patients of what he said. He thanked her, then returned to the fireplace to floo to his office.

"It appears to be going more smoothly than last time." Sir Integra commented between puffs on her cigar.

Syn nodded absently, watching the assortment of shadowy looking animals through the window as they bounded across the grounds. Hunting rabbits, it seemed. "Alucard thought it would help to keep her occupied, since the urge to attack humans was so strong."

Their first experience with Ylenia's transformation had been trying to say the least. Syn had done her research, of course, but books could only tell you so much. There were always little things that weren't explained or were left out entirely. Most of the information she managed to find related to adult werewolves; which wasn't a complete waste of time, but wasn't exactly useful when it came to what to expect from a child. It was frustrating, to have so much information and yet so little they could actually use.

So when that first transformation came, Syn had known it would be difficult. She had known it would be horrific to watch and even more horrific for the girl herself to experience. They did their best to explain what was going to happen in advance, so that Ylenia wouldn't be completely ignorant of the changes to her body. The girl had tried to understand. She put on a brave face and seemed to know that something was going on, but there was still confusion in her eyes. That confusion grew into fear when the transformation began to take hold. Seeing the pain of limbs being twisted and contorted into a new form while the wolf took over was so palpable that Syn felt it like a punch to the gut. And yet she forced herself to stay and watch. She had no idea how much memory would remain of the change or what transpired while she was a wolf, but she wanted Ylenia to know that she had been there. That she had witnessed everything – beginning to end – and remained with her through it all.

Her wolf form turned out to be a small, scraggly looking thing – like a young pup whose limbs were far too long and awkward for its body. Her fur was a deep black color and her eyes lightened to a rich shade of honey that gleamed with gold flecks when they caught the light. Despite the horror of the moment, Syn could still see and appreciate that she would be a stunning creature once fully grown. The sight of anything human seemed to provoke an instinctive desire within her to attack. Alucard had to step in to hold her back when she tried to jump at her and Syn had been forced to retreat inside to observe from the windows. Even the vampires weren't immune. Ylenia didn't recognize them in her new form and attempted to attack them as well. Granted, she was tiny and couldn't do very much, so the altercations wound up being an exercise in keeping her from hurting herself. But removing them from her presence and leaving her to her own devices didn't work out so well either. Ylenia had stalked nervously about the grounds, her pent up energy sending her into a wild frenzy. With nothing around to fight or tear into, the young wolf had taken to clawing and biting at herself. The vampires all stepped in again to make her stop, but this caused more fighting to break out.

She only calmed down when Alucard took the form of his familiar. Why this made such a dramatic difference they weren't sure, but the moment he approached Ylenia as a hellhound, all the fight went out of her and she took on a more submissive posture. She had eagerly followed him around like a puppy for the rest of the night. Going on a hunch, Seras and Pip decided to do the same to see what would happen. The young wolf didn't show nearly so much deference to the wildcat and fox as she did with Alucard, but she made no move to attack them either. After sniffing them out for a while, she slowly became more open and displayed more playful behavior. Their running theory was that wolves were animals that functioned within a social hierarchy. Perhaps Ylenia responded better to them in animal form because she could see them as fellow pack members. It wasn't much to go on and it certainly hadn't come up in any of Syn's research, but it worked so they went with it.

"I don't suppose there's a way to control these transformations?" Integra questioned.

Syn pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I haven't found anything yet. There's a potion that allows werewolves to retain their human mind during the full moon, but it's very toxic. Adult users have to monitor their intake to make sure they don't take too much. It would be too dangerous for a child her size."

The knight glanced at her sideways with a frown. "That's not what I meant." She said softly. "I would never imply that you should poison your child, Syn."

She sighed, dropping her shoulders. "I know." She replied. "It's just… frustrating."

There should be a better solution. Alucard and the others could keep Ylenia under control for now, but she wouldn't remain small forever. And it was unreasonable to expect them to be available for each and every transformation that would take place over the years. New research would need to be done. Their intelligence in the area of werewolves was sorely lacking anyway and with the increase in threat, they would need newer, more accurate information. And if there was anything out there that could help with Ylenia's transition into the new world she found herself in, then the redhead was eager to learn about it.

"I'm still going through my books." Syn told her. "I'm sure I can find something… even come up with something new myself if I have to. But it would be helpful to have some kind of research team…"

Integra nodded, sensing where she was going. "The magical world has generally been able deal with werewolf attacks before they reach our level." She commented. "We've not encountered them enough to know how to adequately deal with them. I believe we can show enough cause to warrant funding for more research. Let me know what you need and I'll see what I can do." She paused to take a long drag from her cigar, studying her. "You still feel it, don't you?"

The redhead frowned and nodded, turning to look back out the window. A feeling of foreboding had been nagging at her for the past several hours. The sensation she normally got when something was about to happen. Given what day it was, she had naturally assumed it had something to do with Ylenia. But everything had gone about as well as it could have and things seemed to be under control so far. When that didn't turn out to be the cause, Integra had put her intelligence liaisons on alert for any unusual activity and Edmund was keeping in contact with them in case anything was reported. Nothing had come in yet.

"I don't like it, Integra." She said quietly. "Something's going on. I just don't know what it is."

The lady knight sighed. "I agree. Your feelings are usually accurate." She admitted. "We're doing what we can, for the time being. If anything comes of it, we will find out soon enough."

Syn knew that, but it didn't make the feeling lessen or go away. It made her anxious to have the metaphorical warning bells going off in her head and not being able to pinpoint a defined reason for them. She scratched at her arms, the nervous energy making her skin feel itchy.

A loud popping sound drew their attention away from the window, and both women turned to stare at newcomer that had joined them.

"Sorry, sorry!" The strange looking creature apologized, waving its hands. "The Headmaster sent Flipsy!"

Syn and Integra exchanged a look between themselves. A message from Dumbledore? The man usually communicated with them by owl if he needed to. The only time he'd ever sent a message via house elf was when Constance was injured during that break in. The foreboding sensation Syn had been feeling suddenly dropped down into her stomach.

"What's wrong?" Integra demanded.

The elf fidgeted nervously. "Young sir got hurt bad. Lots of blood! Flipsy took him and his girl somewhere safe, but Headmaster says you need to come!" She grabbed Syn's hand and jumped up and down. "Come! Flipsy will take you!"

Mihnea? Syn thought, dread beginning to well up. What the devil had he gotten himself into that hurt him? And badly enough that Dumbledore was sending for her? She felt a brush of awareness as Alucard flitted into her mind, his attention pricked by what was happening around her. She glanced outside and found that the hellhound had stopped dead in its tracks to stare up at her. When she relayed the elf's message to him, his lips pulled back into a snarl. Syn whirled back around with intent.

"Take me." She said, and closed her eyes against the wave of nausea that hit when the elf activated its magic to transport her to the castle.

Syn had never been good with magical transportation and she had to fight back the urge to vomit when she felt solid ground beneath her feet again. She doubled over and took deep breaths to calm her stomach before daring to open her eyes. The house elf had brought her straight to Dumbledore's office and the man himself stood directly before her with a solemn expression on his face.

"I apologize for dragging you here so suddenly, Ms. Newsom, but I'm afraid we have a problem." He told her.

She listened to his rapid explanation of what he knew. There had been a misunderstanding regarding Sirius Black's intentions this whole time. He had been captured tonight and somehow, Mihnea had gotten in the middle of some crazy scheme to help him escape. Dumbledore couldn't tell her exactly how he had been injured, but warned that it looked serious. When he started going on about a mess in a hallway being taken of and ensuring that no one had seen anything, Syn held up a hand. She didn't care for the details at the moment. She just wanted to know where the hell her son was. Any aftermath could be taken care of later.

"Where is he, Dumbledore?" She demanded through gritted teeth.

"This way." He told her, leading her to a hidden door off to the side of the room. He gave her a considering look as he touched the doorknob that appeared for him. "I should tell you that Miss Lovegood was with him when he was found, and I did not think it wise to separate them."

Syn paused mid-step. She hadn't been expecting that. But from what she understood, the girl knew a great deal about them already so her appearance shouldn't be a surprise. The redhead nodded her understanding, and Dumbledore opened the door for her enter.

The room itself was relatively small and looked like it wasn't used often. Mihnea lay on his side on a cot situated against the wall, his head in the lap of a tiny waif of a girl. She was dutifully petting his hair with one hand, while the other was dabbing at deep, vicious looking claw marks across his back with a damp cloth. There was blood everywhere. Syn felt her breath hitch at the sight.

The sound made the girl lift her head. "Oh! Hello. Professor Dumbledore said you were coming." She said in a calm, almost dreamy sounding voice. She glanced down at Mihnea's head in her lap. "He's fallen asleep. He lost a lot of blood, but his aura is strong. It looks bad, but he'll be fine."

The redhead dropped to her knees next to the cot and gingerly touched her son's shoulder. It was tightly bandaged, but whatever wound lay beneath had bled through quite a bit. He was shockingly pale and felt feverish to the touch. But aside from that none of the wounds seemed to be actively bleeding at the moment, and the blood itself was beginning to dry. A press of her fingers against his neck revealed his pulse to be steady and his breathing seemed normal. While the state he was in was shocking to see, he was stable. Thank God.

"Oh, baby, what did you do?" She breathed.

"I don't know what happened, but I suspect he fought with Professor Lupin." The girl told her, still petting his hair. "He's been muttering about him."

Syn's gaze flitted up to her. "You're Luna?" She questioned. "His Luna?"

The girl gave her a small smile and tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "Yes ma'am." She said. "He's told me a lot about you."

She studied the girl curiously, noting the unusual color of her eyes. Not gray or blue as she initially thought, but a gleaming, pale silver. They were striking and odd. Moonswept, she thought. Suddenly, Mihnea's interest in her and their rather rapid connection made more sense. Luna shifted position slightly, and Syn's eyes flitted down to her throat, catching sight of a distinctive bruise.

"He bit you?" She asked, shocked. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine." Luna told her. "I'm sure he doesn't realize it yet. I had to coax him a bit, you see. He was so weak when Pixie brought me to him and I knew fresh, virgin blood would help him heal faster. I hope he's not terribly cross with me when he finds out."

Syn blinked. She… coaxed him into biting her? That was… well, maybe she shouldn't think too deeply about that. It would be the pot calling the kettle black after all. Beyond that, she found herself touched by the idea that her son had someone who cared enough to be willing to offer such a thing. She reached out and took the girl's hand.

"Thank you, Luna." She said sincerely. "I'm sure it helped."

The blonde smiled. "I'm glad." She said. "He takes care of me, so it's only fair I look out for him too, when I can. He can be very stubborn about it, though."

The redhead felt her lips twitch despite herself. "Yes, he can." She agreed.

Her attention was pulled away from the girl when Dumbledore cleared his throat behind her. "May I have a word, Ms. Newsom?"

Syn nodded and pushed herself up from the floor. Giving Mihnea another once over, she stepped over to where the Headmaster was standing.

"What's this about a fight with Professor Lupin?" She asked pointedly.

The man's eyes glittered. "Ah, Miss Lovegood shares my suspicions, I see. She is quite a quick-witted girl." He said, then became more serious. "As I told you, I've not yet learned all the details of what happened tonight. I can send you a full report once I've confirmed it with all the parties that were involved. However, I can tell you that Professor Lupin was first to notify me of the state Mihnea was in. I understand he didn't take the wolfsbane potion tonight and yet, he is human now. At least he was when I spoke to him just a while ago. Given the circumstances, I can only assume that your son was attempting to keep him from harming Mr. Potter and Miss Granger, and was bitten in the process."

Syn blinked at him. "And he's still alive?" She asked.

The Headmaster nodded. "Very much so." He replied. "He didn't look terribly well, mind you, but he was still strong enough to conjure a corporeal patronus to get my attention."

That was… unexpected. If Mihnea was bitten as they thought, then the man should be dead. He certainly shouldn't have been able to do as much as Dumbledore claimed. Mihnea would have to fill in the details once he'd recovered. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and glanced back at her son.

"Who else knows about this?" she asked quietly.

"Only those I've already mentioned." the older wizard replied solemnly.

"And the house elf?" she added, though mostly for her own benefit.

"You needn't worry about Flipsy." he told her. "All of the house elves here live to serve Hogwarts and her Headmaster without question. Even without my orders, I don't believe they would betray your son's confidence. He has curried favor with many of them over the years."

That made the situation slightly more manageable, but still not ideal. Syn cleared her throat.

"I need to take him home, Dumbledore." She told him. "He can't stay here like this."

"Of course not." He agreed. "You must take care of your own." He paused a moment, thinking. "I don't suppose you have an idea of how long he'll be away?"

Had it come from anyone else, Syn might have bitten their head off for daring to ask such a question. But as Dumbledore had very good reasons for it, she held herself back.

"I have no idea." She said, being honest. "It's…" She forced herself to look away from the horrific wounds on his back. "He's never been injured like this before. There's… too many factors in play to know how he'll react or how long his recovery will take. If he hadn't been bitten, I would say he could bounce back in a few days. With this…?"

The older man gently touched her shoulder to top her. "I understand, Ms. Newsom. Your son's health is of utmost importance. Do what you must." He gave her a reassuring look. "I only ask because of the timing. I cannot control gossip and it will be very extremely difficult, if not impossible, to convince anyone that Mihnea's departure from school had nothing to do with Black's escape. He's developed quite the reputation after their last encounter." There was a meaningful pause. "I will weave whatever tale I must, but I cannot promise a miracle."

The woman sighed with a deep frown. "I know, and I appreciate what you've done for him. For both of them." She said. "We've all survived worse, I suppose. We'll find a way through this as well."

He smiled. "Of that, I have no doubt, Ms. Newsom." He clasped his hands together. "Flipsy?" He waited until the elf reappeared before him. "You've done very well, but I have one last task for you tonight. If you would, please transport Ms. Newsom and her son back to Hellsing Manor. We all believe that he would receive more benefit from recovering at home."

The tiny creature bobbed her head in agreement, while the Headmaster turned his attention back to the two forms on the cot. "Your assistance tonight has been invaluable, Miss Lovegood, but I'm afraid we must return you to your dormitory. Professor Flitwick has already expressed concern for your whereabouts. I'll escort you there and speak to him myself." He paused meaningfully. "I don't suppose I have to impress upon you the importance of keeping this secret?"

Luna shook her head in response. "I made a promise to him, sir." She said, looking down at Mihnea. "I won't betray him."

Dumbledore smiled at the statement. "I know you won't." He said, and extended a hand to her. "Come along. I believe I have a blood-replenishing potion in my office that you may use if you feel you need it. Madam Pomfrey has had her fill of excitement for the evening, I'm afraid. Best not bother her when we can see to it ourselves, don't you agree?"

The girl hummed in thoughtful agreement and carefully extracted herself from the cot without disturbing Mihnea too much. He muttered a bit at her absence, but otherwise showed no sign of regaining consciousness. Syn was shocked senseless when the girl walked right up to her and wrapped her arms around her in a gentle hug.

"It was a pleasure to meet you." She said sincerely. "I'm looking forward to meeting everyone else over the summer."

The redhead had to remind herself that a visit had been planned. She wasn't used to receiving such shows of affection; certainly not from teenage girls she'd just met, and she felt a bit… awkward? But damn if the girl hadn't already started to grow on her. She gave her a light squeeze back.

"I am too." She told her, meaning it. She pulled away and reached for Luna's hand to finger the herald around her wrist. "I'm… sorry it had to be under these circumstances."

The girl shook her head. "It's alright. I believe everything happens for a reason." She replied in her serene manner. "Perhaps this was the best way."

Syn found herself thinking that she might be right about that. After all, she had been given a valuable glimpse of the girl's character that she may not have seen any other way. Giving her a final pat on the shoulder, she let go of her hand and watched as she left with Dumbledore, the two of them discussing what excuse should be given to her Head of House. Once they were gone, she went back to Mihnea's cot and prepared herself for the inevitable sickness that would come from the journey back home.

It was close to sunrise before she felt Alucard's distinctive presence enter the room. Syn had been lightly dozing, propped up in a chair she had pulled over to Mihnea's bedside in the medical ward. She forced herself to sit upright once she realized she was no longer alone.

The redhead was immensely grateful for their mental connection because she wasn't sure she had the energy or patience relay the story again. Integra and Edmund had come through not long after they had returned to the manor and had stayed with her for a while. Rebecca and Jackson had popped in several times, both to check on how things were going and to see if she needed anything. Pip had visited for about an hour before rejoining the others outside so that Seras could have her turn. She had stayed the longest – listening to Syn explain everything and holding her hand while they both waited for Mihnea to wake up. Aside from the occasional shift of his head in his sleep, her son showed no signs of returning to consciousness. Eventually, Seras had left as well. Alucard chose to remain with Ylenia all night. Syn had felt him in her head – keeping tabs from a distance like he tended to do – but the situation itself had called for a 'divide and conquer' approach. She was beginning to understand why Integra and Edmund had decided to stick with having only one child. Worrying about two at once was going to do a number on her nerves.

"How did the rest of the night go?" She asked with a yawn.

"Very well, I'd say." The master vampire replied as he soundlessly approached the bed. "She captured four rabbits and a raccoon. It was beautifully brutal." He sounded proud.

The redhead made a face. "You're teaching her how to kill things already?"

"It is never too early to start learning." Alucard replied.

She snorted. As long as they kept it to small animals, she supposed it wouldn't be a problem. Better them than people. Their son's cat might not be too pleased with a decrease in available prey though.

Syn watched as he glanced over the IV tubes transfusing blood. It was the best they could come up with to get more into him since Mihnea couldn't drink while unconscious. He brushed the hair out of the boy's eyes and pressed a hand to his forehead.

"You worry yourself too much, goddess." Alucard chided. "His body is resting to heal itself. He will be fine."

If she hadn't been so bleeding tired, she might have come up with a retort for that. Being awake for 27 hours straight tended to have a dampening effect on her more argumentative side. She best she could offer up at the moment was a disapproving sniff. The vampire chuckled at her and one of his shadows appeared to drag another chair over next to hers.

"I met his pet." She offered as he sat down.

Alucard's eyes lit up with interest. "Indeed?" he purred. "And what is your assessment?"

Syn considered the question. "It was… interesting. She's a tiny little thing. Very pretty. Very… calming." She thought back to the girl's eyes. "I'd have to see her again to be sure, but I'd swear she has a touch of Sidhe blood."

That got his attention. "I see." He said thoughtfully. "That would explain a great deal." He gave her a sideways glance, sensing that she was holding something back. "Is that all?"

Syn looked meaningfully toward the hospital bed. "He bit her."

One of Alucard's brows raised a notch, as if questioning why she found that notable. "And?"

"Excuse me, allow me to correct that." She amended. "She found him passed out in a puddle blood and, in her own words, coaxed him into biting her."

The vampire blinked at her, then the corners of his lips slowly pulled upwards. The amused grin spread across his face and he let out a deep, resonant laugh.

"Oh, I'm jealous of you, little goddess." He said once the laughter died down to a more controlled chuckle. "I want to meet this rare creature for myself."

Syn thought about that. If Luna acted with him the same way she had with her, then it would be quite a sight to see.

"I think you might be surprised, Alucard."

"Oh, I hope so." He purred in approval. "It's so much more interesting that way."

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