I dedicate this fanfiction to my girlfriend and all my followers, reviewers and beta reader wallaceb.

CHAPTER 10 - Race Against Time

Unfortunately, the silver arrow weakened Mavis preventing her from using her powers, so she could not fly over the lake but instead had to take a more tortuous way around it to reach the bridge, which she did not have time for.

She felt the warmth of Jonathan's blood on herself, the smell inebriated her. An animal instinct increased inside her, she not only wanted it, but she needed it, she had lost too much energy in combat and her survival instincts were yelling at her to devour the boy.

She ran crying, desperate. Mavis's thoughts were oppressive as if she was strangulated, but time was not on her side and she could not afford distractions.

The exhausted vampiress fell to the ground, she could see the bridge, as near as unreachable.

She could not move, she felt tired and without energy, she wanted to stay, lying on the ground to rest in peace, but she knew that Jonathan would die.

She looked at him a moment, then she crawled with difficulty and reached him for a hug. She just wanted to spend these last moments with him until the end, like a snowflake that is combined with a drop of dew and then dissolve together in the warmth of the morning sun.

Mavis had already resigned her thoughts; the tears flowed down her cheeks and mixed with the blood on Jonathan's chest where she rested her head.

Jonny whispered something to her:

"I know I'm dying... and I also know that you have done all you can... Cough, Cough, Cough..." The boy coughed loudly spitting blood.

"But, tell me... what did you discuss with your father, after the party?" He continued after recovering.

Mavis opened her eyes surprised and stopped crying, got up off her chest with difficulty by pushing with her arms to look Jonathan in the face, and she said:

"So, you heard us? We were talking about your future with me, I should ask you if you wanted to become a vampire to live forever with me, but I did not have the courage. I was afraid of your rejection and having to resign to see you grow old and die..."

Now the tears again uncontainable slid down her nose and fell down on the Jonathan's cheek, who murmured:

"Bite me..."

"I can't do it... I promised my dad that I wouldn't do it in any case; he told me it would be dangerous, probably lethal to both of us, but he would not say more... I'm sorry..."

Mavis said, sobbing, and then she brought her lips to the boy's to give him a kiss, a kiss with the bitter taste of blood.

To the vampiress that little drop of blood was sufficient to reinvigorate her and she felt that damned voice inside her again:

"Devour him or you will die..."

"No!"

"Devour him or you will die..."

"Stop it! "

"Devour him or you will die..."

"Shut up!"

Mavis bit her lip in anger with such force as to cut it, the taste of vampire blood, the blood of a dead man, was so repulsive much that overrode also that of Jonathan.

After this outburst she stood up and took the boy in her arms.

"Mavis... whatever may happen... you know that I love you, what happened is not your fault..."

Jonathan raised his hand to stroke her hair gently, but it slipped down immediately taking with it the bloody flower water lily which fell to the ground.

Jonathan was unconscious so Mavis realized she could not waste any more time and kept running, supported by a mysterious force that allowed her to move forward even when her body should have collapsed.

She came to the cliff above the bridge, but she could not find the way to reach the secret passage in the forest, so she jumped into the void.

The landing was bad. She used her body to shield Jonathan but by doing so the blow made her push the arrow still deeper into her flesh. The vampire girl gritted her teeth to withstand the pain, and then she picked up the boy and continued to stagger along the bridge, which seemed endless, until reaching the revolving door of Hotel which she entered through with difficulty and then dropped to her knees at the entrance of the hall.

The guests around her noticed the girl and looked with startled a gaze, as the other monsters turned to look, the shaking shout of Mavis broke the silence:

"Dad!"

Dracula pricked up his ears, he was on the landing of the stairs in the lobby and was discussing with his friends how to organize the "welcome back" party for Mavis to forgive him.

He turned towards the entrance and saw his daughter and Jonathan dripping with blood, the goblet of Similsan slipping from his hands. Before it shattered on the ground, the vampire jumped in front of the two with such speed as to crack the tiles under his feet and crush the glass of the front door.

"What happened?! " Dracula shouted desperately to Mavis who had her head down and did not answer for a moment.

"And this..." Continued the vampire in a lower tone of voice, but still rough, referring to the arrow stuck in the side of his daughter as he gingerly touched it, but quickly withdrew his hand after he was burned by it.

"Ouch! A silver arrow... Dr. Jekyll!" He shouted.

"WHO DID THAT?"

"He attacked us..." Mavis said with a whisper.

"He hit Jonathan by mistake, then we started a furious fight and hurt me badly..." Continued the girl still without looking up.

Dracula took Jonathan in his arms.

"Jonathan... no..." He whispered desperately, then seeing blood drip from the tip of the girl's nose, he gently took her chin and lifted her head, for Dracula it was a blow to his heart to see the gash and the black eye on his daughter's face:

"Honey-claws, your pretty face..." Dracula continued with tears.

Dr. Jekyll finally arrived, a middle-aged gentleman in a white coat accompanied by four nursemummys who were carrying two stretchers where they laid the two.

"Take care of my daughter and ... the boy we'll take care of later... The wounds were inflicted with silver weapons, do what you can." Dracula said to the doctor.

"Silver Arrows? That is barbarism." Said the doctor with a strong British accent.

"Dad... please... save Jonny..." The voice of Mavis drowned in sobs.

Dracula did not know what to say, he knew that she could never endure such pain, but he could not hide the truth, not this time.

"Mavis, my little-bat... I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do for him..."

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