thanks for the interest! reviews are always appreciated! - dd

~oOo~

Sonia fell onto the cool damp ground, her legs simply could not hold her up any longer. Her fingers dug in the earth as she sucked air into burning lungs. Her burst of adrenaline done, it took all she had to hold herself up on all fours. Once she had steadied her breathing and calmed her heart, she crawled and slumped over against the trunk of a gnarled old tree. She was finally free from those random twisting hallways yes, but where was she now. Certainly not in New Orleans. Maybe not even outside of it.

She looked around and felt the feeling of dread return. Her fight or flight instinct had kicked in so thoroughly that she never even considered looking at her surroundings as she ran. So much for those damn self-defense classes. She had completely panicked and now she was sitting under some old tree in the middle of some rapidly darkening woods.

Sonia had terribly underestimated the blackness of nighttime in the woods, especially after living in the city as she had her entire life. Even if there were a moon out tonight it would not penetrate the dense canopy above. A coffin could not be darker, six feet under and piled with dirt. She began to breathe the cool air more rapidly once again, the only sound to be heard as the darkness pressed in on her from all sides. Even though she was outside, the nothingness nurtured a sense of claustrophobia inside her and her body once more screamed for her to get up and run. She pulled her knees up against her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Suddenly a strange room with a fireplace did not seem so bad. At least she was indoors. Black trucks against a black backdrop did not make for much to see and her imagination happily obliges with horrors to fill the void.

No. She would not panic. Not again. She pulled herself up to her feet. There had to be something out here. A house that size would not be sitting out in some random dark woods somewhere. There had to be a town or store, other homes or something. She was not a child, she could do this.

As she stumbled her way through the dark, feeling her way past winding knotted tree roots, damp spongy moss and the occasional strange sensation that something was squirming under her bare feet, she began to recall the events leading up to her current situation.

What exactly had happened?

Was what she had originally taken as a dream turn out to be real? Had she pushed her way through a mirror in her aunt's house and ended up God knows where? If that was the case, did she really see a man with a sword before waking up in some strange bed? And how did she get into the nightgown? How any of that could even be possible, Sonia did not know, but it was the last thing she remembered. Maybe she was in a coma … maybe she was in a coma right now … this was all too much to even comprehend at the moment. She had to get back to civilization and figure out where she was.

She was uncertain for how long she staggered through the dark before finally hearing voices. Sonia stood there for several minutes, straining her ears to make sure she was actually hearing them. She moved toward where she thought the sound was coming from and almost started laughing hysterically when she saw the flickering light of what must be a campfire. If it was a troop of boy scouts with popcorn she would buy every overpriced bag they had.

"Help me please!"

Her voice rasped and cracked as she called out into the night, forcing her way through the overgrowth towards the light. As she made her way the voices stopped.

"Please, please I need help …"

They had to hear her. If not her voice, then at least the commotion she was making in with the brush. Suddenly the flickering lights disappeared and Sonia's voice became pitched.

"No! Wait! Please wait!"

She hurled herself through the dark, careening towards where she had just seen the light. She had to stop them, catch them before they left. She had to get help.

Sonia's feet suddenly flew up from underneath her as she ran into what she thought was a low hanging branch, knocking the wind out of her.

Everything became blurry and spun as she struggled to remain conscious. She had some idea that she moving, whether she was being carried or dragged she was unsure. Either way it was painful. She was dropped on the ground in a heap and she thought she heard voices once more. It was difficult to tell. The voices sounded thick and muffled, as if she were listening from underwater.

"… a fucking girl …"

"… out here … the castle …"

"… witch …"

Sonia forced herself to concentrate and tried to sit up, only to be forced back down by a hand to her throat.

"Oh no you don't," a deep voice spat. "Back down with you."

"I'm telling you, the only thing out here is that fucking castle," a second voice whined, "she's a witch."

A witch?

"Witch or no, she's looks clean," a third voice spoke up very close to her ear, "… I'd fuck her."

What.

"Christ Gerold, you'd fuck a goat," the first voice snorted. "Well get on with it then, we need to move off before something not so easy to kill comes around next."

Sonia felt rough hands force their way between her legs and something snapped. She fell into a living nightmare. She escaped from some scary sex trafficking torture dungeon only to find herself in the woods about to get raped.

She summoned up every last bit of strength she had and swung as hard as she could –

she sees herself terrified as she runs through endless hallways

– while simultaneously kicking, planting a fist in Gerald's face and a knee in his crotch.

she sees herself careening in the dark screaming for help

As Gerold fell over gagging, Sonia pressed on with her attack by grabbing the nearest object she could grab and striking him –

she sees a man forcing her down and reaching between her legs

– again and again as the sound of his companions laughter rings through her ears. "You wanna fuck her now Gerold?" they taunt as they move closer.

she sees a gold coin

A sudden flash of searing heat runs over her body and feels herself being propelled back, landing on the ground with a thud, the wind knocked out of her. Sonia squints and brings an arm across her face to protect her eyes from the blinding light that now burns from the once extinguished campfire, the flames so tall it seems to lick at the tops of the trees, until finally dying down. For a moment there is nothing but stunned silence.

"You see," a voice shrieked, "she's a fucking witch!"

A hand grabbed a fistful of her hair and jerked her head up and Sonia saw for the first time one of her attackers. He was a filthy disgusting looking man with hair that sat thick and matted atop his head. The only spot on his face that was not covered with hair was where a long scar trailed down his cheek. He wore some kind of overcoat that was ripped and caked with dried mud and filth. And the smell of body odor and feces made Sonia want to gag.

"The church pays good money for witches and this time we got a real one."

"Just cut her fucking throat," Gerold spat, still crouched over on the ground.

The greasy man pulled a long knife out from behind him and Sonia prepared to fight for her life. This was not going to happen to her. Not like this.

As the knife came around her throat, Sonia grabbed the blade with both hands, ignoring the feel as it sliced her palms.

"Goddammit," the he muttered as he pulled at the knife, trying to free it from her grip. He let go of her hair and looked her in the eye as he reared his hand back to strike. Sonia closed her eyes and pulled at the blade as hard as she could in an attempt to get free it from his grasp.

She must have pulled harder than she thought for she flung herself backwards onto the ground again, knife still in hand. A spark of hope ignited as she jumped up, preparing to run once more when she froze.

On the ground before her was what she thought must be the filthy man who had been holding her, but it was hard to tell because some sort of large white animal stood on his chest, it's jaws locked around the man's throat. A sick wet gurgling noise emanated from the man on the ground as the beast tore his neck to shreds. A second man jumped out of the shadows with a large ax only to have his arm ripped off by what Sonia now thought was a wolf. The man's screams were quickly silenced as the wolf's jaws snapped around his neck.

And then there was Gerold.

Gerold for his part had remained frozen with fear it would seem, his balls still cupped in his hands. The wolf stalked slowly towards him with a low threatening growl till it stood between Gerald and Sonia. His eyes wide with terror he looked from the wolf to Sonia and then back to the wolf.

"Witchcraft," he hissed.

The wolf let out a loud snarl and Gerold ran. The wolf stood there growling at the dark for several more seconds before it stopped and turned around to level two great golden eyes on Sonia.

Sonia could not move, she could not even breathe. She held the knife out before her like some sort of ward for all the good it would do; her hands being so bloody she could barely grip it.

The wolf just stood there, two bright golden orbs blazing in the dark, studying. Sonia's hands began to shake until she finally gave up and dropped the knife.

"Fuck it," she said. "Just kill me already."

The wolf cocked its head slightly as it looked at her before sitting back on its haunches with a huff. It began licking a paw and scrubbing at its face.

Sonia took a breath and then another.

"You're not going to eat me then," she whispered. The wolf glanced up at her as it kept cleaning itself. "I guess that's appropriate considering everything that's happened tonight."

She looked around the small camp that now consisted of two dead bodies and a dying fire. She started to take a step towards one of the bodies when she glanced at the bloody knife on the ground and remembered her hands.

"Shit," she muttered and looked around for something to bind them in. The two men on the ground were out. Not only because she would not go pick through the pockets of a dead man, but they were far too filthy to have anything she could use. Her night gown would have to do. She grabbed at a spot that was already torn at the sleeve and began ripping at the fabric. The wolf cocked at ear and looked in her direction. Sonia froze, but when it did not move she continued tearing.

Becoming aware once more of the cuts on her hands also made her aware of the pain. This was going to make an already difficult night even worse. She winced as she wrapped the fabric around her palm. In some small bit of good news, her right hand did not seem to be as bad as her left so she would not be completely incapacitated. She tore at the hem of her gown and began to wipe the blood from her hands. The wolf laid its head down and watched.

"Well, if you're not going to kill me, I don't suppose you know where I am."

The wolf's ears flicked in her direction, yellow eyes watching.

"I guess not."

Sonia looked at the two bodies on the ground. The fact that there were two dead bodies next to her did not bother her. She had seen plenty of dead bodies working in the ER. Some in far worse condition than these two. What did bother her was the way they were dressed. Long coats and short leather boots. Tunics and torn breeches. Not sneakers or hiking boots. Not jackets or parkas. And they had packs with leather water skins and blanket rolls. Not water bottles or sleeping bags. One of the men had a sword next to them. They were dressed like something out of medieval times.

Sonia dropped back down to the ground. She was completely exhausted now. She stared down at her hands till they blurred from her eyes filling with tears. A soft rustling sound made her look up to see the wolf had walked over to where she now sat and sniffed at her hand.

Sonia was once more shocked by its size. It was huge or at least so she thought. She had never seen an actual wolf before, expect for on the television. But it was the eyes that truly struck her. They seemed to look right into her. She could have sworn she saw an intelligence there. But then as far as she knew she was going crazy anyway so it was six to one, half a dozen or the other for all she knew.

The wolf's cool wet nose brushed against her skin as it sniffed away. It seemed to stop around the cut and its tongue flashed out and licked her fingers. It must have gotten some of her blood because it jumped back slightly and shook its head as it sneezed several times. Sonia could not help but laugh.

"I suppose I am too pathetic for even you to eat."

The wolf continued to shake its head.

"It's alright, I don't blame you. I imagine I don't look very appetizing anyway. But I clean up pretty nice," she chuckled and wiped at her eyes. "God, where the hell am I? I'm not in New Orleans anymore, I figured that one out. And when the hell am I? Because I am starting to think I am in not even …" she stopped and looked at the wolf before her, unable to say the words. She shook her head. "I'm losing my mind," she muttered, "I must be losing my mind. That is the only explanation. There is no such thing as time travel or time machines. I did not fall into some mirror and end up in another time or world or whatever this place is. It's a hallucination. It has to be. I am hallucinating right now that I am sitting in the woods with two dead bodies talking to a wolf the size of a minivan. That's it. I am not freezing right now because I am not really here. It's all in my head. Right?"

The wolf had stopped its little dance and was staring at her again, head cocked to the side as if considering what she had said.

"You know what, don't answer that. I'm not sure I can take it, hallucination or no."

Sonia drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs once more, this time for warmth. She had just rested her head down against her knees when she felt something alongside of her. She looked to see that the wolf was now sitting next to her, looking out into the dark.

She reached a tentative hand out, placing it lightly against its warm coat. It was surprisingly soft. Sonia has always thought wolves' fur was coarse or rough, but this was smooth, almost silky to the touch. She ran her hand along its flank and then back up scratching gently at its ears. The wolf tensed somewhat at her touch at first, but it seemed to settle back and relax into it, even moving its head so she could reach the other ear. Sonia smiled.

"I thought you were a wolf, but you can't be some wild animal and be helping me right? Wild animals don't do that. You have to be dog or somebody's pet. Some sort of hybrid maybe?"

Those gold eyes that reminded Sonia of the embers from a dying fire flicked briefly in her direction in what she could have sworn was indignation. She chuckled.

"Well, not a pet maybe. But certainly someone's friend." Sonia sighed and leaned against the animal, resting her head against sleek fur and soaked up its warmth. The wolf-dog did not seem to mind. It had a pleasant earthy cool smell, crisp, like the air in winter. She sighed. "I'm not crazy," she said. Whether to wolf-dog or herself she was not certain. "And I'm not hallucinating. I did go through a mirror and end up here. Wherever here is. But here I am and now I have to find my way home … and maybe some clothes. So, do you know how to get out of here?"

Wolf-dog responded with a little huff as it continued to stare into the night. With a sigh she slowly and carefully pulled herself up to her feet.

"I can't stay here. I have to keep moving, find shelter, do something so I don't go crazy," she looked at the two bloody bodies, "or get killed."

Sonia looked around the camp for anything she could possibly use, but in the end only found a small oil lantern. Everything else was either too dirty or reeked with some foul odor that left her feeling nauseas. After fumbling for several minutes with the lantern, she was finally able to light the wick. Upon walking around the perimeter of the camp, she discovered there was a decently worn path she could follow.

Wolf-dog had watched her from where it lay not moving until she found the path. Once she had moved to go, it yowled out a yawn and stretched as it rose up as well and trotted over to where she stood.

"Are you coming with me," she asked. It stood next to her, staring down the path. "Okay well … I guess I will start this way." Sonia began to walk only for the wolf to move in front of her, blocking her way.

"Excuse me," she said as she moved to step around it. But it blocked her once more, this time giving a short little growl.

"Excuse me," she said again with a touch of annoyance. She stepped to the other side but it was there to meet her again, this time using its body to nudge her in the opposite direction.

"What the hell," she threw up her hands in exasperation. "You want me to go this way? Well what if I don't want to?"

It stared at her for a moment, considering her with those glowing amber orbs before giving a yelp like growl and nudged her once more in the other direction.

"Oh God fine, fine!" she snapped and turned to stomp the other way. "Fine! Fuck it, I'll go this way. Why not."

She began walking, the sound of feet padding alongside of her. The only thing between her and complete blackness was the dim light of the lamp. Everything beyond that light was nothing but shadows and uncertainty. Sonia began to shiver. The night was not terribly cold but every so often an icy breeze would blow around her, reminding her that all she wore was the tattered remnants of a night gown. The ground beneath her bare feet was a solid path, not littered with twigs and branches, but it was cold. But Sonia did not believe that was why she was shivering.

Sonia had managed to stop the bleeding from her hands, but the wounds were painful and the night a terror. Waking in a strange place, a group of men attacking her and two now dead. She was going into shock. She needed to focus.

Sonia tried not to think about the nights events. Instead she went through some of the exercises she did while undergrad school. Trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate, scaphoid, lunate …

The occasional flash of gleaming white in her peripheral was the only sign that her new friend was with her. If she started to stray too far from the path he would appear to herd her back. She decided on "him" for some reason. Seemed better that thinking "it"; and he did save her life after all. Triquetral, pisiform, radius, ulna ….

"Are you a boy?" she wondered out loud. "I'd hate it if you weren't and I just assumed that you are. But you seem pretty stubborn so …" Her only response was that indignant huff from somewhere behind her.

"Where are we going," she mused, "or where are you taking me might be more appropriate. You got a family? An owner? Some pups maybe? Do you always wander the woods looking for people to save," she giggled weakly. She was rambling now and her shivering was getting worse. She had to keep going. "No family for me, just an aunt. Mother gone. Father gone. No siblings. No boyfriend. No life. I'm studying to be a doctor though. I am doing that. Just starting a residency. I'm pretty damn good too, I … what?"

Sonia stopped abruptly to yellow eyes gleaming in the dark her before her. She could not see anything beyond the light of the lamp. She strained her ears, trying to hear if something was approaching, but heard nothing.

"What," she repeated. Those strange eyes considered her for several more seconds before she heard another annoyed little huff and they disappeared into the night once more. Sonia grimaced slightly.

"Hmm, definitely a male. Radius, ulna, humerus, scapula, clavicle …"

Sonia could not be sure of how long they walked. She was concentrating so hard on anatomy rather than the cold, she had no idea of the time other than it was still dark. But as they walked she noticed that the trees began to recede as the path they were on widened. She realized that the trees were now being replace with what looked to be stone ruins. The remnants of some large building or house. Beyond that something even bigger in the darkness loomed over head in the gloom. Sonia felt the beginnings of hysterical laughter.

"Oh my God … I'm back where I started." She looked at the wolf-dog. "Traitor."

Wolf-dog yawned and shook out his head.

Sonia turned and continued up the path towards the shadow until she came to stairs that led back to the same two doors she had run through only hours ago. What had even been the point?

Sonia climbed to the top of the stairs and turned to look at the darkness she had left behind her. There was nothing. She could see nothing but black. No ambient lighting or the soft glow of civilization in the distance. No sign of anything.

Her friend padded up the stairs, running past her to the doors that pushed open far easier than Sonia would have thought they could. She walked inside, finding a far different sight from when she first flew through. Lamps were lit all along the columns of the grand hall, flickering in such a way that the shadows danced among the high ceilings. It was a grand room and yet foreboding in its simplicity, clean lines and black marble. The walls had a sheen like onyx that swallowed up the light.

A low yelp pulled Sonia's attention to the main stair well. On the landing, where the stairs split into two was wolf-dog, waiting. She made her way up the stairs, her footsteps echoing through the hall. She followed him up the rest of the stairs and into the first hallway. She inwardly groan at the thought of becoming lost within the endless labyrinth of stairs and hallways once more, but instead of wandering, he nosed open the first door they came to and trotted inside. Upon following Sonia almost broke down in hysterical laughter once more.

It was the same room. The same goddamn room. The same unmade bed, the same pillow on the floor, the same damn fireplace still burning. She was right back where she started. She looked at her bandaged hands and bloodied feet. Dead bodies in the woods. It had all been for nothing.

She walked over to the bed and sat down. She wanted to cry, she knew she wanted to cry, but she could not. Not one tear. She felt numb. She just no longer cared. A noise in front of her caused her to look down and see her only companion for the last several hours staring up at her, head cocked to the side. She turned, scooting over as she slid her legs under the blankets. She pulled the covers back and patted the space next to her.

When he stood up and looked towards the door, Sonia felt her chest tighten. God no, she thought, please no. Don't go. Don't leave me alone, please don't leave me alone. She patted the space next to her again.

"Please," her voice a hoarse whisper, "come on, please."

Those yellow eyes stared into her for several seconds before she heard a low whiney huff, and he jumped up on the bed and lay down next to her. He practically dripped with annoyance.

Sonia did not care. He stayed and that was all that mattered. She had gotten used to having the big hairy beast around. She felt safe. She started to lay down when she felt something scratch against her skin and realized what was left of her gown was filthy. Sitting up once more she pulled it up over her head and threw it to the floor. She then curled around her only friend, covering them both with the blankets. Exhaustion took her then, but she no longer cared.

~oOo~

Alucard stood next to the four poster bed and stared down at the young sleeping woman.

God, what a night this had been. It had been trying for him as well for he had surprised himself by falling asleep next to the young woman while in his wolf form, only to wake as a man. He was glad that he had woken before her. God only knew what kind of hysterics that would have thrown the girl into.

He had learned many surprising things tonight. Puzzles to yet to be solved. It was intriguing to say the least.

He had followed her into the night and had been surprised at how quickly she had moved. It was an almost preternatural speed. He had taken his wolf form in an effort to make tracking her easier. The way she went careening through the woods it was a wonder she did not bring the attention of the woods more unsavory characters. Although she did make up for that by finding them instead.

That had angered Alucard immensely.

When he had finally caught up to her, initially he had been pleased. Pleased that she had found fellow humans, that perhaps they would be able to help her reunite with her own people. That had turned out to be quite the disappointment, although not surprising. Once he had come upon the camp and saw the men that inhabited it, he knew the nature of what they were about.

They were a repugnant swarthy group. He had seen their ilk before. Men who claimed to be hunters but instead preyed upon the weak to profit from the ignorant. They would seek out women who were rumored to be witches and then give them to the church for a reward and a beheading. Whether the women were witches or not mattered little to them. Guilty or innocent was irrelevant as long as they were paid. The church being even less concerned as long as they had a bonfire to keep the populace in line. A disgusting cycle.

It had enraged him to see how they had treated the girl, ready to bandy her life and strip away her humanity. They were going to kill her. Gleefully. They had no regard for living beings and therefore he was resolved to treat them the same. They were not even human as far as he was concerned.

And then, to say that what happened next had surprised him would be an understatement.

The blast had thrown Alucard back through till he landed with a thud and was left shaking his head in confusion. That is was magic, Alucard was certain. But as to what kind, of that he was not so certain. The traces it left sang of old magic of an elemental origin. Possibly even magic of the blood. Bloodborne Magic. That could be interesting. Whatever kind of magic it was, the air was thick with it. It had left him feeling momentarily heady, almost as if drunk. Not to mention temporarily blinded from the fire. Reorienting himself, he discovered the young woman was not resolved to go quietly into the night and was gripping the blade of her would be attacker. Alucard did not think after than as much as he acted, allowing instinct to take over and giving control to the animal within.

It was quick, if not messy work; easily dispatched. It was the girl who would be the challenge.

She had stood before him, bloody knife in bloodied hands, as if to defend herself from an attack. He had refrained from changing. She seemed on the verge of a very tall cliff to him. He did not wish to be the one to send her teetering off the edge.

Her hands were injured, at least one quite severely. The amount of blood was concerning and he found himself pleased to find that he was indeed still capable of such a sentiment. As he cautiously closed the distance between them, the overwhelming scent of magic permeated the air once more, becoming stronger as he approached and a familiar dizziness came upon him. It had a sweet ambrosial scent to it that literally called to Alucard. It had to be Bloodborne Magic. There was only one way to find out.

With a quick flash of his tongue he caught a drop from her hand. His senses practically imploded, causing a rush of awareness that raced like some sort of wild fire through his body. A torrent of images raged through his consciousness. Incoherent thoughts and images, memories. A girl wandering strange city streets, a child glaring angrily at a coin, a young woman running down brightly lit hallway. None of it made any sense to Alucard and he instinctively leapt back in a futile attempt to get away. A girl stood before a coffin, a grand old mansion off of a cobblestone street.

There was no question in Alucard's mind now. She most certainly had Bloodborne Magic. Magic that was not learned but was born with. Alucard stared at the dirty young woman in before him with complete bewilderment. Carriers of blood magic were thought to have been hunted to the point of extinction, their blood being somewhat of a delicacy amongst vampires. To drain a human who had magic of the blood, a vampire not only gained their soul, but their magic as well, consuming that power and absorbing it as their own. It would seem that the puzzle that was this young woman had become far more complicated.

This was something that Alucard resolved to address at a later time. For now, he needed to get her back to the castle. He allowed her sometime to recover herself for she was badly shaken. He even allowed her to touch him like some sort of pet. An indulgence for the girl's comfort of course, just this once. Plus, it had allowed him to learn another little detail. She had indeed come through a distance mirror, although she did not know how. Curious. He had let her scratch at his back for a few extra seconds … to see if she would say anything else of course.

Once she had gathered her wits somewhat they moved to depart and, after some subtle prompting, he was able to point her in the right direction. He kept to the outside perimeter light of the small lantern as they walked. The light muddled his night vision so he kept to the dark. He could keep a better eye on their surroundings and her this way for he felt she may not make it. She was injured and more than likely in shock by the way she was rambling. And dear lord, did she ramble. She prattled on and on as they made their way down the darkened path. Going on about him being a pet or whether or not he was male, how in the devil could she even question that? Something about family and parents and other mindless topics, only getting his attention once she said she was a studying to be a doctor. He had to stop then.

This girl … was studying to be a doctor.

Impossible.

And so they continued on. He patrolled while she prattled. But the closer they came to the castle, the less she seemed to be able to say, until she had finally gone completely quiet.

Alucard had thought that he would be grateful for the silence, but instead he only became concerned.

She had managed to keep her composure as they returned. Even Alucard had to admit her strength of will was admirable. But upon reaching the castle, it was as if something within the girl had shut down. Like one of the windup toys from his childhood that slowly petered out once the initial burst of activity ended.

Upon reaching the castle she had looked at the doors in resignation. But when she reached her room, she had looked at that in defeat.

Alucard had watched her closely as she returned to the room. Her strength now drained away. The impressive resolve that had carried her in the woods, now giving away to something Alucard instantly recognized.

A bitter hopelessness.

She had climbed into the bed and patted the space next to her. Well, that was not going to happen. This mistaken assumption that he is some sort of household pet was going to stop and it was going to stop now. He had tuned to leave when she spoke. It was the first thing she had said upon their return to the castle.

It was her voice. He knew the sound in her voice. The aching hollowness. A poison to the spirit that dulled and killed off all other emotions till it was all that remained. A black mist that settles a refuses to shift no matter how bright the day or how warm the sun and he was nothing but a shell that held a thousand oceans of tears. So desperate to cry chaotic, powerful, hot tears only to find he was incapable to do so; and so it sits, a heavy weight on his heart, cold and unending.

For the world was now lost to him and he knew nothing that would bring it back.

He had lay down on the bed then. He would humor the girl for this one moment. He may even let her stroke his ears and then he would go. He waited for her to lay next to him for she would surely fall to sleep quickly.

But instead of simply laying down, she instead stripped off what was left of her night shift and curled her body around his, shocking him as she pressed against him, wrapping her arms around his person.

He could feel her heart thrum against his back. He felt the steady rise and fall of her chest as it shallowed and slowed into the rhythm of sleep. He felt the heat of her body as she nuzzled against his. And for a brief moment, Alucard had felt some small bit of the cold leave his heart as he sank into her warmth and closing his eyes.

Only to open his eyes and find that he had shifted back, and now held this young woman against him as she slept.

He had practically flown out of the bed.

That had been careless of him. It had been some time since he had slept like a human man. In fact, it had been some time since he had slept at all. He must have been suffering from his own fatigue for such a lapse of judgement. He would not let that happen again. He would find some food and clothing for the girl and then settle the task of finding just where she had come from and return her immediately.

Alucard stared at the sleeping young woman. Without thinking, he brushed a stray lock of hair from her face and left.