"How do I address your father?" Victoria worried the following morning as she and Velkan sat and broke their fast together. Velkan was watching Victoria as she tenderly ate an apple, biting into it and running her finger down the corner of her mouth as a small amount of juice formed there.

He had prepared the meal himself, choosing to reject the servant's help. He had then knocked on Victoria's door to find her awake and dressed already. She wore a clean dress which Velkan had placed in her wardrobe, the material tight on her upper half and flowing out over her legs. She sat up straight at the table, the blue corset not giving her any other option. He smiled softly as he looked across to her and reached over the table.

Victoria dropped the apple to her plate as Velkan picked up her hand in a tender motion, his fingers lacing together with hers as he did so. He smiled warmly and noted how her eyes flickered from his for a moment.

"You need not be nervous," Velkan assured her, kissing the back of her hand tenderly as she leaned forwards and moved her free hand to push his hair from his face in a tender motion. He smiled gently at her and moved his other hand to hold hers to his face.

"How can I be anything but nervous?" Victoria wondered back from him. "I do not wish to make a bad impression on your family. I know how important they are to you."

"My father will adore you, Victoria," he promised her, moving to stand up and walk around the table. He had decided to dine with her in the library seeing as how she had liked it the previous day. The small table had been there before, covered with books which Velkan had cleared.

He moved around the table as Victoria swivelled in her seat, her fingers playing with the material of her dress which sat in her lap. She took a moment before she looked up to see him kneeling in front of her, his hands slowly picking hers up again. She gulped and then smiled at him as he smiled back at her.

"What is there not to adore?" he wondered back.

She felt her cheeks redden as she heard him speak and she rolled her eyes, shaking her head back and forth whilst Velkan moved one hand to roam the blush which sat on her cheeks and he laughed lightly.

"You have no reason to fear meeting my family," he promised her. "I assure you that they shall be quite taken with you-"

"-Velkan, why did you insist on hiding her in here?" a new voice interrupted.

Velkan turned his gaze to see his sister storming in through the door, her hands on her hips as she did so. She refused to wear a gown, even in a formal occasion, much preferring to wear a loose fitting blouse in the waistband of her trousers. But it wasn't her clothes which Victoria noted first. It was her flowing curls down her back. She looked over her flawless skin and her curly black hair before she met her warm eyes.

"I was having a private breakfast with Victoria before I introduced you to her," Velkan spoke and stood up, offering Victoria his hand. She delicately took it as Anna slammed the door shut and moved over to the pair of them, standing a few metres apart before smiling warmly yet slyly.

"Victoria, this is Anna, my sister," Velkan introduced her. "And Anna, this is Victoria."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Victoria inclined her head whilst Velkan continued to hold her hand delicately.

"And you," Anna responded. "Velkan has refused to stop talking about you ever since he met you. I think you may have put a spell on him."

Victoria delicately laughed as Velkan rolled his eyes and chuckled darkly.

Velkan cleared his throat before speaking; "Has father returned from his journey yet?"

"He has," Anna said. "He is currently in the dining hall where normal people have the breakfast. He seems quite interested in meeting Victoria. I wouldn't keep him waiting."

"And where will you be going?" Velkan wondered as he saw his sister turn on her heel and move over to the door. She tossed her head over her shoulder before she left; her curls flowing over her face as she did so.

"I am going to practice-"

"-Anna-"

"-I intend to help father and you one day," Anna responded before Velkan could scold her. "I need to know how to hold a gun and no one seems to teach me. I will teach myself if I have to."

"Father does not let me aid him. What makes you think that you will stand a chance?" Velkan wondered to her and she simply ignored him before she allowed the library door to close behind her and Velkan inhaled sharply.

Victoria moved her hand to run down his arm, drawing his attention away from thoughts of his sister as he dropped his gaze to look at her and smiled warmly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as he did so.

"I sometimes forget the burden which is placed on your family," Victoria admitted to him. "I can only imagine what it is like."

Velkan shook his head and sighed. "And you still wish to be involved with me? You wish to spend time with me knowing what could happen?"

Victoria stood tall, her posture changing as she held her head high and looked like a true English lady for a moment. She arched her brow and dared to speak to him;

"I will not leave you. I think we are far too involved with each other to even contemplate that as an option."

Velkan warmly kissed her on the cheek and dared to tuck her hand into the crook of his arm before walking out of the library with her. She remained silent as he informed her of the paintings on the wall which they passed. She ignored him for the most part, not meaning to appear rude, but her mind was still reeling from the previous night.

She wanted to tell Velkan. She wanted to tell him that he had been in her bedchamber. He had been there and had said things which were impossible. He had held her intimately and his lips had claimed her skin as his. He had looked at her with lust and longing, both emotions which made Victoria worry for her safety. Yet she kept quiet.

She knew it sounded foolish. How could she be someone from over one hundred years ago? It was impossible, but he somehow seemed to believe it was true. She couldn't understand it, nor did she wish to relive it.

"And this is the dining hall," Velkan's words finally snapped her from her daze and he pushed the door open. He walked inside, the sight of a tall man by the fireplace drawing his attention. Victoria followed him through the door before he stood still.

"Father," Velkan spoke clearly.

The man turned around and Victoria startled for a moment at the sight of him. He looked nothing like she had thought he would; then again, she didn't really know what she had expected. He was a tall man with dark curly hair to his shoulders. His jaw was stubbornly set and his eye was narrowed. Victoria assumed the other eye behind the eye patch he wore may be set in the same scrutinising manner.

It was once his eyes drank in her pale features did he realise that he recognised her from somewhere, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He remained cautious, swallowing as his mouth dried out before he spoke and continued to rack his brain.

"I trust this is her, Velkan," Boris spoke, his accent thick and shining through.

"This is Victoria," Velkan nodded. "Victoria, this is my father."

Victoria took a deep breath and dared to release Velkan's arm before curtseying like her mother had taught her years ago.

"It is an honour to meet you," Victoria said and Boris's brows arched before he wandered closer towards the couple, his gaze one of intrigue as he did so.

"You never told me she was British," Boris informed his son.

Velkan nonchalantly shrugged. "I did not realise it would be an issue as such."

"It is not," Boris said. "You are a long way from home, my dear. How did you come to find such a gloomy place?"

Victoria stood tall again and kept her hands in front of her in her skirts before she forced a polite smile onto her face. "My parents died when I was twelve years old in London. I lived with my aunt until I was old enough to travel. I did not wish for an arranged marriage in London when there is so much in the world to see. I cannot particularly say why Transylvania appealed to me."

"Nor can I," Boris responded with a small scoff. "And why is it you are here? The servants inform me that there was an occurrence yesterday afternoon."

"Yes," Velkan replied. "Dracula attacked with one of his bride's yesterday afternoon outside Victoria's home. I fell down a well...and well...Dracula said something about how he knew Victoria."

"Dracula does not leave the hole he hides in to come to a village," Boris shook his head before looking at Victoria with wonder. His eyes were now harsh and she did her best not to cower under his gaze. "Why now? What did he say?"

Velkan looked down to Victoria and she cleared her throat. "He said that he knew me...he knew my name...I do not understand it myself. I honestly cannot explain any more to the matter."

Boris looked at his son with a look of worry and Velkan ruefully shrugged.

"I refuse to let him take her," Velkan said and Victoria looked back to him warmly.

Boris kept his eyes trained on the girl as she stared fondly at his son and he wondered what was happening around him. None of it made any sense to him, but he intended to dig around for the truth. He had to.

"Yes," Boris agreed. "Perhaps she should stay here until we discover the truth? It would only make sense if Dracula has his eyes set on claiming her as his."

A shiver ran down Victoria's spine as she looked away from Boris, somehow struggling to meet his gaze as he watched her with intent, finally remembering where he had seen her face before. He kept silent as he dismissed himself and his son returned to entertaining their new guest who assured him that she was fine with going home. Boris knew that Velkan would convince her to stay put. There would be the sensible thing to do at the end of the day.

It was only when Boris wandered over to the west wing of the home did he realise where he had seen the girl before. He stepped inside the old bedroom which no one used. No one truly used that side of the mansion for it had been Dracula's before. His room was like it had been years ago, although it was well kept by the servants. Boris looked at the small portrait in the frame on the bedside table before inhaling sharply.

He picked it up and stared down at it, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

The spitting image of Victoria.

...

Victoria had lost the argument she had with Velkan about spending the night in her own house. He had demanded she stay with him and she had failed to escape his gaze. That was how she found herself back in the same guest room she had been in the previous night. A new nightgown had been set on the bed for her but she had yet to change. She was stood by the fire, allowing it to warm her through as her mind wandered.

She wanted to talk to Velkan desperately. She wanted to understand what was happening to her in the past few days. She deserved answer. She knew she did. It wasn't until the night had truly struck did she wander from her room, remembering his words from the previous night;

"You remember the library, don't you? It was the night when you agreed to marry me. The night I claimed you for my own in front of the fireplace."

Victoria shook her head back and forth and moved from her room, wandering silently down the corridors whilst trying to remember where the library was. She finally found it and peered through the crack in the door, shock taking over her as she saw the fire was still roaring and a man sat in front of the fireplace.

She locked eyes with him and he remained seated, folding one leg over the other before gesturing for her to enter.

"What is it, my dear?" he wondered from her lowly and she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her.

She had draped a shawl over her shoulders which she hugged tightly to her body, watching as Boris remained silent.

"I could not sleep," Victoria lied. "I wondered if I could borrow a book?"

Boris smiled at her and nodded. He said nothing as Victoria wandered over to the bookshelf at the back of the room and carefully chose a book, her hands lingering on their spines. Boris turned his head around and watched her pick, thinking as he did so. If his thoughts were correct then Dracula would come after her soon enough. She could be his way to the monster's heart. She could be the bait he needed to lure him from his hiding spot.

He kept silent as she picked a book and held it in her hands, inclining her head as she muttered her thanks and rushed for the door again.

"Victoria," Boris called her name before she could leave. She looked back at him, one hand holding the door and the other clasping the book to her upper thigh as she cocked a brow in his direction. "Your feelings for my son...how far do they span?"

Victoria blushed delicately and bit down on her bottom lip. "I care for your son very much. Velkan is...he is a charming young man and I do not wish to see him hurt."

"Do you think he will be hurt?"

"I know of the curse on your family," Victoria said back. "I will be there for him for as long as he needs me."

"You barely know him," Boris reminded her and she shrugged.

"I like to think I know him well enough to make such a decision," she responded and Boris chuckled before nodding and she dismissed herself for her chamber again, wondering why the Gypsy King held her with such discontent.

...

A/N: Thank you to anyone who is still reading. I do hope you will let me know what you think!