"It is me who he wants," Victoria whispered as soon as Boris had told her what Dracula had demanded. Velkan was behind her, his hands on her waist as he held her in her spot, refusing to let her go. He moved a hand to her shoulder, comfortingly squeezing it as she gaped and Boris remained in his seat, holding his chin with his hand.

"No," Velkan spoke, looking over Victoria's should to where his father sat. "I will not trade her like a pawn."

"He is willing to kill us all for her," Boris informed his son, his voice low and slightly cold in comparison to usual. "He said as much, Velkan."

"He will kill us all regardless," Velkan reminded his father. "We have yet to kill him and have the curse lifted. That has yet to happen."

"We still have hope," Boris reminded his son. "So long as we still live then we can destroy him."

Velkan ground his teeth together and moved to stand in front of Victoria, her eyes wide as he took hold of her hand, reassuringly squeezing her hand.

"So why can we not kill him tonight?" Velkan demanded to know. "Why can we not kill him before he kills us? Why must we give Victoria away to him?"

"I am not saying that we should give her to him," Boris spoke harshly, standing up as anger took hold of him, rooting deep within his veins. He wanted this to be over. He wanted for his son to live, but he knew that would not happen so long as he continued in league with Victoria.

"Then what are you saying?" Velkan wondered. "We have to fight him, father. If he comes for us then we fight him."

"And if you lose?" Victoria wondered back, her voice mild and meek as she tugged on Velkan's hand. She forced him to look at her once more, her brows arching on her forehead. "What if you cannot fight him? You will spend the rest of your days in purgatory and I will still be taken by him."

Velkan's forehead scrunched up, frown lines forming on his perfect skin. He tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear, watching on as Victoria moved a hand up to run it through his hair, the smooth strands parting underneath her fingertips.

"What are you suggesting?" Velkan asked; his voice soft.

Victoria closed her eyes, moving her hands to grab hold of the lapels of Velkan's suit jacket. "I am saying that you should give me to him."

"Absolutely not," Velkan sternly responded. "I will kill him before he takes you."

"No, you will not," Boris snapped back. "You are merely a boy, Velkan. Do not pretend to understand things which are bigger than you. Dracula would have you sent to purgatory within the hour if you attempted to stop him from taking her. And what of your sister?"

"Anna is to play no part in this," Velkan shook his head.

"She will if you fail to stop him," Boris spoke and Victoria looked between the two men.

"Then there is no other option," Victoria replied and dropped her hand from Velkan's fingers. He turned his gaze down to her as she wiped her sweaty palms on her dress skirt. "I have to do this, don't I?"

"No," Velkan promised her. "You can run. You can leave here-"

"-And allow you to rot in purgatory?" Victoria checked with him. "I do not think so, Velkan. There is no other option apart from this. Dracula knows me and I know him. He will not kill me."

"No," Boris replied to her and looked at his son as he spoke, "but he may make you his next bride."

Victoria gulped and Velkan felt anger well up inside of him. He would not let her do this. He would not allow this to happen. Velkan roughly took hold of Victoria's elbow and dragged her towards the doorway, Boris following them with confusion etched on his features.

"What are you doing?"

"I will not let him take her," Velkan drawled.

"And what do you intend to do?" Boris wondered back. "Lock her in a room? Do you think that will stop him?"

Victoria tried to prise her arm from Velkan's fingers, but his grip was much too strong as he continued to drag her down the corridors, not slowing down on his quest to have Victoria locked away.

"I will go and find him," Velkan spoke. "I will stop him from doing this to her if it is the last thing I do."

"It will be the last thing you do and you won't stop him!" Boris suddenly roared, his voice echoing through the corridors. Victoria startled and Velkan looked back to his father as Boris moved forwards, stepping towards his son with intent.

"Do you think that I want him to take her? Do you think me so cold?"

"I do not know," Velkan replied, not once skipping a beat. "I know that you do not approve of us-"

"-I do not want to see you hurt," Boris spoke. "You are my son and she is trouble for you. I warned you at the very beginning, Velkan."

Victoria took another moment to look between the pair of them. She knew that she had to do this, and she knew that Boris would not stop her from going. If anything, he would help her. Velkan would hate her, but she had to do it. He would understand one day. He would see that it was the right thing to do.

"Victoria is not his," Velkan replied. "We do not know what he will do to her if he claimed her as his own. You know that he is a monster."

"There is no use in arguing," Victoria snapped at them. "Arguing shall not achieve anything, nor will it stop him from killing you. If I can buy you time to cure this curse then I will do it."

"It is not really up for discussion," Velkan said.

"No, you are right," Victoria said. "The decision has already been made."

"I will stop you," Velkan promised her, both of them challenging each other's gaze. Velkan moved with Victoria in his grip once again, dragging her towards her chamber as Boris looked at her, remaining rooted on the spot.

...

Victoria didn't know how much time she had spent pounding on the locked door, pleading with Velkan to release her from the room he had locked her in. She yelled loudly, realising that no one was coming to help her.

It was then when she knew that she had to do something to stop anything bad happening. She rushed towards the window, pushing it open, the cold air engulfing her as she did so. She looked down, the height far too high for her to contemplate jumping from. She groaned to herself before looking into the distance, her eyes set as she spoke lowly.

"If you want me then you can come and get me," she whispered.

She left the window open, patiently sitting on the sill by it. She noted a hunting party leave the home, their flames illuminating the sky. She knew that Velkan would be a part of it. He had told her himself that he would leave into the forest in an attempt to kill Dracula.

Victoria only hoped Dracula would somehow hear her. She knew that there could be a way. They were both connected somehow through a way which she did not know.

"You are correct."

Victoria looked into the open window, the sight of him perched on the sill enough to make her jump back from the seat she had occupied. She looked up to him as he held his hand out to her, patience not his strong point for the evening.

"I could hear your thoughts from miles away, my sweet Victoria," he whispered to her. "You are willing to give yourself to me for him."

"I am willing to do anything to keep him safe," Victoria said and Dracula chuckled, reaching down to take her hand into his. His eyes remained set on her as he interlaced his fingers with hers, the motion seemingly tender and kind.

"You do this for him now," the Count whispered, "but soon you will release that you are doing this for yourself. It is better that way, my love. Once I truly make you mine..."

"And how do you intend to make me yours?" Victoria whispered, not even bothering to try and prise her fingers from his. She slowly stood up and the Count moved into the room, standing on the window ledge still as his hands took hold of her waist.

"In time," he whispered to her, "you will remember and you will voluntarily give yourself to me and then I can make you my bride."

Victoria shook her head, her hands resting on his wrists whilst he kept hold of her waist. He took another few moments before he picked her from the floor with ease, his strength showing as he did so. Victoria had no other option but to wrap her arms onto his shoulders, fear of falling taking hold of her. She winced as Dracula's cold breath hit her cheek, his lips moving closer to her neck.

"It is how it was meant to be, Victoria," he promised her. "You with me forever...and now it will be that way...it is for the best..."

"You need to know that I do care for Velkan...I may have loved you once...but that was a long time ago...why can you not let me be happy how I am? Why is that so difficult for you to do?"

She could see the change within him as soon as she had mentioned Velkan. It was not difficult to notice the change within him. He pulled Victoria closer to him then, his teeth slowly changing and she tried to push herself from his hold, her hands thumping against his chest.

"No!" she cried out.

Dracula could feel her pulse race and she did her best to remove him from her. It was only when he felt the fear radiate through her did he stop what he was doing. He looked back at her once more, remembering the time he had held her dying body in his arms. She had been scared then. She had been beyond petrified and he had promised himself that there was nothing to fear...not so long as he had her.

"It would be for the best if you forgot about your beloved Velkan," Dracula promised her, moving with haste, his arm encircling her waist before he tossed her over his shoulder. "You will not be seeing him again."