Velkan kept his hand inside Victoria's, his grip tight. He dragged her away from the ballroom and further into the castle, trying to discover where the safest place would be. As he ran through the corridors, he shouted at anyone who passed by to get into a room and lock themselves in there. He knew that they should go and try to fight the werewolf, but he didn't know if they would have time.
"I need men to find silver," Velkan yelled out loud as he saw his father's guards huddled around a table in the dining room. His grip on Victoria was relentless as she moved by his side, her hand going to hold onto his shoulder as he moved an arm around her waist.
"My Prince," one man spoke up, moving to look Velkan in the eye. "What is happening?"
"A werewolf," Velkan spoke. "I heard a werewolf and we need to be prepared. If it gets in here then we need to kill it."
"Yes, my Prince," the man agreed and everyone around the table moved with haste, pushing themselves from the table to go and find silver while Velkan kept hold of Victoria, bending down to look her in the eye.
"I need you to hide with Anna," he said to her. "I need you hidden and out of the way. Do you understand me?"
"I cannot leave you," Victoria said with a shake of her head. "If that monster is on the loose then what happens if it gets hold of you?"
Velkan offered her a shaky smile as he moved the back of his hand towards her cheek, stroking it softly as he watched her for a few moments. She said nothing as Anna entered the room, holding onto a sword as her brother then looked over to her. She saw him with Victoria and she almost ground her teeth together.
"You need to go and take Victoria," Velkan demanded from his sister. "Go to the dungeon and lock the door. It is the safest place and below ground."
"I need to help," Anna responded and Velkan shook his head at her.
"No," he told her. "One of us needs to stay alive if we are to defeat the Count. Anna, just do this. Take Victoria and get away from here."
The two women had no time to argue as Velkan rushed off to join the rest of the men. Anna groaned lowly to herself, but she did as her brother had asked. She nodded to Victoria and the young woman followed her. She hiked her skirts up her legs and ran behind Anna, moving with haste down the corridors. She looked around, hearing a loud howling noise in the distance as her chest began to pound.
"What do we do?" Victoria asked from Anna. "What if he finds us?"
"We do what Velkan asked us to do," Anna spoke, heading down a slim staircase that spiralled downwards. "We hide and hope for the best."
"And is that what you want to do?" Victoria enquired. "I know that you want to help him."
"But he wants me to protect you," Anna said and Victoria nodded her head. "He always wants you to be protected."
Victoria could still sense the anger in her tone, but she was trying not to let it show. Anna would never see eye to eye with Victoria. She did not appreciate the way the woman had been in her family. She had done nothing but cause trouble and chaos. And now there was a werewolf. Rolling her eyes, Anna diverted from the plan, turning on her heel and grabbing hold of Victoria by the elbow.
"Come with me," she demanded in a harsh voice.
"Where are we going now?" Victoria enquired and Anna turned another corner and Victoria had to confess she was slightly lost as Anna pushed open another door and Victoria saw a gaggle of women. Some of them she recognised who worked in the castle as maids. There were only five of them there and Victoria looked at their faces, fear quite clear on their features.
"Anna," Victoria protested. "Let me come with you. It is me who Dracula wants."
"And it is you who keeps bringing trouble to our doorstep," Anna snapped back at her. "Just stay here with them and I will be back."
Before she could say anything further, Anna slammed the door shut and Victoria tugged her hands through her hair. Rolling her eyes, she turned on her heel and looked to the women she could vaguely remember. They were all young, dressed in plain blue dresses with hair tied in buns on the back of their head. Victoria offered a small nod in their direction.
"Is it true?" a blonde woman demanded from Victoria. "Are there werewolves?"
Victoria didn't know what to say. Instead she walked further into the store cupboard they were hiding in. She avoided the barrels of grain and wheat as she moved to stand before them.
"I do not know," she said. She wasn't technically lying. She didn't entirely know if there were vampires. She had her suspicions. "However, if there are werewolves then we need to stay hidden. Prince Velkan and his guard will manage to fight them off."
"Have you ever seen a werewolf?" a woman with grey hair demanded and Victoria turned her gaze onto her. "They're worse than vampires. They have no control over their actions."
Gulping loudly, Victoria nodded her head. "But we are safe in here."
"How can you think that?" the blonde asked her again and Victoria felt herself begin to sweat. "No offence, Miss Victoria, but you are the cause for all of these problems."
Victoria turned away then and nodded her head. She was the cause for all of these issues and she knew that. However, the woman with grey hair returned back to speaking.
"He would have sent a werewolf anyway," she declared. "He wants the girl, but he also wants to finish off the Valerious bloodline."
"But he never attacked the castle," the blonde continued to argue. "They went to him. They never endangered anyone else's life…women…children…it has become worse ever since the Prince decided to marry her."
Victoria took a deep breath before leaving. They were right. And if they were right then she had to go. She couldn't be scared anymore. She had to show that she didn't need Velkan or Vlad. She would be best off leaving both of them behind. She would be best off walking away and leaving. She was doing nothing but causing problems. Moving with haste, Victoria stormed down the corridors before she saw the light go out. The candles extinguished.
Darkness surrounded the corridor and Victoria moved to press her back against the wall. She felt her breathing continue to deepen, her mouth drying up as she looked around. She didn't hear anything and so she kept on moving. Rushing away, she found herself coming to her chamber, pulling the door open and stepping inside.
It was another few moments before she heard the sound of a gunshot. Letting out a small squeal, Victoria looked to the door after grabbing her cloak, shrugging it over her shoulders. Moving back to the door, she opened it once more before she heard the constant noise of gunshots. They sounded as if they were coming from the ballroom. Victoria didn't know which way to go, but she soon found herself seeing Velkan rushing towards her.
Moving over to him, she let him take hold of her forearms in his grip, holding onto them loosely as she looked over him.
"What happened?" she demanded.
"I thought that you were going to hide with Anna?"
"She went after you," Victoria said and Velkan shook his head.
"I told her not to," he snarled and Victoria took hold of his hand at the pair of them raced down the hallways in search of Anna. "We managed to wound the creature and send him away, but I don't know where Anna is."
"She will be fine," Victoria tried to ease Velkan's worry. "So it was a werewolf?"
"Yes," Velkan informed her. "Dracula is becoming more desperate."
"Velkan," Victoria said in a whisper. "I know what I said…about not leaving because I did not think it would help…but maybe it might be for the best? Maybe me leaving you and Vlad behind would be the best option."
Velkan shook his head, looking down at her. "No," he said. "You cannot go, Victoria. I need you to stay with me…please…"
"He sent a werewolf, Velkan!" Victoria snapped with haste as they came back to ballroom and Victoria saw Anna stood with the rest of the guard. Velkan let out a deep breath as the two of them stood on the balcony overlooking the ballroom. Victoria moved her hands to hold Velkan's shoulders. "He sent that creature here. There is no end to this for any of us."
"No, the end is when he dies," Velkan informed her. "That is when it ends, Victoria."
"And if he does not?" Victoria enquired back. "Velkan, he is doing this for me."
"No, he wants to do this because of my family."
"But the woman…the maid…she told me that it had gotten worse because of me," she responded with haste. "He sent a creature that could kill others…innocent people in the castle…Velkan, this is not just about you and me now. There are others who we are putting at risk; who I am at putting at risk."
It took another moment before Velkan reacted with haste, his hands going to hold Victoria by the waste as his guard tided up the mess and Anna looked at the damage. Victoria allowed Velkan to take hold of her, his hands slipping towards the small of her back.
"I don't want this for you," Victoria whispered to him. "I don't want you or anyone else to get hurt."
"We won't," Velkan said. "Victoria, if you leave then he will still come for me and he will come for you. Believe me, my love. I want to keep you safe."
"But keeping me safe puts you in danger," Victoria whispered back to him and she searched his gaze, struggling to think of what she was feeling. "And I…I care about you, Velkan…you have been kind to me. You have been nothing but kind and considerate."
"Because you are my wife," Velkan informed her. "You are my wife and I love you."
"I know," Victoria responded. "And I…" she couldn't say it. She couldn't bring herself to say those words. Every time she thought about Velkan, she thought about Vlad. But she remembered her Vlad: the man who would do anything for her. The man he was now was not the one she remembered.
"I know," Velkan said, not forcing her to say those words to him. How could he? Instead he moved down, his lips capturing hers as he crumpled her dress by pressing her body closely against his. Closing her eyes, she let out a soft sigh as she felt herself responding to his kisses. Her hands moved to hold the back of his head as she let him hold her closer.
They pulled away after a moment and Victoria kept her forehead against his, her hands running through his hair. She let her eyes search his, her lips parted as she took in sharp breaths.
"Don't leave me," Velkan said.
"I won't," Victoria responded to him and kissed him once more, her mind still whirling over what she should do. For now it seemed as though she had made her choice. She had chosen Velkan.