Author's Note
I do not own Young Dracula.
Shoutout and big thank you to letterstorule and summer164 for the favourites and Songstar1 for the follow!
Again, sorry for the delay. My life has become even busier than before. I didn't know that was possible.
In his absence, some upstart from the clans had arrived, a black vampire called Ramanga. The Count and Renfield were cowering as four copies of him surrounded them. Bertrand was clutching his precious book to his chest. Ingrid, Erin, and Chloe were watching from the side of the training room, Sirius in Ingrid's arms.
Now there was something no one imagined seeing.
Ingrid Dracula with a child on her hip.
Vlad snapped his fingers and summoned that blasted book of Bertrand's straight to him. One by one the fingers lifted until it flew open.
"My Lord," whispered the upstart, kneeling as he should. One by one, the others dropped to the floor. Vlad stopped, looked at Ingrid, Erin, and Chloe, Ingrid still with Sirius in her arms, now held against her chest.
"Not you three. You stand."
He ripped the book open.
Empty.
It was empty.
All this for nothing!
Vlad laughed.
The upstart left to report to the clans, probably to tell them how much of a threat he was and exactly where the Dracula lair now was.
Vlad didn't care.
Let them come.
He could deal with them.
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His dad tried to corner him in the hall, prattling on about how proud he was.
Puh-lees.
Honestly.
Vlad didn't want to kill him outright, no, because death should be a release, not a punishment. Instead, he hung him from the rafters with garlic wrapped around his wrists and neck.
Then he went to find something to eat, because he was hungry and it had been such a long time since he had proper food.
He made a mess of it, blood splattered all over him. He showered and then strolled back to the hall, where he found Ingrid lounging across the Count's throne, pointedly ignoring his demands to get him down. Erin was sat at the smaller table, which she had dragged over to Ingrid's side, leaning over a book with Chloe. Wolfie played with his teddy at their feet. They looked like the perfect picture of a little family. The room stank of burnt flesh. Ingrid smiled.
"Looking good baby brother."
"Thank you. You're in my seat."
She raised her eyebrows. "Who said it was your seat?"
"I did, just now. That means it's mine. Move."
"Make me."
Vlad took her collar in one hand, the belt of her dress in the other, and effortlessly lifted her from the throne, settling her gently on the floor. "The next time I say move, you move." He sunk into the throne. "It's not actually very comfortable, is it?"
"It's better if you put your legs over the side and then lean on the other arm."
Vlad did so. Ingrid nodded. "Yeah, like that."
"It is not!" whined their dad.
"Shut up or I'll gag you with garlic," Vlad snapped. "Bertrand! Renfield! Get in here!"
Bertrand soon arrived. Renfield came in after him, carrying a tray of drinks, which he dropped when he noticed the Count. "Master! Oh, Master! Hang on, I'll get you down!"
"No you won't!" snarled Ingrid, flashing across the room to shove him against the wall.
"Here's how it's going to work from now on," Vlad said. "Things are going to be done my way. If you don't like it, you know where my fangs and the door are."
"You've got some nerve Vladdy."
Vlad growled. "Don't call me Vladdy."
"If you think I'll be taking orders from you-"
"Oh, you will. Or you die. Those are your choices, father."
Because he was the one in charge now, he was the one with all the power, and it felt good.
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Of course the Count chose living. He was a selfish coward who bullied children and didn't want to die. Vlad let him down before he walked with Erin back to her room. "You know, someone told me once there was a reason vampires didn't make friends with breathers. That reason is that breathers age Erin. They get old. They die. I don't want that for you."
"What are you doing Vlad? This isn't like you!"
"That's where you're wrong. This is exactly like me. It's just that I never had the confidence or power to do it before." He held tight to her hand. "I want you by my side Erin."
"And what about my Vlad? The one I fell in love with? What happened to him?"
"I'm still him. I'm just stronger now. Better. And I want you."
"I liked how you were before."
"I was weak before. I let people get away with far too much. I know better now."
"Uh. Good?"
"It is good. We'll be the winning side. For all eternity." He bared his fangs.
"E- uh, Vlad-"
"Eternity is a long time to spend on your own. I want you there with me."
"What about Ingrid?"
Vlad laughed, venom pooling in his mouth. "She's my sister. I don't think she's exactly the sort of company I'm looking for."
"Oh. Well what about Chloe?"
"I don't feel for Chloe the way I feel for you. Not anymore."
She was too young, too wild, too unpredictable, too... different. Too Chloe.
"Think about it. What did the Slayers ever do for you? I could give you family, eternal life, power."
"Vlad-"
"What do you say? Eternity? Strengths? Power? Or you can take your chances going back to the Slayers."
Erin shook her head. "I was a terrible Slayer."
"Yes you were."
"But-"
"Or you could just leave. But you've been fraternising with my family long enough, you'll be a target. Stand by me or leave Erin. Run back to the Slayers, if they'll even have you. What did they do for you other than take your life away?"
"They made sure I met you," Erin whispered.
"And now you have to choose. Me or them Erin? Death or eternity? Think about everything I could give you. We would be together forever. I want you by my side. Yes or no?"
Erin closed her eyes. "So help me, yes."
He hadn't expected that answer.
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The first stage of Erin's transformation was fast, and she made for a beautiful half-fang.
"Funny. Nothing for months and now it's like she's newly bitten," said Bertrand one day during training.
"Funny that," agreed Vlad, and threw him halfway across the hall.
Erin proved her worth the day Mina and Jonno Van Helsing arrived. She grabbed his arm and pointed out the bands on their wrists. "For controlling heart rates and blood pressure. They're Slayers."
"Interesting."
They played with the Van Helsings for a little bit, letting them in and leading them on. There were never any real plans to let them live. Vlad watched as Mina found the Praedictum Impaver and cut herself, causing words to appear in the book. After thinking about it for a moment, he jumped down behind her and sank his fangs into her neck, spelling enough blood on the book to fill it with words. He tossed MIna to Erin. "You want? Slayer's blood's meant to be good."
Erin caught her out of instinct. He saw her freeze, hesitate, the last of the human Slayer in her. Then she bit down on the wound. Vlad smiled. Bertrand hurried into the hall.
"We have a problem. Your sister-"
"Bertrand, just the man I wanted to see. Look, the book has filled with words!"
(It turned out that what Ingrid had done was biting and killing Jonno in a fit of rage after he gave her a frilly pink tutu as a present. That solved that problem quite nicely.)
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The book did more than fill with words. It gave rise to Sethius, an ancient megalomaniac who wanted to destroy vampires and breathers alike in his vision for a new world filled with darkness.
That was top of Vlad's list for things he hadn't been expecting.
Sethius outranked Boris on Vlad and Ingrid's list of the craziest people they knew. He was quite fabulous though, and very, very evil. He also claimed to be the Chosen One, which made them... The Chosen Two Vlad supposed.
He had to die of course.
He was in Vlad's way and a considerable threat to himself and his own.
Vlad battled with him until sundown, and then Sethius managed to flee to cause trouble somewhere else.
Vlad growled.
Let him go.
They would find him.
There was nowhere to hide.
Vlad needed there to be a world left to rule.
