"Carl" Gabriel stalked throughout the manor in search of his companion.
"Y-yes…Van Helsing?" Carl crept out of the study, knowing he was going to be yelled at for something he probably didn't do.
"She's gone."
"Wh-Anna? She's left the manor?" Carl asked.
"Yes Carl, she's left the damn manor with that fraud whose pretending to be her brother." Gabriel snapped.
Carl was taken aback at this and looked hurt at the way his friend was treating him. "I'll…see if I can get a list of any demons who take on personas of other people and who were affiliated with Dracula."
"Thank you…and Carl?"
"Y-yes Van Helsing?"
"I apologize for my behavior but-"
"You love her, I'm not blind, Van Helsing." Carl smiled and went back to the study.
At the hidden Valerious castle Anna slept fitfully, plagued with nightmares of bats and werewolves, and an elusive vile which she assumed was a cure. Why did it seem so real? The claws sinking into her flesh, the brutal snarls of the wolves and the vociferous screech of the hell bat.
"Van Helsing! I have the cure—"
In her dream she watched herself be tackled by the werewolf and then nothing.
Anna woke up quickly, her heart pounding in her ears and her breathing heavy. She sat up carefully and took a few deep breaths. What's going on? Werewolves and bats?
Quietly she slipped out of her bed, Velkans shirt falling just above her knees. She found a dress robe made of black silk hanging on her door and slipped it on before heading into the dimly lit corridor. Silently she ventured the way Velkan had brought her earlier that night, wondering where her brothers quarters were located. As she walked the dark hallway, she stumbled upon an open door, peeking her head in the room she seen shelves lined with books and came t the realization that it was one of the Valerious libraries.
"Anna?" Velkan asked, approaching his sister from behind. "What are you doing awake? Are you alright?"
She nodded. "I'm fine…just-"
"Not able to sleep." He finished.
"Yeah." she nodded.
Suddenly Velkans hands shot out to grab Anna viciously. "Anna! Look out!"
Anna hit the floor hard, her head snapping off the stone floors. Before everything went black she seen Velkan looking down on her…was he smiling? She wasn't sure; she didn't have time to think before she fell prey to the darkness.