The nights leading to the wedding past far too quickly for Amira's liking. She felt like she had during the nights leading to the ball, but this was terribly worse. She had no Vasilios to fill her nights with lessons about how to act like a pet, instead she was stuck reading and wandering about the castle and even occasionally talking to Dracula, though that became too painful after there was only two nights left. Now it was the final night, her eighteenth birthday, and Amira couldn't keep herself from twitching convulsively whenever she heard a sound. She was just so very nervous, she could barely stand it. She was actually beginning to look forward to the wedding, for after it she would have nothing to worry about. At least, she hoped she would. And it still hadn't ceased to rain.
At the moment, she was sitting in a smallish dining room, for the servants were still repairing the window Dracula had broken earlier that week, eating steak.

"I'm glad you are enjoying this, for this will be your last dinner eating human food. After I have turned you, you will no longer be able to eat such things as steak." Dracula smirked and watched as Amira slowly set her knife and fork down and turned her green eyed gaze to Dracula's blue one.

"Must you try to ruin everything for me?" She asked in a sort of resigned voice.

"I just wanted to make sure that you savor every bite." He replied calmly, a small smile playing across his lips as he laced his long fingers together and set his elbows on the table, allowing himself to rest his chin on his fingers as he began to watch her.

"You're far too kind, you know." Amira said sarcastically. Dracula merely continued to watch her, his magnificent blue eyes drilling into her skull. However, Amira picked her utensils back up and began to eat, this time letting the delicious juices flow through her mouth before swallowing. Between pieces, she asked, "So, do all vampires automatically get brilliantly colored eyes when they are turned?"

"Most do, but if you're wondering, my eyes have always been this blue." Dracula smirked slightly. He had always taken pride in his bright blue eyes; they always managed to entrance females, even when he had been human.

"I'm ever so happy to hear that you had all this flawless beauty as a human as well." Amira shoved another piece of steak into her mouth. Dracula's smirk deepened, but he did not reply. Amira finished the rest of her meal in silence.

When she was finished, they both stood at the same time, but when Amira tried to leave Dracula called her back. "Amira."

"What?" Amira asked.

"Today is your eighteenth birthday."

Amira feigned a look of shock, letting her eyes stretch wide and putting one of her hands over her mouth. "Why, yes it is!" She exclaimed. "You know, your observatory skills have never ceased to astound me."

Dracula ignored the sarcastic reply and said, "I have a present for you."

Amira barked out a harsh laugh and took a step back. "Ha! Like I'd ever let you give me another present!"

"Why ever not?" Dracula asked.

"Well let's see," she placed her pointer finger on her chin and tilted her head to one side as she pretended to think, "Your first one had a tracking device in it and the second one was a collar. Why the hell would I let you give me anything else?"

"Because this is an honest present. There are no tricks this time. It's just a simply gift." Dracula replied with an air of sincerity that made Amira actually want to trust him.

She struggled for a moment before finally saying, "Fine. I'll take it." Dracula pressed a small, elaborately carved rosewood box into her hands before watching her expectantly. Amira opened the box and smiled slightly; lifting the necklace he had given her out of the box. It was a pendant on a thick silver chain. But it wasn't just any pendant, no; it was a pendant with Dracula's insignia on it, a serpent curling around the outer rim of the circular piece, its tail entwined about its head. The pendant itself was made out of a sort of old, beaten silver; she could tell it was hand made, and probably incredibly old.

"Do you like it?" He asked, a smirk already playing across his lips as Amira examined it carefully.

"Does it have a tracking device in it?" Amira asked bluntly as she began to turn it around and upside down, examining it from all angles.

Dracula's smirk faded into a frown, "Of course not. I will have no need for a tracking device once we are married."

"And why is that?" She asked, looking up into Dracula's eyes.

"Because I will trust you when you become my bride. You will become loyal to me, and only me." Amira sighed and fastened the chain around her neck.

"I suppose I will. You'll probably have complete control over me when I become your bride."

"Not complete control." He smiled and placed his hands behind his back. "That would make life rather boring if I were to have complete control over you."

"May I leave?" Amira asked in a quiet voice, a feeling of depression washing over her. She no longer wished to fight this; she no longer wished to be the rebellious teenager that she had been over these past few weeks. She just...wanted to sleep.

"I will accompany you back to your rooms." Amira wanted to protest, but it appeared that her willpower had totally left her, so she allowed him to wrap his arm around her elbow and escort her back to her chambers. They were totally silent, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. When they got to Amira's room, Dracula let go and turned to face Amira, who looked up at Dracula with empty eyes, the bright green flame gone. He placed one longer finger under Amira's chin and lifted it up, so she was forced to look into Dracula's eyes. "Happy birthday Amira." He then leaned in and planted a small, short kiss on her cheek. It spoke absolute volumes to Amira, starting with he may just feel something for you. He stared down at her, his brilliant blue eyes penetrating Amira's soul. Then he turned around and vanished with a dramatic swirl of his cape.

Once he was gone, Amira stood there for several minutes before slowly reaching up to touch the spot on her face where Dracula's lips had just been. It tingled pleasantly. That kiss almost seemed...sincere. And then the life was back in Amira's eyes, that flame had returned, and Amira allowed herself a short laugh. Dracula? Sincere? Ha! And yet, as she entered her bedroom and got undressed and finally lay down in her bed, there was doubt creeping into her mind, perhaps that kiss really had been sincere...

xxxx

Amira awoke the next evening with a feeling of utter calm. However, it was not like the calm she had felt when she rushed into battle, more like the calm before the storm, when everything was so unbearably quiet it made you want to scream, just to fill the empty void with noise. She cocked her head to one side when she heard shuffling, and then called out, "Zane?" Sure enough, Zane stepped from the shadows wearing a grave expression on his face.

"How are you feeling Amira?" He asked tentatively, his hands clasped at his waist.

"Oh fantastic, I've really gotten into the whole marrying a vampire lord thing."

"Well at least you still have your sarcasm, so you can't be feeling too bad." Zane grinned and began playing with one of his many bracelets. "I'm-" he stopped and took a deep breath, "I'm really sorry about this Amira. I know you do not wish to marry Dracula, but there is really nothing I can do to stop it."

"The Powers That Be, right?" Amira asked.

"Exactly." Suddenly Zane was directly in front of her, his thin frail hands clasping her own strong young ones in such a grip it caused Amira to wish to pull away, but she could not. "Amira, you must swear to me that you will not give in to Dracula's powers when you are turned." He stared at her with wide, pleading eyes. "It will seem tempting, and like it would be the right thing to do, but do not!" Amira drew back, not really sure what to say. "As long as some part of you is fighting his hold over you, you may survive with your soul still pure."

Amira nodded once, and then as if to clarify her nod, said, "I swear."

Zane smiled and said, "Good girl. You have powers beyond your wildest dreams; I know you can do it." Zane flinched and let go of Amira's hands, if only to place them on his head. "Oh shut up!" Zane yelled. Amira took a step back. Zane chuckled nervously, "Ehehe...Sorry. Just the voices in my head, nothing to worry about."

"...Right." Amira hopped onto a new subject, "Are you going to be at the..." she struggled to say the word, for a lump seemed to have gotten caught in her throat, she finally choked out, "Wedding?"

"Of course I will!" Zane exclaimed, "I couldn't miss something as important as this!" Zane's mouth split into a smile, "Unfortunately, you won't be able to see me, nor will anyone else. I do not wish to make my presence known, for I am an enemy among many of the vampires that will be attending."

Someone knocked at the door and they both turned to face it. "Amira?" Aida called in a somewhat muffled voice because of the thickness of the door. "I've got food!"

"Time for me to take my leave." Zane rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Amira's waist, giving her a loving quick hug. He let go and said in a thoroughly sincere voice, "You will make it through this Amira. Never doubt yourself." The door was opened and Zane was gone.

"I've got food." Aida repeated, holding up a silver tray laden with a steaming plate of eggs and toast. Amira inhaled the pleasant aromas and smiled. She thanked her quietly and asked her to place the food in front of her vanity. Ah, now this will truly be my last meal. She probably wouldn't have enough time to eat lunch what with all the preparations that would be needed to make sure she looked absolutely perfect for the wedding. She sat down and ate slowly, swallowing each bite and letting it slide down her throat to land with a pleasant warm feeling in her stomach. When she was finished she sighed and stared at the empty plate; it had been a filling meal and yet she still felt empty.

Quite suddenly, the door burst open and in poured a dozen young women, all giggling and talking in very excited voices. Amira wasn't even sure if they had noticed her until two of them separated from the group and grabbed her by the arms and dragged her into the bathroom so she could take a bath.

xxxx

Dracula sat at his desk in his study with his feet on the desk so he could lean back in his chair. He had mixed feelings about today; he was happy that he was finally going to marry Amira and complete his revenge against the Valerious family. However, the doubtful voice in his mind had been getting louder and louder until it was constantly shouting in his ear about how idiotic this idea was. Dracula was still stoutly refusing to listen to it, though it was getting more difficult with each passing moment.

Don't do it. You're going to get yourself killed! The voice screamed in his mind. It continued to yell things of this nature until Dracula finally got so angry that he picked up the glass of blood he had been drinking and threw it against the wall, effectively shattering the glass and forcing the voice to quiet down. He repaired the glass in an instant, and, after a moments contemplation, decided to leave the stain of blood on the wall. He smiled as grimly as he felt and began to watch the blood's slow descent to the floor, his thoughts constantly drifting back to the wedding that was in but a few hours. He thought it strange that he was so nervous about this wedding, he had never been nervous about a wedding before. Perhaps it was because of the conversation with Zane he had had the night before, or maybe it was because he had never grown quite so attached to one of his brides (or future brides for this matter) before.

"Oh Amira, what have you done to me?"

xxxx

Amira was currently sitting in front of her vanity mirror as four different servants were all painting her nails a deep red color. She was told not to move, not that she really wanted to. She felt like she undergoing some sort of surgical operation, and that if she moved she would surely die. She remained where she was sitting, her eyes staring straight at her reflection, which was looking back at herself with just as fierce an intensity.

"We're finished, milady!" One of the young servant girls called as Amira was pulled out of the seat and stripped down into her undergarments. They fit a corset around her waist and tied it quite tight, making it difficult for Amira to breath, but she managed. They then pulled the dress over the corset, and as it was being adjusted Amira realized that she had never seen it before, and she wondered how she would look when they were finished. The only thing she could really tell from it from her point of view at the moment was that it was...white, which really wasn't much of a description. But the young women had pulled her away from the mirror, and even as she sat back down at the vanity they turned Amira away from the mirror and began to work on her hair and makeup. They muttered constantly about which lipstick and eye shadow to use and everything in between. When they were finally finished they all congratulated each other and allowed her to stand up and look in the full body mirror.

The first thought that passed through Amira's mind was that the mirror was showing a different person. This couldn't be her; this person was far too lovely. It was an even greater transformation than that of the night of the ball. The wedding dress was absolutely gorgeous, a delicate white dress with silvery embroidery that caught the light like spider webs, shining and seemingly ephemeral, crisscrossing back and forth across the entire dress. It was strapless, the sleeves hanging loosely on both of her shoulders. It reached the floor and flowed out behind her, not quite long enough for anyone to have to pick it up behind her. The dress itself was made of the finest quality silk, pure as gold and it felt wonderfully cool against her skin. Her hair was pulled into an elaborate bunch on top of her head, similar to the hairstyle she had on the night of the ball, and yet...somehow far more elegant. Tiny red and black roses were somehow pinned into her hair; she couldn't tell if they were real or not, but they looked so realistic anyway it did not matter either way. Her makeup gave her a sort of soft beauty, drawing attention to her lovely green eyes and her full red lips. Amira felt and looked like an angel, and she thought it ironic how she was to become almost exactly the opposite this very night. A solemn servant girl came forward and placed a veil atop her head, and yet another girl attached the necklace Dracula had given her yesterday around her neck, the final piece in this wedding ensemble, and she was complete.

Amira shut her eyes and drew in a deep breath, for she was having some difficulty really being able to grasp the knowledge that she was to be wed to a man she very nearly hated tonight. When she opened them all the young ladies had left, and Amira was left alone, clutching the red roses she had found on the vanity.

xxxx

An abrupt knock on the door announced the coming of the person who was going to take Amira to the wedding hall. The door opened to reveal a nondescript young man dressed in a nondescript tuxedo...in fact, everything about him virtually screamed nondescript, which Amira had to admit was very odd for a vampire. He offered his arm, which Amira took rather tentatively, holding her bouquet of roses in her other hand. He looked her up and down and nodded, as if his approval of her really mattered to anyone at all. He then began to escort her to the wedding hall, the soft padding of Amira's satin slippers contrasting sharply with the loud tapping of the vampire's boots against the stone floors.

Amira was thinking of eggs and toast. Not only her favorite breakfast food, but also her last meal in the form of human food...ever. She found it almost humorous that she was about to become the bride of the most infamous vampire in the entire world, and all she could think about was breakfast food. When she finally managed to steer her thoughts away from the eggs, they came to rest upon a most disturbing revelation; she had not thought of watching her last sunrise and sunset. It had always seemed like such an insignificant thing with all the different and far more exciting things that were going on in her life, and yet, as she looked out one of the mammoth windows and saw only a velvety black sky, a growing pit of sadness welled up in her heart.

Her thoughts were abruptly cut short when the vampire who had been escorting her stopped suddenly. He turned to stare out the window as well before whispering quietly to her, "You did not watch the last rising and setting of the sun, did you?"

Amira was startled by the sudden and very insightful question, for some reason she had thought the vampire couldn't speak. "No." She answered in a regretful tone.

"I am sorry. I did not think to watch my last sunset either, and I had the choice to as well. I would have liked to see it...one last time." He sighed and began leading her to the wedding hall once more, both of them wrapped in thoughts of their own regrets.

Amira barely realized where they were until the vampire stopped once more. They were in a large ornate room, and directly opposite where they were currently standing was another pair of doors of grand proportions, exactly the same as the doors they had just came through. The murals along the wall drew in her attention immediately, in fact, she was so engrossed in it them that she didn't even realize that the vampire who had escorted her there had let go of her arm, and she was walking to the end of the room towards the set of the doors alone. The paintings themselves struck her as being very beautiful and pure, they depicted lovely pictures of pale angels singing and dancing in a seemingly peaceful way. On further inspection however, she realized that the closer she got to the doors of the wedding hall the angrier and evil the expressions of the angels became. She soon discovered that the angels were singing and dancing around groups of huddled humans, cowering against the powerful might of the angels. And then, quite suddenly, Amira discovered that they were not angels at all, but rather demons masquerading as angels. Their wings were fake, sewn onto their backs, blood still trickling from where the needles had pierced their skin. And she could now just see tiny horns peeking through their long hair, and their clawed hands and the malicious glint in their eyes and the shining white fangs that showed whenever one of them was smiling. And they were laughing at Amira; somehow they knew what was happening to her. Amira watched in amazement as they all seemed to turn to stare at her, and their silent laughter rang loud and angry through the cold air. Amira had to turn away; she could not take it anymore. Everything is deceiving. The words echoed through her head, she did not know where they had even come from, only that they spoke the truth.

Amira stopped, for she was at the end of room. Two young vampires, identical in every way from their clothing to their hair to their facial features, stood on either side of the giant doors, staring at her with deep blue eyes. They did not move, or make any sign that showed that they acknowledged her existence, except for their eyes. They followed her movements with their eyes.

Her heart was racing so quickly she thought she may faint any moment, and yet her head was perfectly clear. She could not think, not that she particularly wanted to at the moment. She wished that she could be anywhere else in the world, be anyone else in the world, and yet, as she stood there, straightening her posture and clutching her bouquet of roses tightly in her hands, she thought that maybe did not wish for those things at all.

Amira shut her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. She did not wish to open her eyes, she felt that once she did, she would be accepting the fate the would come with being wed to Dracula, the fate of a vampire. Forever damned by the living and by the pure, never able to set foot outside of the darkness when the infernal sun was shining, never able to see her family and friends ever again. The fate of a creature of the night. The fate of one that is evil. The fate of damned soul. The fate of an eternal bond to Count Dracula. When she opened her eyes she would be accepting her fate. Accepting it.

The twin vampires looked at each for a fleeting moment and nodded ever so slightly before pushing the staggeringly large doors open effortlessly with one hand and bowing her in.

Amira opened her eyes.

xxxx

A/N: Oh, haha...yeah...the wedding's in the next chapter! But not to worry, I can assure you that there is no way in hell that I'm going to be able to make the walk up to the little...podium thinger in the nonchurch! -meep- Now it's time for me to go do research on weddings. Damn. WELL, ENJOY.

And as always, R&R, my dear reviewers, R&R.