Chapter 16
"You were supposed too," said Dracula. "How else was I supposed to get you to kiss me again?" Anna jumped up and glared at the Count.
"I thought you would leave me alone!" she snapped. "I thought you said you would leave me be until the next time you wanted to try and kidnap me!" Dracula rolled his eyes.
"Yes, I know I said that, my dear," he said. "But I don't believe I ever said anything about leaving you alone in your dreams."
Anna didn't know whether to shout at him angrily or burst into tears. Even in sleep she wouldn't be free of his merciless games. If he was bored enough he would do a dream like this on her every night. She trembled at the memory of thinking that she had at last seen her Van Helsing again when it was just a trick.
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" she whispered. "I'm your stupid plaything, I played all your games and was always either almost killed or eaten, or beaten to a pulp, and yet that still doesn't seem to be enough! You have to haunt me in my dreams and turn me into a werewolf when I'm at home. Couldn't you for once in your life think of someone besides yourself and just leave me alone?"
Dracula was quite impressed with how boldly Anna had shouted at him. Not even his late brides had been so bold when they were angry. It made him respect her a little. He remembered the look of pain in her eyes and couldn't help but gain some feelings of regret. The Count sighed as he made his choice. She's suffered enough, for the moment anyways. He took the gypsy princess by the hand and kissed it.
"Very well, Anna," he said. "I will leave you alone until our next game time. But you'd better enjoy your alone time while you can, because as nice as it might seem it won't last that long."
With a wave of his hand the spell broke and Dracula left her dreams, replacing them with more peaceful ones. The Count flew back to his castle, trying to think if there was a game he could play with her that might bring out more of her feelings towards him.
Anna was more than happy to be able to sleep again, and to be around people who didn't want to torture her again. The people never asked her where she had been, true to his word Dracula had made them think that she'd only been on a hunting trip. The princess was so happy to be at home again and to be free that she forgot all about the short amount of time she would have with her freedom.
Saturday was a winter masquerade. The whole village was decorated with paper snow flakes, and ice crystals. The masquerade wasn't as classy and fancy as the ones that Dracula held at Vilkova palace but it was still wonderful. Anna danced in a beautiful light blue dress with a white mask covering her face.
She was having such a good time that she didn't seem the figure completely in black sneaking behind her. When Anna was close enough the figure reached out and wrapped one hand round her mouth and the other around her shoulder. She was pulled back into the shadows where no one could see them.
"Had a pleasant week, my pet?" the person whispered. "Because it's time again." Anna's heart was beating so fast she thought it would burst. The person holding her was Dracula.