Chapter 13: Blood And Brides
As the vampires swooped down something whizzed passed Nshina, narrowly missing her side. She landed on the ground and looked around hissing, standing behind her was Van Helsing,
"You could have killed me then!"
Nshina laughed. Even though she could feel again, and she knew that she was meant to hate him, she didn't. She was grateful to him for helping her, Van Helsing lowered his crossbow,
"No Nshina, I could never kill you! Scare you a little maybe, but nothing more than that,"
They both grinned at each other and watched her fellow vampires land,
"Good evening Van Helsing,"
Dracula said politely, he still hated Van Helsing but it was manners and Dracula had a big thing for manners,
"Good evening Count,"
Marishka walked over to Nshina and grabbed her hand; she looked down at the youngest and smiled. Nshina looked up at her and smiled back, she had got an idea,
"I have an idea; let's play a little game,"
Dracula smiled at Nshina and folded his arms,
"What game would that be my dear?"
Nshina spun around in a circle and giggled,
"It's a little bit like cats and mice guess,"
Dracula unfolded his arms and looked at Nshina, he was still smiling. He knew what kind of game she meant, that idea of it pleased him,"
"We will be flying around and Van Helsing shall be shooting at us, but isn't that a bit dangerous?"
Nshina giggled again,
"No because here is that catch, we are not allowed to kill anyone. Sure we can throw each other through buildings and things but we can't produce any fatal blows or you loose,"
Van Helsing frowned and looked at Nshina; she truly was the most confusing person he had ever met. Why would she want to play a game that could get them killed? Even if it was breaking that rules,
"Why, Nshina?"
He asked her, Nshina walked over to hi, smiling,
"Because it seems fun to me, and, I want to prove something,"
Van Helsing took a step back and smiled,
"What would that be?"
"Those vampires are better than you,"
As soon as the last word floated off her lips she pushed him back will all her power, sending him flying backwards and she kicked off the ground hard, causing her to fly directly up very quickly, Marishka, Aleera and Verona laughed and followed her. They used to play this sort of game with their master when they were younger, but now they were older games like this became a thing of the past. Dracula watched Van Helsing stand up and he smirked,
"You do know that we will win this?"
Van Helsing picked up his crossbow and pointed it at him,
"How do you know that?"
"Because we are demons of the sky,"
Van Helsing grinned and put his finger on the trigger,
"And I am an angel of the earth,"
As Van Helsing released the trigger Dracula shot up into the sky and out of sight. Van Helsing looked around and saw Marishka darting around above him, he aimed and shot an arrow at her, it barley missed her and flew further away from him. Verona watched Marishka fly off as fast as she could and laughed,
"I'll show them how it's done,"
Verona muttered and dived down, she dodged every single arrow that Van Helsing fired at her all except one that pierced her wing. She screamed out in pain and flew back into the sky. Van Helsing cringed as it pierced her skin, he knew that he was allowed to because it was in the rules but he didn't know how Dracula would react. Aleera was next to try her luck. She flew down in circles without Van Helsing noticing until the very last minute. He managed to bat her off and she flew up into the sky and looked at her Master,
"Master! We cannot win this; we can't even get close enough to him,"
Dracula laughed at her and dived down, he managed to scratch Van Helsing across the torso but that was it. He flew back up to Aleera and scowled, Aleera looked at him and smiled,
"It's not easy is it,"
She commented. Dracula just grunted and looked around; Marishka was flying around looking confused,
"Where is Nshina?"
Dracula looked around and saw her standing behind Van Helsing, she wasn't moving and muscle and it seemed that he hadn't noticed her. As quick as lighting she shot off the ledge that she was standing on and picked Van Helsing up in her feet claws, she looked down at him and laughed,
"Told you we were better!"
She carried on laughing and Van Helsing pulled out a arrow and stabbed her foot with it, she screamed out and dropped him, Marishka swooped down and caught his foot, lifting him back into the air,
"Nshina you show off! How did you do that?"
Nshina flew around them in circles and laughed,
"It just takes patience,"
Van Helsing began to struggle and through all his wriggling around Marishka dropped him. Nshina flew down next to him, smiling,
"Lovely night for a glide isn't it?"
She let him fall almost to the ground and caught him. She lowered him to the ground and landed on a porch railing, crouching down on it. Van Helsing stood up and spun around so he was facing her, he laughed and lowered his crossbow,
"You are very surprising Nshina, do you know that?"
Nshina smiled,
"I am often being told it yes,"
Van Helsing walked over to her as a black horse trotted over to him,
"I am sorry to cut the little play session short but I must be going now, the Holy Order want be back with them, they have a new assignment. I I am ever in Transylvania again I shall come by the castle for a little chat,"
Nshina grinned and stood up,
"Oh fantastic, I can't wait for the day,"
She said sarcastically, but she was smiling at him. Van Helsing smiled and jumped onto his horse; he turned around and spurred the horse forward. When he was out of sight Dracula and his brides landed next to Nshina and looked around,
"Where is everyone? Surely they can't all be hiding now,"
Aleera smiled as she heard a movement behind her,
"No, they are not all in hiding,"
Aleera twisted in the air and shit into the darkness, when she re-emerged she had a young woman in her hands,
"We are just not looking hard enough,"
As Dracula watched his brides catch their pray he smiled. It pleased him to see his brides happy and together. When everything was right he was happy, he could not have imagined a life without Nshina, he just couldn't. She had become such an important part of their lives that if she were turned back or died it would affect them all so much. He would do anything for his brides and he was sure that they would do anything for him, there were times when things became hard but he had faith in them. Dracula believed that if he could feel love then it would just be for his brides. Whenever they entered a room he felt that everything was right again and when he saw them as they were meant to be it made him feel so happy. Dracula felt that he had picked the best; his beautiful brides were full of deadly elegance and grace. They knew how to torment and torture, but they also knew how to love and show compassion.
Verona his eldest had the most grace; she could kill a grown man with ease but make it look graceful, like she didn't even need to put much effort in it. Aleera knew how to use her personality well. She could manipulate her prey into her arms and then she would make it wish they had never been born. Marishka played with her food, and she did it well. She could reduce a grown man to tears and beg for death, but even then she would not give it to him, it was her speciality. Nshina used her innocence. She was still fourteen really and it often showed she loved to play games with her prey; she could make them believe anything she wanted. Dracula loved this about his brides; they each had something so special about them, something that made them different from each other but they all got along so well. He loved them and he didn't care what anyone else said. Verona approached him with a half dead man in her hands; she held the man up and smiled sweetly,
"Shall we share my king?"
Dracula smiled,
"We will my queen,"
They both smiled and bit down into the mans neck. As the life force drained out of him and entered Verona and Dracula, Dracula smiled. He could not think of a better way to spend eternity. All he needed was blood and his brides, nothing else.