Some Random: Oh and mentions of the word "mistress" is meant as the female equivalent of "master" not another meaning...I think you know what I mean by that...And sorry I took so long to update!!!

Chapter Three - Action must be taken...

Valerie made her way to the house where she knew that her adopted brother would be. Boy, would he be surprised to see her turn up at his doorstep after four years being confirmed dead. Nevertheless, although she hated to admit it, she needed him. How else would she begin her plans without someone to consult with and watch the servants as they tidied the castle? Knocking on the door, she waited patiently at the doorstep. Eventually the door opened.

"Cedric." She said and there was a bang as he practically collapsed onto the floor.

"That's no way to treat your sister, even though we're not related by blood." She said, stepping over him and into the house. She walked into the hall and then heard him get up off the floor behind her.

"But I thought you were dead!" he said and she turned to face him.

"Dead? My dear Cedric, have you gone mad? If I was dead, why would I be standing here in front of you?"

"But I went to your funeral. I saw your body buried." Valerie laughed.

"You have much to understand on the issue of death. Like mine for example." She smiled, fangs exposed. All colour drained from Cedric's face.

"Dear God." He said before she pinned him to the wall.

"Now be a good boy and stay still. I don't want to hurt you more then I have to." She said and dug her fangs into his neck. He screamed at the pain. Holding herself back was hard, it was too tempting to just kill him. But that would get her nowhere. Ripping her fangs out of his neck before she drained him completely, she leant against the wall, feeling slightly unsatisfied. There was nothing like taking blood. Turning her head, she looked down at Cedric's body, slumped against the wall. Dragging him outside, she then transformed and picked him up. Flying through the air with him in one hand, she thought over the situation. He wouldn't exactly be pleased with what she had done. But she would convince him. Her will was stronger then his. Landing at the castle she now called home once more, she felt her form shift as she was once more human. Brushing her hair out of her face, she looked down at Cedric, lying on the floor where she'd left him.

"I don't think you'll wake quite yet." She said and sighed. Picking him up, she took him to one of the rooms in the castle. Lying him down on the bed, she exited the room as fast as possible. She had more work to do.

Meanwhile, Vladislaus flew to the castle that he had been banished to. He hadn't been completely honest with Valerie. Gabriel wasn't dead, but had been badly wounded and fled. By now, he'd probably fled to a church of great significance for protection. Protection from him. Vladislaus smirked.

'It should probably be protection from me and Valerie. She would have killed him herself if she hadn't of had to kill Alexander first. If she knew that he wasn't dead, all Hell would break loose. Better to please her then anger her.' He thought. Landing at the castle he now called home, his mind drifted to his plans. Forces needed to be gathered, as fast as possible. While Valerie's plans were small scale at the present moment, his mind was already thinking ahead. She could take things one step at a time if she liked. Her existence was fairly unknown; by Gabriel and the forces that be for now, so grand plans involving a lot of action would draw attention. But for him on the other hand, he had to work quickly and efficiently. Gabriel knew he had come back from the dead and would return to kill him. How soon, he did not know. It was all a matter of time. He knew of the purpose the Devil had set for him and it involved action. And it was a purpose he wasn't about to deny.

Three days later, Valerie returned to her castle home, after a trip to the village to feed when she heard someone shout and her gaze snapped up to the battlements. Soon after, she noticed one of her servants go flying out a window. A window in Cedric's room.

"He's finally awake." She said to herself, smirking and entered the castle. Her servants were working around her as she walked through the castle, headed for the room where she had left Cedric. The issue of her servants was an interesting one. Little creatures wearing strange masks were what they were. Dwergi. But size did not matter in their ability to carry out her tasks. Their intelligence was the problem. She had managed to easily, persuade them to work for her willingly, as if it were their idea in the first place. The castle had been cleaned and was beginning to look almost like it had when she'd first lived there. Although there were some minor changes, like for instance the coffin that had replaced the bed in the main bedroom. She climbed the stairs to Cedric's room where she met a Dwergi, which was standing outside the door. It walked up to her as she approached the door.

"What do you want?" she said to it, her tone sounding rather bored. Discussing things with them was a boring task. The difference in IQ's was annoying, but then again servants did not need to be really intelligent. Although intelligent conversation was one thing she had been missing. But now that Cedric was awake...

"This man of yours is slowly ridding me of my men." It said in its scratchy, mildly intelligible voice. Her heightened hearing helped her to understand the words that came out of its mouth as it spoke.

"That's your problem not mine. And this man of mine happens to be very important."

"At the loss of my men?"

"I don't care about your stupid men!" She hit the thing dead on and it went flying just to collide with a nearby wall, sliding down it and landing on the floor. It soon got to its feet shakily and took a few dizzy steps. She wondered how badly it had been injured, knowing true well her own strength.

"And if you're not careful, you'll be joining them." She snarled at it and it scurried away. Having some satisfaction out of having beaten up and scared the living daylights out of the creature, she entered the room.

It was quiet. Too quiet. And Cedric was nowhere to be seen. Closing the door behind her, she took a few careful steps into the room.

"Cedric. Come out." She said to the seemingly empty room, "I know you're in here. You can't have escaped." Her eyes darted around the room, searching for any trace of him. Then one thing occurred to her and her gaze drifted upwards. A smile came to her lips.

"Hello Cedric." He turned around to see her looking up at him and she saw him glare at her.

"I thought you'd be grateful." She said, walking over to the wall and then walking up it. She'd found out that handy trick the day after she'd turned Cedric. Soon, she stood beside him on the roof.

"Grateful? Hardly." he said, "What in God's name have you done to me Valerie?" He saw her eyes narrow at the mention of the Lord.

"Never speak His name ever again. Understand?" she snarled and he drew back from her.

"As to what I have done to you, isn't it obvious? I've given you a new life, a better one." The smile she had on her face was almost sickly sweet and her eyes a sudden piercing green.

"You should thank your mistress Cedric." She exerted her will over him with incredible ease and his resistance crumbled just like she knew it would.

"Thank you mistress." He said, sounding almost pleased.

"Good. Now I'm sure you're hungry." He nodded and she smiled.

"Just as I thought." She stepped off the roof, the world twisted around her and she landed perfectly on the floor. She turned to Cedric.

"It's easy. Just step off and you'll be on the ground again. Do try and coordinate your landing though." Cedric stepped off and almost succeeded in a perfect landing but stumbled and Valerie caught him.

'He needs to learn. But after all, I have all the time in the world to teach him.'

"Come. Time for your first meal." Cedric blinked and then followed her as she made her way to the dining room. When he finally reached it, he saw her speaking to one of the small creatures that he had seen in the castle. The servant then scurried off. She turned to him and then gestured towards the table. He took a seat and she stood near him, waiting for the servant to return. When it did, it placed a glass and a bottle of crimson liquid on the table and then left. Valerie poured him a glass of the crimson liquid and placed the bottle back on the table.

"Drink. I shall return soon. I have a small matter to attend to." She said and left him alone.

Cedric looked at the liquid in the glass. Picking it up, he took a sip from it. The organic tasting crimson liquid slid down his throat and the world around him changed. His vision sharpened and there was the pounding of many hearts echoing in his ears. He put his hands over his ears to try to block it out. But it didn't work.

"Just relax. Calmly and slowly block them out." Said a voice inside his head. A rather enticing and familiar voice.

"How?" Cedric couldn't pinpoint where he'd heard the voice before.

"They aren't there..." That was the last he heard of the voice. Cedric took several deep breaths and tried to relax.

'They aren't there? How does that help?' he thought. Then something occurred to him. What if he thought and believed they weren't there? He did just that and the noise faded. He looked at the glass, which he had placed on the table. He took another sip. His skin became more like that of human flesh, not as pale as before. He downed the contents of the glass and the whole world seemed to open up to him. The room seemed even clearer, and he knew that if the torches were taken away, he had no doubt he would still see it clearly in the darkness. All five senses seemed to have heightened. He poured himself another glass, feeling unsatisfied at just the one glass and he wanted more of the amazing crimson liquid. He downed the contents and reached for the bottle once more.

"I see that somebody's enjoying their meal." Came the voice of Valerie behind him. Turning in his chair, he saw her standing behind it, her hands resting on the top.

"Is this...is this what we eat?" he said, and saw her nod, staying silent for the moment.

"What is it?"

"Curious are we?" he nodded.

"Well, my dear Cedric. That is blood, our lifeline." She leaned down closer to him as best she could, her face hovering between his ear and his neck.

"What we need to survive, what gives us life. That is what we feed upon. Taking it from mortals where it runs freely in their veins." He expected to feel her breath tickling his neck, but felt nothing. After all, she was dead. He'd also expected to hear his heart pounding in his ears but heard nothing. Did that mean that he was dead as well?

"Nosferatu." He said, knowing that was what he was now.

"Yes. Nosferatu." Silence.

Valerie was surprised at how he was taking it. A lot easier then she had originally expected. Deep in thought, she didn't notice much of what was happening around her. Cedric had gotten out of his chair and walked over to the window and was now looking out of it. He then turned around and looked at Valerie. She looked a lot more peaceful now, so deep in thought. He'd always in a way admired her, being the only blood child of the Count and Countess Kildare. Having to deal with the responsibility and to live with that truth handing over her head must have been hard.

Now she was the Countess Kildare, as she was no longer married to the Count Di Mira.

"Valerie." He said and she turned to face him. The hard mask returned to her face, the peaceful look from before having vanished completely from her face. Yet, she stayed silent.

"Why me?" A confused look appeared on her face momentarily, and then all emotion was wiped from her face again.

"Excuse me?"

"Why did you choose me?"

"I...I needed someone far more intelligent then these idiotic Dwergi creatures. Someone I could rely on."

"I see." He had noted her hesitation, although she would not admit to it. She was puzzled at her hesitation, she knew why she'd chosen him, to turn him and make him her servant. Her intelligent servant, not like those pitiful excuses for sentient beings, those Dwergi. That was it, nothing else.

Cedric could not tear his eyes off her. That black dress that fit her form perfectly, with its elegant flowing skirts and the tight bodice and corset. Her pale skin that contrasted with her dark dress. Her red hair fell down in fiery waves, catching the light from the torches that decked the walls of the room. Those emerald green eyes, reflecting the light. All this time, all those years that they'd known each other, he'd been unable to come to terms with his attraction to his highly unavailable adopted sister. She hadn't deserved that Alexander man, she had deserved someone better then that. He believed that then and strongly believed in it now. But one thing, one question of many was niggling in the back of his mind and he couldn't help but ask.

"Valerie, how...how is it that you were able to live again?" She didn't even turn and look at him this time, just kept staring off into space, silent as ever. Then she finally spoke.

"My father gave it to me." Cedric looked confused.

"Your father?" He saw her chuckle to herself.

"I know what you're thinking. How could my father, the Count Kildare manage something like that? But I'm not talking about my human father. No, I'm talking about the one responsible for making me see the truth."

"Who?"

"Why, the Devil of course." He moved his mouth to speak but she held up her hand to silence him.

"Quiet. Although I suppose you'll wish to know how I died in the first place." Her eyes suddenly turned an eerie green and narrowed to slits, "Alexander." She spoke the name of her former husband with such loathing it scared Cedric. So much malice, so much hate for one man. But that alluring voice of hers, that thick accent, the elegance of her words...

"What did he do to you?" Her expression softened, but the eerie green colour of her eyes remained.

"He murdered me. Said it was God's will that I had to die." She ran her hand over one of the chairs, "And I've despised God and him ever since." Her hands came to a stop, resting on the top of the chair she'd just run her hands over. If only he were that chair...he shook his head, pushing that thought away, just as he started to imagine the feeling of her hands on him. Those long slender fingers, the icy touch...

'Enough dreaming Cedric...' he mentally scolded himself for acting like an infatuated boy.

"Then the Devil gave me life." She was speaking again, "And now I can start afresh. The revenge of the hated...you cannot imagine it..." A cruel, evil smile had made its way to her lips, and Cedric was taken aback. This was not the Valerie he knew.

'I guess this new life has taken a change upon her...'

The cruel smile then softened and she turned her gaze to him.

"You know of the weaknesses of our kind?" He nodded slowly.

"Good, that saves me a lot of explaining." Silence again. She sighed.

"This small talk bores me." She wound a lock of her auburn hair around her index finger, a bored expression planted firmly on her face. It was interesting to watch her face, as it changed expression. The only thing that remained constant were her eyes, glittering like emeralds. They'd returned to their original deep green, a nice change to the eerie green colour from earlier.

"Then what do you wish to do now, mistress?" he said, the words slipping easily off his tongue. She smiled momentarily, looking pleased with herself before the almost expressionless mask returned to her face.

"I think..." What she said next was drowned out by a consistent knocking on the front door. Cedric saw her eyes narrow in anger and drew back a little as she bared her fangs.

"It seems we have a visitor." She said, with sick sweetness, "An unwanted visitor." The latter was more snarled then said.

"Come." The voices in his head were telling him to obey the mistress, that the mistress knew best...and so he followed her as she walked through the corridors of the house, her black gown wisping around her feet as she walked. They soon reached the main hall and Valerie seemed to almost float over the banister and down to the ground, while he took the stairs. He expected that that ability would become his as well...in time. But time was not relevant when you lived forever...

He watched her walk up to the giant front doors, and stood amazed at the bottom of the stairs as they opened when she approached. Everything seemed to obey her, her presence was enough even for doors to open for her, without her even lifting a finger. Cedric felt glad that he wasn't on the side against his talented adopted sister. He saw Valerie smirk suddenly and wondered what the cause of her sudden amusement was.

The man at the door was taken aback when they seemed to open on their own. He was surprised even more when he saw the woman behind them.

"Evening." She said calmly. The man's mouth moved, yet no words came out. Clearing his throat, he managed to find his voice.

"Evening." He said and then paused a moment before adding, "I didn't think anyone lived here. The place has been abandoned for several years now." Valerie laughed.

"Of course. I only moved into here three days ago."

"And you are?"

"Countess Kildare."

"Countess Kildare?" The man looked puzzled, "But I thought…"

"That she was dead?"

"Yes." Valerie laughed again.

"I assure you. I am not dead." 'Undead more like.'

"As I can see miss."

"Countess."

"Beg my pardon. Countess." Valerie couldn't help but smile at how easily the man had been fooled. Anyone who was anyone knew that the young Countess Kildare had passed away four years ago, but maybe the news had not reached the ears of the common folk. Yet, she had heard people speak about her death, when she'd been feeding earlier. She'd just fed, off some common man in an alley, when she'd overheard a conversation between some people in the tavern near the alley.

"Well, I'll be on my way then." The man tipped his hat at her before leaving. Valerie walked back into the main hall, the doors closing behind her. Cedric moved quickly to her side, and walked briskly along beside her, just to keep pace.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"A man. A very stupid man."

Days passed which turned into two years and Valerie was pleased to see that Cedric learnt quickly. Death seemed to be going right for her. She had the villagers wound around her little finger, Cedric her loyal servant and countless Dwergi at her command. And yet…something niggled at the back of her mind, something she couldn't put her finger on.

"Cedric." She said, turning her head to face him, standing beside her. She was currently reclining on a comfortable chair, thinking of what to do.

"Yes mistress?"

"Is there anything I've forgotten?"

"Forgotten mistress?"

"Something I should be doing, yet haven't done."

"I'm not sure mistress. Do you have any idea as to who that forgotten thing might involve?"

"Someone…someone who was…" Then it dawned on her and her lips curled into a cruel smile.

"Sybil."

"Sybil mistress?"

"Alexander's second wife." She thought for a moment, "I want you to find her for me."

"Yes mistress." Cedric nodded curtly, before exiting the room. Gazing out the window, she saw a brown shape pass by the window. Cedric. It seemed his hell beast form differed from hers, which she had surmised had something to do with the fact that she was the Devil's creation and Cedric was hers. But she'd hadn't dwelled on the fact, that would have been unnecessary. Getting out of her chair, she wandered the halls of Castle Kildare. The villagers avoided the place, terrified of the beasts that dwelled near it. They had no idea that this beasts were the inhabitants of the castle, the Countess Kildare and her servant. Everyone had almost forgotten about the Kildare's, due to the actions of the previous Countess Kildare, Valerie's mother. Most had believed that the young Countess and previous wife of the deceased Count Di Mira had been dead for years, yet someone that looked unnaturally like her had taken residence in Castle Kildare. And the man that was her servant, looked a lot like the adopted Kildare, Cedric. While some were sceptical on this, others weren't and in the end, they'd all adjusted to the current residents of the Castle, just as they adjusted to life in terror of the two Nosferatu that dictated their lives. Or partially.

Valerie soon settled down in the library, pouring over the various books there. She was there for quite some time before Cedric returned. Hearing him enter, she looked up from the book she was reading.

"Well?"

"I have found her mistress."

"And?"

"She has returned to the Di Mira manor, raising her child in the house of its father." Valerie smirked.

"Well done Cedric."

"I am gracious to serve and please the mistress." He paused, "Is there anything else you'd like me to do?"

"Not at this moment. You are dismissed."

"Thankyou mistress." Cedric bowed and then left the room, leaving Valerie alone with her thoughts and her books.

"Well Sybil. It seems you made a fatal mistake." Her smirk grew, "It seems I should investigate this myself." Leaving the library, she walked to the castle battlements, the wind whipping her cloak and hair around her. Standing on the edge of the battlements, she surveyed the landscape for a moment, before falling off. Transforming quickly, she took to the sky, headed for the Di Mira manor.

Landing down on the same area she had before, two years ago, she felt her wings melt into her back as she shifted back to her human form. Peering through a nearby window, she saw that nobody was inside. Unlocking the latch that opened the window, she stepped through it and into the room. Looking around it, she noticed that this room was Alexander's study. Nothing in the room had been touched, nothing had been moved. It seemed that Sybil hadn't dared enter the room at all and Valerie felt curious as to the reason why. She wandered about the room, her hands hovering above objects in the room, or running over the chair or the table in the room. Memories rose to the surface, yet she pushed them back, for they would do her no good. She only just registered the sound of quiet footsteps and two beating hearts behind her yet didn't move a muscle.

"You've come back." Said a familiar female voice. Valerie didn't even turn around, she knew who it was. She stayed silent.

"Why?" Sybil said, the only voice breaking the silence between the two women, "Are you here to kill me? Or to haunt me till the end of my days, reminding me of the man I loved, the one that you killed?" It was only then that Valerie turned to face her and Sybil gazed into those emerald green eyes. Eyes that were focused on the young boy she held in her arms. Valerie could not ignore the ache she felt in her dead heart, looking at the boy that looked so like…Alexander. It appeared that her hate for him was a cover, she'd felt betrayed by the man she had loved, so anger was all she'd been able to feel, or think she felt.

"Aren't you going to answer me?" Sybil's voice reached her ears, "Why have you come back?!?!? Why?!?!?"

"I…I…I don't know…" That was true. She didn't know. The purpose of coming here she thought she'd had was gone.

"You don't know?"

"You loved him, didn't you?"

"You're changing the subject!"

"Just answer my question. I answered yours, so you can do me the courtesy of answering mine." Sybil sighed, her shoulders sagging.

"Yes. Yes I did." She said something else, but Valerie wasn't listening. Her eyes had fallen to the child again. Sybil and Alexander's child...if he hadn't killed her...he wouldn't have had had a child with Sybil...he would have had one with her...yet he'd failed at that...with her...but not Sybil...

Anger welled up from as it seemed nowhere and Sybil took a step back when she saw Valerie's eyes suddenly narrow. The next moment was a blur of events. Valerie's eyes going to a bright eerie green, Sybil's hand going to her waist, the boy placed onto the floor and then...pain, pain, the feeling of something digging into her chest where her dead heart was and blood, staining the front of her dress. She staggered back a few steps, surprised at what had happened. And at how stupid she had been, how slow. How could she not have seen that? And now she'd have to pay for it, with the pain of the damn silver thing healing and the time it took to do just that. There was a clanking sound as she pulled it out and tossed it away to land on the ground. Anger had clouded her senses, she should have been more careful. She'd been too trusting; she hadn't expected Sybil to try anything.

"Shouldn't you know by now that these things don't kill me?" she said, her eyes closed. Damn that pain, she wished it would heal faster. Maybe, in time it would get faster, but now? It hurt like hell...and took forever to heal.

"Then what does? What can kill you, you demon...you spawn of Satan!" And Valerie...Valerie just laughed. A cold, long, loud laugh, that sent shivers down Sybil's spine.

"Now...you die." Valerie said simply. In one quick move, barely able to be tracked by human eyes, she had Sybil pinned up against the wall, one hand around her throat. Her fangs lengthened, her eerie green eyes lit up in the semi darkness of the room. And then, as she drew in for the kill, her fangs just grazing Sybil's neck, she heard it. The howling. Like wild dogs at night, but worse. She drew back quickly, to Sybil's relief. The boy was imitating the howls they heard, like a child would. But they were too close, too close for her to do anything about them, too close for her to kill Sybil and the boy and escape unharmed.

"Scared are we?" Sybil mocked, seeing her eyes dart around the room. Knocking her back against the wall, Valerie then headed for the window.

"I'll be back. You're as good as dead once I'm done with you." she hissed, before climbing through the window. Sybil got to her feet, hearing the roar of the beast that flew off from her house. The howling began to fade. The werewolves had been close, but not close enough to the village. But was she grateful that they'd been as close as they had been, otherwise, she would have been dead.

"So..." she said to herself, "Stakes don't work. Yet you flee from werewolves." Sybil couldn't help the smile that came to her face.

"It seems you have a weakness after all."

Some Random: Oh damn it! Why couldn't I just kill the bitch!!
Some Random's inner self: Because you idiot, you want Valerie to have the fun of killing her later, and her children.

Some Random: Oh right. Thanks inner me! Now you can do the review comment.

Some Random's inner self: Thankyou to those that reviewed. And we are sorry this took so long, school and Christmas and other crud got in the way. Yet, both are over, school having finished quite some time ago...

Some Random: 30th November ( 2007) to be exact...

Some Random's inner self: Yes. We'll be on holiday until late January...so expect some more chapters during that time. To those that reviewed , please keep reviewing and to those that haven't...

Some Random: Please review! Oh, and I was too lazy to have her explain everything to Cedric, so I made him know that stuff about vampire weaknesses already. Anyway...This is me...and me...signing out!!!! See ya next chapter!!!!