Twelve year old Mason sat at his window, looking into the Transylvanian night, his searching for someone. Finally, he saw a tall figure in the moonlight.

Clad in all black, moving like a shadow, Count Dracula made his way to his home and the boy that awaited him.

Mason met him at the door, the howl of the wolves in the distance.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Mason smiled, knowing the scolding was only half-hearted.

"I was waiting for you."

A rare, genuine smile graced the vampire's stern features as a large, strong, callous hand ruffled the boy's brown hair.

"Your studies continue in the morning, Mace, not at midnight," the Count said as he walked towards Mason's room.

Mason smiled and followed at his mentor's heels. Having been raised by Dracula since he was a baby, so the boy as fully away of the Count's true nature of life and survival. He had begun acting as his long dead conscience, convincing him to leave the villagers in peace and feed off animals, which strengthened, sustained, and made younger better than humans. He had softened the Count's infamous heart of stone, conquering the wall that kept the ability to love anyone from the vampire's heart.

Dracula loved Mason as a son and vowed to never destroy his life the curse of being a vampire. He would raise the boy and let him live his life freely. Once the boy was asleep in bed, the Count spent the rest of the night in the library, reading different books to pass the time until Mason came for his studies.

"Dracula."

Mason's voice and a nudge to his rather ticklish ribs, brought the vampire from his sleep. He blinked to find himself face down in his book at his desk. He sat up, yawned, his long, deadly fangs gleaming in the sunlight that shone through the window, and blinked at the bright light, once more enjoying the fact that sunlight only bothered him as much as it did humans, unlike others of his kind.

"Was your book really that boring?" Mason teased.

Dracula chuckled, rose to his full, intimidating height of 6' 4", stretched, his joints poping and cracking in protest, and went the main study with Mason close behind, snatching up the books of topic for Mason's studies that morning: phases of the moon and seasons of the year.

Weaving their way through bustling servants, getting bumped and jostled by a few, who apologized greatly, even as the vampire king and human boy just walked away, the two finally reached the quiet, peaceful study, and Mason's morning studies began.