Chapter 12

Thank you for reading and Enjoy.

Elizabeth could feel the tension in the air. For her, it was thick enough to cut with a knife. The dinner had started, and what would usually be a lively event, was very quiet and intimidating. Victor was not eating anything, he couldn't, but the rest of the Van Helsing family cautiously ate their food as they kept their eyes on her husband. The only person who seemed to be not caring what Victor was doing, was Elizabeth's father, Kenric.

One of Elizabeth's aunts spoke. "So, uh, Victor. How are things going between you and Elizabeth?"

"As far as I can tell, well." He explained. "It's a little rough considering how different we are, but things have gotten easier. We get along better."

He looked over to Elizabeth, who sat next to him. She kept her eyes down on her plate as she ate silently. Victor paid no attention to Edward's glares as he gently placed a hand on her free one. Elizabeth didn't pull her hand away, not wanting to send the wrong message to her family.

"And how has he been treating you, Elizabeth?" Another aunt called.

She paused, and set down her fork. "He's been a good husband, kind and caring, but as he said, we have had some rough times. We've worked through them though."

Her family seemed to approve, understanding how they had to go from enemies to a couple in a short time. Things seemed to work out normally after that, which made Edward angrier than ever.

"How can all of you, Van Helsing's, accept that there is a Dracula at your table?" He jumped up, his chair falling to its back. "His kind have killed thousands of us, and here you are, just accepting him your home with welcome arms because you forced one of your own to marry him. Well, I'm not going to take it anymore."

"Edward!" Kenric called, standing from his chair.

"I'm sorry, Kenric, but I am going to free your daughter from the blood lusting grasp of this monster."

With that, Edward leapt over the table, going to tackle Victor to the ground. He crashed into the chair, but Victor had moved fast enough to get out of the way. The Hunter quickly pulled out a throwing knife, shaped like a cross, and hurled it at Victor. He easily evaded it.

"Edward!" Elizabeth grabbed his arm. "Stop!"

Edward quickly pulled his arm around her shoulders, and held her next to him forcefully. "So you're trying to protect your beloved husband, hmm? I should have guessed that you would grow soft because of him."

He placed another knife to her throat, Elizabeth didn't fight him though. "I'm trying to protect you, because you don't understand how strong he is."

"And why don't you explain that to me as we go up to the roof." He whispered blissfully to her, causing uncomfortable chills to run up her spine.

Angered stared from the Vampire followed Edward's and Elizabeth's form as they slowly make their way out the door. Along the way to the spiraling stair case, Edward grabbed his crossbow and held it strongly against his shoulder. He kept pushing Elizabeth further up the stone stairs, but constantly kept his bow pointed to the lower cases, ready to shoot anyone who would stop him.

"Edward—"

"Shut up, Elizabeth." He shouted at her. "I'm doing this for your own good. Now keep moving."

Elizabeth feel silent, but in her mind she worked on a plan to save herself and also protect Edward from getting killed by her husband. She hated how she still cared for this man, even though he treated her so wrongly.

She opened a large wooden door to the cool air outside. Stepping onto the stone room, the flat extended out from a part of the house that looked tower like. It had a ledge on the opposing end that dropped off to the edge of the house property, surrounded by a metal fence styled to have spikes along the top.

Edward grabbed Elizabeth's wrist toughly, pulling her closer to the edge. Finally, Victor's body came through the door way, but he froze when he saw the position Elizabeth was in. Every action he did depended on his wife's life.

"This is it, Dracula. You and me, winner gets Elizabeth." The hunter pulled her closer to him.

Elizabeth tried to pull away from him. "How dare you! I am not a prize to be won!"

"Edward," Victor jumped in. "Please, we don't have to do this."

"Yes… We do."

Edward threw down Victor's spouse, and took aim and the Vampire. An arrow was loosed and Edward ducked, avoiding the special Vampire killing weapon. While Edward worked completely offensive of his enemy, Victor stayed defensive. He didn't want to cause any problems for Elizabeth's family, or cause the war to continue.

Victor's attacker noticed his lack of fighting back and decided to take things in his hands. He noted how Victor kept things as far away from Elizabeth as possible, so that's what he would do. Leaping to the side, Edward rolled over to his former fiancée and grabbed ahold of her once again. He dropped his crossbow and pulled out another knife, keeping it close to her neck.

Victor paused. "Edward, you don't want to do that."

"If it means your death, than I think I do."

Elizabeth was petrified with horror, disgusted that the man she cared for most would be willing to end her life for revenge on a race. She tried to hold her neck as far away from the knife as possible, but with Edward constantly pulling her closer to him, she couldn't do much.

Edward began to move to the side, practically dragging Elizabeth with him. Victor mirrored his movements, trying to show he wasn't going to do anything with Elizabeth in danger.

"It's your life or hers, Victor!" Edward drew the final straw.

Elizabeth brought her heel down, causing Edward to cry out in pain and release her. She ducked and kicked his stomach, making him stumble back a few feet. Her former fiancée glared at her for her actions. She betrayed him.

He took his knife, aimed, and threw it at Elizabeth. She covered her head to protect herself, but there was a quick motion that covered her body with warmth. It didn't take her long to figure out it was Victor protecting her.

He had watched the knife leave Edward's hands and fly towards Elizabeth. He quickly reacted and ran over to her with inhuman speed. He covered her body with his and lifted a hand. Everything slowed down for him as he watched the dagger get slowly closer. He grabbed the hilt of the cross shaped knife, not caring for how it burned him, and used its momentum to throw it back where it had come from.

It sailed through the air with no difficulty and hit Edward. Victor let out a startled breath as he saw Edward jar back holding his abdomen. He stumbled back further, his heels catching on the edge of the stone roof. Finally, he tumbled over the side, Victor had stood up and tried to catch him before his fall, but he was too late.

A gruesome sound entered his ears as he watched Edward flip several times before being impaled on the fence spikes below. A shriek of horror soon followed the death, causing him to turn abruptly and see that several others had made their way up to the roof, and witness the brutal killing of one of their friends.

Elizabeth had rushed to the side of the roof and stared down at Edward's now lifeless body. She was in shock, but Victor could see that tears had begun to fill her eyes. She bit her bottom lip and looked away from the gory scene. He had never seen such sorrow on her face before.

"Victor." Kenric called, causing Victor to look away from his wife. "Get out, and get as far away from here as possible. You don't want to be here when the other Hunter's arrive."

He glanced back at Elizabeth, who was still trying to keep tears from shedding.

Kenric's voice sounded more urgent the second time. "Victor! Now!"

Victor ran. He ran from his guilt, his fear, his pain…his love. He simply ran.