Hehe, 14 REVIEWS! I'm thrilled, also special shout out to Topgallant who recently returned from her trip. Glad you're back. And another special shout out to VintageLyre who is my newest reviewer. AND THANKS TO ALL YOU GUYS WHO ALREADY REVIEWED AND EXPESIALLY TO THOSE WHO KEEP COMEING BACK!!

I was very happy with the responded to the last chapter and hope you'll all continue to enjoy the story. Ok, FLEUR FINALLY MEETS DRACULA!

Enjoy.

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Only few minutes before sunset Dracula frowned in displeasure as the pounding in his ears continuously got faster and louder. Thump, thump, thump. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to block it out but failed and was jerked even more awake as the figure in him arms struggled in her sleep. Angrily Dracula snapped his cerulean eyes open, the unmasked annoyance sparkling within their depths as he shifted his wings to get a better look at the cause of his disturbance.

Fleur's arms were wrapped securely around her middle, her fists clenched, and eyes screwed shut. Dracula could feel her heart beating madly with her chest and her breasts were rising rapidly as she breathed in short uneven gasps of air. Dracula sighed, his eyes losing some of their intenseness, as he reached of with one of his hand and gently smoothed back a few loose strands of hair that had escaped her disheveled braid. The second he made contact with her face however she shrunk back and released a faint whimper filled with what could have been terror.

Funny, he thought, she didn't seem like the fearful type. What scared the kind of woman who tracked vampires for a living? Dracula brushed the question aside and realized what Damien had been talking about when he called her a mystery. "Well," he thought, "we shall have plenty of time to get to know each other won't we little hunter?"

He smiled but it quickly faded as Fleur's struggles became more and more strained; damnit she was going to wake any second now! Too late.

Fleur jerked awake, her emerald eyes flashing confusion and fear. Dracula watched in absolute glee as her eyes quickly came in to focus first on his face, and next on his wing which were still wrapped tightly around them. Her face visibly paled as she realized her position.

With a speed and cool mindedness Dracula would have appreciated in any other situation she slammed her knee unceremoniously up into his groin causing him to keel over in pain and lose his grip on her.

Fleur suddenly found herself plummeting headfirst downwards. Too late she realized just where she had been sleeping. Her mind deciding in a split second that if she didn't do something fast she would probably effectively snap her spin, she twisted her body and managed to at least get her feet under her.

The second she hit the ground Fleur threw herself to one side in a roll using physics to throw off the full force of impact. Although she executed the move perfectly, no one escaped falling almost thirty feet without some repercussions. She landed on her back, agony shooting up the leg and shoulder she had landed on as she gasped desperately for air.

"That vampire," she thought, her jaw clenching in pain, "I've seen him before. Oh god, where am I? And what happened to Damien? What's happening?!" Her mind thought desperately. She jerked again as she felt the thump of something landing next to her. She forced herself to open her eyes even though her vision was blurry.

A demon with the body of a man dressed in a black military style outfit glared down at her with vengeance. Fleur felt her self involuntarily flinch under his gaze. His long ebony hair gave him an aristocratic appearance and was pulled back in a golden clip leaving only a few rebellious locks to frame his face. Pearly white fangs glistened in the evening dusk, but it was his eyes that scared Fleur, they were glowing an eerie electric blue that emanated power and danger.

Fleur realized in an instant that he would kill her without a second thought or glance and that he was probably capable of doing it without breaking a sweat. Her eyes darted around the cave, she could feel that her weapons had been removed from her person and there wasn't even anything around her that she could defend herself with. She could feel the familiar feeling of panic rising but this time she couldn't push it back down, this time there really was something to fear.

She began crawling backwards, her gaze seemingly trapped within his eyes as she scooted farther and farther away, the vampire slowly stepping forward with each movement, until her back hit the wall.

The demon kept coming closer even after she had stopped and Fleur shut her eyes tightly, looking away and breaking his glowing gaze. She would not cry, she promised herself, she would not beg, she would not scream. Her body braced for the feeling of fangs or talons yet they never came.

"Master!" came a voice and Fleur jerked her head up to see the tall dark haired man she had once called a friend striding towards her. She felt unbidden tears sting her eyes as she realized no matter how much she denied it, she had trusted this man. She forced herself to look away back at the black haired vampire. Fleur was relived to find his eyes no longer pulsing with malice, in fact a slight grin was on his face as he met her gaze, his fang retracted to reveal strangely normal, if not a little pointy, teeth. Fleur shivered, she almost preferred the fangs to his chilling smirk…almost.

"Fleur?" came the hesitant question and Fleur jerked her head back to gaze into Damien's brown eyes.

Damien could have flinched himself as the look of fear and confusion turned into a deathly glare of boundless hatred, betrayal, and disgust. Luckily he managed to steel himself, his face remaining stony and emotionless. Already the vampire in him becoming more and more pronounce with each passing moment.

Fleur could have cried, but she chose anger instead and let the rage overcome her grief. She eyed both vampires cautiously as she struggled to her feet by leaning heavily on the cavern wall. Her right ankle and shoulder throbbed with pain and Fleur felt a drip of sweat slid down the back of her neck as she fought back a wave of nausea.

"Well well well," the black haired vampire taunted, his eyes never wavering as she shoot him a piercing look, "it seems you have more back bone than I gave you credit for little hunter. I was fully prepared to have to mend every bone in your body after that little fall you took. One of the first things you will soon realize girl," his said, taking a step forward and his eyes flashing, "is that one; it is unwise to attack a vampire, and two," he continued, grabbing the front of Fleur's tunic and yanking her up onto her toes, "it is beyond unwise to attack me."

Fleur struggled not to look away under his intimidating gaze and spat back at him, "I do not fear the likes of you!" Her body continued to pulse agony as he held her there, studying her like an interesting bug or a new dress.

"We shall see," he thought as he came to a conclusion. He dropped Fleur, nearly sending her bucking to the floor, and took a calm step back bowing dramatically to her.

When he straightened, his face was one of a charm and grace, all signs of danger and malice had seeming disappeared; for now.

"Allow me to formally introduce my self. I am Vladislaus Dragulia, now more commonly known as Count Dracula, the spawn of Satan, the son of the Devil, etcetera etcetera; but you will address me as master or my lord. Have I made myself clear little huntress?

What little color the tracker seemed to have gained during her escape once again left her face at his announcement and she looked away. Dracula smirked; he simply loved it when people reacted to his name.

He chuckled and moved closer to tilt her head up; she was now refusing to meet his eyes and Dracula could feel her trembling slightly as he used his other hand to softly brush back a few wisps of hair that had fallen to shield her face. "Come now lovely," he mocked, "nothing to say? No witty rebuttal, no stinging insults?" He watched as she shut her eyes fiercely and jerked her head out of his grasp. He chuckled and dropped his hand to face Damien.

"Bring her. We're leaving," he said, turning away, his thick black cloak billowing out behind him, "We need to have reached Slatina by sunrise."

Damien almost hesitantly approached Fleur. Gently he reached and placed a large hand on her arm. She flinched and snapped out of her trance. Furious and scared she turned to him. "Why Damien?" she pleaded, her eyes glistening with wetness, "Gods why? Do you realize what you've done? Do you even care?" She blinked as a tear slid down her cheek; angrily she wiped it away and nearly yelled at him. "Why didn't you just kill me? Why? Why did you let him bring me here?"

Not able to say anything, not having anything to say, he simply stepped closer and swiftly hooked an arm under her knees; effectively lifting her off her feet. Damien heard her hiss of pain as she jarred her right shoulder but ignored it. She would learn that this is what happened when you displease the master. For her sake he hoped she learned sooner than later.

Damien steeped out to the ledge where Dracula was waiting and Fleur stopped struggling in his arms momentarily as she gulped. She hadn't realized just how high in the mountains they were, or specifically how far away from the ground she was. Fleur felt a strange sort of energy pulsate in the air around her and felt Damien's body jerk. She tilted her head back to look and froze. Gazing back at her was the most terrifying image she'd seen in her life. Pictures of the highblood's beast form did not do them justice to how truly animalistic and demonic they were. Fangs the length of her hand protruded from Damien's gums and his once brown eyes were a horrible crimson color. An almost scaly hide-like skin covered his body and long pointed ears rose from his head. His entire body was bigger, more deadly, and much more terrifying.

Damien sensed her staring and looked down at her, listening intently as he met her gaze and her heartbeat sped up drastically. The second they made eye contact she broke it and looked down, her eyes shutting once again as if to block out reality. He felt her begin to shake again and gently reached up with a talon to stroke her cheek. She jerked when she felt the contact and turned her head so it was hidden in his chest, she wrapped her arms hard around her middle ignoring the pain from her shoulder as she struggled not to cry. This can't be happening. This can't be happening.

But it was.

Dracula caught himself once again studying the way Damien tried to comfort the terrified huntress and frowned; he'd have to fix that. But it would have to wait; the sun had already set and they needed to get going in they were to get to Slatina by tonight. Quickly he morphed into his beast form and took off the ledge, effortlessly flapping his great wings as he took the lead heading west. He sensed Damien follow closely behind him, and could hear the rapid beat of his pet's heart. He shrugged, she would get use to it, she didn't have a choice.

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A/N: From a few of your response I'm guessing I didn't make it clear that Fleur was not actually in a coma. Rookie mistake for trying to portray sarcasm within a story. Never works. I'll probably be going back soon and changing that so that either A) you can tell she's simply unconscious, B) she's snapped out of the coma when Dracula heals her head wound, or C) she actually is in a coma.

Sorry for the confusion.

Also TEASER: Dracula doesn't wait to Bucharest… what can I say, he's an impatient egotistical control freak.

REVIEW OR I'LL HAVE TO LEAVE YOU HANGING!!