Chapter 21

Blue Whale Collinsport, Maine

Alexandru shifted from his position and reached for Victoria. Turning her head so he could blow into her mouth he pinched her nose, tipped her chin and began to breathe into her mouth. Watching her face he waited to see if she would begin to breathe on her own. After the third breath, she gasped and drew in a deep breath. Opening her eyes she moaned softly and he could see the pain written on her face. "Help me father, we have to get her out of this wreckage."

Vlad reached over the remains of the roof, grabbed the seat that held her pinioned in her seat and tugged, it came out of the car and he sat it on the sidewalk. Looking around he nodded to the Blue Whale. "Go there, ask them to send help, I will bring her in." Alexandru looked from Victoria bleeding from her side to his father.

"You know this is one of your granddaughters, you will not touch her!" He demanded before turning to run into the Blue Whale. Vlad shook his head looking at the departing back of his son.

"Foolish boy!" he bit into his wrist and then pressed it to her lips. "Drink Victoria, drink deeply, you will heal but you will belong to me." He watched her press her lips to his wrist and taste the blood he offered. It was sweet with a hint of iron biting at her taste buds Choking she pushed against his wrist, only to feel him press it closer to her lips. "Drink damnit. If you want to pull out of this, you need to drink my precious one."

Vicki opened her eyes and peered up into the most intense stare she had ever seen. He watched her wound over her head close and smiled; lifting her easily he pulled her close and whispered against her forehead. Vlad let his tongue glide over the closed wound. Her blood was sweet to his taste and he knew he had family in his arms.

"Now we get you inside and out of the weather." Walking towards the door to the Blue Whale he was met by Alexandru. With a look of suspicion edging his eyes he took Vicki from his hold and carried her to the nearest chair and gently placed her on the chair.

"Now, my dear let us look to see what kind of injuries you have." He glanced at his father who stood by looking innocent and interested. He gently probed the area he thought he had seen was bleeding earlier and frowned noting that there was no blood or cut. "I still want the paramedics to check you over my dear, but it appears that whatever damage you suffered was superficial."

Victoria was feeling ill to her stomach from the impact she suffered and frowned as she stood and walked on rubbery legs to the bar to look at her image in the mirror behind the bar. "I think once they determine I am nothing more than shaken up, I would like to go back to Collinwood, if that is no problem." She smiled turned and watched Alexandru bow to her request.

Secret Underground Facility

Bucharest Romania

General Franco studied the beauty across the table from him and liked the way the moonlight played with the highlights of her hair. For this night she had let her hair down and it laid curling over her shoulders. Her dark eyes peered up and through the candle light and she wondered what he was expecting? She watched him lift a wine bottle and pour them a glass of wine. He smiled, "This time it is just wine my dear Julia, nothing more."

Her smile was tight watching the wine flow into the fluted goblet. "It is a good thing, I don't think you are dressed for wearing it." He lifted his glass and sipped first showing her he had not drugged her this time. "I thought this night should be special considering you will be going home in the morning. We have contained our breech and we think we know who set the Prince of Darkness free and they are being interrogated as we speak."

Julia lifted the glass, sniffed it then took a small sip. Smiling she liked the blend and showed her appreciation with a smile and a lift of her eyebrows. "Excellent year of wine." She set the glass down and sat back as their meal was delivered to their table. She looked down at the beautifully done steak, salad, and baked potato.

"I understood you enjoyed your steak rare and your salad with a spring mix?" He smiled he had never heard of a spring mix and had the specially prepared salad flown in from Paris. He waited for her to take a bite of her steak to make sure that she found it palatable. She used the knife like a precision instrument as she cut into the beef and then speared it with her fork to take a bite.

He even found the way she chewed fascinating. "I hope you find it to your taste?" He cut into his own steak and took a bite and found the meat melted in his mouth. He saw her smile and nod.

"My compliments to the chef." She took her time with her dinner and was glad that at least here this time she was eating something she was familiar. The dinner proceeded with small talk involving their individual career paths they had taken and ended on a happy note when Franco invited her to tour the other levels of the facility.

" We were hoping to impress you enough to get you to come back. We could benefit from your expertise." He led her down the hallway to the elevator. "Once we locate Count Vlad we will have our tests subject complete and back once again and I know you could benefit as well from studying these species." His smile was charming and his offer was appealing. Julia was only directed to one species at this time and that was Barnabas Collins.

Smiling she nodded her head and spoke softly, "I would love to return after I have completed my newest challenge, I have a lot of irons in the fire at this time. But I must say I am challenged by some of the theories that were presented to me this day. I would have loved to have a chance to study your oldest subject and he did have an odd affect on me. I wanted to explore that a little deeper." She walked at his side and looked around at the state of the art facility.

"What you have accomplished here is simply awe inspiring and amazing. I would be less honest to say that I would not like an opportunity to pick the brains of some of your top people in an area that has been ignored for many years by so called legitimate scientists that could only imagine what it would be like to test their theories here. I certainly know that Eric and I would enjoy returning at a later date and of course you may contact us anytime if you have a particular problem or question we would be available and at your disposal."

He had taken her to the second level from the surface where development of serums and tests were done on various stages of trials that appeared to be ongoing. General Franco smiled as he thought about having her come back and how he could best utilize his time to occupy her free time. Taking her though the business and military development areas he was proudly displaying their newest discoveries and their accomplishments so far.

Julia did show the appropriate interest and smiled and nodded when he had to brag about how far more advanced than most other countries in the area of their defense and the use of their subjects to insulate them against any kind of an attack by this dark world threat that seemed to have grown exponentially over the past one hundred years. "I feel we have made these advances because we were not narrow minded and accepted that we shared this world with those that were other worldly or of the eldritch kind."

Julia smiled, "Yes, it is a shame others did not recognize that they did in fact exist and I can attest to the fact that I was humiliated for the paper I used for my dissertation for my Phd. It was for me a horrible time, I had to fight my way up the high arch of the community I wanted to be a part and they only ridiculed me for my beliefs and thoughts."

She had looked down and grown distant thinking of how she was laughed out of the auditorium to even suggest that she thought there were such things as vampires, ghosts and werewolves. She had retreated into the world of blood diseases. It had taken several years for her to be accepted into the realm of her peers once she was showing a success cure rate with her treatment of certain blood related issues. At one point she had even thought that they had forgotten about her theories presented at the University but every once in a while it would rear its ugly head and come out to bite her on the butt. She would just freeze her smile and nod to the reveler of her discomfort and walk away leaving him or her to their own crude joke.

She did not ever buckle to the heckling and soon it was considered taboo for anyone to make her the butt of their joke over what she had presented during her attainment of a PhD. Once she was totally acclaimed as a leading authority on blood diseases she did not have to worry about anyone bringing up her past. If anything, those that would try to embarrass her were either booed from the room or given such withering looks they had to slink off into a corner and lick their wounds.

She noticed that General Franco was shocked that she had been treated so badly by her own peers. "Well I certainly hope that one day you shall be able to stand before the Nobel Commission and present an actual specimen that can be proved that your theories were always right. That would make them eat, what is the word, Crow?"

Julia chuckled softly, "It is not important to me any more General, if anything I am satisfied to have come here and see what I had wrote about and offered a solution for curing them as a real possibility, I have nothing to prove any more." She folded her arms over her chest. He found her fascinating and so secure in her field. Leaning forward her lightly brushed his lips over hers and waited for her to slap him.

Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with a passion that had pleased and surprised him. In return he pulled her into his body, pressed them closer together and deepened his own demanding kiss. Running his hands up into her hair to feel the thickness of her hair that felt like fine silk.

Educational Resource Room

Seventh Level Secured Facility

Bucharest Romania

Eric was involved in a lively conversation with some of the brain teams brightest and most accomplished. They had cornered him on his hypothesis of reanimation and why he felt his theories were far superior to what they had presented. He had chuckled and then went into why his theories were superior and his evidence on the matter.

"It is simply that my applications have been successful. I have in private been able to reanimate lab rats and other lab animals. It was an easy enough process and you all surely are familiar with Victor Von Frankenstein's work in the area?" He watched them freeze their reaction to his statement.

"But that was just a story by Mary Shelly he did not really exist." One young and impressionable student had ventured his thoughts and unfortunately for him he was laughed into silence.

"Yuri, just as you believed what Bram Stoker had written was a falsehood or a fabrication of fantasy? Surely you realize these late 18th century and 19th century authors had to of known something in order to write such a knowledgeable fictional story. Have you not heard that Stoker had actually met Prince Vlad and had written it as a autobiography and his editor would not accept it as such and made him change it?"

All eyes had turned to the unfortunate naysayer. He hung his head to hide the flush of embarrassment "Actually, my grandfather was an assistant to the original Victor Von Frankenstein and he worked closely with him and when his lab was burned, my Grandfather was able to escape with all his notes. I have those notes and I have been studying them and testing my own theories involving them and I have in cryogenically sealed tubes in my clinic test subjects I would very much like to attempt to reanimate some day."

The room had grown silent as he held his audience rapt attention. Once again there was a flurry of questions as note books came out and pens. The sound of scribbling was heard as Elliott continued to study the information they had on demons and the written reports of some of their top demonologists. He found the dissertations and the renderings of the images extremely interesting. What he had found profoundly interesting was a file on Ed Waters and Lorraine Waters a husband and wife team that were quite prolific in the field of demonology.

He had read of their work and even had tried to contact them. Apparently, they were in demand and he had not been successful in making contact. However from what he was reading they were very knowledgeable and he knew that the one thing he wanted to do was contact them the moment he returned to the States, that is after he reacquainted him self with one Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. He smiled thinking of his last dinner with Elizabeth and was hoping to renew that relationship.

Hearing voices at the door he glanced up to see Julia being escorted into the room by General Franco, both of their faces were flushed and he glanced at Eric to see his reaction to Julia's disheveled state and noticed he was caught up in his teaching mode and had not noticed. Elliott hid a smile behind the file he was holding.

General Franco taking command of the room walked to the front of the room and smiled at his guests. "I would say it is time to let our distinguish guests get some rest, they fly back to the America. So finish up whatever business you think you might have and allow our guests to go back to their quarters. They have to pack."

There was a flurry of disappointed moans and then a flurry of questions were thrown at Julia who expertly answered and offered solutions to hypothetical situations. Julia deftly side stepped some more direct and uncomfortable questions and then nodded to the group. "Now if you all will excuse me, I really must be going back to my room and packing. It has been a pleasure meeting you all and I look forward to further consultations with you in the future."

Julia turned and walked to the door pausing a moment she spoke softly, "Take the element of your first serum that you gave Prince Vlad, dilute it with a property of that last equation and you will find that the complication of rapid aging will be reversed and it will stabilize your formula. I have left the serum equation on my desk in my room. You are welcome to experiment with it." Then she passed out of the door stunning those in the room except for Eric.

He chuckled. "That is Julia always trying to finite the serum." Rising he looked towards Elliott. "Well old chum you ready to head back to our room and get ready to go home? I understand from Barnabas that the family has had some excitement."

Elliott was surprised to hear he had contact with Barnabas. "Oh?" He was curious and he was anxious to get news from home. When he had heard they had to leave quickly to prevent any further damage being done to Victoria, he had held his concerns close to his chest. He was not sure how they were going to get home. Once he had been reassured that Alexandru had provided the jet to take them back to the states; he was more secure in remaining until they were ready to release them.

Collinwood Old House

Barnabas led Drake to his father's old room and allowed him to get comfortable. Willie had been sent to bring his luggage to the old house and had brought the bags to the room Barnabas had designated for Drake's use. "When you are unpacked, if you wish you may join me in the drawing room." Drake turned and extended his hand to him.

"Thank you so much for offering me a port in the tumultuous storm. I personally was a bit put off when I was allowed to take control of this body once again." Barnabas found him congenial enough but a part of him did not trust the man that occupied this room. His father had always taught him that you keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Offering up a tight smile he nodded to Drake.

"I could not really let you be thrown out into the cold so to speak. Please make yourself comfortable." Barnabas turned and headed towards the stairs and paused, something drew him to Josette's room. Opening the door he stepped into the room and stood before her picture. The pose was one of innocence and she looked back at him from the portrait. Her lips were formed in a whimsical smile and her eyes were peering into the future and he knew it had been for him.

"She is very beautiful. Who was she?" Drake had followed him out of the room to this room and peered around it. He knew she looked exactly like his mother Josephine and that Josephine and Victoria were identical to each other but apparently this was another look alike for the woman he had been told was his mother. Not the woman that had raised him.

"Her name was Josette duPres. She was as enchanting and beautiful as the island where she grew up. Her family had a plantation and did business with my family. We were very much in love." He turned to look at Drake. "I assume you know some of my past?" He was going to discuss this in the drawing room. However because he had followed him to Josette's room he might as well get it out of the way.

Drake slowly nodded, "I was afforded some knowledge when that thing had control of my body. He could not shield me from all his thoughts." He looked at Josette. "I think she was the twin sister to my mother Josephine. They certainly have a striking resemblance to one another, which I now understand from what was told to me, you were made into a strigoi by my mother."

Barnabas balled his hand into a fist and tightened his fingers. "Yes, she came to me making me believe she was Josette. When in fact she was the thing that Angelique wanted me to become. She cursed me and your mother was the deliverer of that curse." His words had become clipped and his anger was barely contained recalling the details of that night vividly. "You see Angelique used her sorcery to come between Josette and myself. She wanted me to love her and if she could not have me, then she was going to make sure no one would have me."

He walked to the window that overlooked the front gardens. His eyes grew distant remembering well that night and the pain that it had caused him and eventually had nearly destroyed his whole family. All her mechanizations had driven his mother mad. He had killed Millicent, and then he had destroyed his Aunt Abigail, which as he thought about it, was really no loss she was a sanctimonious busy body. That was one regret he did not have.

The loss of his sister and ultimately Josette throwing her self from Widow's Hill had taken any zest for life from him and he was ready to face death. However, his father was not so quick to loose another son and end his life. So began the hell that had consumed him while he would awaken every night sealed in his coffin unable to move, unable to sate his need for blood. He lay in a coffin that had become his forever hell.

If it had not been for Willie, he would still be sealed in that coffin awaiting another lonely horror filled night of endless thirst and desires to seek out others for a food source. Barnabas felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look at Drake. "I am sorry, she was obligated to Angelique from what I understand and she had no idea whom you were and why Angelique was making this request of her. I am sure once she found out . . . "

"I felt remorse?" Josephine stepped from the shadows into the center of the room and studied the picture and then turned that smoldering gaze upon Barnabas. "She never told me who you were, or to whom you were betrothed."

Barnabas turned his gaze on her and a part of him was rocked by how much she looked physically like Josette and Victoria. Another part of him loathed her and wanted to rip her heart out of her chest. "Do you know how much I loathed and despise you? It is because of that woman that Josette threw herself from Widow's Hill, she could not face what I wanted to do her and Angelique taunted her with what he life would be once she came over."

Barnabas nodded to Drake, "You will excuse me, I am going to leave you with the woman you believe is your mother and allow her to explain why she is not in actuality your mother. " Barnabas walked out of the room avoiding any contact with Josephine. He knew it would be best to leave them alone. Although a part of him did not want them defiling Josette's room he could not stay in the same room with that woman another moment.

Drake turned to Josephine and waited for her to give her attention back to him and not the retreating back of Barnabas. "Mother would you care to explain that cryptic message Mr. Collins just said?" He walked to a chair and took a seat and waited for her to speak.

Josephine sighed deeply, "Drake dear boy, it seems that you and I were the product of a horrible charade perpetrated by Uncle Andréas and his master Diablos. Apparently, when I wanted a child with your father and I had twins, that Alexandru's real twin was taken and given to another family member and you were placed in my womb as the second twin which was then given to your Aunt or mother or whatever you wish to call this woman that raised you. You are unfortunately part demon thus why Diablos was able to take control you. He had planned to use your body for the express purpose of forcing a marriage between Andréas daughter and him."

Drake looked with concern to the woman that carried him much as someone would use an incubator. "I see so you are not my mother? Then who was my mother?" He was curious to discover who might have been the provider of the egg that allowed Diablos to impregnate her."

"That my dear boy is something that you would need to discuss with your true father who obviously does not respect you as a son if he intends to take your body and use you to produce another heir. Which was rather sick if you think about it. He really needs to get a life other than yours dear boy. Do not get me wrong but . . . " Her eyes fluttered and she paled and staggered backwards and put her hand out in front of her and gasped softly. "Vlad! He is here! I have to go." She walked to Drake's side kissed his cheek, turned to mist and disappeared from the room.