A/N: So sorry for making you wait for this chapter. I promise to update more regularly again. Thank you all for the latest reviews!
"Shit... Shit shit shit!" Liliana struggled not to smile as she watched Cristian frantically search through his coat pockets over and over again.
"What's wrong?" She asked as she set their places at the table for breakfast.
"My key to the barn is missing. I swear I had it in my pocket yesterday."
"Maybe you dropped it," Liliana suggested. Cristian gave a frustrated sigh then headed for the door. "Where are you going?"
"To Peter's. He has the other key."
"But you have to leave for work soon. What about breakfast?"
"I don't have time," Cristian said. "I have something I need to take care of first."
"What is in that barn, anyway?" Cristian stopped in the doorway.
"As I've said before, it's none of your business. Don't ask me again."
"I'm only curious. You've never locked it before and-" Cristian stormed across the room and slapped Liliana so hard a bruise immediately began to show at the corner of her eye.
"Not another word about it!" He yelled. Liliana stared in stunned silence as he grabbed his coat and left. Once he was gone she cleaned up their uneaten breakfast and as she was washing the dishes she noticed Cristian and Peter go into the barn. It made her sick to think of what they were doing to the helpless man inside. She didn't care what he was; they had him so restrained there was no way he could be a threat to them to deserve such treatment. She was struggling to figure out any way at all she could help him and as she was putting the milk back in the icebox she realized exactly what she could do.
-.-.-.-.-
Nearly half an hour passed before Cristian and Peter finally left. Grabbing the key, Liliana left the kitchen with a bowl in hand and entered the barn before her nerves could get the best of her. She lit one of the lanterns and went straight into the back room. When she saw the vampire's condition she feared for a moment that they had killed him until he opened his eyes and looked at her. There were even more bruises on him than she had seen the day before and there were splatters of blood on the floor all around him. A little blood was trickling from one of his ears and more was coming from his nose.
She hung the lantern and pulled a old chair into the room; the whole time Von Krolock lay perfectly still, only his eyes moving as he watched her every move. "What are you doing?" He rasped when she sat down. "I told you to go away."
"Cristian is gone now. He won't be back for hours."
"Why are you here? What do you want from me?" Liliana furrowed her brow in confusion.
"What? Nothing... I want to help you," she said and she frowned when Von Krolock laughed dryly.
"Help me," he muttered. "You can't help me."
"Well... I can't get you out of here," she sighed, "but I brought you something." Von Krolock watched as she reached out and placed a bowl on the floor in front of him. "It probably won't help much but I was hoping it might make you a little more comfortable. It was all we had but I can get more." Von Krolock pushed himself up slowly and looked into the bowl.
"Is this..."
"Blood." Von Krolock sniffed it and crinkled his nose.
"Another dead cat I presume," he said sarcastically.
"I drained it from some steaks we had in the icebox," she explained. She frowned again at the expression on his face. "If it disgusts you so much I'll take it back." She reached for the bowl but quickly pulled back when Von Krolock flinched and tried to move away from her. "I'm sorry. I'll find you something better tomorrow but for today this is all I have," she said softly. Von Krolock pulled the bowl closer to him and forced himself to take a sip. It was cold and syrupy but it was fresh and better yet, it was clean.
"No..." He took a long sip. "It's alright. I didn't mean to react like that." He drank some more; he wanted to drink the entire bowl at once but he knew it would only make him sick. "Thank you for this..." Liliana sat quietly for a bit as she watched him slowly drink the blood.
When he set the bowl down again she asked, "Why are they doing this to you? What can they possibly want from you?"
"They want to know..." Von Krolock stopped and glared at her.
"What...?
"Why are you here?" He asked her again. "They sent you didn't they? They realized torturing me was getting them nowhere and they sent you in with this," he kicked the empty bowl away from him, "to try and get me to spill my guts to you, didn't they?"
"No, that's not it at all! Honestly I just wanted to help you. I only asked because I was curious. I'm not even supposed to be in here!" Liliana tried to stand up from the chair when she saw Von Krolock crawling toward her but before she could he grabbed hold of her legs and held her down.
"You should have listened to your husband," he growled. Liliana cringed when she saw his fangs.
"I just wanted to help," she whispered.
"Why?" He snapped. "Why would you want to help a creature like me?"
"Because I can't help but think you've done nothing to deserve what they're doing to you," Liliana said. "I've been married to Cristian for ten years and I know all too well how unfair he can be." She motioned to the bruise near her eye. "It doesn't take much to set him off and he's the type that would show up to a fist fight with a shotgun." She waited for Von Krolock to say something but he only stared at her. "I really just want to do what I can to help you. Please..." Finally Von Krolock released her legs and sat back on the floor.
"Aren't you afraid of me?" He asked.
"No more than I am of my own husband."
"I could bite you. I could turn you into a vampire or just as easily kill you."
"I know..." Liliana looked down at her hands unable to handle the way he was staring at her.
"And you're willing to take such a risk with your life?"
"Believe me, I'm not risking much," she replied with a forced laugh. She looked at Von Krolock again to find the look in his eyes had softened.
"They're keeping me here because they want to know where the others are."
"Others? You mean other vampires?" Von Krolock nodded.
"My family... They've all been gone for months now and your husband and his friends are trying to get me to tell them where they've gone." Liliana was about to ask him where they went but she stopped herself. He trusted her enough to tell her this much and she didn't want to ruin it.
"You've been alone ever since?" Von Krolock turned away from her and sighed heavily. "I'm sorry Sir, I didn't mean to pry."
"My name is Heinrich. Count Heinrich von Krolock." Liliana sat up in her chair.
"A Count! How exciting!"
"I assure you it's not," he replied with a weak chuckle. "It means nothing anymore. It hasn't in a very long time."
"My name is Liliana Moldovan." She could barely eve see the side of his face with the way his head was turned but she thought he smiled a little when she said her name. "Do you feel any better at all? I mean, the blood I gave you... did it help any?"
"It did. Thank you, Liliana. Every little bit helps."
"Is animal blood really that much worse than..." Liliana brought a hand to her neck, unable to say the words.
"It's... a last resort, you could say. It doesn't taste all that different when it's fresh but the effects it has on us are weaker."
"I can bring you something better tomorrow," Liliana said. "I can get you a live chicken or two."
"I would appreciate that." Von Krolock smiled but she couldn't help but notice the sadness in his eyes.
"You look very tired," she said to him. "I wish I could give you a pillow or a blanket but if Cris saw it..."
"It's alright Liliana. You've been very kind to me already. I think I might even be able to sleep a little more now that I've had something to eat." Von Krolock stretched out as best he could on the floor and Liliana put her chair away.
She picked up her lantern but before she left she turned to Von Krolock and said, "I will see you tomorrow." Von Krolock watched as she walked out of the room and once she was gone he closed his eyes and sighed. He hadn't intended on letting his guard down with Liliana, especially not so quickly. She was the wife of the man who had his life in his hands. He had had a chance to bite her the day before but even if she hadn't fought back he wouldn't have gone through with it. Between his current situation and the fact he hadn't bitten anyone himself ever since he killed Anneliese, he was too weak to do it. He had only done it to scare her and she certainly had been scared... yet she came back to help him. He wasn't sure if he should be so trusting of her but Anneliese had given him a taste of companionship and he longed for it more than anything else, especially now.
-.-.-.-.-
Liliana looked around the dinner table as Cristian and Ivan talked on and on about things she had little interest in. She never paid attention to their conversations before but knowing about Von Krolock she was curious to find out exactly what it is they planned on doing with him. She knew they wouldn't discuss their plans in front of her but she hoped that maybe one of them would let something slip but so far neither of them had. They were already halfway through dinner when Peter came in; he was so drunk Liliana could smell the alcohol on him as soon as he walked through the door. He slammed a bottle of champagne down on the table and fell into a chair.
"This is really expensive champagne," Liliana said as she read the label. "Where did you get this?"
"What do you mean, where did I get it? I bought it." Peter shot her an angry glare. Liliana couldn't believe him. In all the years she knew him he had never been able to hold down a job for longer than a year and he could barely afford the cheap whiskey he always bought, let alone something this extravagant.
"Where did you get the money?"
"Liliana!" Cristian snapped.
"A friend gave it to me," Peter said.
"What friend?"
"No one you know." Peter served himself a glass of the champagne and drained it quickly.
"Peter, that's enough," Cristian said in a warning tone.
"Where is he from?" Liliana asked.
"Just outside the village."
"Does anyone else think the steak is a bit dry?" Ivan asked in an attempt to change the subject. Liliana was about to ask Peter another question when Cristian interrupted her.
"Sorry, Liliana isn't much of a cook."
"It isn't my fault!" She said without thinking. "Blame it on the butcher!" Cristian slapped her and she went silent, remaining this way throughout the rest of dinner. When they were finished, the three men headed for the back door and Liliana felt sick to think of what condition they would leave Von Krolock in this time. "It's so cold out tonight," she said. "Why don't you stay in here tonight? I'll make a pot of coffee then go upstairs to read so you have your privacy." Cristian and Peter completely ignored her and left the house but Ivan remained in the kitchen with her for a moment.
"I'm sorry about what I said." Ivan stared at the floor unable to look her in the eye. "If I had known it would cause so much trouble..."
"I just wish you would all stay inside tonight," she said with a sigh as she slowly made her way around the table, collecting all the dishes.
"Why is that?" Liliana looked at Ivan, debating whether or not to tell him what she knew. When he was by himself he was so different from Peter and Cristian; he was much nicer than they were but when he was with them he was just as bad and she worried if she told him, he would end up telling Cristian.
"Like I said, it's really cold tonight. You'd be more comfortable in the house than in the barn."
"Maybe," he replied with a shrug. "But we have... things we need to take care of in the barn." Liliana was about to say something but before she could, he quickly excused himself and left the kitchen to meet up with Cristian and Peter who were already in the barn.