A/N: Sorry for the delay. It's been a rather busy few weeks, but here is the final chapter.
Liliana opened her eyes and looked around. At first she couldn't recall how she had gotten into the living room but when she tried to move, her entire body began to ache and she remembered what had happened. Ignoring the pain, she forced herself to her feet and stumbled through the house, out the back door and across the yard and into the barn. She called out for Von Krolock as she ran toward the back and when she saw him beaten and bloody she rushed over to him.
"I thought he killed you," she cried when he opened his eyes. She tried to hug him but Von Krolock pushed her away gently.
"Are you alright?" He asked as he touched her neck where he had bitten her.
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just so glad you're alive!" She tried to hug him again but he stopped her again.
"I can't get out, Lili," he said. "Not now. Not like this." His voice wavered as he struggled to hold back his tears. "I can't even sit up..."
"Take more of my blood!" Liliana leaned over him but he turned his face away.
"I can't, Lili. It's too soon."
"Then I will go get help." She grabbed the blanket they had shared before and put it under his head to try and give him some comfort. "Tell me where your family is," she said gently. "I will bring them here." Von Krolock stared at her wearily. "Please trust me, Heinrich... Tell me where they are."
-.-.-.-.-
"Are you sure this is the place, Miss?" The taxi driver asked as they pulled up in front of what looked like an abandoned building. They had driven a ways out of the village and it seemed as though they were in the middle of nowhere.
"Yes, this is it." Liliana stared at the building. It was exactly as Von Krolock had described. "Please wait here. I shouldn't be too long."
"It's your money, Miss," the man said as she climbed out of the car. She walked up to the front door and gave it a push. Even though Von Krolock had told her it would be, she was surprised that it opened. All the windows were boarded but a few cracks in the wood let in just enough light for her to see where she was going as she walked through the empty room but when she reached the door that led to the cellar, she switched her flashlight on.
Liliana slowly descended the stairs unsure of what would be waiting for her at the bottom. When she finally reached the last step she shined her flashing around to see it had been turned into a living space with a few pieces of old furniture but off to one side she saw the two coffins. Nervously she walked toward them. She couldn't imagine it was wise to wake a vampire but she had no choice. Night was fast approaching and Cristian would be home soon. Once she was beside the coffins she looked from one to the other trying to decide which one belonged to Von Krolock's son.
Settling on the right one, she reached for the lid but when it shot open seemingly by itself she jumped back with a scream. She saw something fly out of it and the next thing she knew she was pinned on her back on the floor with a mass of blonde hair hanging in her face. "What are you doing here?" A voice hissed through the platinum locks. "Speak quick before I kill you!" A soft chuckle followed and even in her fear Liliana was reminded of Von Krolock.
"It's about your father," she replied in a shaky voice, unable to hide her fear. The vampire hissed and lowered his head closer to hers.
"What do you know of my father?" He growled. "What have you done with him?"
"I've done nothing to him," she whimpered. "It's my husband. He has your father locked up." The vampire's hands tightened around Liliana's wrists. "I've been trying to help him but my husband will be home soon and he's going to kill him!" She spat out quickly in a single breath. It felt like an eternity to Liliana but after a few moments the vampire finally released her and sat up. He pushed his hair away from his face and looked at her.
"You're lying," he said flatly.
"No!"
"This is a trap, isn't it? You don't know my father."
"No, I swear it's not!" Liliana sat up and quickly grabbed her flashlight, which she had dropped in the fall. "He told me you're his son Herbert and in there," she pointed to the closed coffin, "is your Aunt Breda." Herbert began to crawl slowly toward her; she pulled her knees to her chest but she refused to back away. "Please, you have to go to him. He's badly hurt, Cris will be home soon and there's nothing else I can do."
"You expect me to believe that you've been helping him?" He leaned forward and bared his fangs slightly.
Liliana shined the flashlight on her neck and said, "I let him bite me." Herbert hung his head and rubbed his eyes.
"Not again," he muttered. Liliana wanted to ask what he meant but she decided it was best not to.
Instead, she said to him, "He needs you, Herbert. You have to go to him."
"This is all my fault. I never should have left," he sighed. "Where is he?" Liliana told him where Von Krolock was being held. "Go home," he told her. "I will leave here as soon as the sun sets." Liliana got up and ran to the steps.
"Please hurry!" She begged but when she turned around, Herbert was nowhere to be seen and the lid on his coffin was shut once again.
-.-.-.-.-
"Cris? You here?" Peter stumbled through the barn, knocking things over as he did so. "Cris? Ivan? You left the door open you stupid bastards!" He slowly made his way into the back room where a light was glowing. "Where the hell are- Well! What do we have here?" Peter grinned at Von Krolock who was lying on the floor with the blanket. "Someone's been-hic-helping you?" He took a drink from his whiskey bottle and took a faltering step forward. "You're going to die tonight," he chuckled. "Do you know that? Cris is going to kill you and it won't be pretty. You're going to die! You're going to die!" He began chanting this over and over as he stumbled around in a drunken dance.
"You're going to- shit!" Peter tripped and dropped his whiskey on the floor, breaking the bottle. "God damn it..." He bent over slowly, in an effort to keep from falling over, to inspect the damage. "Son of a bitch," he sighed. Just then he spotted the wooden post lying on the floor. He smiled and picked it up. "I don't see why I can't have a little fun myself first," he said. He moved a little closer to Von Krolock and poked him with the sharp end of the post. Von Krolock groaned but he didn't move. "You're going to die," he chuckled and he began to sing again. "You're going to diii-iie, you're going to diii-iie!" With each word Peter either poked or hit Von Krolock with the post. The vampire glared at him but he never moved. "You're going to diii-iie! You're going to-"
Peter never even heard Liliana creep up behind him. He felt her hands against his back but by then it was too late. She gave him a hard shove; he fell forward and the instant he was within his reach, Von Krolock grabbed him. His long nails dug deep into the soft skin of his belly as he pulled him close and he sunk his fangs into his neck. Unable to look away, Liliana stared in morbid fascination as Von Krolock bit down repeatedly into Peter's neck until she heard a sickening crunch when he crushed his throat.
"You don't need to see this!" A voice said and Liliana was pulled out of the small room and pushed to the side. She tried to protest but before she could say anything, a tall figure moved into the room and shut the door behind him. She didn't know how long she waited for something to happen. She listened through the door but heard nothing until it was opened again and Herbert came out with his father leaning heavily against him. Some of his burns had been healed but he was still clearly weak and feeling unwell. Neither of them said a word and she followed them out of the barn.
"Wait!" She said when she realized they were preparing to leave. She hurried toward them and stood before Von Krolock. "Take me with you." Herbert tried to pull Von Krolock toward a large car that was just pulling up in front of the house but Von Krolock refused to move.
"No, Father. You can't do this again..." Herbert tried again to force his father to move but Von Krolock remained firmly in his place.
"It's different this time," Von Krolock told him. His vision suddenly blurred and he blinked his eyes a few times before he could see Liliana clearly again
"I want to go with you, Heinrich."
"Are you..." Von Krolock's body began to tremble; he leaned heavy against his son and Herbert tightened his arm around him.
"We have to leave right now," Herbert whispered to his father. "You need a proper feeding and to lay down." He pulled Von Krolock toward the car and after the first few steps when the weight against him lessened, he looked over to see Liliana walking with them. Von Krolock had placed his other arm over her shoulders and she was helping to support him as they walked to the car.
"Are you sure you want to come with us?" Von Krolock asked softly. His voice slurred as he became drowsy. They helped him into the back seat where a woman, whom Liliana assumed had to be Breda, sat waiting. "You have to be sure, Lili." Liliana got into the car and as soon as she sat beside him, Von Krolock leaned over and rested his head in her lap. "I need you to be sure," he mumbled, half asleep. Liliana gently combed her fingers through his dirty hair and smiled down at him.
"I am sure, Heinrich," she said. "I'm very sure." They rode quietly for a short while. Curtains had been placed over the windows so Liliana kept her eyes on Von Krolock as he slept, trying to ignore the fact that the other two vampires were staring at her. "Where are we going?" She eventually asked after the silence had become too uncomfortable for her. Herbert opened his mouth to speak but Von Krolock cut him off.
"Home," he said sleepily. His eyes were still closed and he made no sign of getting up.
"We can't go home, Father. That is the first place her husband will come looking for us," Herbert reminded him. "We have to go where Breda and I were staying."
"No!" Liliana jumped when Von Krolock yelled but when she looked down at him again he still looked as if he was sleeping peacefully. "We are going home."
-.-.-.-.-
"Ivan! I know you're home!" Cristian pounded on the door until Ivan finally opened it.
"Jesus Christ, Cris," Ivan muttered. "What the hell do you want?"
"It's past noon! What the fuck are you doing asleep? Move aside, let me in." Cristian tried to push his way into Ivan's home but Ivan refused to budge.
"I had a long night. Why are you here?"
"At least one other vampire came for Von Krolock a few nights ago. I was just coming down the street when I saw them leave. Come on Ivan, let me in." Cristian shifted his weight impatiently from one foot to the other.
"So? Good riddance, I say. If that is all I'll be going back to bed now." Ivan tried to shut the door but Cristian put his hand against it to stop him.
"They took Liliana," Cristian said. "I saw them force her into the car and I followed them up to the castle. I've been watching the place for the past few days. I'm going to go back there now to get her back but I need your help."
"Me? Why me?"
"There are two other vampires there. I can't do this on my own but with your help I know we can get her back home where she belongs." Cristian pushed against the door but Ivan kept his weight on it so it wouldn't open any further.
"Cris... you saw what he did to Peter didn't you? Why would you think Liliana is even still alive?"
"If they wanted to kill her they would have done it at the house. They took her because they want me to go after them! Come on, Ivan... you have to help me out here! Let's go kill those vampires once and for all!" Ivan stared worriedly at Cristian. His clothes and hair were completely disheveled and he smelled as if he hadn't bathed in days.
"No. Do it yourself." Without another word, Ivan forced the door shut and locked it. He went back to bed and when he sat down on it, he picked up the letter he had placed on the bedside table and read it over again. He had received the invitation to the castle the morning after Von Krolock had escaped and somehow he had managed to find the courage to go there the following night as the letter had requested of him. When he had arrived he hadn't seen anyone but he knew they were there; he could feel their stares.
Just as the letter had stated there was a pine box in the middle of the foyer. He had opened the lid just enough to see a lock of brown hair then quickly let it fall shut, not wanting to see what was left of his mother. He dragged the simple coffin outside and hoisted it into the bed of the truck he had borrowed and drove away as fast as he could, vowing to never go back there as long as he lived.
-.-.-.-.-
Cristian parked near the castle and after climbing out of the car, he grabbed the ax that had been sitting in the back seat for days. He stormed toward the castle and with a yell he swung the ax at the door. The freshly sharpened blade stuck into the thick wood and seconds later the door was opened by an elderly man. He stepped aside and motioned for Cristian to enter. "They have been expecting you, Sir," the man said to him. Cristian pulled his ax from the door and as soon as he went inside, the man closed the door behind him and disappeared into another room.
The foyer was dark for it being in the middle of the day as drapes had been placed over the stained glass windows to keep any light from entering, though a few lit candles gave off enough light for Cristian to tell that the place had been cleaned since he last saw it. He slowly turned in a circle to take in his surroundings, holding the ax tightly, prepared to swing at anything that came toward him.
"How lovely it is to see you again, Cristian!" A voice thundered through the room and Cristian spun around to see Von Krolock standing at the top of the stairs.
"Where is my wife?" He growled through gritted teeth. His fingers gripped the ax handle so tightly his knuckles had turned white. "I swear to God if you've killed her I'll-"
"You will what? Trick me into squeezing myself into a bottle which you will toss into a fire?" Von Krolock chuckled. "Or better yet, maybe you'll steal my sock. Which one was it again?"
"It's the left one." Cristian looked to his right to see Herbert and Breda standing in one of the doorways that led to another room.
"Oh yes, the left sock!" Von Krolock laughed at the confused look on Cristian's face. "Yes Cristian, I have read up on all the folklore you humans have written about vampires. I find it all rather entertaining!"
"Where is she?" Cristian shouted. Von Krolock gave him a wide grin.
"Where is who?"
"You son of a bitch!" Cristian ran toward the stairs but came to a halt when he heard Liliana's voice behind him.
"Cris, don't!" He turned around to see her standing in the middle of the room.
"Liliana?" His wife smiled and reached out for him. He took a hesitant step toward her but then looked at Herbert and back up at Von Krolock.
"Go on, Cristian," Von Krolock said. "Go to your wife."
"I'm taking her home where she belongs!" Cristian yelled at them as he hurried over toward Liliana. Dropping the ax on the floor, he pulled her into his arms. "I'm going to kill that bastard," he whispered to her. "I'll make him regret taking what belongs to me."
"I told them you would come for me," she whispered back. "I knew you would come. I just knew it..." Cristian tried to pull away to look at her but she refused to let go of him.
"Liliana, let go of me..." Cristian tried again to pull himself out of her arms but it only made her tighten her grip around him.
"Yes," she sighed. A chill passed through Cristian when he felt her breath against his neck. "I knew you would come!" Without any warning, Liliana bit into Cristian's neck and he screamed. He struggled against her but her arms tightened around him like an iron vise. They sank to the floor and he screamed over and over again as she worked to drain the blood from his body but the only ones that could hear him were Von Krolock, Herbert and Breda who were now surrounding them and looking down at them.
"You see, Herbert?" Von Krolock whispered to his son while they watched as Liliana killed her husband. "I told you it was different this time.