A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.

A longer chapter again…

I haven't yet decided on a title for the final part but I hope to have one by tomorrow…

Chapter 23: Box

Erin marched back into the foyer glaring at her brother the whole time. Ryan tried to look defiant but it failed. Jonno looked over his shoulder, lowering the stake a fraction as he moved behind Ryan slowly and steadily making sure the Noble twin saw his every move.

Ryan's gaze didn't leave his sister's or her mate's, they weren't intimidated by the contact, they had endured worse. Sethius automatically popping to the front of their minds.

"Where's Ingrid?" Ryan's voice was filled with panic as he frantically searched around the room trying to find her. She was the reason he was here in the first place.

"Away from you." Ingrid needed some time on her own to deal with this and process everything. She hated showing any signs of weakness in front of anyone. Erin was sure that Ingrid would have preferred never to set eyes on Ryan again.

"What do you want then?" He asked pointedly. "Death by dawn? A swift clean execution? Although now its be considered vampicide not execution." He could resist throwing that little jibe in.

Vlad opened his mouth to reveal his fangs, it was a warning this time not a show that Ryan's comment had bothered him at all. "Don't tempt me, Ryan." Vlad was eerily calm which unnerved Ryan somewhat.

Ryan saw that Vlad was warning him that he would do it, fear flickered across his face, "I'm your wife's brother!"

"That's the only thing keeping you alive at the moment. You haven't been her brother for years after what you did. Remind me again how were you finding a cure for all those months?" He hated it when he came across people who always moaned that they were so hard done by, when in reality everyone around them was bending over backwards to help them.

Erin shook her head, she'd been waiting for Vlad to bring this up. "Vlad." It was only one word but Vlad knew to back down almost immediately. Vlad stepped back, silently communicating that he was giving her control over this conversation. Erin nodded to him in thanks. "You've stayed with Olga and the Hunters, they've taken Bertrand. Why do they want him?" She partly pleaded with her brother, they needed to get him back

"I don't know anything." Ryan protested, looking at his sister.

"You really want us to believe that?" Vlad interrupted before Erin could speak, he honestly didn't believe that line at all. Erin shot him a look and he answered with an apologetic one of his own.

"It's all your going to get. Even if I did know something I wouldn't give it to you, Dracula."

Vlad shook his head his arms folding over his chest, "But you'd give it to Ingrid?"

"Maybe but I don't know anything. I just knew Olga wanted to kill you and I needed to get Ingrid out, I thought I'd learn more but I didn't."

He'd said more than he wanted to but there was nothing valuable in there.

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Jonno and Mina stared at Ryan, they weren't sure what he was thinking or what he was even planning. They didn't take their eyes from him, the downside of confronting vampires was the fact there were no telltale signs that they were lying. Of course there were signs but they were so minute that they weren't easy to spot to anyone outside of those that knew them well. Jonno had experience with Vlad but he still rarely noticed when he was lying or not.

"What is so important about Bertrand?" Erin asked Vlad quietly, leaning back into his comforting embrace.

Vlad only had one answer that came to his mind, he glanced towards Ryan but this wasn't exactly information that was top secret that he was going to spill. "When we were younger whatever Ingrid had Olga wanted, she wanted to be better than Ingrid at everything. She wanted to be all evil, more evil than Ingrid…" His face screwed up slightly as he remembered it all too well, "They even had a contest."

"What did you do about it?"

"I was a little busy trying to destroy the blood mirror." Vlad answered.

"How did you get past the gargoyles?" Erin had never managed to get near the mirror when she was a breather

Vlad let out a dry laugh, "Dad reframed the mirror after he worked out what I was up to and after Ingrid smashed the fake mirror. He didn't want to chance it happening again." Vlad pulled his attention back to Ryan, "You go check on Ingrid while I sort this out here."

Erin gave him a sceptical look, he looked extremely innocent. "Be careful." She didn't want him to do anything impulsive and get injured by her brother.

"I promise." He pressed their foreheads together, Erin pulled back before moving towards the east wing. As soon as she disappeared Vlad's eyes burned the darkest black. Jonno jumped not used to this side of Vlad, Vlad often kept his eyes under control. To them they were the only sign that Vlad had let his careful control slip deliberately, his fangs lowering showed anger. Black eyes showed his evil.

"What are you going to do? Yell at me?" Ryan mocked Vlad, he'd never seen Vlad this worked up before. Usually Erin had calmed him down before he got this angry with anyone. Without Erin Vlad was more dangerous than ever, this was a prime example of why they couldn't be separated from each other.

"Erin has cried over you." Vlad growled at Ryan. Ryan didn't seem fazed, almost as if he was saying that Erin deserved to cry over him. "And all you ever seem to do is insult her and take it out on her."

Ryan scoffed at him, "She's the only one of us who likes her unlife…"

"So that gives you the right to bully her?" Vlad snarled, Ryan needed teaching a lesson or two. "When you told her at the Second Betrothal Ball that the best thing for her to do was miscarry if she ever became pregnant with my child because that was her only purpose – to breed my spawn. She was a stranger for an entire month, I didn't know my own fiancée, she closed herself off completely. She wouldn't let anyone touch her not even me because she was terrified that it was how our kind saw her. You didn't even know your sister was terrified of being a breeding machine because that's what your parents and her upbringing nearly turned her into."

Ryan looked down, some signs of remorse flitting across his face. "Erin always took things literally." That wasn't an excuse, it didn't even make sense as an argument.

"Erin never had a choice not to." Vlad decided to tackle the opening that Ryan gave him – that Erin took certain things literally. "I gave her the freedom you and your parents stopped her from having. I've never held Erin to anything. She makes her own choices. If Erin wants to have my children then there's nothing that you can say that will change that. As for her being 'compatible' as a half fang, there was never any proof that she couldn't have my children when she was a mortal."

"Maybe she'll have to be persuaded not to…"

That was the final straw for Vlad as he tensed. With his powers he slammed Ryan back against the wall pinning him there. Fire danced around Ryan, the fear clear on his brother in law's face. He pushed his hand back, crushing Ryan into the panelling. Ryan cried out as the pain began to flood his body.

"Vlad, don't." Jonno tried, but Vlad didn't seem to listen. Apparently the warning tone and those words if they came from Erin. Vlad pulled his head up higher and his fist clenched tighter and tighter. Ryan became more rigid. Jonno and Mina looked at each other, they didn't know what else to do. Only Erin could usually talk him down. "Vlad, I'll fetch Erin if you don't stop."

That threat seemed to do the trick as Vlad slumped down back into his usual posture. Ryan collapsed down on all fours.

"Sorry." Ryan managed to gasp out, no one had ever defended Erin like Vlad had. He should have known that there was only so far he could push Vlad without him retaliating and it was clear that even if he was Vlad's brother-in-law it wouldn't protect him if he upset Erin.

"Sorry is too late. You have a choice now and it's the only choice you'll ever get. You can either be part of Erin's unlife, putting aside your anger or you can stay out of it and never see her again. Make your choice." Vlad looked at Jonno. "I'm going to look for my wife."

Jonno and Mina nodded mutely, thankful Vlad had never used that aspect of his powers on them. He really was terrifying when he was protective of those he loved.

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Ingrid walked around Bertrand's room, or rather the room he used the most when he came to stay at Vlad's manor. There was a reason she was in here, if she didn't do this then it might affect them all.

It was far more personal than the things he had at the school. It was strange though that he could find Vlad's home as more of a sanctuary than the one he had at the school.

There were books strewn across the shelves, it was still immaculate as was his nature.

She moved across to his wardrobe and opened it fully. It was mostly filled with vampiric outfits but there were a few breather clothes thrown in that he used for training. Ingrid ran her hands down the pair of jeans and crisp blue shirt that he occasionally wore when they needed to go into town or rather when Vlad and Erin decided to drag them into town.

She moved aside his clothes; there was one thing she was looking for. She let out a small smile as she found it, a hollowed out panel in the back of the wardrobe. She tapped the wood and it slid upwards. This was one of the reasons Bertrand had picked this room. The panel shot upwards to reveal a small wooden box. Ingrid grasped the box firmly and pulled it out. Moving across to his coffin she sat down.

Bertrand had surprised her with his choice of coffin, it wasn't traditional like her fathers it was more modern with more security features, however no coffin could be as secure as Vlad and Erin's.

The box wasn't decorated in any sense, it was a plain box but it was highly varnished, you could almost see her reflection in it. Ingrid knew it was a family heirloom of Bertrand's he'd had it for nearly four hundred years so she had to be extremely careful handling it – it was the only thing he had left of his clan. Opening the box slowly, the lid jerked on its brass hinges, creaking making her wince and worry in case she'd damaged it. She saw immediately what she was looking for; barely looking at it she scooped it up and clenched it in her fist. It wouldn't break under the pressure she was using but it wasn't something she was exactly fond off.

She was about to snap the lid closed when something glistening caught her eye and she reached her hand inside to investigate.

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The corridor walls seemed to echo her footsteps as Erin Dracula made her way down towards Bertrand's room. The rest of Vlad's family and any other guests usually stayed in the east wing while their room was in the west wing of the manor. Every room in their home had a purpose unlike so many other manors or mansions. Only one room hadn't been allocated, well it had in the terms they knew what it was going to be but they hadn't made an effort to equip it – the nursery.

Erin approached the room with caution she wasn't sure that entering this room was her best idea. Ingrid wasn't in the best state of mind but she had experience of this being torn away from Vlad the way she had three years ago.

Erin knocked on the door; receiving no answer she tried the handle. The door was open and an open door was usually an invitation so she quietly stepped into the room. She'd never been in Bertrand's room before. She looked around, noticing the exact same things Ingrid had, this room was definitely more personal than the one he had at the school. Erin felt a sense of pride that he felt more comfortable in her home than her father-in-laws.

She saw the item Ingrid was holding in her hand, a rueful smile crossed her face as she remembered her own experiences with a signet ring. She still wore Vlad's around her neck even though she didn't have to anymore. She clutched at it. Ingrid noticed her action and felt a pang of jealousy at the action, wishing that she could do the same and that she hadn't said no to his proposal.

"Bertrand was serious then." Erin told her softly.

"Yeah." Ingrid choked out, she had thought it was more spur of the moment than anything else, but he'd bought a chain for her to wear it just like Vlad had for Erin. "What's mating like?" Ingrid asked her quietly. Erin's hand played with the scar on her neck, she'd been doing that more and more lately.

"I've only been mated for nearly two weeks." Erin told her softly. Ingrid couldn't get a worthwhile answer from her based on two weeks of mating, she as still on cloud nine not that she thought she'd come down from it. Erin always felt a thrill race through her at the sight of Vlad's claim mark on his neck. "I'm not the best person to…"

"How does it feel?" Ingrid pressed.

Erin glanced upwards seeing Vlad at the door, he gave her a wide smile which Erin returned beaming at him. "Fantastic." Vlad answered making Ingrid jump.

Vlad sped over to Erin and placed a lingering kiss on her lips, Erin's eyes closed automatically wanting to savour the moment. He drew back her lips following his as she let out a moan of protest making him grin wider. He draped an arm carefully around his mate's shoulders.

Erin's voice lowered in a gentle way, she didn't want to upset her but she needed to remind her of something. "He said marriage Ingrid, not mating."

Ingrid nodded slowly, Erin was right. Bertrand had said he wanted to 'marry' her whereas when Vlad and Erin had always talked before they'd always used the term 'mate'. She had once though Bertrand was very stuck in his ways but not anymore.

Vlad placed a hand on his sister's shoulder, "Ingrid mating is serious, you wanted to go slowly so he might have wanted to give you the option to pull out if you wanted to after you made a commitment of marriage to each other."

"Did you ever want to pull out?" She gestured to the two of them.

Erin glanced up at Vlad shyly, "I was nearly forced to marry someone I didn't love, I had a lot of time to think about Vlad. I didn't want anyone else and I know I never will." She paused. "That sounded terrible." She laughed, Vlad kissed her neck lightly forcing her to bat him away.

"Did he change his mind?" Vlad asked quietly.

"About what?"

"The proposal, did he take it back?"

Her answer was the only thing that comforted her. "No, we argued but he didn't take it back."

Erin nodded in agreement with Vlad's next words. "Then wear his ring." Ingrid opened her mouth to protest, her eyes flying up to Vlad's. "You're regretting not accepting, wear it to show him you've changed your mind when we get him back."

Erin had received no end of comfort from wearing Vlad's ring even if they didn't know what it meant at the time.

Ingrid shakily lifted the chain and unclipped it. She carefully looped it around her neck, trying and failing to clasp it together. Erin pulled from Ingrid's grasp, she realised to do this she'd have to stand up, Ingrid turned herself around so Ingrid could clasp it quicker. Erin let out a nod of thanks even though Ingrid couldn't see her and quickly sealed up the clasp. It might have been easier for Ingrid if she'd taken whatever it was from her hand to do this.

Ingrid wished that it had been Bertrand that had put it around her neck, just like Vlad had done for Erin. It would make the moment all that more meaningful for her.

Erin slowly moved back around to Vlad noticing that he'd sat down in her place on Bertrand's coffin. He tugged her towards him and sat her on his lap. She leaned her head back into the crook of his neck and rubbed his thumbs across her stomach. Erin felt a jolt of electricity surge through her at his touch, she closed her eyes and shivered. Erin didn't need to look at Vlad to know that he had a smug smile on his face at the effect he was having on her.

Ingrid looked at her clenched fist then back up at Vlad, it was important that her brother had this for them all to remain safe. "I need to give you something,"

Vlad nodded slowly, Ingrid's tone was serious.

Erin shuffled away from Vlad slightly but his grip kept her held to him tightly. Erin didn't try again she had a feeling that Vlad was trying to control himself as he had a feeling he wouldn't like what was about to come his way.

Ingrid looked down at her clenched fist. "And you need to keep an open mind…"

TBC

A/N: Thanks for reading.