Author's Notes: This is it. The pieces are almost all in place. Dracula's in town, and his plot's just beginning.

Also, since someone has asked me about the origin of my story title, I thought I'd mention for those who don't know that "Son of the Dragon" is a literal translation of the name Dracula, which can also be translated as "son of the devil."

I am also very grateful for all the reviews I've gotten so far. Thank you all. I really do appreciate them.

Chapter 4

Dracula

The first thing Diego noticed about the stranger was his height. There weren't many men in the territory as tall as he, a fact that had worried him since he'd put on the mask, but this man was as tall or possibly a shade taller than he was. The second thing he noticed was his eyes, cold and empty, as they swung first from Diego to Victoria in a sweeping gaze that seemed to Diego to have the air of a predator calculating the weaknesses of its prey. He had to force himself not to take a step back.

"Good evening," the man said, stepping further into the room, focusing almost entirely on Victoria. "My driver is having a little problem with my coach. I wondered if I might wait here until it is ready."

Victoria stood up. "Of course, Señor..."

"Dracula," he said politely.

Diego was startled. This was the man who had written to his father? He'd gotten the impression that Dracula would be a much older man.

"Señor Dracula," Victoria repeated. "Is there anything I can get you while you wait?"

He tilted his head at her slightly as if he was considering a list of things, but after a moment said, "Nothing for now, Señorita..."

"Victoria Escalante. This is my tavern," she said, "and this is Diego de la Vega."

Dracula turned his head to look at him curiously. "Are you by any chance related to Alejandro de la Vega?"

", he's my father. He told me that you'd written him," Diego said. For some reason, his dislike of this man was growing by the instant. He had no intention of extending his father's invitation for him to stay at their hacienda unless he decided to stay at the tavern. He didn't like the way he kept staring at Victoria. "Unfortunately, if you wanted to see him, he's just left town for a few weeks."

"It's not necessary for me to see him. Perhaps you might be able to help me."

"I might," Diego answered. "I haven't had time to look over the letter, and my father was a bit vague about it, but he did want me to help if possible. Perhaps, we can discuss it after you've settled into your new home."

"Oh, are you moving to Los Angeles?" Victoria asked.

Dracula's gaze immediately shifted back to her. "Yes, for a time. I needed a change of climate, and there was a convenient property available here. Because of my... health, I value a certain amount of privacy."

Perhaps his health explained the almost unnatural pallor, Diego thought, but it still didn't make him dislike him any less. And there was something else about him, a vague sense of familiarity that troubled Diego. Before he could put his finger on exactly what it was, the door to the tavern opened again, and another equally tall man entered. He wore an English style greatcoat and had rather heavy brown side whiskers and thick bushy hair. His eyes looked almost black in the candlelight. Ignoring both Diego and Victoria, he spoke directly to Dracula.

"The coach is ready, my lord," he said.

"Thank you, Boris," Dracula said, not bothering to look away from Victoria. "I'm afraid we must finish our journey, Señorita." His glance switched briefly to Diego. "I hope we can meet again soon, Señor de la Vega." Giving a kind of half bow towards them, Dracula swiftly turned and headed out the door, followed by Boris.

Diego stood looking at the door for a few moments, before heading to the window. He could just make out the outline of the coach as it drove by. Glancing up at the sky, he saw that the storm seemed to be rolling past; he had the rather curious impression that it was following Dracula's coach. Shaking his head to get rid of that absurd notion, he turned to see Victoria watching him, a curious expression on her face.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," she said, looking puzzled. "I just had the strangest feeling that I'd seen Señor Dracula before."

"Where?"

Victoria shook her head. "It's gone now. What is it that he wanted from your father?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Apparently there's a book that belonged to his family, that he feels that my grandfather— or was it my great grandfather?— might have brought to California with him. There is a distant connection between our families, but I'm not aware of our having anything that belonged to them."

"Do you mean that he's come all this way for a book?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, you can learn a lot from books," he said. "However, I agree that I can't think of any reason to travel so far for one particular volume. He must have some other reason."

"I hope it's not a bad reason," Victoria said. "We've had enough trouble lately."

"Yes, we have." Diego looked at her. "What do you think of him?"

"I don't really know," she said, hesitantly. "He was very polite and well-spoken, but..."

"But what?"

"I can't define it. The look in his eyes, reminded me of a snake's. Cold." She shivered slightly. "What about you?"

"Very much the same, and I don't know why either," he replied. "I hope we're wrong." Watching Victoria standing there, Diego was almost taken aback by his sudden desire to kiss her. He really needed to leave before he gave in to the impulse. This was not the right time. With a sigh, he said, "It looks like the worst of the storm has passed. I should be heading home."

Victoria stared out the window. "I suppose you should," she said, sounding reluctant. "Though I must admit that it's nice to have you here."

Diego swallowed nervously. "I'll see you in the morning." He walked back over to the table to pick up his book, hoping he seemed normal.

When he turned, Victoria was beside him again. Now he knew he wasn't thinking clearly; she should never have been able to sneak up on him twice in one evening.

She didn't seem to notice anything unusual, or if she did, she was hiding it well. "Be careful on the way home, Diego," she said.

"I will," he said softly. He took her hand in his, and unable to resist this urge, kissed it as gently as he could.

Victoria flushed a little, but said nothing.

Desperately trying to behave a little more normally, Diego said, "Good night, Victoria," and headed for the door at a quick pace.

He breathed a small sigh of relief once he made it out the front door. It was still windy, but the storm did seem to be truly past. He hurried to the stable feeling a strange mixture of anticipation and foreboding, unsure of what the next few days would bring.

~Z~Z~Z~

Boris stopped the coach in front of the old hacienda. Dracula stepped out and walked into the house. He was pleased to see that his agent had seen to it that the place was prepared. It prevented him from having to hunt him down and snap his neck. In another moment the candles in the room were alight. He walked into the sala, looking curiously around. He knew the entrance to the secret passage was in here. Aside from its strategic location away from the pueblo, that was the primary reason he had arranged for its purchase. He preferred to have a secure place to rest during the day.

Walking to the fireplace, he let his hands drift over the mantle until he hit a spot on the left side. Pressing it, the wall next to the fireplace opened inward without a sound. Dracula followed the passageway down to a large cavern; the exit was a stone door, easily barred. This would do well enough. He returned to the sala and closed the panel, just as the front door opened and Boris entered.

Boris pulled the dust covers off the furniture, and Dracula sat down in a large high-backed chair.

"Will the rest be here tomorrow?" he asked.

"They should be, my lord," Boris answered. "They also know to stay away from the town. No need to let anyone know how many are here, or lay a trail for the hunter. Also, Ynez will be remaining behind, no need to stretch the limits of the spell. She knows her duty. Now tell me: did you find out anything in the tavern? Which de la Vega was that?"

"The great grandson. His father is away. We'll have to use him to get the book," Dracula said dispassionately. "He's also highly enamored of the tavern owner. We might be able to use her as leverage, if he proves recalcitrant."

"Very good, and Zorro?"

"Tomorrow night, you and I will go to Diablo Canyon and learn if he is truly dead. If his body is there, matters are simple. If it isn't, you will go to town and find out what you can about him. Try to catch his scent. And if you can manage to be subtle about it, discover where we might find those who will not be missed. They are the best snares for amateur hunters. Such gentle, though deadly, traps. There's no need to hurry at the moment."

"As you say, my lord. I prefer it when we can take our time. Better sport." Boris smiled a toothy grin.

"Much better sport." Dracula returned the smile.

~TBC~

Tomorrow: Chapter 5 - Gruesome Discoveries.