Author's Notes: As I'm suffering from a bit of insomnia today, this chapter is going up a few hours earlier than intended. It was delayed until today because I wasn't really happy with how the fight at the end went. Actually, the great challenge in this story has been the fight scenes, and I'm afraid I haven't really overcome it. I am grateful that my sometime collaborator and all the time hero, Ghetto Outlaw, has agreed to help me with the action sequences, and it is he who helped expand the original fight scene in this chapter which was a bit too short and unsatisfying.

Chapter 6

Dracula on the Prowl

Boris had slept for part of the night, getting up shortly after dawn in order to explore the property immediately surrounding the hacienda in order to determine the best positions for guarding the property. Once he did that, he spent some time studying maps of the territory. Boris had a capacious memory and the ability to extrapolate accurately from even weak directions. It was a talent that had saved Dracula and him on more than one occasion. He always looked for the escape routes.

His studies were interrupted twice, as the Szgany were coming from the north and were to arrive in three groups during the day. The first pair brought a particular prize: a pair of black Andalusians whose greatest value lay in the fact that they'd been trained out of a fear of the undead— the stallion, Malvado, whose temperament matched his name and the mare, Sombra, who was swift and quiet. Whatever Dracula wanted of them, they would do.

The second group of three men brought supplies and a quantity of gunpowder, most of which was hidden in Dracula's cave. After they arrived, he set the men to put the house into a reasonably unsuspicious order, in case of visitors. They were after all trying not to draw undue attention to themselves, at least for a time. By the time the sun set, everything was ready, and the guards knew their duties.

The only problem was that the last two men did not arrive when they were supposed to. Boris was not initially concerned as they could easily have been delayed by an accident, either theirs or someone else's, though all seven men had been warned to keep out of trouble on the road. However, as the sun set and there was no sign of them, Boris began to wonder what could have delayed them, as Serghei and Vadim were usually reliable.

After the sun went down, Dracula emerged from the cave and seemed quite content with the progress that had been made while he had been sleeping. Not particularly troubled by the absence of the last two of his servants, he was more interested in knowing that Malvado, his particular favorite, had arrived and immediately went out to the stable to see him.

"Any difficulties with him?" he asked, stroking the horse's muzzle.

"Not for me or Grigori," Boris replied. "None of the others will go near him for fear of being kicked or bitten. They'd rather deal with Sombra."

Dracula nodded. "Let them. Get Malvado ready. It's time to visit Diablo Canyon."

Boris rode Malvado while Dracula took flight. They made their way without difficulty; the light of the crescent moon sufficient to guide them. Dracula landed at the foot of the rockslide. Boris dismounted from Malvado and carefully walked around the area near the rocks checking the ground.

Dracula lightly walked over the pile, head held low, examining everything. After a few minutes, he turned to Boris. "Nothing here. No body at all. He's not dead."

Boris looked up. "I agree, my lord. What effect will this have on your plans?"

"Very little. It will be best if we can find out who he is," Dracula said. "That will be your job tomorrow when you go to Los Angeles." He looked up and around. "It's still quite early."

"A hunt, my lord?" Boris asked.

"Yes, let's see what we can find. I'm feeling— hungry."

~Z~Z~Z~

The Indian girl was sitting on a rock, a long spear by her side. That might provide a little challenge, and the vampire did enjoy a good challenge. Dracula signaled for Boris to leave him, before he returned and landed behind her. She had truly exceptional hearing and spun almost but not quite before he looked human again. Her spear was pointed at him, but he stood unmoving, watching her very carefully.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"A stranger," he said calmly, looking her directly in the eyes. "I am wondering what a young woman like you is doing out here all alone."

"I like the night. It holds no terrors for me," she said. "Why are you out here?"

Dracula took a step towards her. She didn't move but kept her weapon still aimed at him.

"Exploring the territory," he said, taking another step towards, arms unthreateningly at his sides. "I too like the night. What is your name, little one?"

She hesitated for a long moment, apparently reluctant to answer, but finally said, "Jonata." Then in a bolder tone, "What's yours, pale one?"

He smiled a toothy smile. "The name is Dracula."

She held her weapon steady as he continued to move forward. "Well, Señor Dracula, it can be dangerous for a man like you to travel unarmed in these parts."

His smile widened. "Oh but I like danger and I'm hardly unarmed." His eyes turned bright red as he lunged forward.

He was fast, but Jonata still managed to thrust the spear into his side, the wood causing pain enough to knock him back to the ground. He was surprised that she didn't take the opportunity to run but instead grabbed the spear, yanked it from the wound and raised it high overhead, clearly planning on following through with a more deadly strike.

Jonata yelled as she thrust downward with all her might. Again, Dracula moved with superhuman speed and instead of his chest, the shaft sank deep into the earth. He stood casually and watched, with some satisfaction, as Jonata struggled to dislodge the weapon. It had been some time since he had encountered prey that put up such a fight and chose to savor the moment instead of being so swift to bring it to its inevitable conclusion.

Finally, she got the spear free and immediately assailed Dracula. He easily dodged her attack and walked about her in a circle while she repeatedly thrust and jabbed hard, trying frantically to hit a target, any target but finding only empty air with each effort.

Jonata's kept her weapon raised but her pace was beginning to slow. She was getting tired. Dracula could hear her heart racing, he could smell the blood rushing through her veins. He decided he had been patient long enough and when she threw all her effort into a desperate charge, he caught the spear with one hand, wrenching it away and seized her throat with the other.

Slowly, he lifted her off the ground and pulled her in close. She flailed wildly, kicking, punching, clawing, fighting to break free from his icy grip. "Shh, shh, shh," he whispered and squeezed a little harder, not enough to kill her but sufficient to make her arms and legs go limp and her eyes roll back in her head.

"Oh, yes. You will do most admirably."

~Z~Z~Z~

Boris took his time scouting the area, wanting to familiarize himself with every tree and every rock. He kept his senses alert but could detect nothing of interest. He could hear coyotes in the distance, but they were miles away. His master had found the only thing worth noting in the vicinity.

Sure he had given Dracula more than enough time, Boris rode back in the direction of the rock. Dracula rose from the ground when Boris approached; the girl lay at his feet.

"Dead?" Boris asked, as he reined in Malvado.

Dracula shook his head. "Not yet. We'll take her with us. She's a fighter."

Boris saw the spear laying on the ground. "How well did she fight?"

"Surprisingly well. If she'd had better aim, she'd have hit my heart," Dracula said dispassionately. "As it was, she slowed me for a moment. She will be very useful once she's turned." Effortlessly, he lifted her from the ground and walked over to Boris. "You'll have to carry her back."

"As you command, my lord," Boris said, pulling the girl in front of him, with a surprising ease. "Are we done for tonight?"

"Yes. I think we have made a fine start."

~TBC~

This week: Chapters 6-11.

Tuesday: Chapter 7 - More Questions than Answers.

End notes: I'm actually strangely giddy over the fact that I've gotten 18 reviews so far. I know that's not a lot really, but since the most I've ever gotten on a story was 41 (and that was one finished five years ago), I can't help but be excited by the responses. Actually, I think I've become a little like the Count from Sesame Street every time I see a new review: "One, one new review, bwa haa haa."

I really am grateful to all who are reviewing (and even those who are following). The reviews really do help with the editing (by reminding me of questions I may have raised and need to be sure are answered somewhere in the story) and letting me know if I have or haven't gone too far. I don't usually have much violence in my stories, so this is all a bit new to me, and I really welcome feedback. For instance, I really hope the fight between Dracula and Jonata didn't come off as too creepy. It wasn't meant to.