Chapter Nine – Mz Hyde

Jonno helplessly watched as Vlad screamed. The vampire pitched from side to side, obviously in so much more pain than he had been whilst dying from his breather fever.

The slivers of white, twirling in the jar now filled two thirds of it. Jonno realised with a shudder that he was observing Vlad's soul. He grabbed the newly replaced doors of his cell and rattled them with all his strength but as his anticipated the bars were stronger than before and refused to move an inch.

He looked over at Robin who was pale, paler than normal. For his love of vampires and all things morbid it was obvious that the sight of Vlad's agony was disturbing for the pale boy.

The vampire slayer looked away from Robin's ashy face and back to Vlad who had gone silent.

Then he whimpered.

And the enchanted silence on the dungeon broke.

The door slammed open and a regal looking vampire strolled in with an expression of satisfaction on his sharp features.

Maja-Keht turned to him. "Valtov." She greeted the vampire with a confident smile. Jonno's neck prickled. The elder vampire held an air of deviousness around him and the Van Helsing was sure that this was the vampire who'd orchestrated their imprisonment, the vampire responsible for Vlad's current condition.

Valtov or 'douchbag' as Jonno wanted to call him glanced at Vlad disinterestedly. "Is it done?"

The mystic nodded. "Almost." She withdrew a red vial from her within the folds of her animal skins. "Once his soul is out I will convert it into a vampire soul with this."

"No." The red vial shattered in Valtov's hand. "Vampires do not have souls." He narrowed his eyes at Vlad. "This –" He gestured to the vampire on the floor. "-is an accident. An unfortunate event of a vampire being born with a soul from his human genes." He nudged the vampire with his foot electing a groan as Vlad's nails created grooves in the floor. "Vampires are not naturally born with souls ergo," He smiled. "Vladimir does not need a vampire one."

As the vampire left Maja-Keht shot him an intense look and murmured "as you wish."

Jonno's attention suddenly turned back to Vlad, as everyone else's did. The vampire had stopped. There was no movement from the Chosen One.

Maja-Keht smiled and put the lid on the jar now housing Vlad's soul.

"Vlad?" Jonno asked tentatively.

At the sound of his name Vlad's head shot round to face Jonno. His face and eyes were blank and he titled his head at Jonno as if deciding whether he was a threat or not. The slayer felt like a deer caught in headlights. Apparently determining that Jonno held no risk to him the unreadable expression on his face relaxed. His eyes did not. The Dracula blue stayed cold and empty, like there was just no one looking out.

It was chilling.

"Are you okay?" Their second of staring was broken by Robin's concerned voice. Vlad smiled but it never reached his eyes. Jonno wondered if the Branaugh could see the nothingness too.

"The pain's gone now." This may have been just paranoia but to Jonno, it sounded as if even Vlad's voice was empty. Lacking in all emotion.

Robin saw or heard none of this as a grin graced his lips. "Does this mean we can leave?"

Maja-Keht snapped her fingers. "Feel free; in fact, I'll escort you out." The cell doors opened allowing Jonno and Robin to wearily wander out of their cages.

Vlad got to his feet and joined the witch in a few strides and, was it just Jonno's imagination or was he walking differently? The vampire was walking with a new streak of confidence, his back straight rather than the slight defensive curl that Jonno had grown used to.

The Branaugh and the Van Helsing quickly hurried after the pair but found themselves hanging back to avoid hearing their conversation. This was mainly Jonno's doing as it was generally considered rude to eavesdrop and the slayer didn't want to hear Vlad's icy cold voice any more, certainly not while his brain was suggesting things about Vlad's morality that Jonno did not want to hear.

So he and Robin followed them in a comfortable silence.

"We never really finished discussing being flatmates probably." Robin said with a smirk. "You were too busy dragging me off to meet Vlad again."

Jonno shrugged, not wanting to think about their vampire friend. "I suppose not." They both went silent and Robin stared at the Jonno for a few seconds expecting the slayer to say more.

"So can I share a flat with you then?" The Branaugh eventually said slightly impatiently.

"Uhh…" Jonno considered the request for several moments; did he want to share a flat with someone with an unhealthy obsession with vampires and verbal diarrhoea?

"Sure," he answered, fairly sure he'd regret this decision pretty soon after.

Robin grinned. "Great! But we've gotta get you talking more, I mean, even Vlad says more than you and he's like a broody badass vampire king!" Yep, Jonno regretted his kindness already.

Jonno licked his lips uncomfortably but was saved the job of finding a response by the fact that they'd caught up to Vlad and Maja-Keht.

The mystic's face was suspiciously close to Vlad's but Jonno heard every word. The witch was holding the jar which housed Vlad's soul and had a lusty smirk on her face.

"Take care of it." She said as she handed it to the vampire. "I'm fond of it." Vlad flicked the glass with his finger then returned her smile. His eyes were lit with a light Jonno couldn't identify.

"Sure." As the vampire went to leave Maja-Keht caught his arm.

"That's not the only thing I'm fond of…" Jonno was stood a decent distance away and so he thought it was safe to look between the pair with a confused look.

The witch let go of Vlad's wrist and pressed something him into his palm. "You'll know where to find me."

Then she promptly disappeared.

Jonno blinked at the lingering wisps of blue energy then looked at Vlad who was smirking. His eyes still held the odd light.

Was that the mystic coming on to Vlad?

The dirty grin on Vlad's face certainly suggested so.