Dracula's POV

Opening the door to the hotel room, Anastasis was not showering anymore. The water was not running, but she was still in the washroom. "Where have you been?' She callled from behind the door.

"Getting you clean clothes. I hear you complaining over the television and decided to be nice," My voice was smooth as always, but my mind hoped she was not angry.

"Please tell me they are not those overpriced pieces of cloth in the lobby store?" she opened the door a crack and stuck her hand out.

I laughed, "Course not! Though I was going to get some undergarments and socks there... What do you say?" I teased.

Stasis hand dropped a bit whispering curses at me, 'Pretencious prick!' Clearly forgotten our mental bound. Or was it on purpose?

'Excuse me, Angel? If that is how it is, you can stay in there...or...walk out naked.' I smirked as hand turned into a fist.

She released it and sighed, "Thank you...Why didn't you go to the lobby store after?"

With a sigh, I handed her the clothes and walked to wear my clothes lay on the bed to change myself, "Complications...I'll explain later."

Anastasis' POV

After my shower, I realised the vampire was gone since the tv was no longer playing. Figured he was out hunting. I never imagined he would go out to get me clothes. Picking out the green button-up shirt and navy jeans he gave from the various pieces he bought. Along with my black leather jacket. They all looked nice and are my size. How he knew what that surprised me. Putting on the clothes, I called out a question these brought up in my mind, "Where did you get the money for these? Or did you steal them off a corpse?"

Dracula came close to the door again, "Do you think so little of me, Stasis? I have cash! That I did steal of corpses...I was going to give it to you, but I figured you'd appreciate the clothes more."

That made sense. Luckily for me, my undergarments were dry, and I could slip those on. Walking out of the bathroom, Dracula is standing there completely naked, holding a pair of pants in his hands. He turns his head, and our eyes lock. My eyes felt like they were about to pop out of my head, and I slammed the bathroom door shut again, "What the hell! What are you doing!"

Hystarical, deep laughter sounded from the vampire, 'I'm changing! Figured I could use some new clothes too. It was not my fault you walked out at the wrong time."

I just stared at the door, "Just...warn a woman first. Why do you not have underwear? Damnit, Drac, that was not how I wanted to see a naked man for the first time..." I just knew he was savoring the information.

He opened the bathroom door full clothes, thank God. We almost matched as he worn a white t-shirt under an open light blue button up with black jeans and a purplish, red leather jacket. Fine...It startled me non the less when he opened the door. Still seeing the horrified look on my face, he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, "The clothes I had on when Van Helsing had me in that coffin were falling apart and no good anyway. The clothes I had running around New Orleans I stole off one of the plane idiots. I did not think wearing used underwear was better than none. Also, I do reveal the idea of being the first man you have seen naked. Not they way I imagined it either, I'm afraid..." he teased with an ever growing smirk. I had to close my eyes as even though he had worn so many layers, the image of him naked was burnt into my head. I know he knew it, too. "Interesting is that most women would have enjoyed the sight... You are a woman, Anastasis..." 'Look at me...' he creeped into my head. For some reason, I listened. He smiled, reaching out to tilt my chin up, leaning in to my ear to whisper, "...And I can smell you. I could always smell you..."

Dracula looked me in the eyes, and I feared he was going to kiss me. I remembered Azrael's voice ringing in my head when he said, "...should you fall in love with the vampire... You must love all of him...do not mistake interest and attraction for love with him." So I pushed past him, "What complications did you run into in the lobby? Simon and Mary, or..." I walked out to the balcony, hoping to get some cool air.

I ignored the vampires sigh of disappointment as he followed me out, "No, other hunters. A holy order that specializes in hunting "monsters." Van Helsing was one of them, and I believe they are here because of me."

"The Guardian's of God's Throne are here? Shit!" Dracula looked surprised. I knew what he was talking about. "I was one of them for a while...till they found out I was so good at finding creatures because I am one. Must of them are actual, which is ironic. Azrael was against it but I thought I would help prepare myself to deal with you if I dealt with simular creatures...You once said the only reason I was not in a coffin like you was because I hadn't killed anyone yet...They day they found out, I had. Van Helsing just did not know about it."

He leaned against the railing, "They are staying in the hotel. They will be visiting Mary soon if they know about her... My guess is they do. Mary suspects she is not completely human and if they find that out... you know what they'd do." He looked a little sad about this idea.

"Do you still care about her?" Silence...Of course he did. Despite what she did and his flirtations with me, you don't get over someone that fast. Changing the subject, "How many?"

"There were three in the lobby that I noticed though there has to be more. The three were not human, which is why I noticed them. One was a Russian who was a werewolf, and I was surprised couldn't smell me. Can tell he'll cause trouble for us. Even in human form, he acted like a half wild animal... A priest who has venom in his blood but for some reason has not turned yet..."

Uffizi is here? That is the only priest that directly hunted vampires and went on missions. Never met him, but he was a legend! "No doubt that is Father Uffizi. He is a talented vampire hunter. Though he was always a rather die than be bitten kinda guy. The Russian, I have no idea. I still have a friend in the order who could tell us more."

Dracula nodded, "Are they by chance a half blood?" He knew Stoker!?

"Not Bram, of course, but his son, Lawrence Stoker?" I asked.

Drac smiled, "The one and only. He was the third hunter. He is also my great grandson and noticed me in the lobby. Lawrence kept the others distracted while I ran up here."

This was news. I knew Lawrence for years, and I knew his secret as he knew mine, but he never meantioned he was from the Dracula bloodline. "Your great grandson!? Are you serious?"

Dracula turned to me, "Dead serious. All but two of my children are dead, and I had a lot over the centuries, as well as grandchildren who are all dead. Lawrence and my son and daughter are the only living decendants I have. My son never met me as he was born after I was captured. My daughter hates me and avoids me at all costs. I do not know where they are, but I can sense they are living. Another one of my daughters married a Stoker and had Abraham better know as Bram, who hated me as his parents were hunted and killed. He had Lawrence but abandoned him hating that the vampire half had not faded from their blood. Mental, like with Mary before the medicine blocked her, I spoke with him and mentored him about his abilities till he blocked me out. He believed Abraham Van Helsing and Stoker were one in the same as their jobs, personality, and names where similar Mary was his sister. He did not easily accept it when I told him the truth unaware for years he believed this. He was going to help me escape. It turns out he only wanted to find Van Helsing. Based on what happened in the lobby, he no longer harbors ill will."

What? Bram Stoker was a half blood! The man who wrote Dracula was a Dracula himself? "Why have you never mentioned it?"

"Because...The Blood of the Covant is thicker than the water of the womb...in other words, chosen bounds are stronger than family ties. People never use the full saying. Most of my descendants proved those words to be true. So blood does not bind us...I mostly wished to forget that my last grandchild hated me so much, he helped to capture me than wrote a book about it to gloat. That is the real reason I never read Dracula, why I did not want to watch its movie alone."

That made sense. The emotional tie he had to his story that was not accurate in the first place, to his children, weaked him. I had a feeling Dracula hates feeling weak. "Do you think he is still an ally? We should still warn Mary."

Dracula walked into the living room, "We should. I do not know if that was a one-time thing with Lawrence or if he wanted me in a smaller, more private area to shoot me in. Besides, knowing Mary is not his sister, I'm unsurtain if he would still protect her."

Considering how serious the situation could be, we had acted now. "Then we should go. I'll go down and check out. You take our clothes and mist down the balcony to wait outside in case they are still down there. Use the mental bond if you still can to warn her, and we are headed her way. There is a hotel near to her house, we'll meet her there," I instructed. Dracula didn't look at me and just started grabbing the shopping bags of clothes and headed to the bedroom and bathroom to collect the rest. This was not Dracula. No, this was a man. The part of him that was still human, vunerable and sad from our conversation. This was not Dracula right now. This was Judas, and I wanted to comfort him. So I put my hand on his shoulder, "Judas, no parent should out live their children...to out live so many...I can't imagine."

He looked as if he was about to diss me for calling him Judas, but I had before, just not so casually. He huffed, "Being immortal is great when you are still living human years...Once I got over a normal lifespan and my firends and family died before me time and time again...You go through periods of loving being immortal and living undeath to the full, and hating it trying to end yourself. I had to go through it alone. You don't, Anastasis. For that, I both envy that you can have someone I never did, and honored it gets to be me if you wish it." He looked at me with such a soft face, I wanted to give him a hug. Small tears began to sting his face, "Should you never love me, I shall endure just having you by my side. Just swear to me you will never hate or abandon me."

"I swear it. As much as I may dislike it, you are stuck with me and me. But I must admit, though I don't love it, I don't hate it either," I reasured him. The words fell from my lips before I knew what I was saying.

He smiled and pulled me in for a quick embrace, kissing the top of my head. He released before I felt the need to push him away and went back to what he was doing, "You should hurry. And do try not to get shot again, Stasis. I don't know if I can save you this time." I smiled back at his grinning features. Dracula was back to being his regular vampire self.