Ch 8- The Blood Bath

The glowing red eyes that starred out from the darkness were terrifying to both of them. Bartholomew tried to squint into the darkness to see the man at the throne, but the candle light suddenly flickered out, leaving them with only the pale moonlight.

"W-wh-who do you think you are! Entering my throne room unannounced! Leave before I have your head lopped off!" Bartholomew shouted, sounding more brave at the end.

The man was quite for a moment before he suddenly filled the room with deep laughter.

Caralina was confused, to say the least. Then, her confusion was replaced with pain as the full effect of her wound kicked in.

She rolled over and started coughing up blood. She could feel the man's eyes on her as this happened.

"As fun as this little conversation is, I would like to get this over with so I can move to more pressing matters," the man said. There was something familiar about his voice, but Caralina could not pinpoint it.

Caralina looked up and saw him starring at her with hunger in his eyes, has if he were a fox and she the injured rabbit.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Bartholomew shouted.

The man lowered his hands from in front of his mouth, revealing a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. Caralina gave a small gasp. She did not know the man could hear her as if she had did it right beside his ear. He stood from the throne, his figure extremely tall, and bowed.

"You may call me Alucard. It is an honor to be in the presence of Your Majesty," he said.

"Has if flattery would save you now, bastard," Bartholomew said, standing with an evil smile.

"Actually, I was referring to the pretty young lady lying on the ground behind you," Alucard corrected, pointing at her with one of his long fingers after straightening back up.

Caralina could feel herself shacking. It was not only from the wound in her torso that was oozing more blood by the minute, but from the fear she felt whenever this man laid eyes on her.

"Ha, this little bitch is far from royalty. I can see why that fool Dracula would want to marry her, but she is nothing more than peasant scum," Bartholomew spat.

Caralina spat blood on him, not because he had insulted her, but because he had insulted the only man she would ever love.

Bartholomew kicked her in her side and she spat up more blood. Her vision danced in front of. She was starting to see black dots.

'No!' she thought. 'I will not die like this.'

It was true she had wanted to die, but it was to be on her own terms.

She blinked back the blackness and what she heard after her hearing cleared made her shiver with fear.

She heard a loud, intense growling that was clearly laced with anger.

Alucard was descending the stairs and stalking toward Bartholomew as he coward away from the fearful man.

Had he been angry that Bartholomew had kicked her? Though she did not know this, the answer was yes.

Bartholomew's back hit the wall and he stood with his back pressed into the wall.

Alucard was suddenly in front of him. Somehow he had managed to skip stepping over Caralina. He toward over the cowering man.

Alucard's hand shot out and was around Bartholomew's throat, lifting him into the air. The cloth red cloth covering his forearm did nothing to hide the protruding muscle underneath. Alucard's angry eyes were reflected in his captives scared eyes.

Caralina could hear the audible struggle for air coming from Bartholomew.

"Let us see how you like being treated like trash," Alucard chuckled as he once again exposed his sharp teeth. He moved in towards his captives throat and Caralina turned away then.

She may have hated the man, but she did not wish to see anyone die. She may have been abused and mistreated over the past year, but her gentle and caring soul had never left her.

She closed her eyes as the screaming started. She could hear him being ripped to shreds.

She made the mistake of opening her eyes and looking at them.

His blood was splattered all around the wall and floor. He was literally ripped in two, his innards falling out of the two torn pieces and scatted all along the surrounding floor. His legs would twitch every now and again even though they had been severed from the spine. She could still hear weezing coming from the half ripped off mouth, only a few strands of skin holding up the jaw. He was still alive.

Alucard was on his hands and knees, his face to the floor. At first, she could not see what he was doing. Then, she saw his tongue moving across the floor. He was lapping up the blood... and swallowing it.

She felt like she was going to throw up.

Then, as if he could feel her eyes on him, he turned his head and looked at her from the corner of his eye. He saw that she was shacking, and for a fleeting moment, his eyes softened.

Then, he suddenly sat up and ripped off the head of what once was Bartholomew. He held it high above his head. As the blood fell, he stuck out his long tongue and swallowed the crimson liquid as it flowed easily down his throat. His eyes never left hers.

One thought crossed her mind as she looked into his eyes.

Vampire.

After he was through with the head, he turned so he was fully facing her. He got back down on his hands and knees and started crawling toward her, all the while wearing a sadistic smile.

She felt the adrenaline kick in, flipped herself over, ignoring the pain, and backed away until her back hit the wall.

'Now he is going to kill me, too,' she thought. 'I am going to die just as he did.'

He stopped where she had been lying on the ground and looked down at the blood. He sniffed the air and let out a dramatic breath, as if her blood were the sweetest thing he had ever smelled. He licked a tongue full of blood and looked up at her, the look in his eyes making it clear he wanted her blood straight from the source.

A single drop of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, his long tongue darting out and licking it away.

He started crawling back towards her and before she knew it he was a few feet from her.

She closed her eyes as tight as possible and braced herself for it.

Instead of the blow she was expecting, she felt two strong hands pull her tensed back away from the wall and pressed her against a hard chest, as gently as can be. He pressed his large thighs against the sides of her's so that her whole body was pressed against him 

She kept her eyes closed for a moment more before she slowly opened her eyes.

Why was he holding her like this?

He could feel her intense shacking and brought his hand up to her head. She flinched when it touched her, and tensed when he started running his fingers through her long hair.

What was he doing?

She slowly looked up at him and the look he was giving her shocked her.

His eyes had completely softened and his face was almost blank. His eyes had stopped glowing. They were almost a sunset orange.

She had to admit it, he was handsome. With his strong facial features, pale skin, and thick black hair that came down to his shoulder. But, as she knew, looks meant nothing to her.

After a moment of looking into each others eyes, he started leaning down towards her neck. Her eyes went wide before she closed them again.

She waited for him to bite her, but all she felt was the side of his face pressed against her chest.

She opened her eyes again and looked down. He had his ear pressed over the spot where her heartbeat was strongest.

She heard a strange noise and realized he was saying something.

"Thump, thump, thump. Thu-thump. Thump, thump," he was saying, each thump matching the rhythm of her heartbeat. "Even with the extent of your heartbeat, you still have such a strong heart." She wanted to push him off, but she was too afraid to. "Although, it is a little off beat with that fear coursing through your body. Fear makes you smell even sweeter."

He lifted his head from her chest and pressed his nose into her neck.

"So sweet..." he chuckled. "Oh, I missed you."

"What?" she asked, her voice shaky and laced with confusion.

She felt him smile against her neck. She felt it fall, however, when she started coughing up more blood.

He straightened his back and covered her mouth with his large hand. After she was done, he uncovered her mouth. She looked at the blood covering his glove as she tried to regain control of her breathing. Her eyes widened in shock when the blood disappeared as if it had all been soaked up.

She felt herself become light headed and her vision danced in front of her. She swade and felt his grip on her tighten. He pulled her back against him so that her head was resting against his chest.

She watched him bring his wrist to his mouth and bite down, taking his own blood into his mouth.

He then bent down and met his lips with hers.

She wanted to push him away, but she did not have the energy.

He used the hand he was not using to hold her up to open her jaw. His blood flowed into her mouth.

She expected his blood to taste rustic and terrible. Instead, it tasted sweet.

However, she refused to swallow a drop.

He could tell she was not swallowing. So, he shoved his tongue down her throat. Her reflexes forced her to try to swallow it, but instead the blood is what she swallowed. Then, she could not control it anymore. She kept swallowing until there was no more to swallow.

His lips lingered on hers for a few more seconds before he pulled back and looked down at her. She looked back up at him with fear in her eyes, afraid of what his blood was going to do to her.

He stocked her face with his hand.

"Please..." she begged.

"Shhhhh. Do not fight it. Just sleep," he ordered.

Her eyes grew heavy and she sank further into his arms. As her eyes closed, she felt him lift her into the air and carried her off. Where to, she did not know. She had already passed out.

(Some Time Later)

Caralina woke with a start, sitting straight up in the bed.

She looked around the dark room, unable to see. She could smell a slight masculine scent that had long since faded but still hung in the air.

She was in her's and Dracula's room.

She had been lucky. The only kindness they had ever done her was letting her keep their room.

Had it all been a dream?

She looked down and saw the tare in her dress where the stabe wound had been. All blood was gone as were any markings from the knife. There was not even a scare.

No, it had not been a dream. It was all completely real.

How had she gotten here?

"You did not sleep very long," she heard a deep voice say.

She jumped and looked at the chair next to the large bed.

Alucard sat in it with his long legs crossed. He had his hands place in front of his mouth as he had when she first saw him.

"I think I will be alright," Caralina replied, rememebering his comment.

"I would hope so. I gave you more than enough blood," Alucard chuckled.

She looked down at where the wound should have been.

"Is that what it did? Did it... heal me?" she asked. She could still feel fear in her heart, but she was doing her best not to show it.

"Yes," he replied.

"Thank you," she said.

"I can see you still retained your gentle soul, even after all you have been through."

"I am sorry? Do I know you?" He could hear the confusion in her sweet voice.

"In due time," he answered. "Of course, one of the reasons I saved you was so that we could play a little game."

"What game?" she asked.

"Always straight to the point, as always. Well, here it is. Being what I am, and I know you know what that is, correct?" he asked. She nodded. "Care to tell?"

"A vampire," she answered, her fear almost slipping throught the cracks.

"Clever girl," he chuckled. "Now, being what I am, I just love the hunt. For this game, I thought we would utalize that."

"How?" she asked.

"Simple. You make it to the doors leading out of the castle before I catch you and I let you go free. You will never have to see me again."

"And if I do not make it?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"I get to do with you as I wish."

She gasped. She did not want to end up his next meal.

"And if I refuse?" she asked.

"Then I do with you as I wish. At least with my deal, you get a chance at freedom."

He had a point. But she could tell by the look on his face that he knew he would catch her. And apart of her knew it, too.

But, he also knew she was a fighter to the end. One of the many reasons she would make this chase very interesting.

Nevertheless, she stood, facing him. Her face blank.

"Deal," she agreed. Her voice was just as blank as her face.

"Delightful. Now, being the generous person I am, I will give you a five minute head start. After that... well, for your sake I hope you are out of the castle."

She knew five minutes was not enough. And he knew it, too.

They were on the second floor at the end of a long corridor. The main entrance to the castle was on the first floor, on the other side. She would lose.

She kept her heartrate down and her face blank. She start to walk to the door before she turned back.

"No matter what happens, I am still grateful to you for saving me," she said, looking into his sunset orange eyes.

"The clock starts when you leave this room," he said, as if he had not hear her.

She took one last look around her's and Dracula's room. This would be her last time ever seeing it.

She pushed open the door and ran down the hall, the fastest she had ever run before.

"So the hunt begins," she heard him shout.

The corrider filled with his evil laughter as she sprinted for her life.

(Authors Note)

Dun, dun, duhn!

Sorry, I just really like doing that.

So, what did you think?

What do you think will happen?

Please leave your comments!

Until next chapter! Thanks for ready!