My only excuses on not updating since summer is simply summer, college, school, and utter laziness. I am not here to gain fame or boost the ego I'm afraid I lack in certain areas of my persona, I am simply here because I want to improve as a writer. I am here to express my passion, my love, and my life of writing. Reviews have not been about renown fame for me, either. To me, reviews help me improve, they fill me with encouragment, and they brighten my day. Just one kind review providing criticism and approval brightens my day. I have lacked the inspiration to write this story as of late, because I started this fiction two years ago in a period of writing where I wasn't in my prime. I have gone back to fix my outdated chapters the best I can, and I am trying to pick up the pace with my newer ones. I only ask for your criticism and personal thoughts on what I write, even if it is just a thank you for updating. I want to thank everyone who has revisited this story when I've barely updated, when it was at its lowest points--you're all the best :)

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Despite my desire to ignore all orders of the Count, especially those set in place for the conservation of my life; I remained at an irresolute station by staying in my room. Dr. Frankenstein's chambers had more than several fascinating secrets left to discover with Dracula's absence. It seemed the doctor himself left the room chaotic with papers scattering the dirty floor, books on medical practices left open, pages torn and placed back in as if he were searching for one specific answer that remained untraceable. I found I was second to the Count to have stepped into his private sanctuary after his anonymous passing, and I made sure I took this secluded time to my advantage. I spent hours shuffling through his studies, the educated wits about me attempting to soak in what my eyes quickly scanned. My mind took me back to the night when the village laid vacant—the glowing trail of men's torches illuminating an invisible pathway to Castle Frankenstein. The gravedigger's laboratory lit with every lightening bolt parting the menacing sky, setting the earth afire and filling its occupants full of fright and wonder. A monster's life had been born and extinguished altogether that night, and suspicions led the town to believe that Dracula assisted in bringing a soul into the world without God's permission. I held those suspicions as facts while overlooking the lost research.

Aged papers sprawled across the bed linens and the surface of the desk spread the diagrams of a machine. There were journal entries; some of the script unreadable by the weathering of water marks, while some had been ripped out and folded numerously. But a few sentences concerning his creation and the involvement of Dracula himself confirmed the truth I had voraciously searched for. The creature was meant for Dr. Frankenstein's satisfaction of creating life himself, but unknowingly, this success held hope for Dracula's unborn children. Everything fit, then. The consistent failures Verona spoke ceaselessly of, and how the second-long whisper of my possible aid to the Count came into play. I would bring a superfluous time length to find the solution, carrying out minor plots and strategies fruitless to a vampire's effort. Lowering the papers to their resting place, I slapped my palm against my face in frustration. This rendered me helpless: the precious time I needed to discover the plans my god had in store for me is now being spent on helping the Son of the Devil's wishes. This realization burdened my mind as the days of my captivity passed. Perhaps my creator had intended this to happen. Perhaps it was I to assist the Valerious family in destroying Dracula. Ideas swam in a panic through my mind; I couldn't pinpoint the simple from the complex.

Even if I could somehow ruminate over a possible freedom without having to serve one of the darkest creatures that mistakenly came into existence, that reality wouldn't sustain as long as Dracula lived. But he had been generous, gentlemanly, even, in the time frame of our impartial communication towards one another. I had the opportunity to leave his castle to enter my own environment of content nature, as long as I fulfilled a fair bargain in retrieving the leader of the family I despised. Everything had thrown me into a state of confusion, and maybe I was intended to feel this way.

Maybe falling into his trap and enduring an entirely unfamiliar mix of unsolved riddles to this life I lived is the path I had been set on all along. Time is now my only outlet of what is meant to be and not to be, and I continued to wait impatiently for my answers. The day passed in a blur of papers and light-reading. There were times where I'd stretch out in finality across the unmade bed, too tired to care of the dust and debris covering my dress, too uninterested in the dryness of the mathematical diagrams to put any effort into my personal entertainment anymore. Sometimes the compulsion to fling open the door and exit the room was appealing, even if the Count had been correct in my imminent death. And most regrettably, my imaginings had jumped ahead of themselves too soon to fathom the animals waiting outside.

Wind became absent as the growling and pawing thuds passing by the door shook my body into tremors, and soon it left me in a breathless silence. They never left, acting as personal guards, torn between thirsts for pulsating blood and holding true to their master's commands. Escaping was the last word I could have imagined. I waited for the unseen sunlight to fade, for the hoarse breathing to stop, for the thundering presences of inhuman animals to come to an end, and they only did when something darker took their place.

He entered without knocking, but it was something I expected. I was, in spite of everything prominent in physical shape and passionate thought, only a girl in his eyes, and I acted like one for that matter.

"I see you've finally taken a bed for comfort instead of the floor." He chuckled.

"I see you take an interest in being bothersome when I'm in dire need of peace," I replied back, not bothering to lift my head from the soft comfort of the dusty sheets to stare at his implacable face.

"You had your peace today. I've been more than generous to you so your task will be less tiresome. Boris's departure is tonight, and time is running short. His guards are equally made up of six men and six women. Your decision on which woman's form you will take has to be quick and convenient. The body you will have taken shape of must be concealed from the village for your own security, and for the sake of this task to become successful." His eyes suddenly narrowed at me, cold and calculating as I lifted myself off the bed, adjusting my bodice and skirt appropriately.

"I'm sure I can figure something out." I couldn't look him in the eye. He knew I had skimmed over Dr. Frankenstein's research, and he knew that my learned knowledge of his purpose affected my better sense of judgment on whether I followed his wishes or not. It came time to leave, and he didn't have that slim opportunity to corner me with threats and temptations. All he had were his brides to verify my loyalty, and even they couldn't watch me while the daylight beams warmed my shoulders. I had been more than ready to leave his fortress behind, and as soon as the sun withdrew its light from the world, he brought me to the edge of the forest outside the circle of the village.

"Marishka will arrive not long after Boris stops his travels for the evening. Give her as much information you can retain, any news or future destinations planned." Dracula turned his back to me, resigned with all he had said as he walked into the darkness of the woods. "By the way," he looked briefly over his shoulder, trying my patience with his slow departure, "make sure your selective temper is kept under control. We don't want to alert the Valerious' sentry of their shape-shifting intruder. I want his capture unexpected and nearly invisible to any human's eyes but your own. Do not fail me."

And then I was alone. I made it my responsibility to not waste any time seeking out the guardians of the Valerious household. Their manor lay on the outskirts of the village near the stables, and I had little time to spare. If I made one wrong move, the townsfolk would recognize my face. Knowing it was impossible to travel undetected on the streets, I took the detoured pathway under the shadows of the trees towards the manor. The sentry was recognizable by their matching attire as they swarmed the Valerious' stables for horses and traveling supplies. For awhile, I feared I wouldn't find a lone woman walking away from the group. But, soon, the group began to split off, the women breaking away into random directions whilst the men watched over the carriage stationed in front of the stables. One of the women walked around to the back of the manor in search of the kitchens to retrieve the food supply.

I took this as the opportunity. She was of a tall, well-balanced stature. The way she walked with her hand set on the hilt of her blade told me of the extensive training undergone to be privileged with the duty as a guard. Rendering her unconscious became even more of a challenge than I originally thought. It took several attempts of knocking her out with the overpowering force of fire to keep her down. Physical combat held for awhile, but I hadn't a chance of overpowering a woman with a weapon. Once I knew she remained unconscious, I placed a palm upon her forehead and laid the other at her the base of her stomach. Shape shifting had painful effects on the shifter after the transformation, leaving them with a severe lack of energy and strength to uphold the body little more than an hour. I had only shape shifted once before, and I hoped my experience with the previous body made me stronger for this metamorphosis.

The moment I willed the change, I felt an instant break in my bones, the pain coursing through my body until it shook me into startling tremors. It took every ounce of will I had to keep myself from sobbing as the bones in my legs snapped and stretched to a longer length, but the transformation in my face was by far the worst of the change. The groaning of my jaw and cheekbones moving had me burying my face in the earth to cease the agony. Just when I thought the gravitation of my ribcage was enough I could handle, I felt the alteration of my skin begin. My fingernails shortened, the skin of my hands roughening into a calloused, leathery texture. The wild disarray of my hair shortened into a shoulder-length, dull black as my skin sucked away the golden shine of its color, replacing it with paleness similar to Dracula's skin. Then, in the midst of my pain, every ounce of it stopped. My irregular breathing slowed to a steady rhythm with my heart as I rose to my full height with shaking legs. I had to be quick now—the clothes would have to be exchanged, the woman must be tied up and placed out of human sight. As long as I sustained her body in both shape and form, her unconscious state would remain.

It took me another several minutes to accomplish this before I could complete her task to retrieve food supplies and transfer what I had packed into her personal bags and return to the carriage.

"Estellia! What took you so long? Did you get the supplies?" I looked directly at the man, unaware that the woman's name was mine until he walked towards me with a stack of blankets and a saddle. He exchanged a saddle with the large pack of food, emptying the entire weight into my arms. "It's going to be a long journey, saddle up the horse well. There may be some nights where we won't stop for rest."

All I could manage was a curt nod before I walked off to conform to the rest of the sentry. By observing their interactions I soon learned the majority of the sentry's names. I had been heartily slapped on the back numerous times in excitement, asked if I had all that I needed for the journey, if I, too, enjoyed the thrill of entering the dark forests of Romania when traveling. Several of the men spoke of their desire to kill some of the werewolves set loose in the woods by Dracula. I listened with feigned interest as I tried my best to adjust to their behaviors and attitudes, but the growing aftereffects of taking the form of another wore me down. It seemed forever until Boris emerged from his manor and stepped, with insistent protest, into the carriage. Boris had a handsome, rugged visage about him, an air of haunted mystery and welcoming comfort to all that surrounded him. He didn't like to be cared for by any of the watchmen, and this was evident when he claimed riding horseback would prove safer than the distraction of the carriage. His men and women had no choice but to comply with Boris's wishes, and we left the carriage behind as he joined us on saddle.

The remaining hours of daylight passed by in a silent blur. Boris Valerious would occasionally address one of the guards, an interrogation or order here and there, and then the silence would reign once again. I assumed the minimal talk was an avoidance tactic to draw less attention to such a large party of humans. Dracula's warnings of the many mythical creatures hidden in the forests troubled my thoughts, forcing my head to dart left and right almost every second we rode deeper into the thickets of trees. A fire wasn't lit until we stopped many hours later to rest. Some meats were roasted over the flames, bread and wine were passed around, and before long all of us were huddled around the light in jocund laughter.

"-and I sliced it clear off its body! I've never managed to make such an exact cut in my life! Let us just admit that Dracula is two wolves short now," one of the men, Aurel, exclaimed. He threw his head back and let out a hoot, nudging me in the shoulder with his elbow. "Estellia, don't you remember that day? We took them down like cattle! I've never seen such a good shot in my life made by a woman!"

I grinned into the light of the fire, the alcohol in my system giving me a renewed confidence and vigor that urged me to play along with Aurel's victory tale. "Yes," I began. "I believe Dracula and his brides took two times the people from our village that week, but it was a well-earned victory for the both of us," I smirked.

"Wasn't that the week when the execution of that woman occurred?" Ion mentioned. The atmosphere around the dissipating fire turned grave. "I was traveling to Varna at the time, but I received news from Velkan not long after I arrived in Bulgaria."

"Wasn't she a witch?" I remarked, hand gripping the blankets underneath me to keep the controlled façade I promised the Count.

"She was not a witch," Boris interjected. "That woman was part of an ancient spiritual race nearly untraceable in our world. I, too, was away at the time when Anna initiated the execution against my orders." He stared into the fire intently, his gaze fixated on the flames as his hands tightened on the mug of ale he held. "She was said to be a guardian of God, bound to the earth to protect its lands. Many of these creatures born in this part of the world lived among the Carpathians, but it seemed that her parents refused to hole her up away from society. Her powers got the best of her as a child, and soon the villagers grew fearful of her."

"If she was a guardian of God, then why did the Lady Anna want her killed?" Lucia questioned. The conversation had sobered me by now, and I grew anxious to learn of Anna's reasoning behind such a cruel fate she had in store for me. Boris's face showed kindness, and this was reflected in his response to the guards that had dedicated their lives to protect their king and friend.

"My Anna has always been afraid of what she does not know. When I lost her mother to Dracula, Velkan did his best to protect his sister. He taught her to fear the creatures generations of our family had died fighting against. Anything that poses a threat to Anna's survival, in her eyes, must be eliminated, and this was the reason she wanted to take away the life of such a powerful creature. As we all know, death did not claim her that night. She's out there, somewhere, hopefully at peace with herself and the world alone." He had a faraway look in his eyes, as if he truly wished me internal peace and salvation. I impulsively blinked away any traces of tears in my eyes at that moment. No one spoke again after Boris's double defense on Anna's behalf and mine. The fire was extinguished as the sentry settled down for a light sleep. Stars became our only light against the black backdrop of the forest and sky—I became nervous for Marishka's arrival, wondering if she would ever come at all. Marishka would have been my only strength against an attacker nearby, and as the midnight hours dwindled onwards, my eyes started to gradually close.

A searing heat began to consume me as the darkness finally swallowed my consciousness whole. All I felt were hands sliding against my damp skin, the cool breath of a mouth kissing the swell of my breasts. They were greedy, needing, and rough as they handled my body, seducing me in a slumber that felt so real. Had the stars burned out during the night, shielding the face of my seducer in all his glory? Even though my eyes were blind to his movements, it took me only minutes to respond to the advances of my shadowed lover, embracing every one of his kisses until he claimed my mouth at last. I never paused to wonder if this was a dream, or if it had been true that the moon and stars took early rest in the sky tonight for the purpose of this mystifying encounter. What solely mattered to me was my hope that whoever gave me such a thrill of pleasure would never stop. He released my swollen lips and lowered himself to commence with sharp, teasing bites against the skin of my neck. I reached with wanton hands towards his hair, holding his head against my chest while releasing soft moans against the flashing surges of warmth spreading to every end of my body. His chest felt broad and heavily muscled against my smaller figure, his large hands caressing each curve he could lay a finger on, his hair falling soft against my neck like the finest of silks. He moved his mouth over my lips again, and I claimed the kiss before he could reach me, running my sensitive hands over the chiseled features of his face as if I could make a connection between the visage and the man.

I had never felt so alive in my life, lit from the inside and out, ready for the pleasure my dark lover was willing to give as a token of my submission. He reached for my wrists with alacrity, but I had already explored the beauty of his countenance through my sense of touch. His skin was smooth and flawless, a handsome similarity to his slightly aquiline, aristocratic nose sitting above his thin lips. The features of this man were handsome, but they seemed familiar. His kisses oozed perfection, an ecstasy that even I knew took years of experience to master—his hands were well-acquainted with the areas of a woman's body, knowing where to touch and when to touch her. I tried to move myself into any form of light brighter than darkness to unmask the lustful devil in disguise. A glowing invasion of two sapphires came into my blackened vision upon will, and then I froze. I felt the smile appear on his face, the knowing grin that he had deceived me coiling around my insides in the darkness. And just when his face was made known to me, I was being lightly shaken awake, even when the terrorizing paralysis of what I had just done hadn't eased off of my body.

"Autumn? Autumn, wake up," an impatient whisper cut through the silence of the night, my eyes snapping open at the piercing voice overrunning my senses. Sweat beads rolled off my body in waves as I searched for the face to the disembodied voice. The striking appearance of Marishka flooded my vision for a brief moment. She held a finger to her lips and beckoned me into the darker depths of the forest away from the slumbering sentry surrounding Boris. When we reached a safe enough distance, she turned to face me, inspecting my disheveled appearance with a scrutinizing eye.

"Care to explain?" she asked, a grin pulling at the corners of her lips.

I smoothed my hair down, rubbing away any traces of perspiration left from the dream I experienced—praying it was a dream, that is.

"I had a nightmare, nothing more, Marishka. How did you know it was me? I'm still one of the guards, aren't I?" I ran a quick check over the skin of my hands and the color of my hair to make sure I hadn't lost the shape of Estellia's body overnight.

"My master has the host's body you've taken the form of—I stole her away from the place you hid her so no harm could come to the body itself. I've been tracking your travels for quite awhile now. I had to report back on the group's progress a few hours ago before I could come into contact with you," she affirmed. "My master has informed me that the best way to cease suspicions of Boris's disappearance being traced to us is to capture him near the coast of the Black Sea, at least two days before he boards the ship. During the time in between now and then, it is expected of you to win Boris's trust. There is always that established trust between a guard and their commander, but not enough trust for the guard to lure the commander away from safety. Do this," Marishka implored, "and win his heart with sympathies, anything that develops a type of unrestrained faith between you and him. Now," she concluded. "Has your behavior looked a bit different to the other members of the sentry, suspicious? Have you fallen out of line?"

"No. I've done my best to become a part of them as fast as possible."

"Good. I believe my job is done. I'll leave you to your nightmares, or whatever you choose to call them," she laughed, jumping upwards through the canopies of the trees, the sound of wings flapping against the cool breeze that faded with distance. It was some time before I realized I had to return to the rest of the group. The dream's webs toyed with me as the night wore on—his hands, his lips, and simply his touch drove me into such a fit of madness. And it was him. Was Dracula consciously lurking in my dreams, luring me into a thread of seduction and false sense of security? Or was this a coincidence, a thought spawning from the lustful side of me I kept locked away?

None of the guards had awoken yet as the sun broke the edge of the horizon, and I became thankful that the night I watched over the group was a night without worries… to a certain extent. To my horror as I awaited the awakening of the group, I found my lips tingling and swollen, a telltale sign that I had truly been kissed amidst the darkness. I felt along my collarbone, my breathing picking up once my fingers ran over the elevated sections of skin pulsating in pain. Either I had been picking at my face and neck uneasily during my sleep, or what I experienced this passing evening was a true physical act of passion. The only way I could retrieve the answers I sought for was to face the Count himself, and search for them. I had a task at hand, a favor to fulfill, and I wasn't ready to stare at his implacable face any time soon.