I'm experimenting again, so be gentle if you have criticism...

thank you

There is nothing beneath Hell.

*~*~::..+..::~*~*

The throat of the beast vibrated as a colorless hand ran over its fur, moving up to its chin, and the wolf's ears flattened in pleasurable submission to his master. It growled its affection when the hand continued despite the watchful eyes of the two lifeless men who stood before the scene with rising displeasure, looking down at a vampire who was crouched with one knee touching the snow, stroking his pet. The wolf's ears twitched at the rumble that began in the unoccupied chest of the dark skinned vampire, and a snarl stiffened the ears, tightening the animal's muscles. It snarled again at the slight shock that passed through the African man, but it calmed when the pale hand flattened its ears, dispersing the need for aggression when the master of the wolf chuckled, crimson eyes sparking with humor as he stood up.

"Shh. You frighten them."

The vampires bristled, and the light skinned man beside his companion hissed. "You show us much disregard, No-Life-King. We are the representatives of our lord…you would be wise to avoid your arrogant nature…" The man's eyes widened and his voice left him when a daggered glare pierced his own, splitting through his resolve for a moment. He flinched and collected himself with another hiss, a little perturbed when the vampire king smirked. "The Emperor Hades is already displeased with your actions. You purposely broke the treaty of peace that exists between your domain here in Europe and ours in the body of the continent…you and those under your power have been feeding in our lands."

Snow pirouetted out of the cloudless sky and into the clearing, drifting from whitened pines as a breeze picked up the fragile flakes.

The No-Life-King's hand touched his beast's coat as the animal's fangs shone in the moonlight between its black gums, hiding them once more. The vampires stiffened at the disregard the other was showing them by continuing to pet the wolf, already offended by the fact that the king had come without any of his followers, only taking a single familiar instead, as if to show the vampires their own stature. Their eyes narrowed as they were ignored for several moments. Then the dark-skinned man sneered, drawing moonlight into the king's eyes as they moved to the expression.

"Though, you have our sympathy for the desperate times you must being going through in order to be forced to resort to crossing into our domain to feed on our…ample wealth" An ivory smile widened. "…I have seen that your own human population is lacking and rather undesirable even to our tastes, so we can understand your motives, Lord Dracula." The dark eyes flared with a red tint. "Or, are you referred to as Count Dracula now?" He sighed mockingly, making the one standing beside him snigger. "Oh, how tragic is the fall of an ancient, forgotten ruler…"

Dracula cut off the man's words, drawing strength from the eyes and replacing it with disgust and fear when he laughed openly at the vampire's words. Humor lined and thinned red eyes as a growing wind played with the reaching black mane that curled around the vampire king as his fanged grin remained. Snow caught in the shimmering waves.

"I have not fallen from the place in Hell I first came to rest in when I died, centuries ago." His tone became marked with a hint of disdain. "Foolish children such as yourselves do not yet see…that all of the undead are below even the feet of the lowliest human whore, that lives off the vices of corrupt men... I have no place to fall, if only to become one like yourselves, at the beck and call of your lordship. No, there is not a power that I need to be wary of. God has long forsaken me… while your master is but a mere insect…"

The vampires' wide eyes grew, one gasping as Dracula spoke in his humored tone, but the vampires roared in outrage at the last comment meant for their emperor. The wolf countered the hostility but was once again held back by its owner. The No-Life-King was smiling slightly with grim humor.

"Your very smirk is an insult!" one of the vampires screeched, brown bangs moving with the air as grey eyes bled into scarlet. "How dare such scum ignore those who are obviously their superiors! The arrogance and spite is accordingly characteristic of your temperament, Count Dracula! Pathetic as you now are!"

"SILENCE DOG!"

The envoys cringed and held their heads as a ringing echo filled them, igniting a weak cry that broke from them against their will. Amusement revisited Vlad Dracula and he laughed quietly as the one who had been speaking shuddered. An elongated tongue ran over the perfect porcelain of the vampire's fangs, the vampire king's mind flashing with images of torture that would reconcile the offense he had received. He purred, delighting the animal that now sat by his side moving its tail leisurely as it awaited the show to come. "Now…how to send my response…one is all that is needed, really…" One of the vampires cried out as the pain escalated. "I have only a single message after all."

The moon began to set, dulling the red snow that coated the ground, taking the last of the life remaining in the tattered undead corpse that gave a final shudder, feeling the length of the wooden shaft impaling his body and the short stake in his crumbling heart. No one witnessed his passing and the moon was soon hidden by the crest of the mountains of Transylvania.

*~*~::..+..::~*~*

"My…My Lo…rd…Hades!" a hoarse voice croaked when the trembling creature stumbled and fell to the floor as he hurried before the throne and tried to kneel for his sire. The white haired lord's eyes widened and then became slits as a fist clutched the end of the arm of his magnificent chair. The imperial guards gazed at the wasting, ragged being that hacked up a clot of blood and shuddered, his body convulsing in agony. The demon tried to speak again, but suddenly his blood-shot eyes rolled into the back of his skull and he toppled onto the black marble tiles. A thin line of blood dribbled from his parted lips, streaming down his jaw from the side of his mouth and creating a growing pool of red.

Members of the court scowled as the body became dust, whispers becoming outraged cries, and the lord's hand twitched before releasing his armrest to signal for quiet. Quiet did come, but it was not by the power of the vampire called Hades… The pool of blood continued to accumulate from the pile of dust, and then it came alive, sweeping like a wave across the floor, glowing against the black in order to make the letters left behind easier to discern.

So, the fabled Lord Hades and his court, I greet you, though you should never have been able to rouse me from my land…and rather…should have tried to keep your presences unknown. Your time is short, but…depending on your responses… it may be lengthened.

The aristocrats murmured anxiously to one another while the royal guards unsheathed swords or took torches from the walls. A few strands of the long white hair moved as the lord's hand went, as a fist, to his knee.

"What witch craft is this?" he whispered, his eyes running over the lines again. They shot open when the wave traveled across the floor once more.

Witch craft? Vampires contain more magic than any other creature…this is no spell. But now I see…you are quite a disappointment, Lord Hades.

A choked hiss pierced the silence, followed by Hades' barking snarl. "Fallen No-Life-King, who are you to make such a remark? The impudence!" He checked his anger, realizing how contorted his features had become when such a thing was useless. He was conversing with blood… His eye twitched as rage rolled through his words. "Do you not know how vast my following is? How many leagues my domain covers? All of continental Asia and to the southern-most tip of Africa! And you! You and your sad ruin in Romanian! You barely have influence outside your legend!" His lips rippled over his fangs as the blood responded.

I have no need for a kingdom or for followers…for I no longer have either besides my castle…it has been disbanded or consumed by myself. I do not include myself in the world, without a desire to rule. I will overlook conquering bodies like this one, but I shall slaughter those who cross my path or make themselves known to me... Do you so wish for a demonstration that you will continue to try my patience? For I warn you, the tales bearing the name Dracula, told throughout my land, are relatively accurate. I will boil your flesh, impale you with a stake of my choosing or litter your skull with silver nails if that is more to my taste at the moment…or I may tear you apart and force your followers to consume your organs while I dine on your heart…the list of possibilities has no end.

"HOW DARE YOU!" The vampire shot up from his throne, shaking with un-quelled fury, and a long braid accompanied by loose strands of white fell behind his shoulder. "DRACULA! YOU! YOU DARE CLAIM SUCH A THING WHEN YOU HAVE NOT THE COURAGE TO STAND BEFORE ME YOURSELF!" The blood moved slowly.

So…you believe I must stand before you? You are not satisfied with my present position...

"…behind you?"

Hades went rigid and his body became a blur as he began to move, but a hand of shadow went through his throne and caught the white braid, holding the lord in place and breaking the being's will to move as the chamber echoed with the No-Life-King's cackling laughter that had the voices of howling, absent wolves behind it. Panic thudded in the captured lord's mind, empty of anything but terror as the fire of Hell leapt at his legs, black flames of shadow enclosing him in darkness. Then the darkness dispersed and a few sparse cries rang out as Dracula stood before the court. The vampire king's thumb played with the end of the braid, taunting the lord who boldly snatched it away as he saw his guards advance onto the scene.

Dracula's tall figure, draped in black, stood motionless, like a pillar, leaving his gaze attached to the throne. Hades had retreated down the steps that elevated his chair, but the vampire stopped as he left the last one to show his guards his confidence in their strength, encouraging them to slowly create an arch around the vampire king. Unfocused eyes didn't blink as the guards ascended the first, and then the second stair, but they sparked dully when the first boot touched the third. There was a shriek from the vampire who was the first to touch this step, followed by the screams of four others who also reached it before realizing what was going on. The grotesque maws of several hellhounds branched out of the demon king's back, slithering through the air like mutant serpents, clutching the bodies of the guards suspended above the court. Blood cascaded from the dying forms, reflected in the horrified eyes that gazed up at them, petrified and incapable of action as one after another, the falling torrents of blood became streams of dust and solid chunks of the matter slipped from the jaws, breaking on the floor. One of these shapes landed at the lord's feet and he stepped back to avoid the shower of dust that came up as a reaching plume, after it.

A moment of terrifying silence was deepened when Count Dracula turned casually to face his audience. Their stricken visages drew a twisted grin in his features, making several vampires flinch. A few of the females shuddered at the form, leaning back into their chairs. Dracula's eyes passed the guards and outlined the expansive table that was ringed by the vampiric aristocrats, each of which shuddered or reacted in some way when the red gaze touched them. Hades was the last to receive the king's attention, and he glared defiantly when the eyes did not leave. He stood at the side of the room, but between the guards and his court of followers.

"Why do you hesitate?" he snarled suddenly, glowering at the backs of his guards who dared not turn their eyes to him. "Kill him now! If you wait for him to whittle away at your numbers then…"

"They already know that this resistance is futile, Lord Hades." Dracula's deep voice covered the words of the vampire lord, mesmerizing those who heard it with the influence of terror and the charm hidden in his overbearing aura of authority. "They are not fools."

Hades' lips trembled, a mixture of rage and dismay moving them. "They are fools if they mean to betray their ruler!" he countered, hiding any signs of desperation or doubt with heated anger. "Lift your weapons from the floor and fight!"

No one moved. The smile on Dracula's face opened to reveal his fangs for a moment before he chuckled. It was like the sounding of drums before a hanging. "They will not fight, yet….I have taken no initiative to attack. I am not here for them, Lord Hades. Let us make this a simple matter."

The vampire lord watched the king that gazed down at him, biting his lip at the amusement the other was deriving from his uneasiness. His eyes darted to his men and ,with dread falling into the pit of his stomach, he knew that he had lost them. No one was coming to his aid. He licked his lips nervously and scowled at the demon king. "What is it you would like, then? We have offended you, so you wish for compensation for the offence? I can provide you with wealth, or humans, or even a bride if you so wish. More than one…perhaps? What will it be, No-Life-King?"

The king's grin widened disagreeably, drawing a twitch from the vampire lord and several from his guards and followers. "You have no more control of the conclusion of this story, Lord Hades. I know how this will all come to an end."

"How so?" the white haired vampire spoke with a level tone, struggling not to retreat from the monster smiling hungrily down at him.

"Oh." A low chuckle rumbled through the open chamber, the vibrations snaking down the spines of those present. "You are the example I need in order to prevent this kind of confrontation in the future."

Jerking, the braid swung to the side as the lord stepped back, away from the wave of malicious glee that shot out at him, and he shivered, trying to expel the feeling. But fear had latched onto his mind, and it burrowed into it, too far for determination or any other feeling to dislodge. He could hear whispers in his mind. He was going to die…he was going to die. "No." he murmured, shaking his head, but he yelped when a hand closed over his face, fragmenting his vision as it lifted him from his feet. He hung there helplessly, as shock immobilized him, unable to hear the gasps of his subjects or those of the guards who now turned to look at him. When Dracula's mirth sounded in the room, his body convulsed and he tried to resist, claws slashing at the form he could not see. But he never made contact, and he twisted and roared in vain, as his hands tried to detach the one that held his face. He kicked and screamed, feeling the being move, preparing to do something that would ultimately end his life while those whom he had once trusted watched in silence. He had been abandoned. Made the diversion that might spare the others… He howled out curses, damning each of the names he could recall at the moment, and then all of the vampires as a whole.

Hades never had the opportunity to wonder where the wooden stake had come from, but it was suddenly thrust through his stomach. A gush of blood poured from his mouth, clogging his throat, and his eyes bulged under the pressure exerted by the dead fingers that still held him. He gurgled, thrashing desperately to escape further harm. But something held him still and another stake was impaled though his body. A screech managed to reach the air before another stake was forced into his flesh, then another, and another… Eventually, sightless eyes stared up at the ceiling of the grand hall, the body shivering, littered with a number of short wooden stakes, blood pouring from each wound. The white braid had been died red.

The body made a sickening squelching sound when it crumpled to the floor, released by Dracula. With a low growl, a hellhound broke from his body and slowly weaved over the vampire king to lower to the form on the floor. Dracula faced the court, watching their eyes as they stared at their ruler as his body was stripped of its flesh, fangs shredding the skin and muscle, cracking the bones that it did not swallow whole. When the body turned to dust, the beast retired from its prey, and melded into the vampire king that stood alone in the middle of the hall. First one and then another followed as the guards went to their knees, submitting to the being before them. Soon, the aristocrats stood and did the same, until every head in the hall was inclined towards the No-Life-King. Dracula's expressionless features told nothing of his intentions, leaving anticipation to choke those who could feel the breath of death at their necks. A steady chorus suddenly rose up from unsteady voices.

"Our Lord…Dracula."

*~*~::..+..::~*~*

Without the desire to rule, as stated before, Dracula left the ruler-less castle, but accepted the gifts the anxious vampires insisted upon granting him. He was given three wives in the hopes of cementing an agreement of peace between his domain and theirs. Dracula returned to his empty castle, filling it with more 'life' than it had contained in over a century.

The three 'gifts' secluded themselves to a single bedchamber, consoling each other as they waited fearfully for their new lord to visit them. What would such a monster do to them? He would ravage their bodies and torture them, of that the women were sure, and they shuddered and cried in despair for the first few nights they were left alone. Then, reason returned to one who had taken the most offence from the Count so far. She had been forced to watch her husband die…and then, out of her husband's number of wives, she had been offered, while the other women were from the lower ranks of nobility, offered because the Count had, and the woman scowled at the memory, insisted upon having commoners, which was unacceptable and outside the court's power to obtain at the moment. So he had settled with what they gave him, and then left. Now Dracula was ignoring the women. Ignoring them, as if they did not exist! But they dared not leave the bedchamber, or one another, too afraid to remind the king that they were at his mercy. But his absence did not last forever.

One of the women gave a faint shriek when he stepped through the door unannounced. Three eyes shook with terror as he approached them, unable to move from the crimson orbs that carried slight disdain for the females. But the vampires jolted when a young boy was thrown into their midst, and the child's wails were heard for the first time.

"I take it that you tend to feed as well?" there was a taunting smile on the demon's lips, but it didn't reach his eyes, and the women were too paralyzed by fear to touch the boy who lay limp and whimpering before them. The king suddenly disappeared. Minutes passed before the female vampires realized their hunger. They feasted upon the virgin blood with a new heated elation. If he as feeding them, it wasn't likely that he would be killing them anytime soon, and there was nothing unpleasant or painful about drinking young, virgin blood. The widow was used to such cuisine, but the others had been supplied with such a delicacy less often, and so they felt more gratitude for the meal than the other, and eventually this settled in their minds as another night expired. Then, fear returned when Dracula revisited them, his hands empty this time.

Dracula betrayed no thoughts or feelings at all with his expression as he stood in the doorway. Lips parted when he beckoned to one of the females, and she hesitantly glanced at the others, before following the gesture. They left the room together.

Those remaining suddenly felt the heat of the insult they had not foreseen. The man had blatantly overlooked them, preferring the woman with the lowest social stature and the plainness looks, for that matter. The women went to the canopied bed and huddled in the blankets, giving spiteful comments about the other female, but mostly about their lord who seemed to be treating them like objects he could amuse himself with at will… Then they remembered that this was true, and their feelings turned back into fear and they developed pity for the poor girl that had been taken away, realizing that she was the youngest of the three.

She returned the next night, but to the other's surprise, the girl was rather cheerful and only had words of praise for Dracula, lacking any form of fear. She described the mountains and the forest she had accompanied the Count to, and the way packs of wolves would sing to his glory. It disgusted and confused the women who did not comment on the tale, or how the girl had been allowed to hunt as the Count watched from afar. She refused to reveal anything after that, disturbing the women further, but again, they held their tongues. It puzzled them. The girl had been terrified of Dracula only a moon before, but now she almost worshipped him. What black magic could be at work?

Two nights passed before Dracula returned. He was met by only one small smile, and his eyes lingered on the one who possessed it, but he chose a different female to accompany him. The widow almost frowned while the Count still occupied the room. Once he and his companion were gone, she scowled for a moment and then looked at the disappointment in the girl beside her. With sick humor, her lips twitched as the thought of the Count leaving the best for last crossed her mind, and she continued her thoughts in silence, moving to a bookcase in the room to try and occupy herself. Her fingers skimmed the backs of the books, but her eyes did not read the titles as she thought. Suddenly, her voice broke the quiet.

"Did he ever ask for your name?"

The other female started, not expecting such a question, and she hesitated before answering. "That was the first thing he did."

Blue eyes widened in surprise, but the expression went unseen as the widow was still facing the bookcase, but her hand froze for a moment. "Oh." Her hand traveled down the shelves and fell to her side. She turned as if nothing had been to her taste, leaving the bookcase. She paused when another question entered her mind, and the woman looked at the black mane of hair the girl possessed for a moment, noticing her honey colored eyes and how beautiful and strong they were for the first time. A little put off by this, the woman looked away and fingered one of her own lush, golden curls, contrasting the appeal of her porcelain skin against the exotic deep tan that colored the other female. "What is your name? I'm afraid I have yet to ask." She felt guilty about the comments she had made about the girl's inferior looks the night before, ignorant of her traits that held rivaling beauty in them.

"Aaleahya…it means sunshine. I always thought it was a terrible name for a vampire." The girl smiled nervously. "Please call me Leah, I'm more comfortable with this name." She laughed with difficulty, but no familiarity entered the room and she did not return the same question to the widow.

The room was quiet after this.

The next night the girl asked the other woman about her night with the Count, first inquiring her name to establish a closeness that would make such intimacy between them more appropriate. And so, Rebecca and Leah became closer, somewhat intimidated by the widow who tacitly reminded them of their varying statures by insisting on remaining apart from the group as they spoke. Dracula had taken Rebecca into a village to observe how she could coax a child from its mother's side. She also commented on the full moon, inciting playful jealousy from Leah. The widow sat in silence, choosing to be by the window as she listened, realizing how lonely she felt in their company.

Two nights went by, and hunger began to pester the widow, adding to her frustration. Because of this, she had enough tenacity in her to narrow her eyes, but not glare, at Dracula when he appeared. Before he could signal for her to come to his side, the widow strode towards his direction, looking him defiantly in the eye. She reached the wall but gasped as a cold hand held her back. When she was moved to the side and Leah was motioned for instead, the woman fell into a dumbfounded stupor, staring at the Count until he caught the expression. His eyes sparked with a hint of sadistic approval when he noticed her turmoil. Dracula continued out of the room with the girl behind him.

In a fit of fury as dawn approached and the woman's indignation had begun to boil into real anger, she tore a book in half before going to the bed, hating it as it was not her missing coffin, and oblivious to the horror in the other woman's face.

The next night, the Count returned without the girl. When Rebecca's eyes bespoke concern, he looked around the room as he answered her question casually.

"She has decided to leave this room…I have never forced any of you to remain here. You can explore any part of the castle you like, regardless if the door is locked or not." He paused for a moment, as if coming upon some quire detail in the room, and the widow stiffened as she remembered the book from the night before. But the Count was not looking at the bookcase. "I'll warn you beforehand, there may be a generous coating of dust on most of the furniture."

Stunned by the almost pleasant tone and topic, the widow glanced uneasily at the floor, and a finger worried one of her curls that fell to her waist. When she looked up again, Rebecca was gone. She was alone with the Count, and to her horror, he was holding the ruined book in his hands. As soon as he frowned, fear speared the woman's heart and she stepped back only to hit her calf on the frame of the bed. When she looked down and back up she flinched at how close the Count was to her and yet, she still could not sense him. The book was hanging, inches from her face. A few fragile leafs of paper slipped from the ruined binding, falling with a swift note to the floor. Her round eyes stared up at the shadowed face where two crimson orbs burned dimly, hearing the papers fall, marking the passing moments. The woman shuddered at the stifling suspense.

"Why did you do this?"

Flinching, blue eyes fell to the floor, but a hand roughly grasped the widow's chin and jerked her face up to meet the red gaze. "Tell me why, woman?"

Anger flared from the reference, but it sputtered out before becoming a flame, and the frightened vampire drew her arms in protectively and leaned away from the touch, unable to move her tongue to speak.

"Tell me!"

The woman still would not speak.

The pages scattered as one of the halves of the book crashed into the side of the woman's face, making her shriek in fear, although the collision did not hurt her, and there was a dull thud when the hard cover hit the wood floor. She managed a shaking whisper. "I'm sorry."

The other half of the book struck her directly in the face, this time hitting her with the cover of the book instead of the pages. A small cut was left on her brow, but panic made the injury a symbol to fear. The Count's violence had shaken her greatly and any calm the woman possessed was now gone. She tried to flee but was caught and shoved towards the wall. Cornered by a dresser and the side of the bed, the widow slid down the wall and pressed against it, reduced to cowering as the being towered over her powerless self. Her hands covered her head, threading through her hair as she fought not to try to run again. Dracula stepped towards her.

"Why did you destroy my property?"

The monotone held some comfort, but the woman could not find it as terror came with anything telling of the monster's presence, and she trembled at how close it sounded. "I'm…I'm sorry."

"I didn't ask for your apology. Explain why you were driven to destroy my property?" Dracula watched the sad, trembling creature as it whimpered like the child he had given the women several nights ago. He scowled when he saw her body stiffened, readying to dive under the bed. "You do not want to excite me, woman. It is better for you if you don't make me chase after you. I might kill you and that would most likely upset the other women…now…stand up with some form of dignity and answer my simple question, wench, before I have to wring it out of you. I lack patience for this type of stupidity."

"I…I…was…" the woman quaked under the glare she felt above her, and her voice twisted into a whimper.

"Are you mute? Can you not form a complete sentence? Speak!"

"I was angry!" she sobbed out, and huddled more into herself. "I was frustrated! You killed my husband! Now you hold me captive! I am trapped here with these women who have fallen under your spell!" a whine filled her throat and she coughed. "YOU'RE A HORRIBLE, EVIL DEVIL! JUST GO TO HELL AND LET ME BE FREE!"

She gasped at the confusing sensation of weightlessness as she was lifted and set on the bed, feeling too much like a vulnerable child to do more than cringe, and she closed her eyes with her face directed towards her lap.

"Who knows when I'll reach Hell, but I'm not keeping you here against your will."

The tears began to fade away at this point and the woman ventured a glance up at the Count as he stood before her. Fear was ebbing away as calmness returned. "What do you mean?" she whispered, but her volume grew as she went on. "You're not keeping me against my will? That's a lie!"

There was a flash of red followed by a sharp crack as an open palm turned the woman's face, causing her to inhale sharply, and tremble with renewed anxiety.

"Do not call me a liar, woman. I have yet to lie to you or deceive you in any way. Go back to that kingdom if you want, but without a ready replacement for Lord Hades, there will be chaos within the aristocracy…competition for power." He paused as he noticed he had gained her full attention. "That is why they would risk having a tyrant rule for them. They knew that I had long outgrown ambition, so I would have been the ideal figurehead for them to work behind." Dracula was walking around the perimeter of the bed and he suddenly disappeared under its horizon as he bent to pick up the scattered pages. "You would probably be one of the first to go, being so close, and loyal, to the last ruler. Purging comes first, then reconciliation and a battle for either the heart, admiration, or fear of the people. The heart is weak and terror often leads to desperate rebellion, so admiration is necessary to make either work, though terror and admiration are more compatible and lasting."

"I don't understand." The widow was peering over the frame of the bed, but she backed away to the other side when Dracula glanced up at her. He waved his hand and the remaining papers drifted together. The king fixed the edges of the pile before standing.

"I'm telling you that you should stay here if you prefer being alive. If you wait for a decade or so before you return, then, using my name, you can claim to be under my protection and the likelihood of you being murdered will be significantly reduced. It will be a lie, but it will be a more believable one the longer you stay with me without my killing you, which is easier than it seems." The neat stack of papers was now tucked under his arm and he looked at the woman sitting on the corner of the bed nearest to the wall. "Do not destroy my books. Visit any of my dusty rooms and you can break anything covered in a layer a centimeter thick, but any less and I will not be pleased. That counts as most of what I own, so you don't have to worry about variety or number. But, never my books. Then, when you hunt, if you do, you do so under my supervision."

"Why?" the heated question was cut back by a spark in the Count's eye. Chastised, the woman meekly repeated the question. "Why is that the case…my lord?"

"Because my descendents live here, dispersed throughout this land you call my kingdom. You will not kill one of them out of ignorance, for if you do…you will not want to know what I am capable in a heated passion. What happened to Lord Hades was nothing. That was the example of my mercy, my pity, not my anger or hate."

Then he left her.

The next night, after sleeping in her coffin, she was called upon to hunt with the Count.