Poisoned

Prologue

"Love?! You don't know the meaning of the word! You have no heart, you have no soul!"

Nshina screamed. She and Dracula were standing in the entrance hall having a huge argument that Nshina had started

"Darling please, calm down! What is bothering you so much?"

He tried to reason with her, like he did every time they fought but she was stubborn, too stubborn,

"Everything! You're what's bothering me; my whole LIFE is what is bothering me!"

Now Dracula hadn't heard that retaliation before. These fights had been going on for a while now; no one knew what was causing Nshina to have become so angry and agitated all the time. She was so much older now, her 150th birthday was coming up but she was still acting like she was in her teens. Dracula had tried everything to calm her, he reasoned, he pleaded, he did everything he thought vampirly possible but nothing worked. Nshina persisted on arguing with everyone,

"Nshina!"

He shouted over her screams,

"I am at my wits end here! I have tried everything with you but you are just being so STUBBORN! If you would just talk to me then I might be able to help, but, if you insist on shouting and screaming at me then I will simply walk away and leave you to it! I am on the verge of not really caring what you have to say anymore if every time I try to talk to you, you just scream at me,"

Nshina was now quiet and staring at him with her blood red eyes, he couldn't see the sparkle they used to have anymore, just pure hate. Nshina lowered her head and grumbled something under her breath, Dracula put a finger under her chin and lifted it up, looking into her eyes dangerously

"If you have something to say, then say it,"

He said daringly. Nshina was the first to break the eye contact and looked at the wall; Dracula took his finger away from her chin and let his hand fall to his side.

That's better

He thought. Verona was standing at the top of the stairs, Marishka had rested her head on Verona's shoulder and she had put her hands over Marishka's ears. Marishka hated to see Nshina like this but she had no idea what was causing these violent mood swings, Verona had no idea either. None of them had gone through this so it couldn't just be a phase. Aleera was sitting on the banister; she rolled her eyes at Marishka and continued to stare forward. Aleera was tired of these fights, she just thought it was Nshina attention seeking but it was in very poor taste. Dracula tried to take Nshina's hand but she pulled it away and growled, she took a step back and watched him cautiously. Even though she didn't let them see it, she didn't know what was happening either, something had changed inside her but she hated it. It made her angry all the time and it made her think everyone was out to get her, but she knew fully well that they weren't. If something didn't change soon then she knew this: What ever this mood swing was, what ever was making her react to everyone like this it would tear her away from the ones she loved,

"I'm sorry master,"

Dracula folded his arms and acknowledged her apology, she looked up at his stony face but didn't look into his piercing eyes,

"I really am,"

Dracula could hear thick emotion in her voice, almost as if she was about to cry,

"I don't know what's happening to me,"

Dracula's hands went around her back and he kissed her neck, she lifted her head up to his ear and whispered,

"And I'm scared,"