His master smelled.
It was only to be expected. Train and sea voyages didn't exactly have the best of facilities available for washing and laundry. Their rush to get him back to one of the homes and complete the binding meant that they weren't staying overnight in a hotel, either, despite how late in the evening their ship had docked.
No, they promptly rented a cramped carriage, crammed themselves in, left Lord Holmswood and his title to manage the coffins, the cargo, arrange conveyance for the belongings, and fill out all the assorted paperwork and sundry details for their return. And off they went. The Harkers, Seward, and Van Helsing, stuffed into a too-small carriage and rolling down the dark London roads.
So here he was. Tired and worn after the travel across the Channel, sleepy, but...relaxed. Safe. Wedged between Abraham (his MASTER...ah. How...pleasant?) and the side of the carriage, for no one else could be convinced to sit next to him. A small smirk passed his lips at the thought.
And warm. There was heat coming from Abraham, heat from other warm bodies in the enclosed carriage, and the carriage had clearly been in a warm stable. It was warm. And the heat was making him drowsy, and the seat was surprisingly soft.
And Abraham smelled. Strongly. But it wasn't...disagreeable. It was human. And laced through the scent, the heat wafted off his body, penetrating through the vampire's clothes and skin, slowly warming the cold body. And with the heat and the scent was the sound. The thrumming rush of blood through vessels, the muted gurgles of active organs, and the steady, hypnotic thumping of a human heart.
Eyes drooping closed, Alucard (no more Vlad, no more Dracula, simply...Alucard...) allowed the heat and sound and scent to overpower his senses. It lulled him, soothed him, covered and concealed the nibblings of hunger and concern and worry for the future.
It was a cocoon of security, allowing relaxation, removing all need to interact with the world. He let it sooth him, relaxing in a way he had not been able to relax in centuries. Someone ELSE could deal with the world for him, he was just going to take this as it came and enjoy it. He took a deep, needless breath of heat and scent, and relaxed more deeply into the warmth.
Four pairs of shocked eyes watched as the vampire turned and snuggled into Van Helsing.