Chapter 18

Dracula

He breathed fire from his nose, marching down the stairs with steps enough to break through a wooden floor.

"Mark!" He yelled, anger pumping through his veins with a clenched jaw.

He got into the living room and glanced around the grey painted walls before settling his gaze on the milk leather cushions. He met the gaze of a girl who he thought was a little too skinny.

Immediately, she averted her gaze and sat up.

"Hello, master." She greeted, her head bowed.

"Where's that bastard?!" He gnashed his teeth, trying his possible best not to transfer his aggression to the girl.

"Who, sir?" She raised her head to look at him with a questioning gaze.

Dracula stopped for a minute and solely wondered why her collar bones were that protruding. Was she sick?

"Mark." He answered shortly, taking in her features.

"I think he went to get some stuff with Greg." She responded and got to her feet.

"Did you know about it?" He questioned, managing to press the hold button on his anger and getting his emotions under control.

"About what?"

"Don't play dumb with me." He launched at her, sending her to the chair with his fingers around her neck and closing up her wind pipe. "Where is Mark?!"

Abruptly, the door flung open with Mark and Gregory strolling in with bright faces like the sun that made Dracula wince when rays pierced through his skin from the wide open door.

"Dracula?" Mark sounded astonished. The paper bag slipped from his hands and crashed to the floor, bottles of liquor broke into pieces. "I mean," he cleared his throat and adjusted his collar. "Dracula!"

He replaced the look of astonishment with an excited face, eyes widening as he faked a smile.

"I can see you're busy with this one too. Never knew skinny girls were your thing." Mark tittered with an unsteady gaze, never peering into Dracula's eyes.

"You!" He tightened his grip around her neck and she coughed, gasping for air.

"Mas-master," she stuttered breathlessly, clawing at his hand.

Greg shut the door and snuck into the kitchen for safety, so did the skinny lady as soon as Dracula freed her neck.

"What celebration do we have?" He straightened his black shirt and bent his neck to the right–it made a pop sound.

"I just-I just asked Greg to accompany me to the liquor store." He stammered, scratching the back of his head.

"What celebration do we have?" Dracula's fangs lengthened and he could already taste the dogman's blood at the tip of his tongue.

"Well-er, the-"

"I said," Dracula balled his palm into a fist, raised to his chest and popped it–he moved slowly like a predator aiming it's pry. "What celebration are we having?"

"We were supposed to be celebrating your death!" The dogman's eyes were emotionless when he exclaimed this. He tightened his dental bone and his eyebrows kissed each other as his nose flared. "And me being their new leader, but stupid bitch failed me. Now, I'll have to kill you myself!"

Dracula's lips was set in a prime line before lines of fear formed on his face. With a jittery expression, he held his hands up in mock surrender and shook.

"Oh, I'm so scared. Don't kill me." He begged and shielded his face with his arms.

Mark was only a substitute as the first dogman was sent on a mission to find Maris. He had broken into her home the other day, but couldn't find her phone to retrieve the nudes so Mark was asked to assist him till he returned from the important quest.

Dracula unshielded his face and a slow devilish smile spread across his face, showing off his sharp fangs.

"Fool." Dracula threw his head back and a laugh roared from the back of his throat.

Mark shot him a quizzical look and asked, "Did I miss something?"

"I'm a demon. Demon's don't die." He spat, inching close to the dogman.

"And I'll be the first to kill a demon." Mark seethed then pulled out a bulb of onions from his pocket and a bag of mustard seeds.

"And what would those tiny things do to-" Dracula was cut short when the dogman threw a fist full of mustard seeds on him. "Why does it burn?"

Dracula backed away from him, lines forming on his forehead.

"Burn you demon!" Mark exclaimed.

"Oh, it burns..." Drawled Dracula who grinned like the Cheshire cat. "You wish!"

He flew, rushing shoulder to stomach like lightening and sending Mark down to the floor.

"Guess who's gonna die for betrayal?" He held Mark's neck and sank his nails into his skin, blood trickling down his chest and watering the taste buds of Dracula. "You!"

Dracula applied more force to his neck till the bones in it began to break. He sank his fingers deeper till he destroyed it and blood gushed out from it.

After he was done, he got to his feet and noticed Mark had pressed the garlic to the side of his neck and he flicked it out, hating the unpleasant smell.

He rushed into the kitchen, turned on the tap and bent to scrub the smell off him.

The devil lied to him! Sun wasn't his only weakness, but this garlic had some kind of weakening effect on him. He tensed his dental bone and zoomed up to find Greg.

He kicked down the door to his room and found Greg seated on the bed.

"I'm sorry, I was never part of it." He shivered, chills running down his spine. He didn't want to die, not now.

"Oh, it's cool." Dracula shrugged with dead eyes then ambled his way to Greg's bed. "I forgive you."

"Really?" Greg's green eyes glittered with hope.

"Yeah." Dracula nodded, eyes glued to the door. "Guess who just died."

"Mark?" Gregory asked and Dracula snapped his head and they locked gazes.

"You!" He jumped on Greg and bit on the side of his neck. He pulled the skin until blood gushed out uncontrollably from it.

***********

Azelbub forest

"Devil!" Dracula stormed into the place, anger spider webbing his heart. "I summon you, devil the king of darkness!"

There was no sign of a living thing in the area. He glanced from left to right of the sacred forest. The blood of Jonathan who was his first meal was still there on the floor and he relived the moment again, feeling energized like he could kill even the devil's pets(manticores) and get away with it.

"Devil, Azazel!" He exclaimed. "Where the-"

He spun and pulled up short when his face was a whisper away from the devil.

"Hello, Dracula." He was calm and collected with horns shooting out of his head, skin crystal clear. "I suppose you haven't found the girl yet because I can feel anger searing through your veins."

Azazel trailed a finger down the side of his neck, rolling his tongue on his normal teeth as he studied Dracula.

"Why didn't you tell me I had other weaknesses?" Dracula's brows creased in a frown as he shot Azazel a death glare.

"That was for you to find."

"What if I died when Mark tried to use it against me?"

"Then you'd burn in hell." Azazel grinned and his fangs shot out before a small laugh irritated the ears of Dracula. "What do you want, Drac?"

"To be stronger so they wouldn't have effects on me."

"Granted. You may leave."

***********

"Master." The follower bowed to Dracula, dressed in a black coat and hat. "I almost got the girl, but they beat us to it."

"They, who?" Dracula frowned.

"Other kingdoms. It seems we're not the only ones after her."