Chapter 38

Cold fear settled in her stomach when she locked gazes with Dracula. Darkness sat on his head like a crown and caused Maris to stop breathing for a minute.

His face had a stoic expression on it with dead eyes. He held his index finger to his lips and swiped his thumb on his neck, gesturing for her to keep shut or die.

Well, what a zinger. Dracula was breaching the agreement he had with her people for the sake of his own selfish reasons.

He pressed his palm harder to her lips and dragged her quietly out of the tent, into the cold night. Bats flew over them and black birds stood on the branches of the tall trees surrounding them.

At the drop of a hat, he whisked Maris away and deeper into the forest, carrying her bridal style. Maris had seen enough this season and she would give anything just to be free and normal again.

"There he is." Dick pointed at Dracula enthusiastically when he had arrived. "Tie her, she's a fighter and would run at any given chance."

A vampire with bloodshot eyes chained her wrist and salivated at the sight of her fresh skin. "I'm sure your blood would taste amazingly good."

He poked out his tongue to wet his lips and it crept Maris' skin.

"Why did you have to go back on your words?" Maris asked Dracula. Her eyes, brimming with clouds of violent emotions.

"Don't question my actions. It's none of your business." Dracula spat, walking ahead of his followers.

"None of my business?!" Maris fumed, frustration getting the better of her. "I am involved here, I am the one that has chains around her wrists, I think this is my business!"

"Hey, don't raise your voice at our king." Linda gave Maris a nudge so strong Maris thought she might have cracked her ribs. "Shut your face hole."

Maris' tongue automatically glued to the roof of her tongue as she swallowed all the uncensored words that almost slipped out of her lips.

She chanced a glance at Lucy who was walking beside Dracula, their fingers intwined as they led the others on feet. Her gaze burnt through the back of Lucy's head and she glanced over her shoulder to meet Maris' pleading gaze.

'Help me' Maris muttered, but Lucy only offered a blank look before glancing away to her front.

Maris was a stalwart young woman, but things were beginning to deteriorate. She was at her wits' that she didn't know what to do to end this all.

Perhaps I should just take my own life.

Her subconscious chipped in and she shook her head, shoving out the negativity that was slowly camping in her heart. She needed to stay alive.

"I'm thirsty." Maris blithely announced, halting in her tracks.

"Here." Linda tossed her a bottle of water and she caught it, the sides of her lips twitched with disdain as both their eyes conveyed hatred to one another.

She averted her gaze with a blink and clashed with the eyes of Dracula. Her lips curled upwards before she parted them to say, "A leopard can't change its spots."

Dracula arched a questioning brow at her and she continued, "That's why they shouldn't have trusted you in the first place. There's no difference between you and the devil."

Maris' jaw ticked and Dracula held her gaze for a minute before looking away.

A peg too low, Maris' shoulders dropped once again and her heart sank. She felt weak and this feeling drilled a hole in her heart. There was a heaving feeling in her heart before a tear rolled down her cheek. Quickly, she raised her wrist to wipe her face not wanting to risk Linda seeing her weak–but the situation was a bitter pill to swallow.

Promptly, a burning sensation on her wrist made her wince. She spared it a glance and saw her symbol glowing. This awakened the hope that had long died in heart. Her legs which were once sore felt stronger than before.

The glowing symbol meant one thing–she had alerted her people.

They moved deeper into the forest and her heart raced when she heard ruffling of the bushes just in front of them.

Her joy was cut short when a bunny with unusually sharp teeth and red eyes jumped out of the bush.

"I need to pee." Lucy announced and Dracula offered to take her into one of the bushes, but she refused and he sighed before letting her leave.

"Where are they?" She muttered ever so lowly that no one, but herself could hear.

Instantly, an uninvited wind blew at them, swaying her shirt and hair in different directions. It stopped, but continued again, becoming stronger.

They could hear heavy flapping of wings from a distance and they halted. Automatically, all their heads snapped up as the wind intensified, making the trees dance to it's rhythm. Dust was beginning to rise, leaving them no choice than to bend their heads and shield their eyes with their arms.

Abruptly, something mighty dropped from the sky and sent them staggering backwards. The earth shook and birds began to fly aimlessly over them.

Risking a glance at what it was, joy combust in the heart of Maris... It was Egon who had dropped from the sky. His mighty wings opened wide and his eyes glowed a bright blue.

The wind was from the wings of Egon and the other sirens that hovered over them in the sky, encircling the betrayer and their kind.

"And where do you think you're going?" Egon raged, his bird like legs firmly placed on the ground, ready to attack.

"Yes, where?" Logan jumped out of the bush, turned into a big wolf and tore his clothes, tossing them on the floor.

Dracula's fangs shot out and so did the other vampires, but Egon's demeanor softened. He straightened himself and changed back to his human form. Tall and well built as he shared an understanding look with Logan who stood down, but still in his wolf form.

"Why did you go back on your deal and run away with her?" Egon asked calmly, his eyes returning back to its normal color. "I'm not here to fight, but to reason once again."

Egon ordered the tritons and sirens to stand down, they did as instructed.

"Can we talk?" Egon gestured at two stones and Maris darted her perplexed gaze from Dracula to Egon.

Dracula gave Egon a long skeptical look before accepting and ordering his followers to stand down, but guard the girl and Lucy. Speaking of Lucy, where was she.

"Lucy?" He called out, his features becoming tensed as he searched his crowd of followers for her.

"Here!" Lucy walked out from behind a tree. "Was taking a piss."

"Go behind them for safety." He pointed at three huge men and she harkened to him.

Dracula sat on the stone opposite Egon and stroke his chin.

"Why do you want Maris?" Egon asked, sitting on the stone. "You said you wanted revenge and now you've gotten it by setting her free from Azazel's dungeon so why still take her after the agreement?"

Dracula hardened his face, staring frigidly at Egon with no response coming out of his mouth.

"Answer me." Egon bristled, clenching his dental bone then he screwed his eyes shut to refrain from getting aggressive. He believed everything could be solved through communication. "Dracula?"

"What do you need that information for?" Dracula finally spoke up, watching every move Egon made like a hawk.

"So we'd know what to do next. Maybe we could agree on something since we still need her alive." Egon reasoned and Dracula narrowed his eyes at him.

"I don't think it's necessary." Dracula shrugged, face still as hard as a rock and Egon flipped.

"Then give me back my girl!" He yelled, then cleared his throat so he could rephrase his sentence. "Give us back our queen."

"Your girl?" Maris and Dracula chorused and she hated the dirty grin that tugged the sides of Dracula's lips.

"Is there something you're hiding?" Drac asked, cunning as he could be.

"Slip of word. Now what do you need Maris for?" Egon asked again, scowling, "You went back on your words just like the devil. You're both the same."

"I'm nothing like the devil!" Dracula exclaimed, chest heaving as he stared daggers at Egon and Maris flinched, watching everything like a movie. "He went back on his words and refused to lift up the curse. He even refused to set my lover free so I had to save her myself. Now I want to over power and get my revenge on him."

"So where does Maris come in?" Egon asked, paying attention to Dracula who was in rage.

"The devil's entity is in her and he needs that to rule the world. If I have it, I can do the ritual and defeat him." He got to his feet and raised his fist to the sky.

"What if I say I can help you?" Egon popped up the question and Dracula froze, staring down at him.

"You can?" Egon nodded and got to his feet.

"Legend has it that the devil's weakness lies in a forbidden part of my kingdom. The gods, a long time ago, just in case the devil actually fulfills one of his rituals and overcomes the world–"Egon paused to swallow a ball of saliva then he continued, "Made something hidden underground in my kingdom that can be used to defeat him."