Reborn

Chapter 7 - You Only Zing Once

A/N: Brief mature content in beginning

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A steady rhythm sounds in her ears, like a sort of music. Through her blissful haze, she is able to make each element out.

There is the rapping of the headboard against the wall; there is the creaking of the bed beneath her bare body as it gets pushed into the mattress; there is the soft clapping of skin against skin; there are the quiet grunts that emit from the body above her; there is the steady thrumming of her heart in her chest; there are the light gasps of pleasure that escape her being; there are the smoochy noises of lips on lips meeting together in passionate kisses. It's all a chorus of erotic song, a carnal symphony of pleasure and lust between her and her love - Dracula. She closes her eyes as his fangs drag across her neck, causing an involuntary shudder to ripple through her entire body and leaving goosebumps in its wake.

When she opens her eyes again, however, the entire scenery has changed. It's the same room, but it's night, and the only light is coming from the outside. The light of an entire mob of torches. Her blood runs cold as she feels the bundle of a baby back in her arms and very clearly hears the angry shouts from the folks on the street.

No, no, no. Not again.

She wants to scream, she wants to run away, but it's as though she is trapped into the role. And there is nothing she can do to change what comes next.

Drac gives her the words of reassurance and leaves. The figure comes for her again with the stake. The dreadful all-too-real feeling of the weapon as it pierces her chest in an agonizing manner, puncturing through her skin, ripping through her heart and coming out the other end. The numbness of the intense pain washes over her once more as the Count returns for her, his wails of grief reverberating throughout the space of the burning room.

And then silence.

Ericka gasps, awakening from slumber with a start.

She takes deep breaths to calm her racing heart and blinks a few times to become aware of her surroundings. It's dark, but she can still make out the familiar shapes that made up her room. She shifted and became aware of the weight of an arm draped around her waist behind her and a cool body pressed up against her back. And then the passionate memory of the night before with Dracula returns to mind, but only for a brief moment. The more recent memory of the nightmare was too fresh in her mind to recount any of the intimate details with her zing at the moment. Instead she clutches tightly to the bedsheets and muffles a sob into them.

Dracula was immediately stirred from sleep by the sound. "Ericka?" he whispered, his arms tightening their hold around her and shaking gently. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

"W-what?" she asked, turning herself to face him and still in a sort of haze from the nightmare. She was surprised to find that there were fresh tears down her cheeks, and the sight startled Dracula.

"Ericka!" he gasped, sitting up straight in the bed. "Honeyfangs, what's wrong? Please, tell me," he pleaded as he wiped the droplets away with a thumb.

"I-It's nothing," she said after a moment. "Just a bad dream..." But the memory of the stake driving so painfully through her chest kept coming back to her in vivid detail, and she let out another sob.

"Ericka, no," he whispered, tugging her in close and wrapping both arms around her small frame. "It's okay, my love, no harm will ever come to you when you're with me," he promised, pecking her forehead lightly a few times.

"I know," she nodded. "It's just... I've been having this dream a couple of times during the cruise trip..."

"Oh?" Dracula looked at her. "Do you want to tell me what it is? If you're comfortable."