Gentle

Chapter 3

Prompt: SAYING I LOVE YOU BEFORE LEAVING TO WORK?? GIVE ME

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"Keys?"

Dracula responded to Ericka's inquiry by jingling the ring of the said items, twirling it around his pale index finger with a grin before clipping it to his belt. They were of various sizes and shapes, able to open all sorts of doors at the hotel.

"Check!"

"Cape?"

With a snap of his fingers, Drac called for his cape. The sentient fabric appeared to tiptoe over to him, doing a silly little dance around Ericka before appropriately clipping itself at the Count's neck. Ericka giggled at the display.

"Check!"

"Treats?"

Drac's brow furrowed. "Treats?" he echoed in question.

Ericka held up a bag of bone-shaped dog treats, sirloin steak flavored. "To distract Tinkles while the Bones family is walking around."

"Ahh," Drac said in understanding and grabbed the bag from his wife, giving her a thumbs up. "Check!"

Seeing that he appeared to be in order, Dracula stood up straighter and prepared to head out the door of his chambers to commence his shift at the hotel for that night.

"Ahem."

The vampire paused at the sound of Ericka's voice clearing. He turned to face her.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked.

"I am?" Drac was fairly sure he'd gotten the last of his preparations finished. It was the whole reason Ericka had been helping him go over the checklist.

His wife sauntered over, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing herself against him. Her voice was low when she spoke, a husky edge to it that made a shiver run down Drac's spine as she looked at him with hooded eyes.

"How about an 'I love you'?"

Dracula smiled at this, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Of course, sweetheart. I was merely saving the best for last." Then, he pressed his lips against hers, sweetly and tenderly as they always did when they kissed.

"I love you," he said softly when they pulled apart. But Ericka wasn't quite done yet. She tugged him down for another kiss, just as loving as the first, and whispered a sweet reply.

"I love you, too."