Dracula's Groom

CHAPTER NINETEEN: Dream or Reality

Nathan

A dense fog covered the entire ground as I found my bearings and realized I was standing in the center of the maze with Castle Dracula to the south and the botanical garden greenhouse in front of me. I looked up at the night sky and was amazed at how clear the stars looked from here. I used to think that the stars were the souls of our dearly departed and that their eternal life was our light in a sea of darkness.

Sitting on a weathered stone bench next to a pond, a figure appeared out of the corner of my eye. It was a wolf! Its fur was as white as the moon. And its eyes blazed like the sun. I watched it walk across the ground as it trotted up the small set of steps and sat down next to me. Resting its head on my lap, I was afraid it might turn around and bite me. But it didn't. I gently placed a hand on top of its head and stroked its fur.

The wolf's tail waggled with delight as he attempted to lick my free hand that rested on my lap as a way of thanking me. Then I heard a whistle. Turning my attention towards the maze, a man dressed in leather pants, shirtless, a glossy black trench coat. Dracul walks across the grass as the fog swirls around him. He sits beside me and touches my lips. The tips of his fingers feel cold and his eyes are black and he looks...hungry.

"Where are we? Why am I here?" I ask.

"You tell me. It's your dream."

"My dream? But I remember the hotel. I saw you get shot."

"I'm healed but not completely. My body needs something else."

"Which is?"

"Blood."

The answer was blunt, straight to the point. His confidence in owning up to it told me that what he was saying was true and that he was not lying. I should've been scared but there was no fear here. I felt comfortable around him even if this was my dream. I dropped my eyes to his clothes and marveled at how hot he looked in those pants. His chest expanded as he sucked in a breath, the leather trench coat creaking as he rolled his shoulders back and sat up straight.

"You want my blood?"

"Yes. I've been holding back for so long now, that I don't know how much longer I can stand it. I'm so hungry, Nathan."

His eyes plead with me for help as he looks away for a moment. "So you're a vampire."

"Not just any vampire. My name is Dracula. Or Vlad the Impaler if you want to get historical."

"Oh, my God."

"Please. There's no reason for you to fear me."

"How old are you, really?"

"I am two thousand years old."

"But you look..."

"Younger? I was made vampire when I was twenty-nine. Just shy of my thirtieth birthday."

"History tells that you were once in love. Is that true?"

"Briefly."

"Are there more like you?"

"At least one. Another has been given the choice."

"This is a lot to take in."

"I know. More will be explained in time. I promise you."

The fog swirled at our feet as the moonlight shined down upon us. Dracula shrugged off his coat and set it aside as he moved closer to me. His lips parted for a moment and I caught the sight of something sharp. I reached for his face as I began to push back his upper lip, his hands stopping me as he looked me dead in the eye.

"No! Keep your hands away from my mouth."

"Your fangs...they really are real."

"Of course they are." A slight sting throbbed in my hand as I noticed a tiny drop of blood pooling at the tip of my finger. Then he said, "Here. Let me kiss it better."

He reached for my hand and with a gentle touch, brought my finger to his lips as he licked the wound closed. Afterwards, he returned my hand to my lap and gave me a warm smile. I looked at my finger in amazement. The blood was gone, the wound sealed. It was like it never even happened.

"Now did that hurt?" he teased.

"No. Now, can I ask—?"

"What is it like to drink blood?"

"Yes."

"Blood is life. It is the key to my very survival. Drinking blood however, is something different entirely. I love the color of blood and the taste of it is extraordinary. I enjoy the pounding of my victim's heart as I puncture the artery vein and slowly drain the life from them. Others tend to enjoy it while most of them do not. And sometimes, it can be quite sensual for the both of us."

"Is it like having sex?"

Dracula busted out a laugh. "You never cease to amaze me. Yet here you are. What with your endless array of questions and my simply answering them. You fascinate me beyond reason. That is why I like you."

He kissed my cheek in that moment. The delicate brush of his lips as they came in contact with my skin made the hair on my neck stand up as chill ran down my spine. But he didn't stop there. Trailing along the column of my throat, I gasped at the touch of tongue as he kissed and nibbled playfully. Then came the soft scratching of his fangs, tantalizing my flesh as my heart began to pick up speed.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he muttered. "I can hear it in your blood."

"Are you going to bite me, then?"

"Do you want me to?"

"I don't know. Will it hurt?"

"Only one way to find out."

I say nothing more as Dracula takes it as a sign to proceed. My lungs are still, my breathing shallow. His arms come around full circle as he pulls me in and prepares to strike. I close my eyes at exactly the right moment his fangs pierce the skin and my blood follows into his mouth. There is no pain except only pleasure. But when it is over. A dull ache forms along the side of my neck from where his fangs had been and heals the wound with a drop of his own blood.

As he pulled away, I could see the color return to his youthful face. The way his eyes changed from black to green in an instant. His fangs were gone, his bottom lip stained with the remnants of my blood before he licked it clean.

"That was simply...exquisite."

I suddenly became lightheaded as the world around me turned to darkness and I found myself lying in a bed in a hotel room. I turned on the light by the bedside table and sat up. My clothes lay on the floor at the foot of the bed. The bathroom light shines in through the crack in the door and the air still lingers with a hint of fresh soap after a shower. A knock at the door caused me to jump as I brought the covers up to my neck and waited in silence.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It's me," the voice replied. The same voice from my dream. Dracula.

I wrap myself up in the bedsheet before swinging my legs over the side and walk to answer the door. Dracula stands on the other side, his face grim with discovery. His eyes look me up and down as he stand there in the hallway, motionless.

"I know what you are." I said.

"Yes. I am aware of that."

"How do you—?"

"Because we just had the same dream.

Author's Note: Hello my lovelies. Well...here it is. The long awaited next chapter. I deeply apologize for any cringes or awful narratives. It's been a while since I wrote this story (as you all know. Duh! Silly me.) Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. Tomorrow I'll be working on The Escape Artist! See you then. Love always xoxo