She's Not Afraid

Chapter Ten

'VLAD!'

Her screaming was all he heard, and darkness was all he saw. Suddenly light flooded the darkness, and Vlad could see clearly. Nicoleta screamed and cried as Alex walked towards her. He tried to stand only to realize he had been chained to some wall. 'NO!' he yelled. Her screams only grew as Alex grabbed her throats and pinned her against the wall. The chains rattled and creaked as Vlad used all this strength to break free with no success. 'Your boyfriend can't save you now,' Alex's voice sounded sinister and filled with venom. 'STOP! GET AWAY FROM HER!' Vlad's screams seemed to be pointless. As if he weren't speaking at all. The anger and fear coursing through Vlad's veins made him thrash erratically to be free of his bonds. Suddenly, he couldn't see her anymore. He could only hear her screaming, pleading, for his help. 'VLAD! PLEASE VLAD HELP! DON'T TOUCH ME! NOOO!' Nicoleta screamed.

—•—

Vlad bolted up out of bed, sweating and panting. Looking next to him, he didn't see Nicoleta and panic filled his body. He jumped out of bed and instantly began to search, using every instinct he possessed to find her. His panic made it hard to focus in on one scent. Unknown how he got there, he found himself in her kitchen where he saw her standing by the fridge rummaging around.

Nicoleta looked over to see Vlad rushing towards her in a panic. "Baby? Vlad, baby, what's wrong?" she asked. He didn't answer, he only wrapped her up in his arms and clutched her tight to his body. Nicoleta felt him shaking and shivering against her, "Hey, what's going on? What happened?"

"I thought you were in d-danger. I woke up and couldn't find you," Vlad's voice was strained as he spoke.

"I'm alright, Vlad. I'm right here. Nothing's wrong," she soothed.

Never had she seen Vlad so frightened since she met him. Kissing his chest, she felt his tense muscles relax. "I'm right here, Vlad, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm safe," she whispered. Vlad's shaking slowly began to fade and his grip loosened until he was looking at her full on. "I'm sorry, my love. Terrible nightmare gave me a fright, and I thought....I thought I lost you," he whispered back to her. She placed a delicate hand on the side of his face, "I understand. You'll never lose me though." His larger hand enveloped her as he removed her hand and kissed her palm before placing it against his cheek again. She was perfect. Almost too perfect. Someone like her didn't belong with a monster like him. If she knew who he was, she'd never want to see him again, and Vlad couldn't bare to think of that. To think that while his heart belonged to her, she hated him because of his curse. It made his heart wrench in pain.

There was a part of him that wished to tell her what he was. To answer her questions of why he was always gone in the morning, why he was never seen during the day, or why he worked so often. He knew that telling her meant he would lose her. Meant that he ran the risk of never seeing her again, or worse watching her fall into another's arms. The arm's of someone who would treat her right or treat her wrong. That fear was too much to handle at times. "What's going on in there?" she whispered. Vlad smiled and shook his head, "Just admiring how beautiful you are, my lady." She giggled at the pet name that she loved so much. "I love you," Vlad whispered, brushing his lips against hers. "I love you too, my lord," she whispered back with a smile. Vlad chuckled and kissed her lips.

—•—

The day held a gloom that covered the sun and allowed him to venture out into the world with her. They walked the streets hand in hand looking into the windows of many shops. "Anything you want, my dear, you can have. Price does not matter," he urged. "Vlad, I've told you not to spoil me," she giggled.

"But I love to spoil you. I'd be paying for your apartment, all your essentials, and more if you'd let me," he stated.

"I know, but I enjoy being my own person and paying for my own things," she teased.

Vlad laughed at her before she dragged him to a window to peer inside. In the midst of the happy moment, Vlad felt an unsettling feeling slither down his spine. Time seemed to slow as the overwhelming sense of evil filled the atmosphere. Glancing over his shoulder he could see a figure in the crowd. The people flowed around him as his icy, dead glare bore into Vlad's back.

Your happiness will come to an end.

It was him.

The demon from long ago that tricked him into this curse. Ice ran through Vlad's veins as he saw him walk closer to him. The echo of foot steps getting closer rung in his ears, but he couldn't move. He was frozen in place.

You can't save her from what's to come.

Vlad tried to pry his eyes to Nicoleta, but couldn't bring himself to look away from the demon. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Everything seemed to catch up and her voice broke his trance. "Vlad? Are you alright?" she asked. Jerking his head to her, he seemed a little out of breath. His pupils were dilated and a bead of sweat rested on his forehead. "Yes, I'm sorry I thought I saw something," he panted. "Are you sure? You look a little pale. We can go home if you want to. We don't have to stay out," she said, worry laced in her words.

"I promise, my dear, I'm fine," he urged.

She seemed hesitant but decided to stay quiet about it, "Okay. Let's go inside and look."

Vlad let her lead him by the hand into the small shop. Glancing around one last time, he saw no sign of the demon, but he couldn't shake that uneasy feeling in his stomach.

Death is certain.

Those words echoed in his ears and added to his growing fear.