Dracula's Groom

CHAPTER FORTY SIX: Chained Up

Nathan

In the weeks that passed, not a hint of the Brotherhood of the Nether crossed into the Romanian boarder. All was quiet and peaceful here. Except for the King who had been chemically altered to help suit their sick twisted needs. When we him brought him back, I generally feared that I had lost him forever. But Nicolas, being the former geek that he once was, told me that he may have found a cure. A cure that would help right so many wrongs.

For now, all I could do was pray and hope that the cure actually existed. While I spent the better part of my days spending time in the secret catacomb underneath of Castle Dracula. The area was well-lit with some strategically placed candles along with a cot, a pillow and blanket, a chair and a small round table that contained books and a glass of cranberry juice. Sure it was chilly being down here, but not uncomfortably so. I'd gotten used to the drafts that would seep in through the stone cracks in the walls and the dusty cobwebs that occupied them.

But my main reason for being here was to keep an eye on the man who was chained up between two stone pillars. Dracula had looked tired and worn. His body looked weak, his eyes sunken in. My heart broke to see him suffering like this, but it had to be done. Not just for my safety, but his as well. The chains that restrained him rattled from time to time as he sat on his knees and slept the day away. And every now and then I would wash him and dress him with a clean pair of jeans that I had Nicolas buy in bulk.

When night fell and the room darkened as the candles burned brightly, trying to pick up the slack caused by the fleeting sun. Dracula awoke with a jolt, his body sprang into action as he tried to break free of the chains that kept him in place. The chains were made from a specialized titanium steel. They were so strong that not even a vampire of his caliber could snap them off. Another little purchase I had Nicolas make on my behalf. Pretty cool, huh. But just by watching him try was like watching a seven-year trying to get his fingers out of a Chinese finger trap.

I marveled at the strength of his chest, the way the veins in his arms appeared as he gritted his teeth and pulled with all his might, only to collapse under the struggle of it all. Poor guy. At around midnight, I got up from my chair and went over to an ice cooler that contained ten bags of uncontaminated donated human blood. I grabbed the first bag that had already been opened three days before as I popped off the top and squeezed what remained into a red plastic cup.

I turned and walked toward Dracula as he smelled the blood and followed me with his eyes. I raised the rim to his lips as he drank it all in one gulp, his chest heaving as he sighed with satisfaction. Whereas instantly, his body returned to normal. Standing on his own two feet for once, the King worked his body in motion as he cracked a bone here, stretched a limb there and licked what remained of the blood from his lips as he leaned slightly forward.

"What day is it?" He asked.

"It's Friday, December 25. You've been unconscious for a while."

"How long have I been chained up like this?"