Son of Dracula

Chapter 9: The Meeting

A knock sounded at the grand doors of the castle. It was nighttime, and a storm was brewing over Romania. It had begun to rain when Isaac arrived, wearing his long beige trench coat, being soaked by the falling droplets. The door opened, revealing Vladimir in the doorway. A small grin widen his wry smile. "Van Helsing." Isaac smirked, returning a grin toward.

"We meet again, old friend." Vladimir motioned for him to enter. Isaac entered willingly, slicking the excess water from his hair back. "How is she?"

"She's calmed down, but she's traumatized by the situation." They walked over to the dining room area and sat down.

"Did Dimitri drink her blood?" He asked seriously as he sat up in his seat.

"Yes, but not a lot. I caught him before he could drain her entirely."

"Hmm" Isaac pondered the thought. "How is her health?"

"From what I saw in the past few hours, she's been alright, just a little weak on her feet so I sent Ida up to watch her until she comes down for dinner."

"Vladimir?" The two men turned to see the source of the voice. Vladimir had to contain his feelings at the sight of Juliet in a long white silk nightgown.

"Juliet" Vladimir began, standing up to greet her. "What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting."

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy." Isaac stood to greet Juliet as well. Vladimir looked to Isaac who was now beside him.

"Juliet, this is my business partner, Dr. Isaac Van Helsing."

"A pleasure to meet you, Juliet" Isaac smiled. Juliet smiled weakly, almost collapsing, but Isaac and Vladimir supported her, by holding her up by her arms. "Please, sit. We were just having a short discussion."

"Oh, okay. Thank you" They all took a seat. "I also came downstairs for dinner, but I guess I came down too early."

"No, it's quite alright. I'll have my servant George prepare the dining room" Vladimir stated.

"In the meantime, why don't we sit in the living room and chat, maybe even listen to some music" Isaac added. The three got up from their seats and exited the dining room and journeyed to the living room.

After a brief discussion about Isaac and Vladimir's business together, Isaac put on a Frank Sinatra record and stood up. He extended his hand to Juliet. "May I have this dance m'lady?" Juliet smiled a little, flattered by his gesture, but paused to look back at Vladimir who nodded at her with a smile. She took Isaac's hand and stood up. Fly Me to the Moon played in the background as Isaac lead Juliet across the floor of the living room, dancing with her swiftly. "I do hope that you feel better soon, Juliet."

"Thank you for your concern, but I will be alright...Vladimir has been helping me."

"That's good. Just be cautious, alright?" She nodded in response. "Good." Isaac felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back to see Vladimir.

"May I cut in?"

"I don't see why not" Isaac replied. He turned back to face Juliet. "Have fun dancing with 'the boss.'" He then retreated back to the sofa to sit and have a sip from his wine glass.

"May I have this dance?" Vladimir asked, taking her hand in his. She felt her heart race a bit. Her nerves were coming back to her, but she didn't understand why. She nodded, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Vladimir looked into her eyes as he grasped her hands in his and closed the space between them. Juliet wondered as she felt Vladimir lay a hand upon her back to draw her close against him. He leaned down a bit to whisper in her ear. "I know how weak you are in your condition, I don't want you to fall." She felt her cheeks burn brighter. Why do I feel this way? She thought. She hadn't objected to his advance in her room or him cleaning her body. So why is it different now?