The Count's Princess (Completed)

Leaving Him Behind

Gabriel walked out of the shadows of the room like a vampire and smiled wickedly. I gasped and Lukas growled. Out of the corner of my eye I caught the look of defeat on my husband's face.

No.

He has to fight.

I got to my feet and decided to confront the French hunter.

"Gabriel," I began, "what are you doing?" My fist clenched and my heart was pounding. I knew I looked stupid and defenseless with a baby in my arms but I didn't care.

The tall man came closer to me. "I'm just protecting the world from monsters like them." He gestured to the vampire on the bed, and the werewolf whose arms were wrapped around a crying wife.

"They're not monsters." I sternly said with all the power that I had in a shaky voice.

"Oh they're not?" He snickered as he laid his weapons on the ground. I didn't look at them though because I didn't want to lose eye contact. "They may have not eaten people in a while but they have hurt you. You think I couldn't hear the howling from this castle six years ago? I bet that man has clawed you once or twice. And your husband has bruised and abused you. But you're just naive, Maggy!" I bit my cheek. The memory of Lukas almost killing me that fall night when I had interrupted his transformation still haunts me. And my husband's bruising was my own little secret that I regret keeping from him. "You think that these two are different. That they didn't choose this. And that they're capable of loving and deserve being loved."

"Shut up Gabriel," he chuckled at my childish demand. "Just shut up!" I said again as he smiled wickedly and my baby in my arms. "Everything they did, that's all in the past."

"No it's not!" He lost his mocking expression and replaced it with a twisted look of anger. "They still killed and ravaged towns."

"Lukas didn't," I said. He was speaking of my husband and only of my husband. Lukas never did anything wrong except lose his cool with me as a werewolf and get a girl pregnant. But my husband is the blood sucking killer.

"You're right," Gabriel looked at Lukas and Ana-Maria, who was shaking and sniffling up tears. "He didn't do anything wrong. ... But there's nothing stopping him from doing something wrong!" I wanted to roll my eyes and turn off the stupid movie I was watching. But I couldn't, this was real. This was my life. This was a moment in time that I had to decide on doing one thing or another.

Gabriel gained back his exposure. "I will be downstairs." I gave him a confusing look. "Once this devil," he pointed to Alexandru, "is feeling better, I will fight him. Man to beast." With that he left the room. I looked at Alexandru and found him furious. If he could flare his nostrils I know he would.

"Baby," I faintly said above a whisper.

"Lukas," he ignored my gaze and turned his head slightly towards the German family. "Take Maria and Maggy and the children out of here. Don't go to the cabin. That place is not repellent against Hunters. Go to the secret hideout in Bran. I will—"

"No!"

"—meet you there."

"No!" I placed our child on the bed who was squirming with confusion. Then I placed my hands on Alexandru's strong thighs and stared straight into his eyes. "I'm not leaving you!" I gripped his slacks and if he could feel the pain I was inflicting on him he would cry out from my clenching.

"You have to," he got up and staggered for a second. He grabbed the bedpost near the wall and I wrapped myself around him.

"No I don't!" Furious tears made their way down my round cheeks and I hated my husband for allowing such crying to develop from my heart. "I'm not leaving you,"

"I have to fight him ... and kill him."

"No! No you don't! Just come with us!" Alexandru wrapped his long arm around my shoulders. He kissed my head but I pulled away. "Don't you dare kiss me goodbye!" I cried out.

His eyes were sad and his hand was empty of my body. My fists were clenched and my teeth ground. "Maggy ... " he longingly huffed. He looked down at his heart and patted it. "The wound is healed," he said to himself. He looked back up at me and I folded my arms. He stepped closer, finding his strength, and wrapped me in his arms, ignoring my protests. "I won't die." He half-heartedly chuckled. "I'm Dracula. Prince of Darkness. King of the Vampires. The undead human." He squeezed me to his chest and I gave in. I wrapped my arms around him and held him as close as his stiff body would. I sobbed into his sweater and wished that none of this was happening. I wished that I was back in that car with him over a year ago after soaking in the hot pots. His arms wrapped around me late at night for what felt like the first time to me back then.

I wanted us to be playing piano while Levi was sleeping in a crib beside us.

I wanted to be wrapped up in him with our son in my arms as he read us to sleep in a rocking chair in our room.

I wanted him always beside me, never willing to let go.

He pulled away and I clung to him. I shook my head and he stroked my hair.

"I have to," he said. "And you have to leave. With our son. ... Please ... Maggy." I looked up at him and he wiped at the mournful tears falling down my puffy face. "I love you," he said. I shook my head again.

"Where's Octavian?"

"He is still safely asleep. And it is best that he remains safe in such a state."

"But he is stronger than you are now. He can fight Gabriel,"

"Gabriel must suffer at my hand. Go, now!" My husband pushed me away and I subconsciously reached out for him, as if I couldn't be left without his constant hold on me. I picked up our son and scurried over to Lukas and Ana-Maria who were awkwardly trying their best to stay quiet.

My husband left without a word and I wished I'd said 'I love you, too' back.

Lukas took us down a secret passage that I had no idea was even there in the library. I held my stomach to keep myself from throwing up. Efforts in holding back the terrible tears that I had streaming down my face only resulted in a throb in the back of my throat. I began to hiccup which irritated my son who was in my arms squirming.

We walked down a spiral of musty steps in a dark corridor that ended up leading down a dark hall lit by candles magically. Alexandru ... he was listening in on our every move. He was watching over us even though he wasn't here physically. Would this feeling stay with me for the rest of my life if he never came back to me after tonight? Would I feel like he was watching over me and our son like he watched over his last posterity before it died out. Before Levi and I became his new family?

He became my new family too. And now he's leaving me, just like my parents did. How could he!? Damn him for leaving me to take care of a child all by myself. Damn him for making me feel like he was my first and only. He knows I can't love anyone else except for him. I could never move on! Does he really think I'm capable of that?

The questions running through my head were giving me a headache. We were soon in the carriage garage and Lukas immediately began throwing duffle bags into the back seat. He speedily grabbed car seats and strapped them in. I buckled Levi up as Ana-Maria buckled in Berman, then we both climbed into the modern vehicle.

We raced down the gravel road until we turned on to a solid one. From there we drove to town, and all I could think about was my lonely prince.