Warning: The following chapter has violent elements not suitable for all audiences. Read at your own discretion.

Erinna's eyes were groggy when she opened them but before they could even adjust to the blinding light of the candles all over the room, a skull-splitting headache that had been numbed by her unconsciousness made itself known and an ear-splitting scream leaped from her dry throat.

A cold hand immediately settled on her cheek but not even its remarkably cool temperature could ease the traumatising pain invading her head.

"Shsh. I'm sorry."

It was really hard to connect the sympathetic and apologetic words with the owner of the deep cultured voice because as far as she knew, he was not capable of any remorse.

With the little strength she had, she tried to push his hand away but it was really a feeble attempt because it seemed to weigh like a tonne of bricks.

"My head..." She could not finish the sentence as she groaned again feeling like a demon was practising drumming in her skull.

"I know. My temper got the best of me. I've never tried this on anyone, but I can try and take the pain away?"

This was his idea of an apology? Why didn't he just go throw himself in the sun and turn to ashes already?

Erinna pushed his hand again, this time managing to dislodge it.

The nerve of him.

Even on her deathbed she was not going to receive anything from this abomination that had come into her life like a tornado, turning everything upside down.

"Go away," she managed between pants. He wanted to help her when he was the one who had hurt her in the first place?

Dracula sighed impatiently exasperated by her stubbornness. He loved her strength but not when it was going to get her killed like now.

He really was at a loss of what to do. He knew he had overreacted and acted on his anger and hurt but how could he make it up to her when she would not even talk to him?

"Erinna."

"Leave."

"I want to heal you, but love you need to work with me."

His healing powers were a bit rusty, in fact very rusty since he had never and probably will never extend such mercy to anyone. But for Erinna he would do anything in his power to make the pain go away.

"I don't want to be healed," she said weakly.

Beads of sweat covered her forehead. Just how hard had he hit her? Probably too hard, that blow could have knocked out a vampire. He really was not used to dealing with elves. It was hard to remember they were not as durable as his kind. But he had to learn if he wanted to keep his bride alive.

It was so easy to kill her, even with no intention to do so. He could crush her skull when all he intended to do was caress her cheek.

She was so fragile and his nature was brutal and aggressive. He did not know how to be gentle. Any wrong move and she could end up a grey corpse in his hands.

Every time he was around her he had to be very careful, battling his demons and fighting the natural urge to drink her dry. But he would do it if it meant spending time with the woman he loved.

"If I don't heal you love you will die," he tried to explain since she did not seem to quite grasp the gravity of the situation.

"I know."

It felt like a blunt rusty dagger had been thrust inside his heart and twisted and for the first time in his four thousand years the Count felt the pain of heartbreak.

His bride was willing to die than be with him.

Clouded with pain, Dracula put his lips on her forehead and concentrated on absorbing the pain out of her body and into his immortal one because after all was said and done he loved Erinna and could not let her die.

He felt the pain she had been enduring for a split second before his system neutralised it. But the physical pain was nothing compared to what his heart was going through right then.

Blind with hurt he walked to the window and jumped into the night, leaving billowing curtains before him.

👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣

Dracula surveyed the mess before him with disinterest. The redhead's organs were sprawled all over, forced to meet her Maker before her time.

Her clothes had been shredded and lay all over the floor of the now deserted bar, testifying of her unjust violation. She had been one of the four barmaids to be brutally raped, torn limb from limb and drained of every single drop of blood.

The walls of Alexander's bar were newly decorated in the graffiti of her blood which had been violently taken from her resisting mortal body. The bar had emptied as soon as he had arrived, both patrons and staff fleeing when they'd sensed his riotous mood. The vampiress and her friends had however thought they could handle him. Even the thought made him laugh as he stood amid the mess of their remains.

It was not every day you saw a vampire woman this ravaged and brutalized. But The Count had a rule of never preying on the weak; he would never kill a human unless they had of course done something to warrant it.

His vampires were only allowed to drink from humans on condition the human was left alive. If they felt like succumbing to their inner beast then they would have to choose a victim from their own kind. Female vampires were stronger than male vampires and would be able to match their strength, it was a fair fight.

He did not feel any sort of shame, remorse or regret after the ghastly deed he had just committed and didn't bother to wait for the guilt to come for it never did.

In fact, he deserved a self-control merit for that woman could easily have been Erinna for she was the only face he had imagined as he forcefully took pleasure from her body and abated his ravenous thirst with her blood.

That could have been Erinna if he had stayed another moment longer in the castle.

Now after draining some of his anger, silencing his bloodlust and getting rid of most of his negative emotions, Dracula knew he could safely come in contact with the love of his life without turning her into a cheap whore and blood tart.

Erinna opened her eyes and quickly closed them, blinded by the sunlight flooding the room.

When had it become morning? She did not recall sleeping. Her door opened and she quickly sat up, moving back into the pillows trying in vain to put as much distance as she could between her and the creature of the night that was obsessed with her.

But he remained in the shadows, probably because of the sunlight covering most of the room. He would sure be barbecued if he took a step closer into the room. Someone had left the curtains open, Erinna would have to thank them later.

"I won't waste any time on pleasantries," the Count declared, his voice cold and dead yet still holding its natural alluring note that sent warmth over her skin.

Again she found herself mesmerised by his sheer beauty but forced her eyes upwards to focus on his. It took a lot of effort to keep them there and stop them from straying down to appreciate his perfect lips.

She searched his dark eyes but failed to read anything in the black bottomless pits and inscrutable expression that brought a whole new meaning to the phrase poker face.

"I hope you know that I am very disappointed in you. I warned you not to try anything funny yet you chose to ignore me."

His voice was deep and low, piercing through her like hooks in search of choice and tender flesh.

"And I told you I do not take my orders from you."

"I can see you do not understand the gravity of your actions because if you did, you would not be talking right now," he said scaring and angering Erinna at the same time.

She chose to ignore the fear and hold onto the raw unmalleable anger.

"The fact that I have a mouth and a voice means I am entitled to my own opinion."

"Every second that you talk and continue to defy me you are adding to the many that are going to die on your account," he warned gravely.

Her heart skipped a beat.

With another person she could have thought this was a joke but she had been with Dracula long enough to know he did not joke around. He said what he meant and meant what he said.

She tried to grasp what he was saying. Dying on her account? What on earth for?

"I warned you that there would be dire consequences to defying me. You chose to cross me and take me for a fool and tonight all the girls I assigned to you will pay for your sins."

Erinna's face instantly paled, putting any chalk or whitewash walls to shame. Her emerald eyes widened in shock. Her heart raced, thumping a tattoo against her ribcage as the shock of what he had said unsettled her metabolism.

"What girls?"

"Your assigned ten human maids, all virgins."

She opened and closed her mouth dumbly like a dying fish, at a loss of what to say.

"But-but they did no wrong."

"Maybe, but you did. I have added a new public holiday to our calendar. October the first: Memorial to the ten virgins. Every year you shall remember your selfishness and betrayal, for those lives are on your hands."

📃📃📃📃📃📃📃