Someone asked me for a scene showing the night Vlad and Erinna first slept in the same bed. I was going to put it on my website but since I'm reuploading chapters, I decided to include it. If you have other scenes you wish to read about, let me know.

Truth is I don't remember fetus Vlerinna much, but I'll try lol.

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For the whole week, The Count had respected Erinna and she had come to expect it but that night as they came from the breakfast, he remained by her side after she had bid him goodnight.

Uneasiness grew in her stomach and she cast him a wary glance.

"You wish to come in?" She asked, praying her nervousness did not show.

She knew of creatures like him, hunters, they preyed on fear and terror. She was determined not to give him the satisfaction of either.

"I would have thought it obvious, Countess."

"Don't call me that," she bristled.

She hated that title and did not know why he insisted on using it after she had told him countless times she didn't care for it.

He moved towards her and Erinna took a step back but he stalked her until her back hit the closed door of his chambers. Her heart thumped hard, beating a tattoo against her ribcage. She felt cornered and a heat she couldn't understand was spreading through her veins.

Brought that close to him, she could not take away her attention from the feral beauty of his face. Dracula was not a vampire you could call handsome on any day, it just didn't fit. His was a beauty so savage and so fierce that it felt like walking into an invisible brick wall every time she looked at him.

His eyes, dark as night, were staring piercingly at her. She felt the effect in her bones and in her heart. He did not reveal much but she could see the untamed wildness and passion that she had never thought to find in a man as cold and emotionless as he was.

He reached out and she tried to move her head away but there was only so much bending she could do before breaking her neck. The back of his hand gently made contact with her skin and she shivered as he caressed her cheek with the slightest of caresses.

Her pulse increased and an embarrassing flush covered her face. She chose to attribute it to disgust for that could be the only thing she could be feeling whilst being touched by a vampire.

"You're under my mercy, your very life is in my hands and what I call you is your main concern?"

Put like that, her protests did sound ridiculous but it was not just about resisting him. It was about her identity, her will and her pride. If she lost that, what else would she have after he had taken everything else from her? Her identity was the only thing she could call her own.

"I think you confuse our positions dearest Count. We both know whose life is in whose hands," she glared at him icily.

It was not in her nature to be intentionally malicious or to torture other living creatures deliberately but The Count was turning out to have an uncanny ability to bring the worst out of her. It made her disgusted in herself to have to resort to threatening his life in order to get away from him but she would do whatever it took.

"I think I'll survive the night," he said and slid his hand past her to open the door.

Erinna thought of being stubborn and refusing to get in but she knew there in his lair and domain, there was no choice. He would have her do whatever she wanted and she could protest and shriek all she wanted but in the end Dracula would have his way.

So with her head raised high and her shoulders straight, Erinna walked into the room calmly. Her outward grace was a direct contrast to the turbulence inside her. She was terrified but was not going to show it. Appearing unaffected was of utmost importance. It would give her an upper hand in a situation that was in danger of spiraling out of control.

The door closed behind the Count with a thud and her stomach knotted at the sense of finality created by the sound. She turned to face him, her nails digging into her palms though her face remained serene and composed.

Wild thoughts were running though her head and all of them involved Dracula forcing himself on her and doing the humping and grunting that she had heard men enjoyed.

There was no pleasure for it for the woman, only pain, debasement and invasion. Hadn't Melissa told her that all women were in such matters were vessels? Erinna had no desire to be Dracula's vessel, hell she would claw his eyes out if he came near her with any such intentions.

"You are oddly quiet," he remarked, removing the belt on his tunic.

Erinna stopped herself from taking a step back. She did not wish to encourage him and if he sensed any weakness or fear in her, it would likely put ideas in his head so she lifted her chin and fixed her eyes on his.

"Maybe I just don't like the company I find myself in."

He moved towards her and put his hands on her hips, pulling her into his space.

"Do I sense a challenge there, angel?"

"No, but you can sense a castration if you do not remove your hands from me this instant."

It was taking everything to not react to the searing heat of his hands on her.

"Is the threat of violence supposed to derail me? I thought we concluded I was a deranged sadist who gets off on pain."

"Sadist not masochist. Few who mate out pain can stand it when the tables are turned."

His eyes took darker tones that seemed almost crimson. Erinna's heart beat faster and she had the sudden feeling that they were talking about another subject than the one on the table.

"I think you'll find I'm very flexible, Countess."

"And you'll find I'm not interested in finding out."

His hand moved up to her jaw, firmly gripping it. It made Erinna aware of his strength but she refused to flinch.

"Are we going to have a problem? I forgave your indiscretions and trickery with the maid but I will have you know now that I will not be as tolerant if I have to chase after you ever again."

The words were spoken in a deep yet soft voice which was more powerful and effective than any yelling would have been. But she was not fooled. For all his control and practised composure, the fear of her leaving left him uneasy.

"Do I make you nervous, Count Dracula?" She asked boldly.

She enjoyed to know that she put him off balance but he was off the mark about her trying to leave. At least not yet. Erinna did not want the sort of freedom that would come with someone's life attached to it.

"Amongst other things, Countess," he narrowed his eyes at her impetuousness but the fire in them was undeniable.

Because Erinna did not wish to analyse the heat in his gaze or know what the other things were, Erinna gave him a triumphant smile, "Well that seems more like your problem, not mine," and walked to the bed.

She opened the covers and slid inside, deciding if she marked her territory before he came in, she would have more control. Her dress was a lovely garment for walking around in but in the bed, it felt cloying and uncomfortable and the skins were scratching her skin but she dared not even go to the bathroom to change.

The Count had an awful disrespect of privacy and who was to say he would not happen on her naked? And even if she were to miraculously change without him using the opportunity to spy on her, she really did not want to wear any of the revealing gowns that she had seen in the closet. She felt vulnerable enough without adding willful provocation.

Had it been in her power, Erinna would have preferred sleeping in sackcloth. Anything to discourage his unwanted attentions.

"You do not wish to change?" He asked.

"I do not wish to sleep in the same room with you period, but that is hardly a choice is it?"

"There is always a choice, angel."

"You mean the do-what-I-say- or-I'll-sacrifice-everyone-you-have-ever-loved choice?"

"You are catching up," he smirked.

The gesture was one she hadn't expected from him and her reaction to it unsettled her. He did not look like the teasing type and the grin made him seem more boyish and approachable.

Uncomfortable with her thoughts, Erinna refused to look at Dracula, even as he changed right in front of her, lest he mistake her curiosity for interest. The bed dipped and she moved closer to the edge, away from the coldness of his body.

The Count did something with his hands and all the lamps went off in the room. A sense of foreboding settled in the room and Erinna found herself more scared than she had ever been in her entire life. She had never thought she would find herself in such position with a man who was not her husband, let alone a vampire. No scratch that, the vampire.

"Any further and you're going to fall onto the floor," the Count, obviously not unaware of her restlessness, commented. Dawn was fast approaching but it would be a while until the soft light of day bathed the room.

Erinna didn't like the dark and she liked it even less when she was in a situation as unpredictable as the one she found herself in. She kept bracing herself, waiting for him to even suggest she take off her garments. She had extended her claws and every fiber in her body was on high alert. Let him try it.

"It comes as a surprise to you that I'm not enthusiastic to be your bed partner?" She asked as a reply to his statement.

She felt him turn in the darkness to face her. Her stomach clenched and she flushed as she felt his prickling gaze on her face.

"Bed partner would imply that you were actually contributing something, my young bride and right now, all you are doing is looking like a bird perched at the edge of a branch, ready to take flight any moment."

Of course his vampire eyes could see her in the pitch black room.

"Then that should let you know how I feel about this situation."

"Come closer, love. I won't bite."

"Is that a joke?"

"If I wanted to take your blood Erinna, you'd have no opportunity to look as scared as you do now or try to talk me out of it."

"I am not scared of you and there is no way I am ever letting you anywhere near my neck."

With what she knew of the vampire however, Erinna wondered if 'let' was a relevant word. He would take what he wanted, when he wanted. As long as she was tapped in his territory, her wants were secondary to his own.

As if to prove her thoughts right, the Count moved in a swift motion that found him hovering over her, caging her onto the bed with his hands on either side of her head and his weight on top of her. His scent hit her full force and Erinna's mouth dried at the tantalizing, masculine smell of it. His breath was cold and warm on her skin and her toes curled in reaction.

He was too close, far too close and she was terrified. Her dress and his leather pants were the only thing separating their two bodies. She could feel his thigh between hers and the intimate position made her pulse race in both fear and shock. The vampire was too bold.

His dark eyes glinted in the dark and something else... teeth. No, teeth was an inappropriate word for the dagger-like, overly extended canines peaking from his mouth. They were the teeth of a predator.

Fangs.

Erinna's heart rate increased until she thought it was going to pound right out of her chest cavity and goosebumps broke over her skin like a rash. She was so scared. What did he wish to do with her? Lord, she would bear all else if he kept his cursed teeth away from her neck. She bit her lip to stop the whimper building in her throat.

"Don't do that. Fear is the most potent aphrodisiacs for my kind."

Don't do that? Did he think she could control it?

Erinna had no time to air her temper as Dracula's head suddenly dipped and she felt his cold breath on her neck. Reflexively, her fists clenched and her body grew stiff with fear. Sharp teeth grazed the skin on her neck and she took a sharp intake of breath. She was caught in a hard place. Resisting him would incense him and doing nothing would give him free reign over her body.

"Calm down. I won't bite you."

As if his word could be trusted.

"Your scent....it has been driving me crazy ever since I met you."

Was he inhaling her scent? The thought wasn't as unbearable as she would have thought.

She wanted to fight him but was too aware of the fatality of her situation to attempt any such folly. She was the prey and he was the predator, simple as that. She could scratch him and try to defend her virtue but he was much stronger than her and the only thing she would be left with after he subdued her would be his anger.

Perhaps that was cowardly of her, but Erinna had too much self-preservation to anger him. No matter how much she wanted to be brave like the heroines in her novels and fight her captor, she could not afford to be reckless.

Caught in a world so different from the one she was used to, she did not know who to turn to for help. All she had was herself.

"Please," she begged, not knowing what she was asking for but knowing she wouldn't be able to stand it if his teeth broke her skin.

A vampire's bite was the worst thing that could happen to any elf. Contaminated and defiled did not begin to cover what she would be if The Count put his teeth to her vein.

"Please what, don't bite you? I'll do that anyway and you know you can't stop me, so what is it you are begging for, sweetheart?" He asked in a husky voice saturated with desire.

His head still buried in her neck, breathing in her scent or her blood, she didn't know. Could he actually smell it?

Erinna had been taught to center her body a long time ago and usually she could control the homeostasis of her body but every nerve in her body felt frazzled and frayed and she was too panicked to try and slow down the flow of her blood so it wouldn't entice him so.

His tongue darted out and licked her neck, the area right above her jugular. Unprepared, Erinna's body arched off the bed into his and she gasped. A frenzy of feelings she couldn't describe bombarded her and she suddenly felt too hot. It felt like someone had dropped liquid lava to the bottom of her stomach and it was spreading throughout her body.

"Hmm? What do you want, Erinna?"

She closed her eyes and tried to slow her breath but nothing worked. Both fear and wonder had her so tight in their grip and she didn't know what to do. All her nightmares were becoming a little too real.

"Some space will do for starters. Please get your teeth away from me."

She hated the tremor in her voice and especially hated the shudder of her body when his hand moved up her arm in a ghost of a caress, from her fingertips, up her elbow and further until it reached her collarbones.

"Don't you think that'll be hard to do with you looking at me like that?" He whispered,

drawing back to look into her eyes.

There was a dark decadance in his voice, one that hinted at things she was unfamiliar with and his eyes had become a bloody red that left no question of his intentions.

"Like what?" She bit her lip to control the tremors that his close proximity gave her.

"Like prey."

Her temper came back; thank heavens, chasing away her fear if only for a moment.

"I absolutely am not!" She said and tried to push him off her in vain, affronted at the mere suggestion that she was giving off deer signals. She was terrified of him yes, but heaven forbid if she'd ever admit that to him.

"You are and your body is readying itself for my bite. Calm down and get rid of that terrified look. When I bite you, I won't ask and you won't know or complain afterwards. Now go to sleep," he said and got off her.

Too petrified, Erinna didn't move from her position. She realized she had been holding her breath when she finally exhaled. She was quiet for a while, trying to reassure her struggling brain that had indeed not bitten her. But still, his whole power exercise annoyed her.

"Why did you do that?" She asked, still staring at the ceiling.

Talking to him was perhaps not the wisest of decisions but she was still on her adrenaline high and she wished to know why he had made an entertainment spectacle out of her like that.

"It was the only way you'd sleep. You have been looking at me as if I will jump at you any second ever since you entered this room. Now that I've already done that, you can get some sleep."

She scoffed.

"That is easy for you to say. I will sleep when you return me to my father."

"Yeah, I'll pretend I didn't hear that," he said and fluffed his pillow. The next thing, soft deep breaths were filling the silence.

Try as she did, Erinna could not fall asleep. She knew she should do so to restore her strength and preserve her energy reserves in preparation of her escape if freedom was ever to come. Not that that was likely.

After what had happened with Angelica and her maids, Erinna would have had to have a heart of stone to try and escape again. Her mind had already resigned itself to the fact that she was stuck with Count Dracula until he grew weary of her.

After hours of tossing and turning, Erinna finally decided to sleep on the floor. There would be no closing her eyes knowing she was lying next to a predator that could make her dinner at any moment. She had no doubt that when the time came, Vlad would eat her up with no second thoughts or lingering remorse.

Carefully, Erinna inched out of the bed, taking care not to move the bedding but the moment she stepped on the floor, a rough, calloused hand wrapped around her wrist like a vine. Her heart thudded and so much of the fear she had been trying to expel, returned.

"Where are you going?"

She closed her eyes, willing her breathing rate to stabilize.

"To the bathroom. I'm just going to the bathroom," she improvised.

He let her go and her hand immediately went to her chest. At this rate, she was going to succumb to some heart condition.

Careful not to make further noises, Erinna stood up and moved slowly across the room. When she reached the bathroom door, she turned to look back at him. He was already sleeping again, his breaths deep and relaxed. With him unaware, Erinna had the opportunity to really look at him without driving him to wrong conclusions.

She would have liked to say he looked like a monster, the stuff of nightmares and horror books but Dracula was none of those. If she were to describe him, she would say he looked like an angel, a dark angel who had lost his wings.

With jet black hair that fell in thick silky curls to his shoulders, there were few who could rival his looks, even among her own people. His long dark lashes gave him an almost feminine appeal that added to his overall effect. How could someone so physically gratifying be so evil?

His dark, terrifying beauty, ultimately made him the centre of anyone's wildest dreams. Before they looked into his eyes and saw the darkness that resided in there, that was. People said the eyes were to the windows to the soul and they were right. Dracula usually kept his shuttered but one brief glance had been enough.