The further away they get from the château the darker their surroundings become as the artificial lights fade. The moon doesn't offer an adequate replacement, its shine barely managing to shine through the clouds that obscure it.

They stop running once they have reached the entrance gate. The thing is shut and the car they arrived in is now long gone.

Grabbing the wrought-iron bars, Emelia tries to open it by pushing with all her strength but the gate proves itself to be a sufficient barrier with an automatic lock. Assessing the gate for any weaknesses, she sees that there aren't any footholes to give them enough purchase to climb over it and groans with frustration.

"What do we do now?" Sofie wonders out loud, stressfully gnawing on her lower lip as she shuffles closer.

"You stay right where you are," a voice from the shadows answers, making the hairs on the back Emelia's neck stand on end. Sofie gasps loudly when François materialises from the dark like some sort of phantom. How he managed to follow them so silently is beyond comprehension but the fact that he was able to doesn't bode well with Emelia.

"Did you really think leaving would be that easy?" he asks and Emelia turns to see that he's far too close for comfort, a mere two metres away. from them.

"Stay away from us," she says, proud that her voice remains steady. Showing fear is out of the question. She won't give him the satisfaction.

François tilts his head to the side slightly, the way an animal does when it is confused, and smiles with a hint of curiosity - or perhaps just amusement. Emelia has no way of knowing what's going on inside the psycho's head.

"Come back to the estate," he says in a soft, low tone that sends shivers down her spine. It doesn't, however, deter her from speaking her mind.

"Go to hell," she retorts.

"Votre grâce." A second voice calls from a distance in the dark. Seconds later the butler appears. He must have followed them too. Fantastic.

"Frederick," François says, his eyes never leaving Emelia's face. "Take the blonde one back to the house."

When the butler moves towards them, Emelia jumps in front of Sofie and spreads her arms like an angry bird protecting her offspring.

"You stay away from her!" she shrieks, ready to fight to protect her younger cousin.

Calmly, Frederick raises his hands as if to surrender. Instead of backing away, however, he darts forward and snatches Sofie up in his arms, all within the time it takes to blink.

"Emmy!" Sofie screams as he carries her away.

"Sofie!" Emelia yells, attempting to chase after them but François prevents her from doing so.

"Get out of my way!" she shouts, trying to push past him.

"Si impolie," he tuts, easily thwarting her attempts. "I have yet to formally introduce myself. I think now would be a good time for you to learn who I am and why you shouldn't get on my nerves."

Shoving her, he takes a step forward as she unintentionally takes a few back, stumbling.

"My name is François Dashiell," he says, "And I'm first in line to the throne of the vampire kingdom."

Emelia stares at him in disbelief. Can my luck get any worse? she wonders. Not only is her kidnapper a murderer but he is also a complete madman.

Seeing her expression, François gives her a sly smile.

"I can see that you need some convincing. Fortunately, I'm more than happy to show you."

His smile changes, growing wider to reveal rows of perfectly straight teeth that are as pale as his skin. Emelia's eyes flicker to his mouth then, her heart thumping ferociously in her chest when she sees his two upper canines grow slowly, extending out from his greyish-pink gums.

What... the..?

She doesn't move back this time when François steps closer, frozen to the spot like a deer caught in the gaze of a predator.

"Believe me now, ma cherie?" he asks, sounding smug.

He is so close to her now that his cool breath fans across her face. Emelia blinks a few times, fighting to clear her befuddled mind. Then when François leans in, almost as if to kiss her, she reacts instinctively, doing the only thing she can think of at that moment.

She hits him.

___.___

Oh dear... (ΘεΘ;) That probably wasn't Emelia's brightest idea. You can probably already guess what's going to happen next.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, albeit a short one.