The Heart Of A Vampire

chapter 15: deaths embrace

A few minutes later, Evangeline finally pulled the jug away, taking a moment to place it back where she found it before whirling back around to face the bat. She paused, suddenly noticing just how adorable the little creature was.

"Oh," she murmured "Now aren't you just the cutest little thing?"

The bat flapped its wings in response as she picked it up. The adrenaline had faded by now, and as she stood there, she suddenly came to the realization that she had no idea how to return to the library.

Placing the bat on her shoulder, she walked over to the door, flinging it open and finding herself back in the hallway.

"Vlad!" She called out, hoping that perhaps he'd be able to hear her. He was a vampire, after all- he might have some sort of super hearing, she reasoned.

Nothing.

"Vlad?" She shouted once more, this time a bit louder.

"I heard you the first time," she suddenly heard a rich and baritone voice behind her murmur. She quickly spun around to find the vampire himself towering over her in the dim light.

"Would it have killed you to give me longer than two seconds to get here before shouting once more? ...Regardless- what on earth are you doing here? I left you in the library."

"I- nothing- I guess," Evangeline responded with a sigh before trying to angle her body so that Vlad couldn't see the bat on her shoulder.

"Do you think I'm blind?" He responded with a sigh "I can see that one of my bats is on your person. Do not try to fool me. Now tell me- I am not one to be made to wait- what are you doing here?"

Evangeline sighed, relenting. "The bat was.. hurt," she mumbled, leaving out the fact that she was the one who injured it. "I wanted to give it some milk to.. make it feel better."

Vlad held out one of his hands, a silent order to give him the animal. Evangeline's eyes flickered down to the bat as she obeyed. He gave her a curt nod when she did so, signifying his approval.

Vlad examined the bat. "Ah," he murmured after a moment. "Osric. There you are."

"Osric?"

"Yes. That's his name."

"You.. name your bats?" Evangeline questioned, looking confused.

"Why are you acting as though that is some unheard of concept?"

"I- nevermind- im really sorry, I didn't mean to seem as though I was intruding. I only wanted to help him- er- Osric."

"I don't care," Vlad responded as he handed the bat back to Evangeline. "It's not about you 'intruding,' it's about your safety. This castle is filled with all sorts of horribly dangerous things. All it would have taken was for you to have gone down one wrong hallway, and you could have found yourself in deaths embrace."

"Like you give a damn," Evangeline retorted before quickly slipping back into her apologetic demeanor, though there was quite the edge of exasperation to it now. "Listen. Im sorry. Alright? I won't do it again. Happy now?"

Vlad sighed. "I don't have time to lecture you," he responded in a cold manner. "I have found a spell. Attend me."

She followed him as he began walking out of the castle, noticing that he held a book in his hand- a book that she presumed contained a spell that could help her rebuild the damaged part of her home.

A few minutes later, they found themselves standing in front of the cottage. Vlad kneeled, digging one of his fingers into the wet mud that had been caused by the rain.

He drew a symbol into the ground- an with a half circle on each end and little circles in between, before taking a few steps backwards, watching as the symbol suddenly began to glow a golden color.

Suddenly, the clumps of wet mud began to harden, turning grey, shaping themselves into little rectangles.

Soon, Evangeline found herself standing in front of at least twenty stones, ready to be used.