Love That Bites Pt. 20
Part 20 is finally here, just in time for New Year! 🎉 I got a little carried away with some world building this chapter, but I hope you all still enjoy regardless!
Summary: Turns out, Dracula has a very nice library, one that easily rivals your own. It doesn't take you long to find something to keep you entertained, even if you accidentally let your guard down... The maid seems nice, at least.
CW: Implied illness (you're good at ignoring it), toxic family is referenced, slight anxiety, you are getting better at fighting the dread in your head but by god does it persist, glyph world building, story world building alluding to Order Of Ecclesia (no major spoilers for that game, just using world building based on the Order itself and the Glyph system.)
Word Count: 6113 words!
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In hindsight, you should have expected everything belonging to Dracula to be rather grand.
You just didn't expect his library to have several stories, and bookshelves reaching the tall ceiling, with spiraling staircases weaving in and out of sight to different floors. Stained glass windows with intricate designs spiraled down halls as far as your eye could see, adding onto the surreal feel the library had.
Adding onto that, there were countless areas for which to find a quiet corner to read and relax, as well as different doorways you assumed went to different parts of said library, no doubt they could be offices or other places to read.
In much simpler words: It was amazing.
"This place even puts my family's library to shame…" you couldn't help but mutter in awe, still twisting your body around to see everything your eyes could catch. Just what knowledge and ancient secrets did these halls keep?
The maid who had guided you here let out a small chuckle, nearly making you jump.
"Master's collection is quite vast. He has been collecting every book he could get his hands on for longer than I have been alive."
She turned to you, and gestured around the large room you were in.
"Master has given you permission to read as you see fit. Anything you aren't allowed to see will be behind a locked door, so I recommend not trying to pick any locks."
She then blinked, before giving you a knowing smile when you couldn't meet her eyes.
In your defense, you wouldn't pick any locks!
…Not out the gate, at any rate. You had some standards, and weren't going to risk angering Dracula over a locked door, no matter how tempting.
Even if you were suddenly very, very curious as to what the 'King of the Night' felt he had to lock up in a library.
The maid then cleared her throat, and your attention was back on her.
"However, if you happen to find a key to a locked door, then it's fair game. Let him know and he'll have a word with the Master Librarian."
You weren't entirely sure what to make of that, but suddenly you felt like you were just issued a challenge for later. That is, if you ever were allowed back in here after today.
Opening your mouth, you didn't even have a chance to respond before she was talking again.
"Also, my master wished to warn you, some books are cursed. If they attack you, you have full permission to destroy them. He wanted me to assure you they aren't fully aware, being cursed objects, and constantly change where they are shelved on their own. My lord did not order them to attack you."
A sputter left your lips.
"I- wait, some cursed books just hang out and attack people?"
The corner of the maid's lips twitched, but you had a feeling it wasn't an amused smile she was hiding.
"Yes. Believe me when I say most of us… dislike them," she spoke, her eyes sharp with untold stories involving said books, "but they always end up back here no matter how often they are destroyed or moved. Only the Master Librarian and Lord Dracula can get them to listen, and they can't be everywhere at once."
Huh. You wondered if it had anything to do with the castle, since it sounded like they were bound here. Wasn't the castle a living being itself, technically?
You decided not to think too hard about it, you didn't need another anxiety episode.
"Finally, feel free to explore as you see fit, though Master wishes you to find a book and get comfortable to help in your recovery. Any monster in here is ordered to leave you be. If you have any questions, or need assistance finding or reaching a book, the Master Librarian should be available down that way."
She then pointed down a very long, winding hall, with more bookcases reaching the ceiling as walls.
Ominous.
You had a feeling finding this 'Master Librarian' might be more trouble than it's worth, if Dracula wanted you to sit down and relax…
"Is there anything else I can assist you with?" She then asked, and you looked at the woman, curious.
"Um… I think I'm good, thank you. Though… do you have a name?" You asked, suddenly curious.
Your question seemed to take her off guard, her eyes widening slightly. However, she quickly straightened herself, and dusted off invisible specks off her apron. The action was almost as if she were flustered, and it was kind of cute.
You knew in your family's journals these maids were often referred to as 'Persephone'. Why they were called that, you had no idea.
Perhaps it was just a name made on the fly that stuck? Or perhaps your ancestors called them that since they always appeared when Dracula revived, like the goddess from the myths returning to the underworld every autumn and winter?
She was silent for a moment, before she spoke, her voice ringing against the shelves of the library.
"You may… call me Edith."
"Edith…" you spoke, testing her name on your tongue. It sounded familiar. Was it foreign?
Regardless, she seemed to almost brighten as you said it, before closing her eyes.
"Yes. Edith." She spoke once more, before clearing her throat, and looking at you again. She then gave you a low bow.
"If you no longer require anything, I shall be on my way."
You could barely even open your mouth before she was stepping out of the massive room, her heels softly padding against the carpet as she walked out the way you both came in.
"…That was odd. Did I do something wrong? I hope not…" you mumbled. At least she didn't seem too upset. You think.
She at least was nice to you, but you imagine that was the bare minimum, especially given what she saw happen with that vampire in the hallway.
Swallowing those anxious thoughts, you turned back to the overbearing lobby of the library. Dracula's Library.
Suddenly, your options seemed near limitless.
Just what hidden knowledge awaited you? What secrets remained concealed behind an average looking cover? What curses and forbidden words lay in wait for you to find?
Your fingers twitched at your side. Suddenly, it became a bit more clear to you why some people made ridiculous deals with devils for a fraction of such knowledge, when such a world was open in front of you.
No wonder people sought Dracula out back in the old days…
Perhaps it was because you barely had any opportunities to look through your own family library, or perhaps it was your own thirst for knowledge you had to set aside outside of monster hunting that was rearing its head, but you felt like you were close to salivating.
Edith said anything you could essentially get your hands on was free game, right?
You looked around the massive area, as if you were a kid about to reach into a cookie jar. This almost felt too good to be true. A part of you expected to hear someone yell at you for even being in such a grand place.
Would Dracula pop out of the shadows and slap you on the head for daring to open his books? Or grab you by the neck, and drag you back to your room?
You shook your head. No, he wouldn't do that… Not with how he's treated you so far.
Still, you found yourself biting your lip as you looked at the shelves in clear curiosity.
You did have permission…
Looking from side to side, you quickly scuttled up to a shelf next to the massive fireplace that seemed to be the centerpiece of the room. Hands hovered over different, random spines of books, and your eyes gleamed as you took in each book.
Some had titles, others were blank. Some looked as if they were printed this century, others looked old and leather bound. You couldn't make heads or tails of how these were sorted, but you imagined with as many books as this library had, it'd be hard to figure out without talking to the librarian. Or Dracula himself.
After a bit of debate, your eyes landed on a book with a blank spine, that seemed rather small, but well worn. Licking your lips, you gently reached forward, plucking the book from its shelf.
It was light in your hands, and you gently opened the cover, leaning back slightly out of fear the book may lash out. When nothing happened, you blinked, before looking at the first page.
At first, you couldn't quite figure out what you were looking at. It wasn't in english, though you recognized Latin, something you had to pick up as a hunter. However, as you flipped through a few pages, you felt your face scrunch up, before you were quickly flipping back to the front.
"Holy- are these glyphs?"
Suddenly, this little worn book may have been the jackpot, and it was just the first book you had actually picked up.
You were no stranger to glyphs and their connections to magic. Your family had taken an interest in it after the fall of Ecclesia, one of the last groups at the time that had worked to stop any potential resurrections from Dracula while your family had stepped away from the whip for the time being.
While the Order was surrounded in mystery, all you knew is both Dracula rose once at the time, and was quickly slain by someone from said Order. It's one reason you took such an interest in glyphs. If someone could use them to kill Dracula, even without your whip, you potentially could too in the worst case scenario.
Granted, you didn't have any use for that at the moment, and hopefully never would. However, being a terrified child, knowing you were being raised as a weapon against 'The Ultimate Evil', you had tried to learn everything you could to give you an advantage.
Through studying what little you could get your hands on at the time, you were at least able to build a base understanding of it, along with old runes and magic. That, and after your mom died, you had to get creative since you had little opportunities to study such things under your step family's watchful eyes.
That led you to developing glyphs to protect your home, your room, your small cabin, among other stuff. Glyphs could be used in near limitless ways, but you found it easiest to build them as a foundation for shields.
Flipping through the pages, you greedily took in every word and diagram you could mentally translate.
"Of all times not to have a pen or paper…"
Lowering the book, your pocket suddenly felt heavy, with your phone idly inside it.
"Would it be alright to…" you began, one hand hovering above said pocket. It would be so easy to take a few pictures and study them later, something you occasionally had to do whenever you had brief opportunities to look through your family's things before Jason was on your ass about it.
Eyes drifting to the side, you sighed, and your arm went limp against your side. No, you wouldn't do it, not without asking first.
Dracula was being kind enough to let you even step foot in this place, alone no less. You wouldn't push that kindness and test that boundary.
Damn you and your morals.
With another sigh, you flipped to a new page, looking over more information.
"Just when was this written? The Order of Ecclesia vanished in the 1800's, not long after the Family went into hiding… But…"
You couldn't help but feel like these glyphs were a bit older. The book being primarily in Latin was a dead giveaway, yet something still felt off in the back of your mind.
Of course, glyph magic existed before the Order. However, you had a vague idea that the Order of Ecclesia took to studying them specifically in order to handle monsters and Dracula.
Did Dracula just happen to have this book after it was researched and written? Or did he have a special interest in it after seemingly losing to someone in the Order who specialized in glyphs and the power they held?
That had to have been at least around the 1800's, hadn't it? Just how old was this thing? Latin died out as a first language before then, right?
"Then again… I have no idea how old Mr. 'I am the Night' is…" you mumbled, flicking through another page. Perhaps it was written in Latin to help build on the glyphs potential power? After all, the older a language, the more powerful whatever you were using it for, was.
The same was true for any old language, Latin just happened to be the easiest and most accessible in very specific European circles, given it partially being the root to so many different languages across Western Europe. That being said, it was far from the only one, and hardly the most powerful.
Flicking through another page, your eyes squinted as you tried to understand a sentence. Okay, maybe your Latin was very rusty. Whatever. You had time, right?
"Something, something, ah, is it electricity based? Wait no, fire based-" you muttered, and found yourself idly turning around, and walking towards the massive couch. You sat down, and you paused when you felt your body finally relax.
Familiar aches and pains crawled up and made themselves known, and you sighed in irritation. Even your bones seemed to ache as your brain suddenly felt full of fluff.
…Ah, you had been wound up this entire time, hadn't you? Oops.
Now you could feel your body screaming at you for pushing yourself so much. Your stomach idly turned, and your head, while not pounding, began to thud. You clicked your tongue in annoyance.
"Figures."
You've worked in worse conditions. At least you can sit and enjoy yourself for a while, maybe even feel better by sitting down to decompress.
However, you did pause when you felt movement under your shirt against your back. It moved upwards towards your neck, and you felt a tiny tongue lick your cheek.
"Oh, hey! Hi little guy." you spoke, reaching over to your shoulder to pat the top of the tiny bat's head with your finger.
The bat let out a tiny squeak, before crawling up your hair and laying flat on your head.
"I had nearly forgotten you were there…"
For some reason, the bat had taken a liking to you, despite the rough introduction you both had. Even when you had set the little guy down on your bed, he always found a way back onto you some how, either in your hood, your shirt, or your shoulders and head.
A part of you was nervous by the lil guy, scared you'd hurt him again. Your body was filled to the brim with old, family magic and holy power. All it would take is you not paying attention in a fight to accidentally kill him.
That, or accidentally sitting on him, or accidentally smacking him off your head.
The bat didn't seem to care about your fears, always back on your shoulder or head, or bundled up somewhere on your person.
Another other part of you… kinda liked the company.
Was this what it was like to have a pet, or a familiar? As a hunter, you couldn't really afford to get a pet, with how often your family had to leave home, let alone the country. And a familiar? It was risky, unless you got one you could revive.
That, and you didn't trust your step father or step brothers around a familiar, let alone an innocent animal for a pet. No need to introduce an animal to the likes of them.
Still… you couldn't help but feel comfort from the tiny bat on your head, which seemed to idly watch as you read through the pages.
Was the bat aware? It seemed to have some level of intelligence, higher than the average bat. Perhaps because it was one of Dracula's?
You'd never know until you asked, but that would have to be for later, the book in your hand taking most of your attention. Your eyes flickered up to the bat just barely visible to you, before settling on a new page to glimpse through.
"Says something about a fire base, but I think this drawing has something to do with ice? Wait-"
You flipped back a page, and then forward again, before lightly smacking your forehead.
"Is it electricity using ice as a conduit? Was I right? Wait, how would this work-" you asked yourself, narrowing your eyes at the book as you struggled to understand a few words.
You'd have to investigate later. Seemed like you had Latin lessons in your future…
Clicking your tongue again with a hum, you continued reading, getting lost in the pages. Even if you struggled to understand a good chunk of what you were reading, it wasn't all lost on you. You could make out what most glyphs might be trying to achieve, given certain words and the way certain glyphs were drawn.
It was easy to lose the time, engrossed in the book. Perhaps you could strike a deal with Dracula to let you take this home? Or at the very least, maybe take some notes to study for later…
"This one looks like an earth base… yet I can't figure out what that's supposed to do? Strength enhancing when using earth magic, maybe?" You mumbled, holding the book up close to try and make out what you were reading.
Here, the page was smeared slightly, and the runes were drawn so small. You could only bite your lip as you mumbled out what runes there were, before suddenly a presence was behind you.
"It's actually a defense glyph, by the looks of it."
The library was suddenly filled with the sound that was totally not you letting out a loud squeal.
Jumping up off the couch, you suddenly had the book in your hand, turning around and ready to throw-
…Only to pause, eyes wide as Dracula simply stood behind the couch. He looked quite amused and pleased with himself.
"Hm? Did I catch you off guard, Little Belmont?" he asked, his lips curled upwards in a small smirk as he looked down towards you from behind the couch. You felt yourself slump, but gave him a look.
"Don't worry about it," you said with a sniff, "Just be lucky my first instinct was to jump away instead of attack." You said with a huff, pointedly looking away.
The bat on your head gave a squeak, and you felt your lip twitch. Even if you had no idea what it said, you couldn't help but feel you were just sold out. Your eyes narrowed as you looked at the bat peeking at you from leaning over your head.
"Traitor."
You couldn't help but jump a bit when you heard Dracula let out a bark of a laugh.
"Apologies…" he spoke, his fangs peeking out as he smiled, "Are you certain you don't speak bat? That was almost a perfect response."
Letting out a huff, you couldn't help but feel yourself smile back, reaching up to pet the lil guy on your head. Said little guy let out what you assumed to be a pleased chirp.
"I'm certain, though I imagine if I could, I would have heard plenty of obscenities from other bat familiars in other covens by now. Even if I tend to leave them alone, they get grumpy when disturbed. Especially at wild life sanctuaries where they accidentally get taken after getting lost."
Walking back towards the couch, you almost didn't notice the tilt in Dracula's head.
"'Wild life sanctuaries?'" He repeated, interested. You were almost surprised, but figured that was probably something somewhat new to him. Even if they had places in the past to protect animals, other than farms, you doubted they were as well known or as thorough as modern ones were. Right?
Or he simply hadn't cared until now if they did exist hundreds of years ago.
That, and modern wild life preservation funding was a lot easier to do than doing everything out of pocket, you imagined.
"Places to protect wild life, especially endangered species, such as bats. Though it doesn't have to be an endangered species to end up in a sanctuary. Often times people will report an injured animal they see, and the sanctuaries will take them in to try and nurse them back to health for release. Or if the injuries are too drastic, but not enough to put down, they keep them in captivity."
You turned back towards Dracula, gesturing a bit to try and explain. For his credit, Dracula seemed actually rather interested, and it filled you with a bit of confidence and excitement to keep explaining.
Perhaps you should put his interest in the back of your mind for places to take him one day. You could only imagine the reactions of wild bats in those sanctuaries when Dracula makes an appearance…
"They often are huge areas for the animals to roam around it, mimicking the wild areas they are used to, unless it's special circumstances, like having to nurse an injury, or an infant animal. Those tend to be more enclosed for protection, though the keepers and volunteers try to make sure even the injured animals get plenty of outside time to keep them happy."
A grimace fell onto your face, and you rubbed the back of your head.
"Well, any sanctuary worth their salt does, anyway. Most of them though have passionate people working at them, often with visitors. And it isn't very often one exists just to be run down and treat the animals poorly. Zoos on the other hand… are a much bigger mixed bag on quality, though that could be an entirely different conversation."
Shrugging, you then leaned back against the couch, just enough to keep Dracula in sight from the corner of your eye. You weren't going to let yourself be so caught off guard again. Something that, admittedly, hurt your pride a little bit.
After all, you don't normally let yourself get so lost in a book, or anything for that matter, anymore. You couldn't usually afford to, not even at home. Lowering your guard so carelessly in Dracula's Castle could easily end up as a lethal mistake, should you not grow more careful.
"Any-who… sorry, I was lost in thought. You said this was a defense glyph?"
Dracula's face didn't change too much, and you tried not to huff. No doubt he noticed your poor attempt at changing the subject so he'd forget he had managed to startle you.
Flipping the book open, you managed to find the page you were on before, and held it up to the vampire where he could see it. Dracula leaned closer, his large form now next to your head as he glanced over the page's contents.
Gently, a clawed finger came up, and tapped a section of the glyph.
"You see this rune here?" He asked you, his crimson eyes, flickering to you. You had to squint, but you nodded.
"Yeah? What about it? That's… a medieval rune, right?"
Dracula almost seemed to light up when you recognized it, and nodded. He then leaned further over the couch, and reached out over your shoulder a bit more, much more close to you now. You tried to ignore how close his face was to your own as he began to speak.
"Yes, somewhat. This, I believe, was the Elder Futhark. A written runic language that ended up evolving into the Younger Futhark, which then was competing with Latin, at the time. That is why it is not unheard of to see some runes with Latin on older glyphs. They occasionally go hand in hand. However-"
His claw tapped the page again, and pointed to another rune.
"This, I believe, is Algiz, or Elk. A rune meaning protection, or defense. Judging by the array of the glyphs magic…"
You watched in fascination as his claw slowly moved across the picture on the page, moving to the center of the glyph as he worked out a calculation in his head.
While you liked experimenting with glyphs, you only knew so much about the real theory of them. To see him easily seem to figure out how a glyph worked at a glance… you could only lick your lips.
Was it weird to find this side of him kind of… attractive?
A thought that nearly had you mentally jumping and smacking yourself. No need for thoughts like that right now with Dracula right next to your face.
"I'm assuming it is a glyph to make it difficult for someone to be thrown around. To be able to take hits that would leave a normal man incapacitated. The Earth base helps strengthen the body to be able to stand it's ground. Pairs rather nicely with the runes, here."
Your eyes flickered from the glyph on the page, to Dracula's face, and you were nearly startled how his eyes seemed to be looking at you.
That… and how you suddenly could see them much more clearly with the fire from the nearby fireplace dancing in the reflection of his piercing gaze. The shadows dancing across his face only doing wonders to show off just how divine he looked. You swallowed, before looking back at the book.
"So… Not a shield glyph… But I do like the idea of a glyph to be able to take hits. Not that I need it so much nowadays, but it never hurts to know such a power in a pinch…" you mumbled, already thinking of practical uses, such as a mission where you can't see your enemy, who could come from any angle. On the off chance you weren't fast enough, you'd have a glyph to be able to take a potentially lethal hit, and shrug it off like it was nothing…
Or… if you needed it at home in a pinch, that could work, too.
Dracula watched you think, eyes never quite leaving your face. Then, you turned to face him.
"May I… take a photo of this glyph? So I may use it?"
Your eyes widened slightly as he looked at you rather curious.
"I-I mean, I'll understand if you say no, it's okay. I- uh- I just-"
Dracula tilted his head slightly, he seemed puzzled… or surprised?
"A photo? You have a camera on you?"
You blinked, before it hit you. Dracula probably was aware of cameras, but probably not modern ones, let alone phone ones. Quickly, you reached into your pocket to fish out your phone.
"Y-Yeah. This is my cellphone. A modern phone that lets you do all sorts of things, including take photos and videos, and store them in the device."
You held up your phone to him, before pulling it back to unlock it. You winced when you noticed a few messages, but chose to ignore them.
The last thing you needed right now was to think of home.
Dracula watched as you then tapped your phone a few times, and turned it towards yourself. A 'click!' came from your phone, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise when you turned the device back towards him.
On the screen was a photo of you, with the little bat still on your head.
"See? It can do a lot more than that, too. Like instantly send messages to someone across the globe in seconds, or play music. Among a lot of other things."
For a moment, a clawed hand reached out, as if to take it, before pausing. After a moment of hesitation, you held it out closer to him.
"Here, you can look, if you want. Just watch the claws, it's a pain in the ass to get the screen replaced. Believe me, I have to more often then I would like from monsters hitting my sides where my pockets are."
Ever so gently, Dracula took the phone from your hands. His eyes flickered across the screen.
"Fascinating. It registers touch?"
You couldn't help but gently smile at how he tapped the screen a few times, ending up in your photos.
"Yes. I think it uses a subtle electric charge to determine if something is touching it, and where that touch is based on the change of electric flow. Or something like that."
Dracula pulled the phone closer, clearly intrigued.
"You know, I bought you a phone for yourself, if you want it."
Head snapping up in a flash, Dracula looked at you in surprised.
"You bought one for me?"
Nodding, you reached up, rubbing the back of your neck.
"Well, yeah," you began, feeling your neck heat up a bit as you avoided looking him in the eye, "I told you I'd be willing to show you some stuff humanity has developed in recent years. Plus, it might be easier for you to have a phone so I don't have to raise a carrier pigeon. Doubt the postal service would be willing to deliver a letter to the giant, ominous floating castle in the middle of the woods."
That, and the last thing you needed was the public or the government knowing of Dracula's return. If they didn't already.
You doubted it, given you likely would have heard something by now from the local government, or the local churches. As the whip's current master, you would be sought out first, so you may as well enjoy your peace for now.
No doubt that wouldn't last forever, though.
Dracula let out something like a snort at the mental imagery as he looked over your phone.
"Postal service… believe me, mail carriers in the past have been… difficult to handle. Even centuries ago, they weren't fond of delivering to and from a vampire." He mumbled. You couldn't help but imagine a comically scared mail man having to cross what could have been hordes of the living dead, or a lawn of corpses just to deliver a post card.
He looked through your phone for a few minutes, and you idly told him of a few apps. It wasn't like you had a lot on it to hide, and anything too personal was behind folders in your phone.
Well, most your personal stuff, anyway.
His face was one of pure curiosity, though he paused, before his brows furrowed.
"…Seth? Is that the message thing you mentioned-"
In a flash, you reached forward, ripping your phone from his hands.
"Y-Yeah. Sorry. He's my… step brother. I…"
You couldn't hold back the sour look on your face.
"Sorry. But yes. That was probably a text message from him." You mumbled, cursing your step brother for ruining the moment. Just as you had been pointedly avoiding them…
Dracula pursed his lips, understanding it must have been a touchy subject. You hoped he'd forgive you for snatching your phone like that, though.
Sighing, you rubbed your eyes. You were growing flustered. The last thing you wanted was for him knowing more than he should. You already blabbed enough when he was a statue, even if you kept things very vague. He didn't need to know anymore than that.
"I… again, I apologize-"
"Enough."
Freezing, your eyes snapped open. He gave you a pointed look, though it was a soft one.
"You have nothing to apologize for. I assume that was a private message, and it was none of my business."
With that, he stood up at his full height, and it hit you how long he must have been leaning over your shoulder. Did his back not hurt? Could his back even hurt from standing at an odd position like that for a long time?
He walked around until he was directly in front of you, and held out a hand, snapping you out of your thoughts.
"Come. You must be hungry."
You blinked, a bit stunned. His eyes then landed on the book, which lay nearly forgotten at your side.
"Don't worry about taking a photo."
Looking back, your eyes flickered to the book. Your heart sank. Of course, you should have known he'd be protective of his books-
"You may take that with you, since you find it so fascinating. I may have to take a look at some older books about glyphs, seeing as that rekindled my interest as well."
You brightened up considerably at his words.
"Wa- really? You mean I can take this?" You asked, grabbing the book. Dracula gave you a curt nod.
"You may. I have a feeling you will have more use for it than myself. Although…" he began, a toothy grin appearing on his face.
"In exchange, I would like you to show me something in return. That phone you mentioned, for example. Though that can be shown at a later date, seeing as you are still recovering."
You furrowed your brow, giving him a confused look.
"…Are you sure? I mean, I already was planning on doing that anyway, showing you like, the phone and stuff…"
Dracula blinked, and then shook his head slightly, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'impossible Belmonts…'
He then gave you a critical look. One that had you feeling sheepish.
"Alright then. I want to see you either recreate that glyph from the book, or show me one of your own."
Your eyes widened in surprise, and Dracula simply tilted his head.
"I've seen your spells, rune arrays, and glyphs from your little cabin. Or at least, I caught a glimpse of them. You have a natural talent, regardless of your full understanding of them. I want to see what else you can do, and how you weave them together."
Dracula's words rang in your ear, and you struggled not to grow surprised, ignoring the fact Dracula knew where your cabin was. Right.
While you were very aware the Belmont Clan was able to go toe to toe with Dracula in power and battle, you knew there would always be things he knew better than you and your clan as a whole. Even those magically gifted in your family, such as yourself, only knew so much, and dabbled more in protective and holy magic.
The fact Dracula wanted to see what you knew had your head swimming slightly.
It was one thing to show him things you know he didn't have direct access to, but your own skills in magic and glyphs?
Suddenly, you felt a bit shy.
"I… Okay. I can do that." you spoke, unable to meet his eyes.
Then you worked up some courage, and looked up at him with a fake glare.
"Just don't expect any family secret magic, got it?"
You didn't really expect him to want to know your family magics. In fact, you figured he could probably care less about the majority of it, given a lot of the older spells and what not were holy in origin. What would his plan even be? Learn your defenses and raid your house? Please.
Dracula simply rolled his eyes, almost playfully, before snapping his fingers, which drew your attention back at his hand. It still was out in front of you.
"Of course, of course. Now come. I hunger, so you must be as well, no?"
He ignored your bewildered look, simply gesturing for you to take his hand once again. Not wanting to be rude, you grabbed it with your free hand, and grabbed the book with your other tightly as he helped you up from the couch.
Steadying yourself, you expected to follow close behind him wherever he chose to lead you. However, you looked at him almost puzzled as he held out an arm towards you to grab onto.
"Shall we, Little Belmont? Dinner awaits."
Swallowing thickly, you looked at his massive form, and how he was gently offering his arm. How could someone so… bloodthirsty… be such a gentleman?
Carefully, you reached forward, linking your arm with his own.
'Soft…' you thought, his clothes gentle against your skin. Idly, you felt your bat friend scramble down your head, and into your coat's hood, and Dracula gave you a nod before beginning to walk you towards the door.
You felt like you were in a dream.
And perhaps… if it was a dream, you didn't exactly wish to wake up.
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