A Lonely Prince with Fangs (completed)

Stranger in the Dark

The knock came again. I quickly got out of my warm covers and tiptoed to the large wooden door. The icy cobbled floor bit at my toes but I needed to know what Alexandru wanted at this hour of night.

I opened the door and found the vampire paler than usual.

"Alexandru," I began, "what is it?" My voice was soft yet loud in the quiet night. Alexandru looked like he was at a loss of words. He soon gathered some up and looked like he was trying to be as reverent as possible.

"I found your parents." His voice was not like mine. His matched the night. But the words he spoke made my brain not match my own heart beat. A series of emotions rang through me as I tried to process his words. I had put my head down and watched my heels slowly lower to the ground—not minding the cold surface of it. Alexandru's hand came into view, grabbing my hand, and guiding me down the dark halls by candlelight.

It was different walking down the halls early in the morning than it is at night after dinner. In a way, they're more gloomy, and I fear whatever hides in the dark. And I never hold Alexandru's hand, which only added to the shivers coursing through my veins. But just like earlier I felt the vampire mentally tell me that everything was going to be okay and that he was there for me.

His long strides had me walking as quickly as I could while still feeling doleful. I began to wipe the tears streaming down my face.

We turned down the bare hall that led to Alexandru's room. We stopped at one of the empty rooms I had found and Alexandru opened it. I peeked inside and found candles surrounding two coffins. I slowly stepped into the room becoming overwhelmed by the stale atmosphere. I came closer to the opened coffins and peered at the two faces I had been mourning over.

My parents laid lifeless, my dad in a black suit, and my mother in a black dress. Scratches covered their faces and hands. I touched the pale hand of my mother, which was as cold as the count's.

"I cleaned them up for you, I hope you don't mind. I found them in a repugnant state... I didn't want you to see them like that." Alexandru spoke as concord as he could. I'm glad that he did what he did. He cares and yet I know not why. Why has he taken pity on me and my life? None of him adds up. He's probably just lonely, but so am I. Maybe our fates have crossed for that reason.

"Thank you," I say.

"I said that I was in the death business, I will arrange for their funerals if you'd like."

My tears were dried up by then. Probably from the dust in the room. All of this felt so fast. "I guess we'll tell the police," I pointed out. I looked at Alexandru and he just nodded. "Thank you, Alexandru. Maybe we should have a funeral right away." He nodded again.

He led me back to my room, but I couldn't sleep. I stayed wide awake, thinking about the rest of my life.

I might start public school, unless I can get the Count to homeschool me. He seems to have a lot of patience. I could start looking at colleges in Europe. I don't exactly know what I want to be when I grow up.

Suddenly, the door to my room creaked open. Why would Alexandru sneak into my room now? My eyes stayed open until I realized that it wasn't the Count at all. I immediately closed my eyes and tried to get my breath to a reasonable rate.

What I had seen was a tall figure dressed in black. His eyes glowed yellow in the dark. The stranger's footsteps made their way to the side of my bed. I heard a scratch, then flickering. They were lighting something.

"Stop faking it, girl, your heart tells me otherwise." Their voice matched the breathless night like a vampire. It was a man's voice, much deeper than Alexandru's, but the same accent.

I burst my eyes open realizing that if he could hear the beating of my heart and his eyes glowed and his voice was just like Alexandru's—he's a vampire.

Looking at him with more clarity, he was tall like Alexandru, he was bald with only red sideburns to count on as hair. His nose and ears were also pointy, but had piercings in them. He wore a leather jacket along with leather pants. He too was very pale.

"So, Drac is housing humans now. But it seems like you already know what he and I are." His accent was actually less richer than Alexandru's. I was scared of the man and I knew he could smell my fear, but I didn't know what one did in these kinds of situations.

"Name's Octavian." He seemed like a chill guy, but very awkward. "Where can I find Alex? I tried looking in his room but he wasn't in there." I shook my head. Octavian gave me a bored look. Then, a hand came out of the dark and stuck its claws into the neck of the stranger.

Octavian didn't move or even flinch, instead, he smiled. "I've missed you old friend. You've gotten weak." In a flash, Alexandru jumped out of the shadows and slid his friend up the wall. I didn't even see him come into my room.

"You're no longer welcomed here, Tavien." Alexandru had his fangs out and his eyes glowed gold.

"Oh come on, there must be some reason you've kept me alive all these years after killing everyone else off." Alexandru gritted his teeth but lowered Octavian down. "Hey, who's the girl?"

"None of your concern," Alexandru answered him.

"She's pretty quiet, not really your type buddy, ea nu este o altă soție este ea?" I didn't understand what he said, he was speaking in his home dialect.

"Nu, dar ea este încă a mea. Nici măcar nu te gândești la încercarea de a trage o mișcare asupra ei!" Alexandru spoke with much fierce and demand. Octavian held his hands up in defense at his words.

"Alexandru, n-aș visa la asta. În plus, este prea tânără pentru felul meu de gust." Octavian gave me a flirtatious look and licked his lips. Then he went on and looked back at Alexandru with seriousness. "Eu de fapt nu mai mănânc oameni. Nu mai au gust bun în America."

"Ce, deci mănânci animale?" Alexandru asked with unbelief. He then shook the topic away and asked him in English. "How long do you plan on staying? You're not running away from something are you?"

"Oh come on, can't a man come and visit his oldest and dearest friend?"

"No, not this one." Octavian looked defeated.

"Okay," he held up his hands and glanced at me. "I might've gotten some hunters riled up in Los Angeles. They began following me across the continent and so I decided to come here because you haven't been suspected since the roaring twenties."

"So come here and put my life in danger."

"No, I thought I'd come for the festival. And to liven up this damp castle. Sheesh man, haven't you heard of electricity?"

"Yes, I helped Humphry Davy invent the electric battery."

"You're so old school, loosen up, I bet you're boring your guess to death."

Alexandru looked at me with worry in his face, as if I was really disapproving of his home.

"Does it irritate you Maggy?" He asked. Why does he care so much of my satisfaction?

"Uh," my voice was not as smooth as their's, and I'd had my mouth closed causing me to have a croak in my voice. "I don't mind at all."

"I see that you are still in the funeral thing." Octavian said, most likely having seen my parents while looking for Alexandru. "What else have you been up to this century?"

"Nothing much, keeping Transylvania some company."

"Maggy," Octavian looked at me, "has this old man just been sorrowing away in his gloomy castle?" I giggled at his question in calling Alexandru an old man like Gabriel had. I guess he really does act like one. I nodded to go along with the fun. Alexandru gaped at me and Octavian laughed. Maybe being around another vampire won't be so bad.