Lost in the Castle

~8~

"You need to sleep now, Samara," he said, lifting me up in his arms and carrying me over to my bed.

It made me giggle; he seemed to like sweeping me off my feet to carry me wherever he wanted me.

Vlad looked at me inquiringly, a bemused smile playing on his full lips. He put me on my bed and we both realised it was cold.

Katerina had forgotten the warmer, and I wondered if she had done it on purpose, to punish me for my unsuitable, unladylike behaviour. Whatever she wanted to achieve, it most probably had the opposite effect as Vlad, seeing me shiver in my shirt after I had removed the blanket from around my shoulders, took off his own jacket and climbed in the bed with me.

He pulled me close and enclosed me in his arms to shield me against the coldness of the sheets, the embrace so new and so familiar at the same time. I rested my head on his shoulder, against the soft fabric of his shirt, feeling safe and protected.

"Sleep, my love," he said, pushing a few strands of my hair away from my face before kissing my forehead.

His closeness, the scent of his body, and the soft sound of his erratic heart were soothing; I felt warm and relaxed in his embrace. My eyes were starting to close, but my curiosity wouldn't let me sleep.

We didn't know why or how I got here, or if I could stay, but maybe he could help me understand some things about himself. Vlad wasn't like any of the vampires I had read about in books.

"Don't you need to sleep?" I asked, snuggling as close to him as I could, scared not to find him by my side when I woke up.

"Not as much as you," he said, and from the way he pronounced the words, I knew he was smiling. "In many ways, I'm the same as you. Vampires sleep, eat, feel... And the thing about blood, it's more an addiction than a real need."

"What do you mean?" I asked, intrigued, all the vampire stories I had ever read, letting me down. "Don't you need it to survive?"

"Yes, but very little, Samara. We need it to feel good, strong, invincible, irresistible... it can become very addictive. But the desire for blood, human or animal, can be tamed greatly."

My mind, already full of memories that Katerina's story had awoken, was presented with more puzzling information.

Listen and think, Samara! I ordered myself.

So blood was like a drug for them. Once they were changed, they became addicts. But some of them had a strong enough will, or reason, to consume only as much blood as they really needed.

"I do need some blood, Samara. That will never change. I am a vampire. And I hate myself for ever becoming like this," he said.

Vlad raised himself slightly on his elbow and turned towards me, studying my expression in the soft, flickering light reaching us from the fireplace. He was so beautiful, as he ran his hand through my unruly hair, pushing it away from my face, trying to see into my soul through my eyes. My breath hitched, and I had to remind myself to breathe; I wondered if he noticed what he was doing to me.

"What are you thinking? Tell me Samara, please," he begged.

None of the things he was telling me could ever change how I felt about him, I was sure.

"I love you," I said simply, caressing his face.

I heard him take a deep, calming breath, as if he had forgotten to breathe himself while waiting for my answer. He rested his forehead against mine for a moment, then kissed me again, slowly, passionately, making me feel loved and adored.