Dracula and His Brides

by Darren Cage

  But where to gather them?

  “The Transylvania Plateau,” Andreea said, breaking the silence that had developed after I pulled out of Stela, and we all collapsed onto the floor.

  I lifted onto my elbow to prop myself up as I eyed her curiously. Did you hear my thoughts?

  I did. Her eyes widened. I did!

  Don’t shout. Stela rubbed her temple.

  This is amazing, Catina thought.

  I grinned. Yes, indeed, we were bonded and strengthened in a way more than ever before. We might have reached this level sooner, but perhaps not all of us had been willing to give of ourselves entirely and wholly until not. Whatever the reason, I knew we could face Van Helsing this time and be victorious.

  Belatedly, I considered the spot Andreea had mentioned. The Transylvania Plateau was misnamed. It wasn’t a true plateau, more canyons, valleys, and ravines rather than plainlands, but it should serve our purpose nicely. Although nestled almost entirely by the Carpathian Mountains, the plateau would not give away the castle we now stood, or rather lay in.

  Shall we get to work then? I asked them.

  Yes, my brides returned in unison.

  Within ten minutes, perhaps less, we had gathered a large audience for us, fifty-six in total. I had them all form a semi-circle behind me, standing in the front and appraising them. Yes, this would be enough, but…

  My gaze settled on a man whose one shoulder was much higher than the other. I motioned him forward, and he complied, limping badly. Yes, he would do. Moved by pity, I allowed him to flee back to the town. After all, Van Helsing must learn of us and where we were.

  Considering his limp, however, I worried the man would take too long to reach the town to spread the word. I rushed away and spirited a car for him to locate. I left the key in the ignition, and the man didn’t hesitate. As soon as he saw the running car, he lumbered inside. Once he drove off, the tires peeling, I returned to the plateau, to the valley we had chosen, and we settled in to wait.

  I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but sooner than I expected, Van Helsing appeared. No car. No horse. He had run here, and he wasn’t out of breath despite the long trek.

  The battle, the moon willing the last battle, had begun.

  Chapter Thirty

  My gaze wandered over Van Helsing’s hulking form. He didn’t seem to be any larger mass-wise, so perhaps he hadn’t had a chance to see the mad scientist. Still, I refused to underestimate him. Van Helsing had proven dangerous far too many times.

  To provoke him, I grabbed one of the humans and bit into her neck, careful to avoid her carotid artery. Still, I made sure to show blood, dripping some out of my mouth as I tilted my head back, allowing the remnants of the dying moon to shine on me.

  Van Helsing let out an inhuman yell as he raced toward me. I grinned, shoving the bit human aside and selecting another one. My brides were all hidden away, out of sight, but only for the moment.

  The vampire hunter reached within two paces of me. My hand shot out, and I snatched him by the throat, my elbow locked so as to hold him as far from me as possible.

  His fingers-turned-claws dug into my wrist, but I did not react, did not even blink. He reached for a weapon of some kind, but Stela was there, standing before him, yanking away the blade and stripping him of every other weapon as well as his clothes.

  Andreea calmly and coolly collected every weapon, examining them.

  “She’s picking out which one to use to kill you,” I murmured into Van Helsing’s ear.

  “Like hell she will!” he shouted.

  As if possessed, as if a mad man, Van Helsing headbutted me. It was as if his skull had been replaced by metal because pain ratcheted through me. It was impossible to reconcile what exactly the mad scientist had done to the man, but he was more than a worthy foe.

  I staggered but refused to allow Van Helsing to go free. Swiftly, Andreea handed my brides two weapons each, arming themselves, and they carved into him, slashing him, goring him deeply.

  But it didn’t matter how deeply they cut him. He healed within seconds, not nearly bleeding enough to die, not even when they slashed his throat.

  No matter how hard they tried, none of them could decapitate him, and it became increasingly clear what had to be done.

  Even if it meant I had to die.

  I had been the one to turn my brides, to give them all a second life, but my own second life hadn’t truly started until I met and fell in love with them all. They completed me, and I could only hope that together, they would find solace in one another after I passed on.

  I did not wish to die, make no mistakes, but I would do anything to ensure that this nightmare ended.

  Van Helsing could not break free of my grasp, but he was fighting back against my brides. He even managed to gain access to one of the weapons, but before he could harm any of them, my teeth sank into his neck.

  Biting him wasn’t enough. I would have to drink his blood despite it being poisoned.

  With each suck, my body burned from the inside out. My limbs felt as if they were being ripped out of their sockets, each muscle tearing, each bone breaking. My mind grew numb, not to the pain but to everything else. I could hardly stand, but arms held me up, or I thought they did. It felt as if each and every one of my teeth fell out. My tongue melted in my mouth, and perhaps my brain was leaking out of my ears.

  My skin dissolved, liquefying, yet I felt soft fingers against my throat, gently rubbing up and down, helping me to swallow, helping me to kill myself, but also helping me to kill Van Helsing.

  All along, as I had been drinking his blood, Van Helsing had been fighting back and hard, biting, clawing, stabbing. That only lasted for the first few swallows. Maybe my brides were holding him in place, preventing him from retaliating, but I couldn’t be sure. I wasn’t about to look away and see what they were doing. I had to stop his heart from beating.

  Only it seemed as if his heart would never stop thudding. If anything, it was beating harder and faster than ever before. If I could, I would rip out his heart and then eat it. But I couldn’t risk stopping. On and on, I drank and drank and drank. Eventually, Van Helsing slumped forward slightly.

  I pulled back, releasing my hold on him. He collapsed to the ground, but he was beating yet. He wasn’t completely dead.

  No!

  But Andreea straddled him and punched him straight through his ribs, a loud cracking sound deafening me. She yanked out his heart and then stabbed it clear through with one of his blades.

  There. Now, Van Helsing was dead.

  Now, I could die in peace.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  My eye closed. I was surprised to see have eyes, to be capable of seeing. As I drank, I had shut them for the most part, but as I watched Andreea deliver the killing blow, my vision had changed to a black and white faze.

  It was surreal, dying again. I felt as if my body was weightless, and yet, the pain still anchored me. I couldn't quite leave this world.

  Something bit me, but I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes. I could feel my blood leave my body, drawn out.

  Sucked out.

  Try as I might, it took some time before I could open my eyes. Each of my brides was biting me, sucking out blood and spitting it out. After a few sucks, Andreea raced off. I couldn't see where she went, and my eyes shut again.

  Maybe I died, or maybe I only passed out, but when I was next aware, something wet was pressed against my mouth, or at least where my mouth should be. I couldn't open my lips, if I still had them, but pressure on my chin had my jaw opening. Something soft and wet entered my mouth, and I didn't want to. The last time I drank, it killed me. Was killing me. I couldn't even be certain what was happening, but the gentle pressure on my throat up and down again forced me to drink against my will.

  This time, the blood was fresh. It wasn't poison, and it was delicious.

  I drank greedily, and with it came a fresh bout of pain. My mind was clearing, and as I grew more aware, I rea
lized my body burned yet, festering, and my bones were slowly healing, having truly broken, and the agony made me wish I would just die.

  But with every suck and spit, suck and spit, my body felt a little stronger, especially because I kept drinking. By the time my source of blood was drained, I thought I might be able to sit up. In fact, I was about to when the wrist was taken away, replaced by another.

  I couldn’t say how many humans I drained of their blood, killing them in my quest to regain my health. The sun shone down on us by the time I felt like myself again.

  I shoved the last arm away. This human might live yet. Andreea compelled her to go home and rest until she felt better and to not recall anything about this. She wandered off.

  I sat up.

  Stela hovered nearby. “Are you all right?”

  “Van Helsing’s dead?” I asked, glancing around. “Where is he?”

  “We burned the body,” Catina said.

  “And scattered the ashes,” Andreea added.

  “I ate his heart,” Stela cut in.

  “I wanted to do that,” I murmured.

  “I know,” she said simply. “I heard your thoughts.”

  “Good. He’s dead and gone and no longer a threat to us.”

  Andreea nodded, but there was a faraway look in her eyes.

  I knew what was troubling her. When there was one vampire hunter, there were more. After all, we had killed two vampire hunters, not just the one.

  “We’ll just be discreet,” I said, hoping the others knew what I was referring to.

  My gaze fell on the pile of dead bodies.

  “Starting tomorrow,” I amended.

  Andreea burned the bodies and buried their bones with the help of Catina. Stela did not leave my side. Together, we returned to the castle, the one in the mountains.

  “Is this our new home?” Catina asked.

  “Yes,” I said firmly. “The chances of others knowing the first castle has a connection to vampires is too great.”

  “Discrete,” Stela murmured. “I would much rather be joined than disconnected.”

  “I meant discreet as in being careful, not discrete as in distinct.”

  “Still, joined is better than disconnected.” She brushed my white hair back and rubbed her body against mine, holding me close and kissing me deeply.

  I drank more than enough blood that my cock stirred at her touch. My body still felt as if it burned slightly, but her gentle touch, Andreea’s kisses, and Catina’s caresses made me forget all about my worries and woes.

  Celebratory lovemaking was the best kind, I soon discovered. My brides tended to my every need and desire, and I gave as much as I took. At one point, I knew I dozed off, and I woke to Catina sucking me, her orange-red-haired head bobbing up and down. The suck and delight to be waking this way had me coming in a few seconds. She swallowed every last drop and then pulled back, licking her lips.

  I would have returned the favor, but Andreea took that pleasure instead. Stela brought me over a human to drink from, and I made sure I didn’t take too much. As I motioned the human to stand back, Stela got onto all fours, and I took her from behind, pounding into her. Her moans echoed in the empty room. I really needed to have the place furnished.

  My hands reached around and grabbed Stela’s breasts, rolling her nipples between my fingers before twisting and yanking on them.

  “Do you like that?” I growled.

  “I love it. You know I do.”

  “Are you ready?”

  “Always.”

  One of my hands went to hips to steady her. The other went to her clit. She fucking loved it when I played with her clit, and I buried myself deeper and deeper into her with each thrust, teasing both her nipple and her clit at the same time.

  Just then, Andreea wiggled her way beneath Stela, pushing my hand away and replacing my fingers on Stela’s clit with her mouth. Balancing herself with one hand, Stela fingered Andreea in return.

  All that left was Catina. She laid on Stela’s back, high enough up that all I had to do was dip down my head and I could eat her out. I made love to Stela’s pussy as I made love to Catina’s while Stela made love to Andreea’s and Andreea returned the favor.

  My balls tightened. I was close, so very close, and from the moans of my brides, they all were on the verge, too. The moment Stela’s walls collapsed as waves of her orgasmic washed over her, I came too, and Catina and Andreea shrieked, Andreea’s a bit muffled given her face remained against Stela’s clit.

  We had done it. All four of us came at the same time, and it was every bit as glorious as I had hoped for. Pleasuring my brides gave me the greatest sense of pleasure. I had known for some time now, but my love for them would never die. Never.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Two months had passed since Van Helsing had died. Catina had the castle fully furnished a long while ago, and honestly, life could hardly be better. We drank as we needed to, never killing a person, and the last time I had spoken with Viorica, the police agent’s wife confided in me that she truly believed every vampire in the area was dead. It certainly helped that I had created a new potion that healed a human’s wound instantly. None of the humans we bit and then returned home looked like a victim from a vampire attack.

  We made love whenever we wished for as long as we wished, and we all slept together in the world’s largest coffin… when we did sleep.

  This night, however, we actually wore clothes and were sitting on the couch when Catina jumped up.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked her lazily.

  “I’ll be right back.” She winked and walked away, swaying her hips, wearing a short, blue, low-cut dress that made me want to rip her clothes off. I would behave, though. While I had more than enough money, buying new clothes every day would not be wise.

  A few minutes passed. Normally, any task should take a vampire only seconds, and I almost grew worried, a feeling I hadn’t felt these past two months. Then, Catina entered the parlor, holding four wine glasses and a clear pitcher, the spout golden. Inside the pitcher was a liquid that looked suspiciously like blood.

  Sure enough, she poured the wine, and the first sip was that delectable lifeforce we vampires loved so much.

  “A little more civilized,” Catina said, “don’t you think?”

  “It’s perfect,” I told her, and my other brides murmured their consent.

  Life truly was perfect, I reflected as I draped my elbow on the back of the couch. Catina refilled my glass, sitting to my right. Andreea sat on Catina's other side while Stela sat on my left.

  What more could I ever possibly want? Andreea asked every few days if I would allow her to see if I had a connection to the previous Dracula, but I never allowed her to. I was happy. I knew who I was. Going down that road might change things, so why potentially upset perfection?

  Yes, I knew that it was more than likely that we would face other trials in the future, but even if others strove to kill us, I knew my brides and I would always survive, would always feed, and would always love one another. Some might think us perverse, tainted, corrupt, but even out of darkness, some light would always shine, especially moonlight upon this Dracula and his three stunning brides.

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for reading Dragon Hunter! I hope you enjoyed the story. I had a lot of fun writing it. I mean, superheroes and dragons. What more can you want? Well, obviously sexy superheroes…

  If you did enjoy Dragon Hunter, I would really appreciate a review. Even a sentence or two would be enough. If you do, Nicoletta will light your fire, Elena will warm your bed, and Olivia is open for anything. The more reviews I have, the faster I’ll work on the next book.

  Thanks again, and I hope you’ll read Vampire Hunter.

  Regards,

  Dante

  About the Author

  Darren tries to enjoy life as much as possible. He’s always out and about rocking climbing or training in martial arts, or camping. That doesn’t mean he do
esn’t play video games or read or watch movies and shows, though. He tries to do a bit of everything.

  He started writing almost by accident, and now, he can’t stop. He has a ton of stories planned and won’t stop anytime soon.

  Email: authordarrencage@gmail.com

  Other Books By Darren Cage

  Dracula and His Brides

  Alpha - coming soon

  Rogue - coming soon

  Collector - coming soon