Erinna was woken up by water droplets being flicked at her face playfully. She turned her face away but they kept coming so she opened her eyes.

"Evening sunshine," Alexander grinned.

"Alexander!" She exclaimed, hardly daring to believe it.

"One and only," he smiled sitting on the bed.

"I thought you were really dead."

"You're not going to get rid of me that easily, Ty."

"You must really hate me; I'm so sorry," she apologised feeling like the worst friend ever.

"And why would I hate you?"

"He killed you because of me," she reminded him, wondering if his near death experience had muddled his brain and given him amnesia.

"Vampires are a jealous species Erinna, The Count more so than others. I provoked him."

"I hate him."

He chuckled and she realised she had probably said that statement to him a thousand times.

"I'm serious Alexander. I hate him but I'll try to help him. It's the only way this whole thing can end."

A knock came on the door; it was Camille, the new servant Dracula had assigned to her. Alexander went and opened the door for her and her eyes darted from Erinna to Alexander suspiciously.

"Is there anything I can help you with Camille?" She asked.

"The Count expects you for supper."

He doesn't even eat, she thought irritated.

"I'll bring her," Alexander replied.

Camille gave him a long hard look. "I hope it's worth it," she said ominously and left.

"What did she mean by that?" Erinna asked Alexander.

"Don't mind her. Unless you want to go for supper like that I suggest you start taking that bath," he said, falling back on the bed and snuggling in the pillows.

He looked so cute and she smiled at his silliness, the butterflies fluttering in her stomach again.

Alexander took her to Dracula's office when she was presentable though he didn't hold her hand. That was probably for the best.

"I told you to stay away from me for two weeks," Dracula growled when they arrived and he saw Alexander.

"You didn't say two days?" The younger vampire asked innocently.

"Three thousand years and you're still a lousy liar," Dracula shook his head in disgust and she could tell he was fighting back an amused smile.

"I'm working on it."

Dracula offered her his arm.

"I can walk on my own."

"I thought we called a truce yesterday," he raised a dark eyebrow.

"Then you must have thought wrong," she glared at him defiantly, remembering how he had thrown her offer to help him right back at her.

"I didn't mean what I said."

"I can tell when you're lying."

He smiled ruefully, "I tend to forget, " he said tucking a loose tendril of her hair behind her ear. The gesture was innocent enough and should not have had her temperature reaching dangerous levels like that. "Here's one truth though, you look lovely this evening. White becomes you."

Erinna looked away to hide the cursed blush that made it impossible to keep her emotions private.

"I thought we were going for dinner?"

"Thank you is the right response," he gave her an amused look.

"You are being inappropriate and I don't appreciate it, so can we just go?"

He set her off balance when he switched moods, turning to playful and cordial instead of his usual annoyingly domineering attitude.

"Okay then, how is this? You smell so good right now and it becomes harder to resist tasting you every time you open your lips? Is that appropriate enough for you Countess?"

She heard Alexander choke back a laugh and her chagrin overrode her embarrassment, making her look directly into Vlad's face with a displeased frown.

"I amuse you," she said with realization.

She was actually trying to help him and all they saw her for was the evening's entertainment.

"Amongst other things," he smirked.

"I hope you will still find me funny when I kill you because you won't cooperate and let me break your curse."

"Why so glum, angel? We live today and we die tomorrow, it's the circle of life. I don't see the reason to bear a grudge for being given the opportunity to die whilst looking at the woman I love. Not many men can claim that fortune."

"You don't love me, stop saying that. None of this is real. It's the curse making you so receptive to me so that I can kill you and you can't even see it! "

He raised his hand and cupped her jaw. The contact seared her skin.

"For four thousand years it has been you; you and only you. Loving you is all I've ever known and if this is curse, then it's the best curse of my life. "

Why did he have to do this, make her feel sorry for him?

"You cannot just love someone you've never met, Dracula."

"Vlad."

"Huh?" She queried blankly.

"My name is Vlad."

"No one calls you that," she said suspiciously.

"Because no one has the permission to."

"And you're giving me?"

Erinna did not know how she felt about that.

"I wouldn't want you to call me anything else."

She decided not to ask why this 'honour' was being bestowed on her. A human woman came running and bowed before them, tears pouring out of her eyes.

"My lord something is wrong," she cried.

"What is it Leila?" He asked, his voice controlled.

"I have received a message, my lord. My house, has caught fire and the neighbors are trying to stop it but Gary is inside," she sobbed.

"Alexander," The Count said under his breath but his right hand man caught it and took the human's hand. Erinna was aware of him using magic. Suddenly the distraught woman became calmer.

"Go home now ; I have sent six vampires to help you put the fire out. Ten more will come to help you restore the house tomorrow. You are free to leave."

Erinna was sure her jaw was then on the floor. Had that just happenned? Was he acting like a person and actually showing a conscience?

"But what about the Countess' supper?" Leila asked.

"I'll cook," Alexander offered.

"You're still here?" Dracula growled at Alexander, annoyed.

"Thank you, my lord," Leila said and got up from where she had thrown herself at Dracula's feet. She left as fast as she had arrived.

"You can close your mouth now," Dracula said and she realised it was still open.

"You- you-" She couldn't even form the words.

"Leila is a valuable worker, why should it come as a surprise to you that I care about her wellbeing?"

"Probably because kindness is not one of your most obvious character traits," she mumbled under her breath but his supersonic hearing caught it.

"Then don't you think it's time you admitted you don't know me half as well as you think you do and start revising your opinion?"

She looked at Alexander but the look he gave her told her he didn't want to be involved.

"I'll go start with the cooking," Alexander mumbled.

"I'll cook," Dracula said this time shocking them both.

"You have never cooked before," Alexander said.

"I said I'll cook," he repeated.

"Ok, apron is all yours chef," Alexander said.

"You are not funny, you know," Dracula said gravelly.

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Erinna looked nervously at Alexander, they were both sitting in the kitchen watching Dracula cook. They had been there for two hours already and her stomach lurched at the thought of having to eat whatever concoctions he was making. Alexander was laughing the whole time.

Somehow, Dracula's mood had lightened and he seemed.... more relaxed?

She looked at him again and began laughing. The apron should have diminished his masculinity but he looked as dashing in it as he did in just about everything else. He held a long fork in one hand as he tossed the eggs over in the pan.

He moved fluidly around the room, every movement seeming calculated to seduce. But she knew he wasn't even doing it on purpose, that was just how he was, even his voice. His mere presence rattled her nerves and dangerously unbalanced her composure.

He was wearing black leather pants and a sleeveless tunic that left his defined biceps exposed to her currently lecherous gaze. Everything about him spoke of dark power; his presence and his physique.

Yet with all the dark evil vibes she got off him, she couldn't tear her eyes off him. Melissa would be ashamed of her; seeing her in the kitchen pervet position she had somehow degraded herself to. Since when Erinna, since when?

She was taken back to yesterday and parts of her shivered in memory. What would have happened if they hadn't been interrupted? She had really tried to resist him but he'd somehow managed to overwhelm her in a way that she had not anticipated.

Everything about him was too much, too beautiful, too masculine, too arrogant, too passionate. Too murderous, her subconscious thankfully inserted, bringing her back to Earth. She was sure the thoughts she'd been having were illegal in a kitchen.

"Almost there," Dracula muttered almost to himself, oblivious to their laughter.

"Plates Alexander," he commanded, turning around with the large black pan in his hand.

"Yes, Great Chef," Alexander jumped off his chair to go get the plates, trying to stifle the bubbling laughter.

Dracula either didn't hear the mockery in his right hand man's voice or he chose to ignore it, which was fortunate for Alexander because angering the Count in a room full of potential torture devices was not the wisest choice.

"You know, I'm really not that hungry anymore," she tried to get herself out of this nightmare.

"Trust me sweetheart, this recipe is not something you want to miss," he winked playfully and her face heated up.

Dracula........winking?

Alexander set the table and Dracula tossed the unmentionables that did not even deserve to be called eggs onto her plate. They were not eggs and they didn't resemble them.

One was so disgustingly runny that the thought of eating it made her want to hurl. The other two were so burnt beyond recognition that if two eggs were to be passed through hell and back, they wouldn't look half as burnt.

And when she said burnt, she was just being gentle and polite to his ego; the things were scorched beyond belief. Mercifully, Alexander put two slices of bread on her plate.

She looked from Dracula who waited expectantly for her to start eating, to her plate, then at Alexander and back to her plate.

"You like them don't you?" He asked worriedly and even if she had wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to hurt the boyish eagerness and hope.

"They're great," she forced a smile.

"You're lying."

She took a tentative bite of the burnt egg to prove him wrong but quickly ran to the sink as bile rose up her throat.

She felt cold hands gently scoop her hair and keeping it out of her face, from the line of fire as she hurled the contents of her stomach.

Alexander gave her a cup of water when she was done and she rinsed her mouth. She turned slowly, mortified to face Dracula after her blatant lie had just been proven wrong. He was standing directly behind her where he had been holding her hair.

She expected to see him angry but surprisingly he was smiling. A warm genuine smile; not a smirk, not a sneer. Just a smile.

Erinna's stomach did backflips. This could not be healthy. That damned dimple was going to be the death of her.

"You didn't have to pretend to like the eggs you know," he said, sounding amused.

She looked down as she flushed in embarrassment.

"Are you okay?" He asked, tipping her head up by putting his fingers beneath her chin.

"Yes, just extremely hungry," she admitted.

"I can cook you something else," he offered.

Her eyes widened in alarm.

"Uh-no. I think it has been established that I'm the cook around here. You my friend should stick to being a vampire lord," Alexander thankfully came to her rescue.

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