Isabella didn’t know how she got into this situation, she was fairly sure that only few people got get the drop on her so quickly without her even noticing, and the only answer in her mind was that she walked into a trap.

She took a few minutes to think it through before she answered his question. If the guildmaster wanted to kill her, he definitely wouldn’t resort to a trap, he could’ve easily ended her life at the meeting. That left very few people with the capability and motive to set her up, and she was wracking her brains thinking of a reason to explain why now, and why here.

However, none of that could explain why his eyes were glowing red, and why when he smiled did he look like he had... were those fangs? Isabella was either losing her mind, or something very very wrong had happened.

Isabella started subtly testing her restraints while answering “I have no idea who you are and what you think I did, but if you let me go right now, I promise to not murder you and everyone you love.”

The count started laughing, his butler was standing off to the side, and he growled while walking forward to slap her, but the count waved his arm and he went back to stand guard.

He was still laughing half a minute later, when he finally started speaking “I expect this human arrogance from thugs and brutes, but scrawny little girls like you? That was really something. Maybe I will let you live, just for the entertainment value.” He smiled really wide, and she could tell he definitely had fangs now. She didn’t know if he had prosthetics or if he was a demon from hell, but she was trained since she was a little kid to stay calm, and she definitely didn’t fear death. She did manage to test the chains they had wrapped around her, and found the lock situated at her left elbow, which meant she could use the pick hidden in her sleeve to try to break out, she just had to keep him talking.

“Please don’t underestimate me, I really want a little bit of a fight before I end your pathetic life.” She smiled sweetly at him. “It’s not everyday I get to kill a red eyed freak of nature like you.”

The butler couldn’t contain himself at this point, and slapped her so hard the chair tipped a little. Perfect! she thought, as she maneuvered the pick into her hand and started dismantling the lock.

“DO NOT DARE TO DISRESPECT MASTER!” he screamed at her. Isabella spat a mouthful of blood at his feet, and smiled, she was almost done with the lock, and his screaming was helping to hide the noise of the metal as she worked.

“I would threaten to kill you slowly but I think I would be more annoyed by your screaming that I wouldn’t get to enjoy it, so you’re definitely in for a quick death! You should thank me for my compassion.” She smiled again, aiming to agitate him so he could come closer to hit her again.

It worked.

The butler walked forward again to hit her and as his arm reached its peak she acted.

Isabella was many things, but slow was not one of them. There was maybe one more other than the guildmaster that could move faster than her, and she doubted this man that spent his days cleaning and organizing the kitchen would be able to match her.

She used the other end of the pick that she carefully had sharpened just for such an occasion, and shoved it in his throat, as she leaped over him and started running to the door.

Blood spurted from his neck and he started choking, she didn’t look back to see what was happening, as she planned to go back to her hideout, and report this incident as a political move against the guild by Lord Atkinson. There was no way someone from the guild would be able to plan this trap for her without the guildmaster knowing, and as much as he enjoyed killing his own people, he definitely did not let anyone else other than him enjoy the privilege.

If someone planned to backstab the guild, they would be made an example of.

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She was almost to the door when she heard the count laughing again.

“Amazing! Did you see how she jumped over you Renfield? She could be at the circus with skills like these!” his deep laugh kept echoing around the room.

This man is definitely insane She thought, as she tried the handle, and the door opened immediately. Isabella found it weird it was not locked, but their incompetence was her saving grace as she kept running up the stairs.

Suddenly there was a breeze right behind her and she felt a hand grab her neck.

“I don’t think I gave you permission to leave yet, did I?” The count’s voice was a whisper in her ear, she could feel his even breath on the back of her neck, and he wasn’t even panting from running up the stairs. How the hell did he manage to leave his chair and reach her so quickly? And why was he not trying to stop the bleeding of his servant? Why the fuck were his eyes glowing red, and why did he seem to have superhuman speed and strength? His grip was so strong that she couldn’t even move her head to look back at him.

“No matter, you are very tricky to escape your chains, but those were inessential in the first place.” He started walking back down, holding her up by her neck with one hand, extended all the way away from his body. She started thrashing around trying to escape his grasp but his grip was as strong as steel, immovable.

“You will understand that I do not need chains to hold you. There is nothing you can do to escape me. You cannot hurt me, little human. Whatever petty schemes you seem to try to enact, they will fail.” He threw her to the ground, hard.

Isabella used her arms to break her fall, and rolled to reduce the impact. She turned to him and he looked straight at her eyes. His red eyes seemed to swirl and glow even more, then he spoke, however his voice seemed to have an otherworldly tone. There was an trace of something…else in his voice that made her want to treat his words as law, his desires as orders to be completed, to serve him with her life and, if possible, her death.

“Tell me who you are, and why you were following me.” She couldn’t look away from his swirling eyes, they were pulling her in, pushing her to answer truthfully, there was nothing more she desired than to tell him the whole truth, and leave nothing out.

But Isabella had learned to crush her desires since she was 8 years old. She pulled her mind back to herself, and slowly, bit by bit, she was able to resist.

The sharpened pick was still in the palm of her hand, she could see in his eyes that he expected her to start speaking, the absolute certainty he had in whatever magic or curse he was using on her unwavering. Isabella would make him regret that mistake.

She lunged forward with the pick aimed at his right arm and slashed, the skin gave easily and she completed the arc of her body to end with the pick at his throat, and pushed it in.

His eyes widened in surprise and his mouth opened, not expecting her to react violently after his order.

“How do you like this scrawny little girl now, you fucking unnatural freak!” Isabella screamed at him, and pulled her arm back to stab him again, but this time, he moved. One moment his hand was lying at his side, the next it was holding her wrist with such strength that she could feel her bones creaking. She watched as the flappy skin on his arm, courtesy of her slash, was reforming and connecting seamlessly again. None of his injuries released a drop of blood, and the skin around his neck was already smooth and unblemished as soon as her pick left it.

Isabella understood now why he didn’t care about the butler if he could heal like this. She would have to either end his life immediately before his healing could save him, or exhaust his healing by giving him so many injuries that his ability ran out, if it even runs out.

Her rational mind was screaming in the back of her head, that none of this made sense, that nobody could heal and mend their skin at unnatural speeds, and that she was involved in something way bigger than a simple assassination, but she silenced that part of her, to deal with later when she had the time.

Dracula used his right hand to rub his throat, still holding her wrist in his left. He looked at her with fascination, and smiled.

“It has been a long time since someone managed to overcome my Geas, even if I was not giving it my full effort. You continue to surprise me, little human.” He looked over at his butler, who was lying in a pool of his blood, holding his throat with both hands trying to stem the bleeding.

“Ah, give me a moment, will you? DO NOT MOVE” his last words were said with the same otherworldly undertone to them, as his voice vibrated inside her brain however this time they hit her like a sledgehammer, and she had no other choice but to lie completely still, not even breathing, as she tried with everything scrap of willpower to resist. The only thing she could move was her eyes, and she watched as he bit down on his butler’s neck, sinking his fangs into his throat and to her surprise, his injuries were healed as well.

Dracula walked back to her side, smiled and leaned down.

“Now that we’re done with the introductions, why don’t you tell me what I need to know?”