Van Helsing (Cont.)

Michael nodded to Edward, ready to move, but Hannah's over-confidence made him hesitate. She's wrong. Edward, I can protect her mind if this doesn't work, but I won't do it unless you let me.

 

"You'd best leave them alone," Van Helsing insisted, though he even found his voice a little shaky.

"You've questions, Gabriel," Dracula continued nonetheless. "I can see them... feel them forming in your mind. Tell me... have you ever wondered why you have such terrible nightmares? Scenes of ancient battles that you have no memory of? Your past that you can't recall... don't you want to know more about it all?"​

 

Protect her from what? Edward asked quickly as Dracula spoke. He found that the monster's words hurt his thoughts and his ears, as if they oozed lethal vampire venom themselves.

 

Haven't I told you already? A lycan's weak point is it's mind. If Dracula gets inside Hannah's head, she won't stand a chance. Michael explained.

Velkan padded quietly behind Dracula, his ears pinned back, lips raised in a silent snarl.

 

Van Helsing said nothing, and pulled back the trigger on his bow instead one, two, three, four times, sending all the arrows into Dracula's chest.

The vampire jumped slightly, amused by the little force the arrows pushed against his body. He puffed up his chest, grinned, and exhaled deeply, sending all the arrows straight into Van Helsing's left arm.

"Oh, Gabriel," Dracula sighed again as the hunter cried out and clutched at his wounds. "You were much smarter back then."​

 

Edward let out a small whine when he saw Van Helsing injured. Fine, do whatever you have to for Hannah's sake, he snapped at Michael. Just help me kill that damn thing!

 

Jinx's eyes got wider slightly at Van Helsing's injuries and she jumped foward to stand infront of him without thinking. She pulled her dagger into her hands and stood ready to strike Dracula.

 

Right. Michael nodded. His eyes turned black, his skin tainted blue, his nail grew longer and thicker. He let loose a rough growl, part of his mind wrapping around Hannah's, before jumping at Dracula.

 

Edward howled and launched himself as hard as he could, using the strong muscles in his hind legs, straight at Dracula's gut. His teeth sank hard into the soft skin and flesh of the vampire's stomach.

 

Van Helsing fell to his knees, clutching at the four arrowheads protruding from his left arm. His bow fell with a clatter to the floor as he gasped for breath. Damn, he thought angrily. These things are so sharp... and the barbs sting with the poision, I... can hardly move...

Dracula hissed when Michael collided with him, and then let out a piercing shriek when he felt Edward's fangs sink into his stomach. He twisted and writhed, trying to throw the werewolf off of him.​

 

Velkan hurled into the other werewolf, his jaws locking onto Edward's neck as he growled.

Michael held onto Dracula.

 

Seeing that Micheal and Edward had Dracula for the moment, Jinx turned to Van Helsing, dropping to her knees next to him. "Damn..." she said, echoing his thoughts. "Here, stay still. I"ll try not to hurt you." she gently took hold of the arrows, smelling the poison and knowing they had to come out.

 

Hannah wrinkled her nose at the same time that Beatrice covered her's. "Jinx, that's poison designed to kill a vampire. Be careful."

 

Van Helsing snarled and yanked his arm away from Jinx. "You can't..." he stuttered, shaking his head as his whole body began to tremble. "I'll pass out... dammit, how am I hurt when I'm supposed to be killing that b.astard? Help me up, Jinx... please."

Dracula pulled his hands away from Michael's grip and wrapped them around Edward's throat, pulling the werewolf off him along with strips of his own flesh. He hurled Edward across the hall until he collided with the stone wall, slamming against it in a loud whine before the werewolf slid to the floor. ​

 

Edward howled in pain when he hit the stone floor, his claws crawling along his bruised spine where he had collided with the wall.

Damn, he's strong! he thought, shaking his head to clear it. Almost as strong as Lestat...

 

Velkan detached himself from Edward before Dracula threw him. Velkan paced infront of Hannah, Beatrice, and Anna.

Michael grabbed Dracula's arm and forced it behind his back. "Hannah!"

 

Jinx immediatly stood up and pulled him, slowly, to his feet. "Don't over do it. I'll help you." she's hand hovered over his arm, not touching but ready to support him if he fell.

 

Hannah rushed around Velkan, trusting Anna to take care of Beatrice, her eyes shifting to black. She joined Michael in restraining Dracula. "Van Helsing, you'd best take the damn shot now!"

 

Van Helsing picked up and aimed his bow quickly, launching six arrows into Velkan, hoping to wound the werewolf enough so someone closer to it could kill it.

"Ha!" Dracula laughed, happily tolerating Michael. "You don't seem to understand..."

He let out a shriek and easily threw Micheal off of him and in a second was next to Edward. He grabbed the skin at the back of his neck and hoisted the werewolf into the air while he whimpered.

"I always win," he hissed, holding the growling werewolf away from him. "Isn't that right, Hannah?"

He caught her eye for a moment before slamming Edward's body hard against the ground. The werewolf did exactly as he wanted: he tried to brace the fall with his front legs, and the room was full of the sickeningly dry cracks of Edward's bones and they crumpled and smashed with the impact.​

 

Hannah moved quickly, throwing a dead on punch into Dracula's face using all the strength she could muster. She felt something that was like a pop in her mind when Michael hit the ground. "Don't you dare touch him again." She growled to Dracula.

Anna was about to fire a round at Velkan, but when his eyes met her's, her trigger finger froze.