Dracula tried to take my birdie from me.
Oh, Quoth.
The pleasure pressed around my mind, threatening to drive away the truth. Already I could sense the horror of my realization fleeing my veins, replaced by a sense of rightness, of beautiful inevitability. The bite of a vampire immobilizing its prey.
I have to stay strong. I have to—
Quoth made a gorgeous mewling noise as he slurped my blood.
I brought my knee up and slammed it into his crotch.
“Oof.” Quoth’s face collapsed. His teeth retracted from my skin, and for a moment, the fog lifted and I saw my predicament with terrifying clarity as white-hot pain slammed into me.
I twisted away from him, holding my hand against the wound in my neck. Blood flowed between my fingers. My ears rang. I didn’t know where Oscar had gone, and I wasn’t even sure where I was anymore. The wild colors of Quoth’s paintings swirled around me, and I knew I didn’t have much time before I passed out from blood loss or fell completely under Quoth’s spell.
“You…you…you…” I backed away. I tried to force my legs to run, but it was like trying to run through honey. “You’re a vampire.”
Quoth smiled. It was the sweet smile of my beautiful, broken raven boy – a smile that had seen me through some of my darkest days. Under the glowing light of his exhibition lamps, I could see his front teeth sharpened to points.
Fangs.
No. No no no.
Not my Quoth.
“Please.” Tears stained my cheeks. “Tell me this isn’t true. Tell me you didn’t want this, that there’s some way to reverse it.”
He laughed. “Why wouldn’t I want this? I’ve been trapped in a prison of my own making ever since I was torn from my poem. I’ve had to watch others live the life I’ve always dreamed of and give you things I could never hope to give you. I’ve always been third-best to you, and an afterthought to them even though I’ve loved them as brothers since the moment they scooped me from the bookshop floor. Well, now I’m the one with the power. One day Morrie and Heathcliff will die. They will become nothing but ashes and memory. But we will live forever, you and I, together.”
Quoth lunged. Oscar leaped in front of me, teeth bared. Quoth’s lips curled back with a snarl, and he grabbed Oscar by the scruff of his neck and tossed him aside. I screamed as Oscar skidded across the shiny floor. He whimpered as he disappeared into a dark corner and I lost sight of him.
“No, please.” My back pressed against the wall, my fingers rubbing the surface of Quoth’s painting, searching in vain for something I could use as a weapon. “Don’t do this. Don’t hurt Oscar. I know you, and you’re not a monster. You—”
Quoth took another step toward me, his lips curling back to reveal his sharpened fangs, stained with my blood. My fingers scraped at the gritty paint, scratching at it as if I might be able to tunnel through to freedom.It feels…
It feels like dirt.
I realized the truth with a start.He’s mixed the paint with dirt.
“I’ll make you see, Mina. When you’re one of us, everything will be better. You’ll be stronger. Your eyes will be healed. And we’ll be together for all eternity. This is a good thing.” Quoth’s face twisted, his mouth opening wide as he loomed over me, his obsidian hair shimmering in the light. “I was afraid in the beginning, too, but it’s wonderful. It’s the most pleasurable feeling in the world, and afterward, you can do anything, be anyone.”
The thought of turning my back on Quoth terrified me, but I needed to break the spell. I spun around and grabbed the edges of the painting, lifting it off its hooks. Quoth cried out. I heard a bark and a growl.Oscar, you’re my hero.
I whirled around as Oscar slammed into Quoth, knocking him back. Oscar sank his teeth into Quoth’s leg. I had my chance. I smashed the painting as hard as I could down on the floor.
“No,” Quoth cried.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as the beautiful artwork tore down the center, the edges of the canvas curling away. The frame buckled and twisted. I stomped on the edge, cracking the frame in several places. I picked up the edge of the tear and ripped away another piece, destroying it as Dracula had destroyed our love.
“You ruined it.” Quoth dropped to his knees, holding up the broken pieces of his work. Oscar took the opportunity to pounce on his shoulders, grabbing for his neck. Quoth shoved him off, his face flashing with uncontrollable rage. Feathers sprouted from his cheeks, and his limbs cracked and jerked as his body transformed. Oscar snarled again as the raven flew from his paws and soared into the rafters.
Oscar ran in a circle, barking and snarling at the circling bird.
“Croooooak.” Quoth dived at me.
I threw up my hands to protect my face and ran for my purse. Talons scraped along my back, tearing the fabric of my coat. I yelped and kept running. Behind me, Oscar growled and a fight broke out, but I didn’t have time to see who was winning. My fingers closed around the strap. Yesss.
“Help!” I yelled. “Please help me.”
