“You,” he whispered, turning his body around to face her from his spot on the floor. Though she could not say for certain that this was the man from her dream, there was something unmistakably familiar about him.
Mina forced a smile to her face despite her alarm at his reaction. “Hello, Mr. Renfield. I wondered if you might—”
“Wilhelmina.”
Mina stilled. “I’m sorry?”
“Who’s Wilhelmina?” Van Helsing asked.
“It’s me,” Mina said softly. Then louder she asked, “Where did you hear that, Mr. Renfield? How did you know my name?”
“I’ve seen all,” Renfield said, a softness in his gaze now. “He showed me. The beautiful Wilhelmina.”
“Who showed you?” Dr. Seward asked.
“The master,” Renfield whispered. A smile touched his lips, and a chill ran down Mina’s spine. “He is near.”
“Who?” Van Helsing asked, his voice more firm than it had been. “Who is the master?”
Renfield began rocking back and forth, back and forth, that same smile still on his face. His eyes were distant now as he said, “He is near. He is near.”
“Are you speaking of the Count?” Mina asked. She took a step forward, but Van Helsing pulled her back gently. “Where is the Count?”
Renfield’s eyes settled on hers. “Wilhelmina,” he whispered again. “He is all around us. He is within you. You can feel it, can’t you?”
“How did you come to know the Count?” Dr. Seward asked.
Renfield turned, leaning his head against the cement wall near him. His face lifted upward, and Mina noticed now the small, barred window at the top of the wall. It wasn’t big enough for a person to fit through, and it was certainly too high to reach, but the sight of it made her knees feel weak. Had the Countsomehow communicated with the man through this window? But why? Why would the Count ever come here? And when?
“He is coming for you,” Renfield said, his voice overflowing with excitement. “You are his, Wilhelmina.His. You belong to him, and he is coming.” He turned, reaching out with his hands and pulling himself onto all fours, and climbed across the floor.
“What is he doing?” Van Helsing asked with concern in his voice. He stepped in front of Mina, pushing her behind him and toward the door.
“That’s quite enough,” Dr. Seward said to Renfield.
Renfield looked up at the doctor with anger in his eyes, his joy swiftly wiped away. He bared his teeth, disgust lacing his tone as he said, “She belongs to him.”
“Go,” Dr. Seward said quietly, a command clearly for Mina and Van Helsing.
Van Helsing grabbed onto her arms and swept her out of the room, into the hallway. Renfield had begun to growl, and Dr. Seward slipped out as well, closing the door and slipping his key into the lock.
There was a loudthudas Renfield slammed into the door, pulling a gasp from Mina’s throat as she looked on.
“She belongs to him!” Renfield yelled. He banged on the wood between them, then dropped down to the open slot in the door, looking up at all of them. “You are too late! Her soul has been spoken for!” His voice grew louder and louder, almost frantic. “He will have you, Wilhelmina!” Renfield laughed, avicious sound. “He walks the night, hunting! He will have your soul! He will reign!”
CHAPTER 37
She belongs to him.
The words rang through Mina’s mind as they drove back to London. It was the same thing the Count had told her—he owned everything in that castle, including each of his wives. But how had Renfield known that unless he truly had come in contact with the Count? Which meant that the dream she’d had, the dream which had felt like seeing things through someone else’s eyes, had been real.
“I must pose a question to you, Miss Murray,” Dr. Seward said, turning in his seat to look at her. “I understand this may seem unorthodox, or perhaps, even somewhat inappropriate—”
“Please,” Mina cut in. “Just ask.”
“In your time at Castle Dracula, did the Count ever . . . feed from you?”
Mina frowned. “Feed from me?” The other men avoided her gaze, and it took a moment before she realized what he meant. She thought of Sofia, of the way the Count had held her to him, drinking from her throat, before killing her. A shiver ran downher spine at the memory. “No. The Count never did. However, there was a moment, briefly, when the wives attacked me.” She swallowed, the sensation of sharp teeth sinking into her flesh returning.
