Dracula: Hearts of Fire (Dracula Heart's) (17 page)

  
Jenny was brought into the house from her Ferrari as they all
sat around the kitchen table
; she was more interested in the car than what they had to say
.
Moon Diamond sat in on the conversation and listened intently. Dracula explained the cat to Jenny and she was both impressed and sorry for Zacharia.

    Dracula introduced the two gentlemen. “Jenny, this is Edwin and
Floyd
.
Floyd’s
the one with the handlebar
.”

    Jenny accessed the two and discovered that they were quite powerful. “Hello.”

    Dracula got straight to the point. “These two fellas ar
e going to escort you
deep in
to
the forest of British Columbia. There you will find a small cottage. You’ll spend the night there o
r perhaps even longer. The cottage
will lead you to a blood wizard called
Caius.
You should not come back until you get into t
hat cottage.
”

   
Jenny looked at her mother and shook her head.
“
You want me to go where with the who and the what now
FATHER.
” She placed emphasis on father becaus
e she knew that it annoyed him.

    Edwin and Floyd looked at one another and were surprised at the information. Dracula had a child? That was the most remarkable thing that they had ever heard.
Why hadn’t they heard about the child before now?
They both wondered how powerful such a child would be having Dracula for a father. They had many q
uestions but didn’t dare ask any
.

    “Caius is not in the cottage but it
leads to him. No one can help you with that. It’s something that you h
ave to figure out for yourself.
Many have given up
getting
into that cabin.
”

    “I thought you said it was a cottage?”

    “Whatever,” said Dracula.

    “Why don’t you just give him a call and order him to come here?”

    “It doesn’t work that way?”

    Jenny looked at her mother. “Why not?”

   
He knew that Jenny was going to push his buttons and there wasn’t much he could do about it.
“Because blood wizards are fickle creatures and I am unable to order them around
, at least some of them
.”

    “It sucks to be you.”

    “Jenny!”

   
Jenny continued to be angry
at both her parents. “Well, he does suck, he’s a vampire.”

    Edwin showed the slightest smile. He of course had never heard anyo
ne talk to the Master like that, but he guessed that being an offspring had its perks.
How he would love to follow those two around and observe their interaction
s
for a week
.

    “Edwin, you have something to say on the matter?” Dracula had noticed the smile.

   “I have nothing to say Master
.”

    “Father, what did he call you?”

    “
Never mind
.”

    Jenny continued to be angry as she observed her mother and then her father. Unfortunately the gift of the car did get him some points. “Let’s me get this straight. My PARENTS are sending me off into the woods with two strange men?
Nice parenting.
We’ll be on Jerry Springer in no time.
Should I run with scissors?
Would you like to sharpen them first?
I’m just asking.
”

   
“Run with grenades if it’s your heart’s desire.”
Dracula was a bit aggravated and that was surprising to him. “Let me just say a couple of things Jenny. One, neither of these fellows would dare to touch you.
I would tie them up with their own intestines.
(Jenny’s face showed distaste as she imagined it.)
Two, I’ve read all three of you and I can tell that you have the ability to kick both their asses
, simultaneously
.
That’s at the same time if you don’t understand that big word.
And hey, I did buy you a car.”

    Allison had to laugh.
The budding relationship between Jenny and Dracula was going to be an interesting one indeed. They did at times have similar character traits
that neither realized
.

    Jenny had to smile even
though she didn’t want to
. “
Buying me that car
put up the broken fence
Father
but it didn’t fix it.
The fence is still broken.
I can’t wait to go down the road at two hundred miles per hour Mother.
”

    Dracula turned to Allison as he raised his eyebrows. “Does she talk like that all the time? You know she wants to kick me?
I am able to delve only slightly into her mind
and that’s what I discover,
she wants to kick me.
”

    “See, that’s what happens when you buy her a Ferrari.”

    Jenny stared at her mother and then at her father
; she examined Edwin and Floy
d
as they were both forced to look away
.
“And this little adventure is absolutely necessary?”

    “If you were a powerful bodybuilder but didn’t know how to properly lift weights what would happen?”

    Jenny smiled. “I’d hurt myself. BUT. If I was a powerful bodybuilder I already know how to lift weig
hts wouldn’t I. Otherwise, how’d
I get to be so powerful?”

    Dracula nodded slightly. “Do I have to take you over my knee?”

   Those were definitely fighting words to his daughter. “Oh? You want to go? Come on, bring it on!”

    They all had to laugh.

   
“I think she’s serious.”

     J
enny realized the error. “All right, so maybe I can’t take you yet. Just wait until you fall asleep Dad.
You have to sleep sometime.
”

    Dracula slapped his hand on the table. “She called me DAD. Mark it down on the calendar.
You heard it Edwin, she called me Dad.
What was that crack about me sleeping?”

    Allison shook her head. “I have no idea, and I don’t think I want to know.”

    Dracula stared into his daughter’s eyes, attempting to enter her mind but she wouldn’t let him. “Jenny, let me impart this to you. Evil eyes can be closed but you must be more determined than they are.”

    “Un huh. Listen Dad; stop trying to poke around in my brain.”

    “I didn’t.”

    “Yes you did.”

    “She’s not supposed to be able to detect that.”

   
“You two are good at
lying aren’t you Mother. Experts even.”

    “
Allison,
I told you to tell her years ago, but
no
.
I’m the innocent one.
” Dracula nodded.
“The innocent one is right here.”

    “I suppose she overpowered you?”

    “
Well, ah.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

    Floyd and Edwin had never seen this part of Dracula and it was a delightful experience. Their eyes were wide as they took it all in. The Master was poking around in both of their brains at the same time and so they were forced to control their thoughts.

    Jenny was satisfied with the situation that she had created and so she showed them a beautiful smile, but she was laughing inside.

    Dracula nodded knowingly. “All right, back to business.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

   
M
ICHAEL MADE HIS WAY THROUGH
Central Park in Manhattan.
It was
partially
sunny with only a slight breeze.
He went
to
the base of Augustus Saint Gauden’s General William T. Sherman monument of the Civil War General
on his horse
across from the Plaza hotel. There he
sat and
watched
the horse-drawn carriages
lined up
waiting for tourists.
A senior couple got in
one
with some difficulty and off they trotted, both had huge smiles.
He watched them kiss before turning away.
The couple’s happiness was at the opposite end of Michael’s emotional state.