The Interview

It was 10:36 pm when a taxicab pulled up to the curb just outside the building of who were known to the world as the Fantastic Four. Then as the door opened the female form of Elizabeth Brant-Leeds of the Daily Bugle. The brunette was just so excited, it was not every day that you get call from a European Nobleman for an interview. She had so many questions and since she met him at the club that night, she had written down several in hopes he would agree to talk to her. In fact, she was so excited she nearly forgot to pay the cabbie. Once she had done that, she quickly entered the new Castle Dracula and went directly toward the elevator.

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Before long the brunette journalist made her way to floor 27 of the Baxter Building. There stood Betty Brant-Leeds, just outside the door to the foreign man’s apartment, giddy with anticipation while trying to calm herself as she fixed her tee-shirt and floral skirt. She was not sure what to say first when the door opened to reveal Justin Drake himself; he smiled and allowed her entry.

“Have you been well since our last meeting?” Justin inquired with a slight, welcoming smile.

“Good,” answered Betty with a nervous smile as she looked into the dark-haired man, and quickly added, “I also believe it was our first meeting.”

“Ah, so it was,” said Justin as he and his guest with the brown bob cut made their way over to a pair of chairs.

“So, Mr. Drake,” the reporter began after they had sat down, “What made you want to come to America?”

“Why not come to America, I have been here twice before you know,” responded Justin with decorum.

“Really?” Betty asked surprised, “When?”

“Long ago,” he responded and then continued, “My first visit was in northern New England and then my next arrival was in, what you Americans call, the South, and then I went west.”

“Wow…I mean, why?” questioned the brunette, truth be told she was intrigued.

Justin smiled, it had been decades since he talked about himself, the last to hear him had been that fool, Jonathon Harker.

Justin grinned, this woman certainly amused him so he answered, “I wanted a bride, a woman of Salem was my first choice, Charity Brown.”

“Salem?” asked Betty for clarification, “As in Salem, Massachusetts?”

He nodded, “But she was slain and so I had to choose another.”

“Murdered?” she asked and then slowly shook her head, “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, Ms. Brant, but it matters not, for she was avenged,” he replied, feigning sorrow then decided to continue, “My next arrival was more southward where I then found and succeeded in Elizabeth St. John.”

“So, you found a wife in her then?” Betty inquired with another smile, happy that Justin had succeeded in wedlock, “What about your Western excursion?”

“Ah,” Justin replied as he remembered that education when he discovered the ramifications to being shot by silver when a horseman had unloaded the precious metal into him after trailing back to Europe, “that was of my own curiosity, and a very enlightening experience.”

“Enlightening?” the brunette questioned as she cocked her head.

“Yes, I learned of an allergy I had no idea I had,” finished Justin.

The 2 then continued the interview for 3 hours when Betty realized how late it was and turned to leave when Justin’s hand touched her shoulder. She turned when her gaze was caught by this mysterious man’s eyes, his eyes were alluring to her and kept her attention. Were his irises always this deep shade of red?

“Your…eyes…,” was all she could get out.

“Come closer, Betty,” he commanded.

She obeyed without question and eager to be embraced in his open arms.

Once she was in his arms, he lowered his head until his lips were close to her ears, “Offer your throat to me.”

Again, she obeyed, Betty tilted her head back and to her left, his cold lips descended to the curve of her bare throat to press against the pulsing jugular. She gasps for even entranced she felt the stinging sensation of twin pricks upon her tender neck but then she releases pleasurable moans as her blood was pulled from her jugular. Once he was sated, he removed his fangs from her throat which caused a sound of disappointment from her.

He did not need much from her since he had been feeding from his Queen’s mortal “friend” Alicia Masters beforehand. He smiled and released her from her trance, then informed her that there would be a drawing in the lobby of the building in 2 days.

“You must bring your 2 lovely companions with you,” he urged.

Betty could not understand it for the suggestion sounded more like a command to her and she felt compelled to obey it. The stinging upon her throat was for some reason was not at the fore front of her mind at the moment. In fact, the only thing that mattered to her at all at the moment was the fulfilling her Master’s will as Justin Drake escorted her out of his apartment and down the hall as he shut the door behind him.

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It was 12:56 am when Betty returned to her apartment, she sighed as she dropped her purse and the rest of her things on to the floor, she did not particularly care how she got there or the feeling as her European male escort lifted, then set her on the bed. She heard her door shut and lock. Betty just assumed he left as she drifted off to sleep, never thinking of how strange it was that he single-handedly man-handled that mugger on the way here, quite literally.

Once Justin had seen her drift into sleep, he left the bedroom, opened the window to the street below and changed to mist and then a bat. He took off to his new castle and his waiting concubines.

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It was 2:00 am when Dracula had entered his room and his brides were enjoying new prey within the walls of his new Castle Dracula. His Queen was below, enjoying a man who would complain about noise from Reed’s work. The Lord of the undead smiled at his night’s work and then proceeded to use the rest of the night to make arrangements in the next couple of days.

It is recommended that you return to >>chapter 4<<. If you want to understand the next chapter. There you will find the tale.