The trees shuddered and bent their naked branches out of the way. Critters and birds cowered in their nests, holding their tiny breaths. Only the moon dared to cast its silvery gaze upon the figure that stalked swiftly from shadow to shadow through the undergrowth – the unrivaled king of all predators.

The damp air smelled of mud and decomposing leaves, but also of pine needles and that perfume. One of the things that Alucard had missed the most was the hunt. Over moss and through skeletal bushes, he followed the lingering trail of the Violet de Sicile.

He swept over a forest pond, leaving ripples in the black surface of the water. His eyes burned in the darkness as he scanned the depth of the woods for his prey. Anger fueled his winged onslaught, carrying him rapidly across glades and along hidden trails.

Fluttering locks of fire danced between the trees. His prey was fast, but not fast enough – never fast enough. He landed on her back and sent her sprawling into the wet dirt. She tried to fend him off with clumsy kicks and scratches, but his hand found her throat and pinned her against a rotten tree trunk.

“Master, what a surprise! I like what you’ve done with your–”

Alucard tightened the grip on her throat, choking her to silence.

“Aleera…” he growled through gritted teeth. “What are you doing here?”

The smile drained from her face, and her glowing yellow eyes stretched to their breaking point. Her cold fingers closed around Alucard’s wrist in desperation, but she still somehow managed a look of artificial disappointment.

“Give me… one good reason… not to end you… right here and now.” His rage reverberated through his voice.

“I missed…” Aleera managed to squeeze out. “…you!”

He threw her to the ground and turned away, disgust twisting his face into a horrifying mask. She hissed at him, baring her fangs.

“Where are your sisters?”

“At home.” She massaged her pale throat and sat up. “Asleep.”

“I instructed you to stay away…”

She slithered up behind him and gently caressed his arm, resting her head against his shoulder. She sighed deeply.

“It’s been over a century since–”

“I gave you a direct order, you disobedient serpent!”

Alucard shrugged her off him and started walking back toward the hospital. Aleera tiptoed behind him, careful to stay as close as possible without touching him. They reached the pond.

“Go back home,” he said and stared at the spot in the water where their reflections should’ve been. “You’ve caused enough damage here already.”

“W-what are you talking about, Master?” Aleera said and brushed twigs and pieces of bark out of her orange hair.

He spun around and grabbed her shoulder hard. “Look into my eyes.”

His gleaming red fettered her sickly yellow. She blinked. Her face went blank.

“The truth,” Alucard said. “Did you kill those women and attack Lucy’s descendant?”

“No, Master,” Aleera said monotonously.

“Why did you come?”

“I… I… I don’t know.”

Alucard’s eyes became slits. In his many years, he had never seen one of his spawn sputter or hesitate when he compelled them to tell the truth. It required a very powerful vampire to erase a memory from another master’s spawn. And it took a very old master to compel someone like Aleera – she wasn’t exactly a fledgling, despite her luscious figure and young face.

He snapped his fingers and broke eye contact. Aleera staggered a little before regaining her composure. She blinked at looked at him with hope in her eyes. Alucard pointed at a mossy rock that jutted out of the water.

“Stay there and don’t move.” He swept the white coat in a wavy arc as he turned away. “Until I say otherwise.”

“Please, let me come with you,” she said but drifted slowly across the pond. “Please...”

“You disobeyed my direct order.”

“Master, don’t leave me like this! I’m sorry!”

Alucard ignored her and returned to the hospital. She deserved worse, but he couldn’t end her just yet. He needed to find out who was behind all of this. As much he hated to admit it, he now needed Van Helsing’s help as well. After all, the professor was the only person who could rival the doctor in knowledge about the Nosferatu.