It was an exquisite feeling, riding a horse over frosty, snow-covered meadows, and even though at first I was feeling cold, soon my cheeks were burning with heat and excitement.

My horse was as fast as the wind, carrying me with ease across the countryside, towards the first trees of the thickset forest. There I slowed down, and the sound of the freezing breeze filling my ears morphed gradually into the sound of the horse's hooves, breaking the fragile stems of the frozen grass and Vlad's relaxed laughter. He was close behind me, and as he reached me, I saw him grinning widely, our previous conversation forgotten.

I frowned and looked in front of me. I hadn't forgotten, but I didn't want him to notice. Not now.

"I won," I said instead, teasing.

"I let you win, as always, my love," he said, making me smile. He was still the same.

"Will you ever grow up?" I asked, pretending to be offended by his words, secretly hoping he would never change. I loved him the way he was.

Suddenly, I heard a loud rustle, a sound of footfalls disturbing the carpet of the fallen, frosted leaves, coming from among the trees. It startled me, making me lead my horse closer to Vlad.

"Don't worry, they won't harm you," he said, his voice confident, reassuring.

Who won't harm me? I scanned the trees of the forest, still unable to see anything. He raised his right hand slightly, as if in a silent salute, and then I finally saw them. A large pack of wolves emerged slowly from beneath the trees, approaching us.

I gasped at the sight, mesmerised by the creatures' beauty. Their silvery-grey fur glittered even more than the fresh snow lying under their paws. The pack seemed to be tame, friendly even.

Vlad smiled at me, and before I could ask, he responded to my unspoken question.

"You have never met them. They have kept following me around ever since I came back here. Long after... you were gone."

There was so much I didn't remember, didn't know, wanted to find out... thousands of questions filled my mind in an instant. Not now. Vlad was becoming too thoughtful and forlorn again.

"But I have read about your wolves," I said the first thing that crossed my mind in an attempt to distract him and regretting it straight away. That book, Dracula, had nothing to do with him in the end; he wasn't the Count described in that story. But there was the very anachronistic copy of it lying on the desk in the library. Hmm...

Seeing his questioning look, I wasn't sure how to explain. "In my book. The one I was carrying when I met you in the castle."

He laughed, taking me by surprise. "I see," he said, bemused. "My friend, the Irish fool, Stoker, likes them too. I remember now that he mentioned them in his tale, I read it a long time ago."

My jaw dropped at hearing this. Stoker is his friend. Is. I was sure that the writer died in London, nearly a century ago. I was equally certain that he had never visited Romania. Or him. Maybe I'm wrong... I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts, and caught him grinning at me. He was just making fun of me. Or was he? But the book...

I mentally added the new information to my ever growing 'think about later' list and jumped off the horse. I wanted to touch the wolves, to feel their mesmerising, iridescent fur under my fingers.

Instead of approaching them directly, I sat down on a large branch fallen off one of the trees, and let them come closer at their own will. They formed a small semi-circle in front of me, not quite trusting, but soon there was one, a young, dove grey wolf, lying down at my feet. I took my glove off and touched its cold, wet snout gently, then scratched behind its ears. It was beautiful, the wolf's fur so incredibly soft and warm. In no time, there were more of them, coming close, nuzzling at my hands and letting me touch them.

"You have bewitched my wolves, Samara," Vlad said, smiling down at me from his horse, his eyes warm and full of wonder, "they never come this close to anyone."

And then all happened too fast. One moment, I was caressing the wolves; the next, I was sitting behind Vlad on his horse, my heart beating fast, watching my own horse running towards the castle, scared. I wrapped my arms around his waist, filled with irrational fear. What has just happened?

Vlad made the horse back away, further from the trees, the wolves following and creating a large circle around us as we stopped.

I looked in front of me, craning my neck to peer over his shoulder, towards the forest.

They were there. A large group of vampires standing among the trees, nearly indistinguishable from the shadows, not far from where I had been sitting.

Their waxen faces, glistening eyes, and red lips made me feel scared and nauseous.... Taking a deep, shaky breath, I rested my forehead against Vlad's back, hiding behind him.

"So we meet again, brother." The voice alone made me feel faint. "And finally, I get to meet my sister-in-law. Would you like to join us for a hunt?" Radu asked, his tone making my blood chill.

I knew he was talking to me rather than to Vlad, and what those words really meant was, 'Come and see what your Prince Perfect, your beloved husband, has become.'

Vlad squeezed one of my shaking arms wrapped around him encouragingly and snarled at Radu, "I told you to leave."

I could feel the anger radiate from his body, and it was my turn to hold him tightly, reassuringly. Whatever Radu could say would not alter anything about us. Nothing could change my love for him.

Gathering my strength and the scattered courage, I jumped off the horse before Vlad could stop me, knowing that Radu would never leave us alone unless I spoke to him.

"Samara, what are you doing? Vlad whispered, looking beyond worried.

"If he wants to talk to me, let him talk. Otherwise, he will never leave us in peace," I murmured, hoping I looked braver than I felt.

He pondered over my words, then nodded reluctantly.

"Stay close. Don't approach them." He glanced towards the group of vampires hiding in the forest.

From where I stood, I could see their scarlet, leering lips, their cruel eyes wide with desire for my blood. Their looks made me shudder, I wasn't used to them yet. Vlad was so different, so human, so unlike these... monsters...

Taking another deep breath to calm my frantic heart and steady my nerves, I took a few steps away from Vlad, the wolves following me. I was not going to let Radu intimidate me, to spoil this for me. This is my second chance at life with the only man I have ever loved. If I had to fight for it, I would.

When I stopped, the wolves sat down protectively at my feet, growling a quiet warning at Radu, who was approaching me, alone, determined.

He looked just like the others, cold, cruel, wild, and dangerous. A predator. A vampire. This man had nothing of his brother's gentleness. His icy, grey-blue eyes were impossibly wide, and I could see how much he had to struggle to keep composed, to resist the urge to sink his teeth in my neck. As he had done once before, my subconscious reminded me promptly. I realised I was dying to know what exactly had happened then.

Radu shook his head, obviously trying, struggling to gain control of himself. All too soon, he stood in front of me, bringing my hand to his lips, making the wolves growl louder.

He was so cold! Even though my own hand was freezing, his lips were colder still. The skin on his face was so white that it looked bluish and transparent, like a thin layer of ice.

I heard Vlad's horse move nervously somewhere behind us, the reminder of his nearness making me feel braver. Forcing myself to meet Radu's cold gaze, I asked him the only thing I really wanted to know, mouthing it at him so no one would hear, 'Why?'

The shocked surprise in his wild, eerie eyes following my silent question was replaced by a sudden realisation, a brief flash of horror. He looked at me intently, and his eyes screamed back at me, 'You know!'

"I didn't mean to, I didn't want that... It wasn't supposed to happen." His words were but a barely audible whisper no one but me could perceive. The look in his eyes changed again, and now it was contrite, full of sadness and grief.

I didn't understand.

"We need to talk alone," he whispered urgently, then let go of my hand. "I am glad you are back, Samara," he said loudly, and again, I noticed how much he had to struggle to keep his composure, his eyes lingering on my throat. "My brother has been ever so sad since you left." He was his usual cold, cruel self again, his voice making my skin crawl into gooseflesh.

It was making me feel sick, his palpable desire for my blood, and I couldn't handle it anymore. I felt my legs tremble, then give way under my body, and I saw Radu reaching out for me. But before I could fall, or Radu could touch me, I was back on the horse, in front of Vlad, leaning back against him, feeling safe and protected. How did he do it?

He put his arm around my waist, holding me safely, and led the horse further away from Radu and the others.

"Are you happy now? You frighten her! Now leave us!" he snapped at his brother, who only smiled back at him, a sad smile not reaching his eyes.

Then he seemed to recover himself, and as Vlad's horse carried us back towards the castle, his words reached me, "Whenever you get tired of your husband Samara, visit me in the Citadel. I'll make sure to entertain you better than him." His chilling laughter, carried on the cold wind, followed us across the snow-covered meadows.

Why is he like that? Maybe I should really talk to him...

The wolves followed us to the gate, then dispersed among the nearest trees. I wanted to touch them again, but Vlad only let me get off the horse in the courtyard protected by the tall walls of the castle.

He jumped off first and held his hands out to help me dismount. I was still shaky, and as soon as my feet touched the ground, he gathered me in a reassuring embrace. Finally, I started to relax. What a morning.

I looked up in his eyes, and my breath hitched, I was still surprised, frightened even by the profundity of feelings I had for this man. He kissed me softly, as if I was a precious thing he was afraid might break under his touch.

"You've done well, Samara," Vlad whispered, his warm breath tickling my ear. I shivered, burying my face in the folds of his cloak, and he pulled me closer yet, tightening his arms around me.

"Good morning," a bemused voice disturbed us, shattering the perfect moment, and as Vlad pulled away and looked over my head to the newcomer, I felt his body stiffen suddenly.

"Nice to see you, Father, Stepmother," the young man added.