Diana and Christopher Foster paced back and forth in their living room. Both of them had been extremely worried since Billy had told them the day before that their daughter Evanthe was now officially missing. Zordon's scans couldn't pick her up anywhere in Angel Grove or the surrounding areas, and the first place they'd checked once that was over was the moon, just in case Rita and Zedd were up to something again. Surprisingly, they were innocent. ..of this disappearance of the Purple Ranger, at least.
As the worried parents wore out the floor, an envelope suddenly appeared on the table. "What the heck?" Diana picked it up and quickly unfolded it.
"What is it, dear?" Christopher asked, coming over to her.
Her eyes narrowed briefly as she read the message. "We've been summoned. You, me, and Billy."
"The king?" Chris asked. Only Vincent Delreese had the authority to summon all the vampires in the world.
Diana nodded. "We have to go find Billy and prepare him," as new as Billy was to vampirism, he was still under the lordship of Vincent, and that meant when he called, vampires answered.
"Yeah. Where is he?"
She thought for a moment. "I think he went to Elissa and Adam's to see if they saw Evanthe."
"Let's go," he grabbed the car keys and tossed them to his wife. Once again they were searching for their daughter: but for the right reasons this time.
Elissa and Adam were enjoying the warmth of the day on their front porch. Gwen was playing in the yard, and the reconciled couple was hugging each other.
I hope she shows up soon. I'm so worried!
Me too. Adam nodded briefly. This isn't like her. You. . .you don't think Zedd and Rita. . .?
Alpha would have found her then, she cuddled a little closer to him, running her fingers through his hair as she did so. She glanced up as a car pulled up. "What the?"
Diana Foster got out and asked quickly. "Is Billy here?"
Elissa nodded, "He's still sleep."
"Wake him up," Diana almost barked. As Elissa went inside, Adam asked what was wrong, he saw the worry in their eyes.
"We have a message from Vincent, the vampire king," Christopher told him. Adam paled a little bit.
"What does he want?" I heard about him. Not someone I want to meet.
Christopher glanced up as Elissa and Billy came outside. "He's announcing his engagement. He's been looking for a queen for over a thousand years, and apparently he's now found one."
Elissa couldn't quite believe her ears. "You mean someone is marrying him willingly?"
"It sounds like it," Diana agreed. "He doesn't say who, though. It's to be a big announcement at the gathering. All the vampires in the world are summoned!"
Billy smiled a little. "Evanthe!"
"If she's gotten the message, wherever she is, she'll be there," Diana told them. The only excuse accepted for missing a gathering of the vampires was death: being staked.
"I hope we run into her," Billy smiled briefly.
Christopher nodded. "We probably will."
Elissa smiled a little. "Bring her home!
"We will," Evanthe's father nodded. Billy stood up straighter.
"What are we waiting for?" the gathering had been declared for that night, in a warehouse near Angel Grove. Diana nodded at Billy's question.
"Let's go."
Elissa sighed and leaned against Adam as the three vampires went off. "I hope they find Evanthe," she murmured.
"Me too," he nodded as he wrapped an arm around her. Suddenly, two people quite literally appeared in front of them. They were tall, thin, and very pale, and grabbed for Elissa as soon as they arrived.
Adam growled as he pushed them away. "Who are you? What do you want here?"
One of them laughed and pointed to Elissa. "Her!"
"No way!" Adam was on the verge of morphing as they fought with the creatures. Two more appeared, seizing onto Elissa with strong hands. One of the people grabbed him, smacking him with something that froze him in his tracks. Elissa!"
Adam! she screamed in his mind. Warn Billy, it's a trap! These are vampires!!
I'll do what I can!
I love you!
I love you! With Adam frozen and Elissa held, only moments passed before she was carried off. NO!! Adam screamed in his mind. I'll get you back, Elissa!
You'd better!!!
Diana glanced around the assembled vampires, good and evil alike. One face was missing rather conspicuously. "I don't see her here," she sighed.
"I know she's here," Billy frowned. "I can feel her." like honey, like light, like love, I can sense her here SOMEWHERE!
Christopher frowned in his own turn. "But where?"
"I don't know," Billy shrugged as someone came out upon the stage in front of them. Diana whispered to him that this was Vincent, the king.
"Everyone, I welcome you," Vincent spoke. "You know that for my marriage, I must first have a bride, and then a sacrifice," he smiled a little, displaying his razor-sharp fangs. "I have found both!"
There were a few displaced cheers at that. Vincent continued. "As you all know, the sacrifice must be someone close to the bride to be. I'd like you all to see the sacrifice!" he gestured as a large round platform with a curtain around it was brought onto the stage. "Are you all ready?"
Billy whispered softly, "Wonder who that is?"
"We'll find out!"
Vincent smiled wickedly as he drew back the curtain, revealing a round cage. Within it was a gagged Elissa Park, struggling with all her might to escape. "And to make this even better, this is a werewolf!" Vincent laughed harshly, to the cheers of those among the gathered vampires who were evil. The few good ones looked disgusted, while Billy, Christopher, and Diana looked fit to kill!
"If she's the sacrifice, then that could only mean that. . .," Diana whispered. Vincent gestured behind him.
"Now, my bride to be!" from behind a curtain stepped Evanthe, tall and lovely, gowned in purest black, and with a look of total love in her eyes as she took Vincent's hand.
Diana shuddered in disgust. "This isn't happening!"
Elissa thought much the same as she managed to rip her gag out and scream out her friend's name. Evanthe slowly glanced at her, as Christopher and Billy both screamed out denials of what they were seeing.
"Enough!" Vincent snapped. "I see that there are some that disapprove of this marriage. Guards! Bring those to my quarters, along with the sacrifice!"
At Vincent's command, Elissa was tied to a chair harshly. Billy growled harshly at the king, "What have you done to Evanthe?"
"Nothing," Vincent almost purred the word out. Evanthe nodded.
"I love Vincent, and am going to marry him," she spoke as normally as she ever had, but Diana had been around long enough to recognize mind control when she saw it.
"Is that what you really want?" her mother asked Evanthe softly.
"Yes."
Billy's eyes filled up with tears. "Evanthe. . .no. . ."
"You're willing to let your best friend die for him?" Diana asked, even more softly than before. Evanthe's eyes strayed to Elissa, and she stammered a little, unable to answer. "Are you? Answer your mother!"
"No," Evanthe whispered. "I don't want her to die."
Diana smiled briefly. "They will kill her if you marry him!"
Evanthe shook off Vincent's control, and glared at Vincent. "No!" she snapped. He smiled, chillingly, and froze them all in their tracks. Over a thousand years of life had given him enormous powers. He walked quietly over to Elissa.
"Then I shall have fun with her!" he laughed. Evanthe shook her head.
"Leave her alone!"
Vincent ignored her as he ran his fingers down Elissa's throat. "Leave her alone, Vincent!" Evanthe demanded. Vincent smiled as he forced Elissa into a deep kiss. "Don't hurt her! Elissa's my best friend! Just leave her alone, and I'll do anything!" Evanthe protested. Vincent looked at her..
"You marry me, she has to die," he reminded her. "It's our law. It's either that, or I can kill him." he glanced to Billy. And I don't know which I'd prefer!
"You can change the law!" Evanthe insisted. Vincent shook his head.
"I don't want to!" he enjoyed the look of pain in two sets of female eyes, Elissa and Evanthe's.
Evanthe stepped towards them, protesting still as his hands drifted all over Elissa, into territory she would have rather died than have him touch. "Why does it have to be death?"
"You marry me," Vincent grinned. "I leave her alone, and no one dies!"
Evanthe looked from Billy to Elissa. She'd awakened in a small, dark room, and been tied to a chair in there for who knew how long until Vincent had come and explained what he wanted from her. She'd denied him then, and would now, if he were not tormenting Elissa. "I don't want to, but I have to! To save you both!"
Elissa shook her head. "Don't! He'll kill me anyways! Just because of what I am!"
Evanthe growled. "If he does, if he even thinks about it, I'll kill him!"
Vincent grinned at her mockingly. "I can control you, Evanthe! Remember that!"
"I said I would marry you as long as you leave her and Billy alone, forever!"
"Then who shall die?"
The Purple Ranger sighed. "I don't want anyone to die. None of my friends."
"Someone must," Vincent didn't know which he was enjoying more, touching Elissa or tormenting Evanthe like this. Everyone was frozen, the only ones who could move were himself and Evanthe, and she only a very little bit, and because he wanted her to be able to.
"Why don't you want to change the law?" Evanthe begged. "Do you love the sight of someone dying that much?"
Vincent's hands slipped lower onto Elissa. "Yes! The sight of blood. ..I love it!"
"Then just grab some stranger! You made that law, Vincent, and you can change it! You just want to kill one of my friends!" Evanthe protested vehemently.
A cold cruel smile curved his thin lips. "Vampires have been around longer than I have. I was not the first king, and I did not make that law, so my hands are bound."
"Bull!" Evanthe snapped. "You can still change it, you just don't want to! You want to see one of my friends die!"
Vincent glanced to Diana, taking control of her in that instant. "I can't change the law, can I?"
"No, of course not," Diana shook her head, cursing to herself mentally. That bastard! Evanthe hasn't seen this as much as Christopher and I have, she can't tell I'm not saying this of my own will.
Help me, please! Elissa reached out for Adam mentally, rejoicing a trifle as she felt the contact with his mind. She did her best not to think about what Vincent was doing to her as the king looked to Evanthe.
"Will you marry me now?" he asked coldly. Evanthe, tears filling her violet eyes, nodded slowly. "Good! Now, time to choose the sacrifice. Which shall it be?"
Evanthe looked to Elissa and Billy, tears flowing down her cheeks. Elissa caught her eye, and managed to mouth softly, "Help is on it's way!"
Vincent smiled at the look of confusion and fear in Evanthe's eyes as she tried to choose between her true love and her best friend. Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to see a dark-haired werewolf behind him. A moment later, he was laying flat on his back, knocked there by a powerful blow.
"If you ever touch my wife like that again, I'll kill you myself!" Adam snapped. Vincent growled something evil as he tried to get back to his feet. "Yeah, right," Adam glanced to the others and untied Elissa quickly. "Let's go home. We've got a wedding to plan!" his eyes were firmly on Evanthe and Billy as he spoke. The vampire Ranger smiled as she took Billy's hand.
"Let's go!" she kicked Vincent as hard as she could, barely causing him to twitch. "I will never marry you, deal with it!"
Vincent hissed, his fangs showing and eyes flashing red. "We shall see! I still control you, remember that!"
For one brief moment, Evanthe leaned against Billy, crying. Elissa didn't look much better as Adam wrapped his arms about her, paralyzed by the memory of what Vincent had done to her. Then without another word, they left that place behind.
In the Command Center, Elissa leaned against Adam and slowly slid to the floor. "Why?" whispered she as Adam held her softly. "I have never been that scared before. . .," he touched me in places that I only want YOU to touch me!
He will never do that again!
I hope not! Elissa held onto Adam with all her strength as a few feet away, Evanthe's own tears poured out. Never before had the vampire Ranger wanted to hurt something so badly.
"What happened?" Tommy asked. Adam practically winced as he told him. The White Ranger ground his teeth. "I guess we'll have to keep our eyes out for him too!"
Can we go home? Please? Elissa asked. Adam nodded, then glanced at the others. "We're going home," his voice brooked no denial. They were teleported out a moment later.
Evanthe looked up at Billy. "Why did he have to pick me? Wasn't there some evil vampire he could've married?" she almost whimpered in her fear.
"Who knows?" Billy asked, holding her. "But he won't get you."
Evanthe barely heard him. "And he can make me marry him, he can control any vampire, Billy, no matter what. He's thousands of years old, no one knows everything he can do. . .what if. .he can make me stop loving you?" she looked up, fear filling her eyes, far worse than anything he'd ever seen when Sophie and Girard had been around. He took her hand gently and kissed her on the lips.
"I'll prove my love to you. I'll do what I can to get you back," he promised. Evanthe leaned against him.
"I've never been this scared, Billy," she whispered. In all her life, she had never been faced with anything like this, being so totally under another's power. Even when Girard had dominated her during her early years as a vampire, she'd had brief moments of freedom.
"We'll protect you, Evanthe," Billy told her. Evanthe didn't even look at him.
"I want to go home, Billy," she said, "and I never want to see him again!"
In response to her wishes, Billy teleported her back to her house, and came with her. "Here we are," he smiled. Evanthe managed to summon up a small grin.
"You want to stay over tonight?" her parents would be in later, they'd went out hunting. Evanthe had been fed before that travesty with Vincent, luckily.
"Thought you'd never asked," Billy kissed her softly. "I'm almost afraid to go to Elissa's after they drugged me last night!"
Evanthe's lips trailed down his neck and back as they entered. "Why'd they drug you?"
"I was sorta. ..umm. . .getting a bit out of hand about you being missing."
Evanthe smiled softly. "It's nice to know that the man I love loves me enough to be that insane!"
Billy smiled as he glanced downward, blushing. Sudden strong hands seized him, holding him in a firm grip. "What the heck?"
Evanthe asked the same thing as Vincent stepped out of the shadows, freezing her instantly. "Just a little reminder that I am around still," he smiled as he started to caress her gently. She managed to utter a moan of protest that might've been 'no'. "Oh, but, yes!" he kissed her with a passion she reserved for Billy, as his hands roamed every part of her body.
"Leave me alone!" she screamed. "I don't love you!"
He stepped back. "For now I will go! But I will be back!" he and his servants holding Billy both vanished, and as they did so, Evanthe crumpled to the floor, feeling violated beyond belief.
Billy came closer to her. "I didn't do a very good job of protecting you, did I?" he murmured. I couldn't do anything! He was standing right there, and I couldn't do anything!
She cried, turning away from him. "In my own home. . .in my own home!"
Billy wrapped his arms around her gently. "I wish I could promise he'll never come here again. . .but I can't."
"I want to kill him!" Evanthe hissed. "First he hurt Elissa, now he's done that to me!"
Billy promised her, "You'll get your chance. I think we'd both better carry around a wooden stake from now on."
"We'd have to wear gloves constantly," Evanthe pointed out. "You know wood is poison to us."
Billy shrugged. "So much for that idea!"
Evanthe looked at him quietly. "Billy, I don't want him to hurt you or Elissa or my parents or any of the others."
"We won't let him!" Billy insisted. "He will rue the day he messed with the Power Rangers!"
Evanthe smiled a little, then frowned. "Billy, a horrible thought just occurred to me."
"What?"
She shuddered for a few moments. "What if Vincent joins forces with Rita and Zedd?"
Billy held her gently. "Then we'd better be even more on our guard!" he told her. Evanthe shivered.
"Somedays I wish Sophie and Girard had just killed me! Then I wouldn't have to deal with this now!"
Evanthe held onto him with all her heart. Why did this have to happen?
Why? Why? the one word echoed over and over in both their minds. Adam turned to her, reaching for her softly.
Elissa.
Adam?
I'm here, Elissa.
Why did he do that to me? she turned to look at him, tears sparkling still.
To force Evanthe into marrying him. As she growled softly, he promised her, I'll protect you, Elissa.
Hold me. He wrapped her up in his strong and loving arms. She leaned her head against his chest, forcing herself to be as strong as possible now. I hope he goes to hell!
We'll send him there if he bothers you again!
She took his hand in hers, and placed it gently over her pounding heart. It's racing from fear!
There's no need to be afraid anymore.
There might be.
Why? He's not going to bother you. I won't let him!
No one could help before. He had everyone frozen.
I wonder if he could freeze a Zord, or a werewolf in wolf form!
From what Evanthe said, he can command almost every force, every thing, with a thought. Except one.
What one?
The king of the werewolves. Elissa took a deep breath. She'd never told Adam who that was, either. She'd hoped he'd never need to know.
Would he help us? If we needed it?
He would. As a matter of fact, he has on several occasions!
Huh? he looked so cute when he was confused!
Who performed our mating?
You. . .you mean. ..?
She nodded. Yes. Michael is the oldest living creature, and the King of the werewolves. But Adam, sometimes his help comes with a price.
What price?
Elissa sighed and bit her bottom lip. A bond. Or a child. Or a life. It depends on the situation.
We'll have to be careful what, and when, we ask him.
Elissa smiled as she hugged him warmly. I love your touch.
And I love yours.
I'm so scared.
Don't be. We'll find a way to stop him. Elissa sighed as Adam stroked her forehead gently. She leaned against him, still feeling where Vincent had touched her. She fell asleep sobbing. Adam held her gently, and whispered aloud, the words echoing in the silent room.
"We'll stop him."