The flickering of the candles was the only sound they heard. Angelina looked down, afraid that Vlad would try something. The image of those impaled bodies still plagued her mind."I have to think of something that will save my ass," she thought.

Vlad, however, only looked at her. He was glad to stop reading reports of the Ottomans and their movements across Europe. He had a severe headache from dealing with one stressor after another. Stress put him in a bad mood, and he would use women to release his frustrations. He had many mistresses, but they bored him. Angelina was the new one in his group, but she differed from the others. She had a different character he was not used to. Angelina was a mystery that he couldn't solve; it frustrated and intrigued him at the same time. "The dress suits you, as I knew it would."

Angelina's legs were slightly trembling from the nervousness. "Th-Thanks. You have good tastes, I guess." She wanted to face-palm herself, thinking that she sounded ridiculous. 

Vlad chuckled as he stood up from his seat. "I know what I like." He noticed the young woman would still not look at him, and it pleased him that she knew her place. Yet, he did enjoy a bit of rebellion. "Look at me, woman."

She slowly looked up as she had her hands together. "It-It's Angelina."

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Please call me Angelina. I have a name...Voivode." 

She called him by his title, which excited him. Vlad wanted to rip the dress off and take her right then. "Very well, I will call you by your name, but only when we meet alone. You will address me by name in secrecy, but by day, you will call me by my title. Understood?"

"Perfectly...Vlad."

Vlad put his hands behind his back, playing with his fingers to help contain his lust. "Sit." He motioned her to sit on his bed.

"You said that..."

"I gave you my word. I will not touch you now, but you will eventually fall beneath me. As my new mistress, you will obey my command. Sit on that bed."

His eyes were emotionless, making it difficult to tell if he was lying. 

Angelina took a deep breath as she slowly got into bed, then sat up as she put one of the pillows behind her; she refused to lie down. A chill went through her spine as she watched Vlad slowly get on his bed and go to her. Her heart was beating rapidly. "Please don't do anything! Please don't do anything!"  Suddenly, she felt something on top of her lap. Vlad put his head on her; his eyes stared at her. "Wh-What in the-?"

Vlad chuckled. "I did say that I would not have you yet; I am curious about you."

"I see," she said, confused. "So, what are you curious about, Vlad?"

"I want to know more about where you come from. Are there more things like that contraption?"

Angelina slowly nodded. "That phone is considered technology. In my time, we had things like television, which showed plays, shows, and other forms of entertainment. People don't have to leave their homes to find amusement elsewhere. We also have toys that could fly and communicate with others from long distances." She continued talking about other things from her time. Her anxiety dissipated as she talked about different sports, modes of transportation, amusement parks, and more.

Vlad lay on her lap as he listened. At first, he thought everything she said was ridiculous, but the more he listened intently, the more intrigued he became. There was no hesitation. Angelina spoke of many things that he wished to see and experience. Angelina eventually finished as she realized the duration of her speaking and slowly looked down at Vlad, who smirked. "I think I overdid it."

"It seems you did." He then got one of her hands and put it on his hair. "Touch my hair." His actions surprised her once again. Never in a million years would Angelina imagine that Vlad wanted affection. Angelina ran her nails through his scalp, soothing it, then his hair. Vlad lay there and slowly closed his eyes. "Sing to me."

"You want me to sing to you?"

"Must you repeat everything I say?" he asked, annoyed.

"Right, my bad." Angelina thought of a song to sing. She didn't want to sing along with a long song because the lyrics were difficult to remember. A song from a movie she watched a while back—The Phantom of the Opera, from 1989, with Robert Englund—came to mind. She took a deep breath and imagined a piano playing to help her make the song flow. 

https://youtu.be/UtE5HwPIlaA

Vlad felt peaceful as he listened to Angelina sing. Her voice was low and soft, and it felt soothing to him. The words to the song may have been short, but they held meaning. It had been so long since he had heard such a soft voice. She eventually finished and looked at him; they were silent for a while. 

Angelina was afraid that he wasn't happy with the song she sang. "D-Did you like it?"

"It was short but soothing. You have calmed my mind." Angelina sighed in relief and continued tickling his scalp and hair, but then Vlad sat up. "You will sleep here tonight."

"Excuse me?" Vlad eyed her, and she gulped. "S-Sorry. It's just that I find it strange to sleep beside a man."

The Voivode smirked as he took off his shoes. "Well, you will grow accustomed to it. I will sleep on that side." He stood and waited for her to do what she was told. She groaned in annoyance and undid the bed covers and blankets. Vlad waited for her to lie down on the bed, which she did slowly; he followed suit. Vlad then turned to his right side to get ready to sleep. Angelina lay on her back and waited until Vlad fell asleep. She waited for a while until Vlad's soft snores were heard. The young woman was safe for now, but the thought of eventually having to sleep with Vlad made her shiver in disgust. Angelina was still grasping what Vlad asked of her."Maybe there is another side to him after all."