The Girl & The Vampire(A prequel to A Haunting Face)

Dear Ms. Devereaux

Disclaimer: The picture is of the wax seal Dracula has on the letter he sends to Elyse. It's my drawing, so don't judge me because I'm an author, not an artist.

It had been almost a month since the ball.

A month since he met her.

A month since he danced with her.

A month since he had left her.

Vladislaus' mind was plagued with the memory of Elyse. Her soft, gentle voice echoed in his head. Her scent filled his nose, intoxicating him. It was a delicate mix of her lavender shampoo, her honey scented body wash, and her blood that drove the man crazier than he had ever been before. Vlad had been with many women in his lifetime, though none of them ever lasted for long. In fact, barely any of them lasted the next morning.

He was the kind of person who took what he wanted and then discarded the creature he took it from. Many women who had once thought they would become his lover, would instead become his meal almost immediately, and their bodies would be found the next day. Dracula had grown careless over the years, and many thought it best to not disturb him or try to put an end to his... well, you know.

There had never been a time when Dracula wanted so badly to make someone his own. Not through sex, though he was never against that, but through the pain of turning someone into a monster like himself. He had only turned people in order to make more of his own kind, but none of the women he had turned had ever been good enough for him to consider to be a possible lover. Dracula wasn't even sure if he was able to love anyone, but he had definitely felt something when his eyes landed on Elyse, and the feeling was definitely not from his pants.

The man became aggravated when he found that he couldn't get his mind off of the girl, no matter how hard he tried. He knew he would never be able to forget the girl, and frankly, he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to. After the ball, Vladislaus had started keeping tabs on Elyse, wanting to know exactly where she was, who she was with, and what she was doing... in a not at all creepy way. He couldn't help it. He had grown fond of Elyse. She intrigued him.

Vladislaus sat at his desk, a pen in hand. He had stopped using quills a long time ago, though he still kept them in a collection, pinned up in a glass case on the wall of his office. Dracula wasn't unfamiliar with the modern times, and while he did enjoy the simplicity of his life in the earlier times, he had to admit that there were some inventions from the modern times that he found to be quite interesting, and even useful sometimes.

A piece of paper sat on the desk in front of him. The blankness of it seemed to mock him. Was he really doing this? Vlad wasn't the kind of person to write letters, especially not like this. He rarely even received mail, let alone sent it. Picking up the pen, he removed the lid and placed the tip of it at the top of the paper. He thought over his words carefully in his head. This was his first letter to her. He wanted it to be perfect. Taking a deep, he began to write.

'Dear Ms. Devereaux,

You may not remember me, and I do not blame you. It has been awhile since we last saw each other. My name is Count Vladislaus Dracula. We danced together at Gaston's ball on New Year's Eve. I'm writing to you because I wish to know how your life has been since that night. From what I have learned about you, your life outside of the ballroom is quite different from inside. I simply wish to know you more. I hope you do not mind that, Ms. Devereux. I am terribly sorry you find this to be rather odd. You most likely don't receive letters from people you have only met once. In all honesty, I have not been able to get you off of my mind. There is something about you that fascinates me. I do hope you are doing well, Ms.Devereux.