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

My Sweet Soulmate

Elyse paced back and forth in the room, biting the nail of her thumb as she tried not to freak out. A letter rested on the edge of the bed, the opened envelope lying beside it.

'Elyse, if you would be so kind as to join me for dinner tonight, it would mean the world to me. I feel as if we have some things to discuss, things that need to be sorted. Please meet me in the dining hall at 6:00 PM. Wear something nice from the wardrobe.

Vladislaus'

He had invited her to dinner. He wanted to talk to her. Elyse didn't know how to feel. She didn't know what to do. Elyse tried to remain calm as she processed the letter. He had at least been kind about it. Even though she was a prisoner, he treated her as if she wasn't, which she supposed she wasn't in Vladislaus' mind. He saw her as a guest, and he clearly felt something for her, if that was even possible. Elyse knew of Dracula's nonexistent heart. The guy was dead. He couldn't actually feel anything, right? Elyse found herself questioning everything. It just didn't make sense.

After awhile, Elyse finally decided that she would accept Vlad's invitation and have dinner with him. She didn't know what awaited her, but she had an idea of what could possibly happen tonight. The thought scared her, but she had to remind herself that she was brave, and that showing fear was something she absolutely could not do. She wasn't afraid that Vladislaus would hurt her. After all, Vlad had told her that he wouldn't harm her, and she believed him. She knew that he wouldn't physically hurt her in any way.

As she was pacing, something caught her attention. In a vase beside the bed, there was a rose. No, the rose. The one Vlad had given her on the night of the ball. The one she had tried to dispose of before he had kidnapped her. She knew it was the same one. She could feel its pull, drawing her in like it usually did. She shook her head. That thing was cursed, she was sure of it.

Elyse did her best to ignore the rose, and looked at the clock that stood against the wall. It read 4:30 PM. She had some time to kill, but she wasn't sure how to spend it. She knew there was no point in trying to escape. Vladislaus would know, and he would follow her and bring her back here anyway. She sighed and curled up in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace. Elyse was still struggling with the fact that Vladislaus was a vampire.

He was a killer. He killed Jeremy. Part of her was relieved because Vlad had saved her from another one of Jeremy's attacks, but she knew that killing was wrong and that being relieved about Vladislaus killing Jeremy was wrong, too. She knew Vladislaus had kidnapped Cassie as well, and that she was still alive. Elyse wasn't sure where he had put Cassie, but he had assured her that he hadn't caused her any harm. She wasn't sure whether to believe him about that or not.

The next time she looked at the clock, it was 5:00 PM. Elyse decided to get ready for dinner, dreading it entirely. She couldn't show any fear, she wouldn't, yet she found herself terrified. Her entire body was trembling as she dressed in one of the gowns that were hung up in the wardrobe. It was dark blue and only had one sleeve. The dress fit her form nicely. To go with it, she picked out a pair of black heels. She had no idea where Vladislaus had gotten these things, and frankly, she didn't want to know. Still, she hoped that the clothes hadn't belonged to some of Vladislaus' female victims.

Her attention was drawn by a knock on the door. Hesitantly, she moved over to it. A girl she had never met before stood there, dressed in a maid's uniform. "Hello, Ms. Devereaux. My master has given me the task of helping you prepare for dinner tonight," the girl said. She appeared to be in her early twenties, not that old at all. The girl pulled a cart into the room and shut the door behind her. "Oh, you look lovely, Ms. Devereaux. You've picked a beautiful dress. It's my master's favorite." That didn't calm Elyse's nerves at all. Now, she wanted to rip the dress off of herself and change into something that wasn't Vladislaus' "favorite."