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

Limited Time

The door was locked, that was for sure. Elyse looked around for something that would help get Cassie out of there. She could use the candelabra to burn the door down, but that would definitely set the entire place on fire. She really didn't want to deal with that. She tried busting the door down with strength, which she didn't have much of. She sighed when that didn't work. Then, she remembered the bobby pins she had put in her hair after getting dressed. She pulled one out of her hair and stuck it into the lock. After a moment, she heard a click.

Elyse let out a sigh of relief before pushing the door open. Cassie looked up from the floor, her face tear-stained. Elyse helped Cassie to her feet and hugged her tightly. "Thank God, you're okay. Everyone was worried about you. Aviva and I got into a huge argument after you disappeared. I feel awful." Cassie shook her head.

"Elyse, I'm sorry that I told the police about Jeremy. I really am. It's not your fault that I was kidnapped. If I had just left it alone-"

"What is that?" Elyse interrupted, having noticed the bite marks on Cassie's neck. Elyse moved Cassie's hair away to get a better look. "Cassie?"

Cassie stepped back. "It's nothing," Cassie said, biting her lip.

"That is not "nothing," Cassie. Are you-? Did he-?" Elyse took a step towards Cassie. "Did he turn you?" She asked.

"No! Elyse, that's not what happened. I can assure you, I'm not a vampire."

"Then what the hell happened, Cas? What did he do to you?" Cassie was silent, her eyes shifting to the floor. Elyse took another step forward. "Cassie... is Vladislaus feeding off of you?"

After a minute, Elyse heard Cassie sigh. "Elyse-"

"How long has this been going on?" Elyse asked, her hands bunching into fists. "He told me that he hadn't harmed you."

Cassie looked over at Elyse. "Not long. He's been good to me, Elyse."

Elyse was beyond angry. She couldn't believe Vladislaus had lied to her. "Cassie, he clearly hasn't been good to you. If he was being good to you, he wouldn't be feeding off of you. This isn't-"

It was pitch black. The curtains from the hallway closed, the candelabra's lit candles went out. The fireplace in the room no longer had a fire burning, making the room cold. A shiver ran down Elyse's spine as she looked around the room, trying to get her eyes to adjust. "What are you doing in here?" Elyse jumped at the all too familiar voice. She spun around, trying to find him, but she could not. "How did you find this part of the castle?"

Suddenly, the fire was lit again, and Elyse looked up in horror as Vladislaus stood in front of her, looming over her trembling figure with those blood red eyes of his. Elyse was at a loss for words, stepping backwards from him.

"I will ask you one more time. What are you doing in here and how did you find this part of the castle?" Vladislaus stepped forward, his gaze intense. Elyse was terrified. This man who had been so kind to her yesterday, who had shown her incredible things, was no longer here. A monster stood in his place.

"I found this place by accident," Elyse said, trying to stop her voice from sounding so shaky.

"Do not lie to me, Elyse. Tell me the truth."

Elyse found her courage and narrowed her eyes. "Fine," she said, her jaw clenched. "You want to know what I'm doing up here? I went to look for Cassie. Now that I've found her, I'm angry at what I have discovered. You told me that you hadn't caused any harm to Cassie! And now I see that you've been feeding off of her!!! How dare you?!? How dare you hurt my friend?!? How dare you feed off of her?!? How dare you lie to me?!?" Her voice grew louder with every sentence, unknowingly stepping forward as he spoke. "You claim that you're capable of emotions. You tried to convince me that you were capable of love, but I see that was all a lie. You're a monster." Elyse hadn't realized she was crying until she felt her eyes begin to sting.

Vladislaus sighed. He realized that he had made a huge mistake. "Elyse-"

"No," Elyse growled. "There is nothing you can say that will make this any better for yourself. I see now just the kind of person you really are. I was right. You heart truly is cold and dead. To think, I actually believed that you were capable of emotions." Elyse shook her head. "I never should have let my guard down. I'm so stupid for believing you."

Vladislaus looked at Elyse with sadness I his eyes. Elyse noticed that there were tears forming in his eyes. "Don't you dare," she said quietly. "Those tears aren't real."

"No one can fake tears, Elyse. No one is that good of an actor."

"You could have fooled me," Elyse said, eyes narrowed.

Cassie had been quiet the entire time, watching the two of them. There was clearly tension, and at the moment, Cassie really did not want to be there.

"Elyse, we will talk about this later," Vladislaus said. He turned to Cassie, his eyes turning red once more.

"You will NOT hurt her!" Elyse shouted. "Not without hurting me." Vlad turned to Elyse, his eyes returning to blue as he saw how hurt Elyse truly was.

Elyse shook her head and walked out of the room.

...

Later on, Elyse went in search of Vladislaus. She found him in the library, putting away a book he had just finished reading. "Elyse," Vladislaus acknowledged without turning around.

"Did you enjoy your meal?' Elyse asked in a monotone voice.

Vladislaus sighed, finally turning to face her. "I did not feed off of her. Your words stuck with me. I did not mean for you to find out about this, and I apologize that you had to see that."

"You mean you're sorry that I realized just how much of a monster you really are?" Elyse asked, crossing her arms. Vladislaus massaged his temples.

"Elyse, is there something you wished to talk to me about? Or did you come here for another purpose?" Vladislaus asked, clasping his hands together behind his back. He could not deny that he felt bad about what he had done. He hadn't wanted to lie to Elyse, and he honestly hadn't intended on hurting Cassie in any way, but his urges had gotten the best of him, and he had found himself unable to resist getting a taste of Cassie's blood. Needless to say, it had been slightly bitter, but nothing he couldn't get used to. He still longed to know what Elyse's blood tasted like. Would it be as sweet as she was? Would it taste as sweet as he thought it be?

"I want to make a deal with you," Elyse said, biting her lip.

Vladislaus raised an eyebrow. "You wish to bargain with me?" He asked, surprise coating his tone. "Why would you want to make a deal with me?"

"I know that despite what I have learned, you're not going to give up on trying to convince me that you love me. I know you want me to fall for you, and I don't know if I can, especially after what I've just seen." Elyse bit her lip, her eyes shifting to the ground. She took a deep breath before meeting his eyes, blue as the sea. God, she hated those eyes. She hated the façade they hid behind.

"A month," Elyse said. "That's how long you have to get me to fall in love with you. Nothing more, nothing less. A month."

Vladislaus stepped forward. "And if I do not manage to get your feelings towards me to change? What then?"

"If I don't manage to fall for you by the end of the month, you let me and Cassie go. You bring us back to the school and you leave us alone," Elyse said. She hadn't moved when Vladislaus stepped forward, deciding it was better to stand her ground than back away.

"And what if I do manage to capture your heart, my dear? What will I get out of this delightful little bargain?" His eyes lit up slightly, intrigued. It was almost as if he believed that he would win. Was this all a game to him? No, but he did truly believe that he would be able to get Elyse to fall in love with him.

"If you win, I stay here with you, but you still let Cassie go. You'll have me." Elyse shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I know that's all you care about, if you're even capable of caring." Elyse could tell that Vladislaus was thinking about the bargain, deciding whether or not he would say yes. "Do you accept?" She asked, sticking her hand out.

Vladislaus smirked. "I accept." He took her hand and they shook on it.

The deal had been made.