The Vampire King

            Elias paced impatiently by the door. The sooner he came, the sooner all of this would be over, and he would have his child back. It pained him to think of what that witch was doing to her, what she was telling her.

            Elias had planned to eventually tell Claire the truth, but not until he was certain that she could handle it. And if she never developed any connections, he simply would never tell her. After all, enough of his lie was true that it would not be found out.

            The sound of a car turning up his gravel driveway did not put Elias at ease. The butler opened the front door with a deep bow as the master of the house sat in the drawing-room, drinking a cup of black tea mixed with enough laudanum to knock out an elephant. “Elias, my old friend!” a booming voice