The First Vampire

All Aloysia Greeley wants is to erase her father's mistakes that brought her family to ruin and regain their financial security. On the cusp of bankruptcy, the offer of a well-paid secretarial position by the nobleman Turquin Sebille is too good to ignore. However, there is a catch—Aloysia must leave home and travel to Westport, on the opposite side of the Three Kingdoms. After a harrowing train journey, she is unprepared for what she finds at Livingstone House. With the ghost of Abaris—progenitor of vampires, the Fallen Angel—haunting her waking hours and a serial killer stalking the nights of the city, Aloysia begins to realize that she is caught in an ancient web with no escape...

Heart racing, Aloysia dug her fingers into the ashes. She threw them over the corpse, and grabbed another handful. Before she could do more than push it toward the remains, she heard Vervain approach, suppressing a wheezing cough. Behind her, she could hear the crunching footsteps of the fire warden.

"Aloysia?” said Vervain. “I think I've seen enough, and the fire warden's becoming restless. How about we take the rest of the—"

She stopped short at the sight of her stepdaughter crouched on the ground. "What's the matter? What's happened?"

Aloysia shut her eyes and pressed her filthy hands against her skirt. There was no covering this up. She couldn't lie. The sun was setting, but there remained plenty of its autumnal glow to see the horrible shape of the broken body before her. A single glance would reveal to Vervain what she was trying to hide. The fire warden, looming right behind her, would see. The constable would be informed. The suspicions of everyone watching would be confirmed and the insurance money lost. Her clients would abandon her, unwilling to touch someone stained with murder, innocent though she might be. Absolved of blame or condemned—either way, all would be lost.

Aloysia swallowed and opened her mouth. She was surprised when her voice came out quite even and calm.

"Mother—I've found a body."

—excerpt from Book 1