Two disparate worlds seemingly collide in this story. The first is the fantastical world of The Vampire Diaries as created by L.J. Smith. The other is from a horror genre more classical in nature. Gothic horror meets modern-day vampire romance. Elena discovers that a stranger has arrived in the town of Mystic Falls. A vampire. But this is no tall, dark, and handsome blood-sucker, as she has grown accustomed to. This one is hideous. Pure evil incarnate. He is hundreds of years old and looks it with his bald head, pointed ears, ruby rat's eyes and two long fangs protruding from the front of his mouth. He is Nosferatu, lord of all vampires! It is revealed that at one time Lillian Salvatore was the beast's concubine in another time and place. She escaped into the world of the 21st-century living. But the bat-like vampire is hot on her heels in Mystic Falls. His desire is to capture her, return to his lair, and destroy her beauty. Elena is the only one who holds the key to saving Stefan and Damon's mother. She is faced with the dilemma of rescuing the ripper-woman who has wreaked so much havoc in an otherwise peaceful town, or letting her get carried away into an eternal darkness by the single most wicked and powerful vampire the world has ever known.