After the Fall: A Vampire Chronicle (Book One) by Mary Ellen Gorry
Authors: Mary Ellen Gorry
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he could imagine. She was upset and angry and looking to lash out at something, anything.
He didn’t like that she was in this situation. He had problems with the fact that Christian had divulged top-secret information to a girl he had only met a few hours before. He also had problems, however, with the fact that she was now most likely a prime target of the vampires roaming Manhattan, taking their orders from a Master Vampire.
He had to admit, to his chagrin, that he liked Caroline. She had conviction and personality, and the fact that she was so far emotionally surviving her survival attested to her strong character. He could understand the attachment Christian had already formed with her – Lorenzo could sense it. He didn’t agree with it – as much as Christian needed friends, he couldn’t afford to have them. Still, he could understand it.
Sometimes it was eerie how much Christian was like his brother. The similarities in their looks and some of their mannerisms, like the way he pulled on his ear when he was lost in a book. Brian had done that too. Lorenzo didn’t think about Brian a lot. They hadn’t been together that long. And then Brian had been killed by vampires, and his body had never been found. He had always known that there was always the possibility that his Hunter would be killed in action, and so he hadn’t let himself get that close to Brian. But when Brian died, it had still felt as if his heart had been wrenched from his chest. Which was why he had allowed himself to get as close to Christian as he had. Because it would still hurt. But he never let himself think about having to go through it a second time…
Brian had been a good Hunter. He and Christian had that in common as well. And he had been a good man. He had seen Brian and Christian interact and there had been a comfortable familiarity, a brotherly bond, and even through the inevitable teasing, fighting and sibling rivalry, the love and affection the Dreiden brothers had for each other had been obvious. But Brian had also been stubborn and hardheaded, not always listening to Lorenzo’s advice. He sometimes slacked on his training and when he got angry, his emotions got the better of him. They had ultimately gotten the better of him. Lorenzo kept it to himself, but for that, he blamed himself for Brian’s death. He had not had control of his Hunter and had not taught him well enough to save his life.
He was better with Christian. He had learned from his mistakes. Brian had had friends, had been around his family, had gone out and had somewhat of a life. But Lorenzo had grown to love Christian, considering him the son he never had, and he would do whatever it took to keep this Dreiden boy from dying. If having no life saved Christian’s life, so be it.
Shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts, Lorenzo tried focusing on the book in his hands. It was a relatively new one, only about three hundred years old. He had found it in the rectory of Saint Joseph’s, which was one of the oldest Catholic churches built in Manhattan. At his age, there was no way he could help Christian fight the Master Vampire, except in an intellectual sense. He was convinced that the best way to ultimately defeat the Master Vampire was to discover where they came from – if he could find a pattern or clues that would help to track them down, then they could be destroyed.
For an hour, Lorenzo scoured the book in front of him, to no avail. Finally, as his eyes were beginning to water and the words swim in front of his face, a passage jumped out of him. Blinking twice, he picked up a pen and began to write it down on a pad of paper lying on the end table:
I had, by some grace of God, stumbled upon a manuscript in the crypt of San Pellegrino, dated a century prior to the
He didn’t like that she was in this situation. He had problems with the fact that Christian had divulged top-secret information to a girl he had only met a few hours before. He also had problems, however, with the fact that she was now most likely a prime target of the vampires roaming Manhattan, taking their orders from a Master Vampire.
He had to admit, to his chagrin, that he liked Caroline. She had conviction and personality, and the fact that she was so far emotionally surviving her survival attested to her strong character. He could understand the attachment Christian had already formed with her – Lorenzo could sense it. He didn’t agree with it – as much as Christian needed friends, he couldn’t afford to have them. Still, he could understand it.
Sometimes it was eerie how much Christian was like his brother. The similarities in their looks and some of their mannerisms, like the way he pulled on his ear when he was lost in a book. Brian had done that too. Lorenzo didn’t think about Brian a lot. They hadn’t been together that long. And then Brian had been killed by vampires, and his body had never been found. He had always known that there was always the possibility that his Hunter would be killed in action, and so he hadn’t let himself get that close to Brian. But when Brian died, it had still felt as if his heart had been wrenched from his chest. Which was why he had allowed himself to get as close to Christian as he had. Because it would still hurt. But he never let himself think about having to go through it a second time…
Brian had been a good Hunter. He and Christian had that in common as well. And he had been a good man. He had seen Brian and Christian interact and there had been a comfortable familiarity, a brotherly bond, and even through the inevitable teasing, fighting and sibling rivalry, the love and affection the Dreiden brothers had for each other had been obvious. But Brian had also been stubborn and hardheaded, not always listening to Lorenzo’s advice. He sometimes slacked on his training and when he got angry, his emotions got the better of him. They had ultimately gotten the better of him. Lorenzo kept it to himself, but for that, he blamed himself for Brian’s death. He had not had control of his Hunter and had not taught him well enough to save his life.
He was better with Christian. He had learned from his mistakes. Brian had had friends, had been around his family, had gone out and had somewhat of a life. But Lorenzo had grown to love Christian, considering him the son he never had, and he would do whatever it took to keep this Dreiden boy from dying. If having no life saved Christian’s life, so be it.
Shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts, Lorenzo tried focusing on the book in his hands. It was a relatively new one, only about three hundred years old. He had found it in the rectory of Saint Joseph’s, which was one of the oldest Catholic churches built in Manhattan. At his age, there was no way he could help Christian fight the Master Vampire, except in an intellectual sense. He was convinced that the best way to ultimately defeat the Master Vampire was to discover where they came from – if he could find a pattern or clues that would help to track them down, then they could be destroyed.
For an hour, Lorenzo scoured the book in front of him, to no avail. Finally, as his eyes were beginning to water and the words swim in front of his face, a passage jumped out of him. Blinking twice, he picked up a pen and began to write it down on a pad of paper lying on the end table:
I had, by some grace of God, stumbled upon a manuscript in the crypt of San Pellegrino, dated a century prior to the
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