New Blood — David Burton

New Blood (12,300 words) is the second story of a series following the undead life of the beautiful Simone Gireaux, the 360 year old French vampire first met in the contemporary novels Blood Justice and Blood on the Water.

In 1648 France a few weeks after Simone Gireaux accidentally becomes a vampire she is headed for Noir Montagne, the bright town on the other side of a lake. There, she hopes to learn how to survive among mortals. But screams in the forest lead her to a small settlement taken captive by a vampire and his mortal minions.

Le Taureau urges her to join him and his Drake Family. She is Vampire and they of the settlement are but mortals. But a marauding band of vampires destroyed her village, murdered her family and friends, and left her for dead. The desire to avenge the deaths of her village and family burns deep within her, so she has no love for her fellow creatures. She will save the captive mortals, or die the true death trying.

She spends weeks keeping out of sight, nursing a retired vampire hunter. Attacked by some of his old enemies she learns an important lesson of survival â€" one needs friends to survive â€" and revenge takes time.