The Beginning: Blood and Curses (Vampires: The New Age #2 - Prequel #1)

By Natasha Duncan-Drake

Nate hunts vampires and he's good at it. However, when he comes across Lexie while stalking his latest quarry, he finds out life can be a whole lot more complicated than even he knew. Lexie is a white witch with a dark secret. When one of the vampires Nate is tracking turns out to be an initiate of the worst kind of blood magic, that secret might just save his life.

This title is a prequel to the novel The Avebury Legacy (aka Advent).

It has been previously published in the following anthologies, also by Wittegen Press:

Myriad Imaginings: All The Stories From The Wittegen Press Giveaway Games
Half of Everything: Stories by Natasha Duncan-Drake From The Wittegen Press Giveaway Games
Bright Young Things: Young Adult Stories From The Wittegen Press Giveaway Games

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wittegen Press
• Release date: Jan 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9781908333551

Natasha Duncan-Drake

Natasha is a British author with Wittegen Press and has been publishing genre fiction since 2011. Her work includes everything from horror to young adult fantasy and she has never met a genre she didn’t like. A prolific producer of short stories and novels alike, Natasha currently has over twenty five titles in her back catalogue with further releases always imminent.Natasha has been writing since she was a young girl ever since she read The Hobbit at Primary School. She is a big fan of science fiction, fantasy and horror in all their forms and is a big advocate of fanfiction as a great tool for writers to polish their skills in a welcoming and supportive community.Before establishing Wittegen Press with her twin sister, Sophie Duncan, Natasha was a database and systems consultant. She combines these skills with her writing to create and manage her career in the bold new eBook market.

Book preview

The Beginning

Blood and Curses

Vampires: the New Age, Prequel #1

by

Natasha Duncan-Drake

Smashwords Edition

Vampires: the New Age, Prequel #1

This publication is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organisations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

Wittegen Press

http://www.wittegenpress.com/

Copyright © 2015 by Natasha Duncan-Drake

http://www.wittegenpress.com/natashaduncandrake

Cover art by Natasha Duncan-Drake

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

ISBN: 978-1-908333-55-1

Titles in Vampires: the New Age

(In reading order)

Blood Sacrifice: The Avebury Legacy (Vampires: The New Age #1)

The Beginning: Blood and Curses (Vampires: The New Age, Prequel #1)

Link to series webpage:

http://www.wittegenpress.com/vampires-the-new-age

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank the following people for helping me create this book:

Sophie Duncan

Robert Drake

Pose reference for cover - SenshiStock at DeviantArt.com

http://senshistock.deviantart.com/

Previously Published

This story was originally part of the Wittegen Press Giveaway Games 2012 and has been previously published in the following anthologies:

Myriad Imaginings: All The Stories From The Wittegen Press Giveaway Games

http://www.wittegenpress.com/myriadimaginings

Half Of Everything: Stories By Natasha Duncan-Drake From The Wittegen Press Giveaway Games

http://www.wittegenpress.com/halfofeverything

Bright Young Things: The Young Adult Stories From The Wittegen Press Giveaway Games

http://www.wittegenpress.com/brightyoungthings

~*~

Author's Notes

The Beginning was originally published in two sections on 30th and 31st July 2012 as part of the Wittegen Press Giveaway Games 2012.

This is a prequel to my novel Blood Sacrifice - The Avebury Legacy. Blood Sacrifice is a new adult, dark fantasy novel and leaps in at the point the action starts, but there are events mentioned within that are important to the setup of the plot, but which are never fully disclosed. These are some of them.

This short is the story of how Nate, my main protagonist, and Lexie, my second protagonist met. It's action filled and a little bit bloody, just like the novel, so I hope you enjoy reading it. The vampires here do not sparkle and they are nasty pieces of work.

Table of Contents

The Beginning - Blood and Curses

Also in Vampires: the New Age

Also From Wittegen Press

Afterword

The Beginning - Blood and Curses

Glancing at the sky, Nate noted the rose pink hints at the far horizon and smiled to himself. He had timed it perfectly: dawn was coming and his quarry would lead him straight to the lair. He'd been searching out the area for two days and he was finally sure of his facts. The kill was not going to be easy, but not the hardest he had taken on either.

Checking the hilt of his sword one more time and gripping the shaft of his crossbow, he began to move forward again. The vampires had a fresh kill with them, so he wasn't worried he would be spotted. When it came to blood, vampires were very one track. It was about the only advantage a human being had over one of the undead. That didn't stop Nate being very careful about where he put his feet, however.

Nate was still alive because he was careful. He worked alone because the way all hunters weren't as fastidious made him nervous. All it took was one weak link in a team and it could be the