Three Tales of Vampires: A Tale of Vampires

By John Hennessy

By a British author of Irish descent, Three Tales of Vampires is a literary anthology and collection of stories - a book comprising a unique paranormal vampire trilogy. 

1: Murderous Little Darlings 

Young vampire siblings Marcus, Rocco and Juliana go on a murderous and bloody rampage of self-discovery. Are they vampires or not? And is anyone safe from their ghoulish games? 

2: The Blood and the Raven 

A sinister watering hole is not all it is supposed to be, but any attempts to leave prove too dangerous as the vampire's web closes in. Is the story real, or just a legend? What will happen to those who don't believe? 

3: Innocent While She Sleeps. 

A vampire wrestles with her conscience, whilst another seeks to kill the one who made her into a creature of the undead. 

A Tale of Vampires is a seven book chronicle about a group of vampires. This edition comprises the first three vampire books of the series in one concise collection. 

The prequel, Dawn of the New Breed, is also available on estores.

Praise for the series:- 

"This trilogy is a must read for all the vampire fans, especially the ones who loves to devour themselves in a sinister and ugly story of a vampire family that causes mayhem through their journey. John's exquisite writing style and with his sense of humor, this trilogy will keep you glued till the very end as well as will give you goosebumps. And with that evil yet beautiful cover, it surely gives an alluring feel to the whole book. 
So what are you waiting for, grab a copy of this book and lose yourself in the world of some blood-lusty vampires who will not stop until they ease their hunger." 

" While today when our vampires are busy playing with their hair and sharpening their fangs, making it extra crispy and white, somewhere in the grave Bram stoker is wishing that he could return as a vampire so that people can understand what an actual vampire stands for. Don't worry Mr. Stoker we have taken care of things for you. 

Three Tales of Vampires is the collection of the original novella that brings you these set of vampires that will make you fear the very word vampire rather than see diamonds and bushes and red contact lenses. 

These novella are so intricately weaved and connected to each other that you cannot afford to lose the track. What starts with the first returns back in the third book in a complete firework. Each characters in these short stories are much stronger and impressive than many voluminous books out there. Each story ends with shocking revelations that you cant stop from jumping into the next book. 

The language and the narration is simply gripping and for me its the plot and the characters that add color to this whole series. This is one series that you have to follow if you are a huge vampire fan. i would like to say it is the revival of the classic vampires. As gory and vicious and hungry as they were created yet every bit emotionally attachable." 

"This trilogy is surely Vampire gold from John Hennessy. It will please all who enjoy ghoulish bloodsuckers with a real flair. It will scare you, make you smile and even brings on compassion and understanding for some of the little darlings. 

I had a grand time reading this creative offering, I highly recommend it! Share the fun and enjoy 
Murderous Little Darlings, The Blood and the Raven, Innocent While She Sleeps!!!" 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Hennessy
• Release date: Mar 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514117163

John Hennessy

Born in 1988, John Hennessy became entranced by the world of fantasy and sci-fi at a young age, playing video games and reading books for many long nights/early mornings. He started writing his debut novel Life Descending during his junior year of High School in 2005. He wanted to write something different for fantasy readers, something without any stock copy/paste characters, supreme evil lords, who you never see and who are just evil because they are evil. A story without class-defined skills, mana potions, and the usual D&D adventure group out on the same old quest. He wanted to write a new story that gets away from the stale fantasies with farmer boys, blacksmith apprentices, and peasants who turn world heroes. Oh yeah, and he really wanted to get away from stories with prophecies and 'chosen ones.'After he graduated from Western Washington University in 2011, he hired Sara Stamey, the editing/publishing professor at Western, edit Life Descending (The Cry of Havoc, Book 1), finally releasing his debut after six years of crafting, learning, rewriting, and absorbing caffeine as fuel so he could stay awake at the keyboard. Life Descending has since been praised by reviewers, even earning a finalist spot in ForeWord Magazine's 2011 Book of the Year Awards. Darkness Devouring (The Cry of Havoc, Book 2) has since been released in late 2012.In 2012 he released At the End (The Road to Extinction, Book 1) as a self-published book. Having spent all his cash on Life Descending (sadly without return), the book went unedited by a professional editor. Despite this major flaw, At the End was well received by most. In February 2013, Permuted Press approached him with an offer to re-release At the End and publish the rest of the trilogy. A second edition of At the End (fully edited!) is forthcoming 2013.John now lives in the Rose Lands of Portland, Oregon, with his wife Katherine, their furry feline Phoebe, and their two budgies Lola and Pablo. He is now at work finishing The Road to Extinction Trilogy. Visit his website at: http://www.johnhennessy.net

Book preview

The

Three Tales of Vampires

Collection

A Tale of Vampires is a series of seven official stories; a chronicle about a group of vampires. This edition comprises the first three vampires’ story of the series in one concise collection.

I: Murderous Little Darlings

Young vampire siblings Marcus, Rocco and Juliana go on a murderous and bloody rampage of self-discovery.

But are they vampires or not? And is anyone safe from their ghoulish games?

II: The Blood and the Raven

A sinister inn is not all it is supposed to be, but any attempts to avoid prove fruitless as the vampire's web closes in.

Is the story true, or just a legend? What will happen to those who don't believe?

III: Innocent While She Sleeps

A vampire wrestles with her conscience, whilst another seeks to kill the one who made her into one of the undead.

The vampire classic reborn, from English born author John Hennessy.

*

MATURE CONTENT: Story contains occasional scenes of strong violence, infrequent but strong swearing, and some gory scenes that may upset some readers. There are also some scenes of a sexual nature. 

Love the Tale of Vampires books? Complete the series!!

Recommended reading order

Prequel: Dawn of the New Breed

I: Murderous Little Darlings (a FREE novella)

II: The Blood and the Raven (FREE to subscribers on my VIP Readers Group)

III: Innocent While She Sleeps

IV: Dream the Crow's Black Dream

V: Reunion of the Blood

VI: Our Hearts Go to Their Graves

A Spin-Off: Murderous Little Christmas Darlings (release date TBA in 2022)

VII: The Final Tale of Vampires Story (release date and title TBA) 

This Edition © 2020

John Hennessy

Grab Murderous Little Darlings for free, and then get The Blood and the Raven for free by signing up to my VIP readers List! Click the image below!

Copyright

Copyright © 2014-2020 John Hennessy

Cover and back design © Images courtesy of Depositphotos.com

Typography © John Hennessy

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems – except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews – without the permission in writing from its publisher, John Hennessy.

All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders. The author is not associated with any product or vendor in this book.

This Collection first published in the United Kingdom in 2015.

Text copyright © John Hennessy 2014-2020

The right of John Hennessy to be identified as the author of this work is asserted by him.

ISBN-13: 978-1493622368 (CreateSpace-Assigned)

ISBN-10: 1493622366

A CIP Catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade of otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author, John Hennessy.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Table of Contents

Contents

I:

Murderous Little Darlings

First Kill

W

ith two specimens of the undead either side of her, Juliana knew there was no escape. Kill the one they had selected for her, or be killed, and become one of them. What had the neighbours in the road called them, back when their childhood pranks were just that? Eggs thrown at the front door, maybe a small stone hurled at a window. Nothing major. No biggie. Nothing to write home about.

That was until the stones got larger, and one, hurled through a window, cracked Old Nellie Hall’s skull right open, right in front of her grandchildren. On her 90th birthday, no less.

Protecting his young sister, Marcus admitted it was his fault, even though Juliana had thrown the rock, albeit under duress from her brothers.

Oh yes, she remembered what the locals called them now. Murderous Little Darlings. They had the faces of angels, but possessed the very souls of the Devil. Their mother’s human existence ended the moment she had been made one of the undead. She, in turn, had died giving birth to them. Marcus had fully embraced his vampire side from the moment he was born. He was the oldest of the triplets by a full hour.

Rocco was the second eldest, and had fought the temptation all of his life. Then one day, Marcus finally broke him.

That just left Juliana.

Despite her protestations to the contrary, Marcus told her that We are what we are, and we do what we do. But Marcus was just six years old when he made his first kill, a Mr Eric Mitchell, who was eighty-seven years old at the time of death. The marks on his neck healed up instantly once Marcus had drank his fill. At six years of age, who could possibly point the finger at Marcus? In any case, as Marcus put it, ‘At eighty-seven years old, whatever you died of, it’s natural causes anyway.’

The very next day, Marcus put a football through an open garage door, knocking over Mr Hill.

You little devil, he screamed. "When I get hold of you, I’ll murder you."

Not if I get you first, Marcus retaliated.

So as not to arouse suspicion, Marcus left it a week. Then, taking Rocco along with him, he woke Mr and Mrs Hill whilst they slept in their beds, and bludgeoned them both with a mallet almost too big for them to hold in their hands.

Do it now, Rocco, sink your teeth in hard before they die. They weren’t much use in life to anyone anyway, and – what the hell is this? Where do you think you’re going?

Mrs Hill had escaped from her bed and ran down the stairs screaming, clutching the back of her head to stop her brains from falling out.

"Rocco, take him good. I’ll go after her."

Rocco pinned Mr Hill down. It was easy, because the old man was paralysed with fear. With his brother chasing a frantic Mrs Hill to her doom, Rocco paused. It hurt when he had bitten people before. His fangs weren’t fully formed, although Marcus promised that with each kill, they would get stronger.

Okay. There was time to do this. Rocco leaned back, bared his teeth, and sank them into Mr Hill’s throat. The contact wasn’t all that great, and bits of hair from Mr Hill’s neck found their way between the gaps in Rocco’s mouth. It wasn’t a good taste. Rocco didn’t understand or truly share his older brother’s bloodlust. But if he didn’t do the job properly, Mr Hill would die an even more unpleasant death. Marcus would see to that.

So Rocco wrapped a small arm around Mr Hill’s neck and placed the bite as hard as he could. The skin punctured better this time, just as Marcus promised it would. Marcus was always right. Marcus always looked out for his little brother.

Rocco drank his fill, the taste of so much blood all at once leaving him dizzy, and Mr Hill limply collapsed on the bed, his outstretched hands almost touching the floor. Rocco did feel a pang of remorse, then scratched the thought from his head. Such thoughts would make Marcus angry. And you wouldn’t want to make Marcus angry.

There they were, Mr Hill, now the extremely deceased Mr Hill in one corner of the room, and Rocco, just days before his seventh birthday, in the other. He sucked his thumb like he was a toddler once more, as it gave him some comfort. The triplets still aged, for they were not fully-fledged members of the undead.

Downstairs, Marcus could be heard crashing into things. Or maybe, he was crashing Mrs Hill into things. To Marcus, such details weren’t important. The big details, such as the hunt, and the eventual kill, that was all that mattered.

Rocco sucked harder on his thumb as the crashes got louder. He didn’t like the wails and screams from Mrs Hill, who was begging for her life. Marcus did enjoy the victim’s futile attempts to save themselves, even though the outcome was always the same.

"They struggle when you hold them down, and maybe, sometimes they get away from you, but not for long, and they never, ever live to tell who and what hunted them. There’s something else in our favour too, little brother. The world just doesn’t believe in vampires."

You’re sure? inquired Rocco, a desperate expression on his face. "I mean, you’re absolutely sure of this? We’re vampires? We have to feed on humans to survive?"

Marcus shook his head, unable to mask his disappointment in his brother. "That brain deserves to exist in a better body than yours, Rocco. My, what a dreary way to describe our existence. No! We feed on humans to live! You should embrace the life, as I do, brother!"

Rocco just didn’t get the same sense of joy that Marcus got from killing. He wasn’t alone in thinking like that, and yet, Rocco sensed that his sister Juliana would soon be coerced to join in the life.

His thoughts were shattered by a piercing shout from downstairs. Rock! Get your thumb out of your ass and get down here now!

Rocco collected himself from the heap on the floor and, frantic as he was to get downstairs, he knocked over a photo on the bed stand of a young couple, perhaps the Hills’ children. He’d know for sure soon enough if they ever came looking.

My thumb wasn’t in my ass.

Might as well have been, said Marcus. "Or perhaps you were sucking on your thumb again, like the ickle baybee that you are."

Don’t call me that, said Rocco. "I’m older than Julie."

"Yeah, well, you had better start acting like you’re older than Joo-lee, otherwise....well...you know the consequences. I need to know that you’re on my side."

Time and again, Juliana had disobeyed Marcus’ order to join them on the hunt. For this latest act of defiance, she was locked in the wardrobe, and had been in there for two whole days. Rocco, terrified of enclosed spaces and his brother, agreed to go on the night’s hunt in her place.

Mrs Hill whimpered on the floor, and Marcus lightly kicked her body with kicks regular-as-clockwork.

Is she going to die? asked Rocco.

Hmmph! grunted Marcus. I suppose you think she was actually living? No, brother, she’s already dead. Husband barely recognises her or himself, and the kids, especially the grandkids, as they never visit. She may be breathing, but she’s been dead a long time, actually. We’re just taking care of the nasty side of business. I find this such a thankless task. No-one will ever understand our work on this Earth.

Rocco wanted to say that he could not drink anymore, but by doing so, Marcus would force Juliana into the game. Although being locked in the wardrobe used to be a game, it was now more of a punishment. Rocco had been placed in solitary confinement once before, and he was so delirious with hunger he fed on the first thing his bleary eyes lay sight on. From that day on, Marcus had convinced Rocco that he was a vampire.

The dizzy hit from the blood of Mr Hill told its own story. Marcus did what he always did, and took the situation into his own hands.

Walking across the road to their home, which was surrounded by tall gunmetal gates, their foundations buried deep in the ground, he walked up the stairs to one of the unused bedrooms, and unlocked the wardrobe door, the top of which was almost three times his own height.

Juliana? Julie?

No answer. Marcus felt his heart quicken, uncomfortable with the anguish he may have caused her. Had she been left on her own for far too long?

Julie? Joo-leee!!

Marcus stood back from the wardrobe and surveyed the darkness. He observed some scratch marks on the inside the door, and with closer inspection, he could make out what could only be Juliana’s fingernails embedded in the wood.