Blood Will Fall: Tales of a Vampire Hunter

Chapter 24

He stared at the mirror, studying the lines on his face. For a man over ninety years old, he had the appearance of someone more than half that age. He pulled out a straight razor and held it to his throat. With long and careful strokes, he removed the series of shaggy hairs that invaded his neck. He washed the blade clean as he focused on his next target, his goatee.

He had supported his patch of hair for years, but it was time for a chance. He trimmed it in the past and kept it tidy, but never removed it. The main reason was that Helen, Ciara's mother, loved the look and over the year Ciara came fond of it as well. But like the morning Sunlight beaming through the bathroom window, all things didn't last.

The sound of sharp steel cutting at the coarse hair of his chin. The water running over the blade as it washed the hairs down the drain. The razor struck with the same proficiency as his katana.

Memories blasted his brain as the final strains of his goatee disappeared into the watery grave. Memories of his love, Helen. The regrets that caused her death. He regretted bringing Helen into this life. He regretted bringing Ciara into this life as well. There were other regrets, like not telling Ciara that he was her father and not killing Lilith when he had the chance. Regrets were funny things. It was better to regret things that you had done than to regret things you hadn't done.

A warm hand came to his bare shoulder as he noticed the pretty of his daughter staring in the mirror at him. "Great," she sighed. "Now, what am I going to yank on?"

He stared at her reflection. "The same thing you always yank on, my heart's strings."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Sometimes, you say the sweetest things, Sambuca. I mean Dad."

"How's your ankle?"

She looked at her leg and put some pressure on it. "Perfect!"

"You are lucky she didn't rip your foot off," he warned.

"I know." She dropped the lid to the toilet and sat down. "I was totally off my game. That bitch got lucky."

He put away his razor and turned and faced Ciara. "We can't afford to make rookie mistakes."

"Shit!" She groaned. "I knew a lecture was coming."

"But you and Sarah didn't get killed, which is always a good thing."

"Yeah, but you are still pissed about your car."

"Would be furious if you were killed." He walked up closer and stroke the side of her face. "You are all I have left, Ciara. I don't want you to become a memory.

"Like Mom?"

His eyes lowered, like a child experiencing a loss for the first time. "I still carry that with me. Like you would have carried Sarah's death."

"Sarah? Where is she?"

"Like most adults, she had to go to work. Several homicides were reported."

"This is going to be hard for her, knowing the real reasons."

"It could be a blessing in disguise," he explained. "Having her on the inside."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" She snapped back. "I didn't want this for her. She is not ready by a fucking longshot."

"We all have our unique learning curve, Ciara. She is now apart of this. They know who she is and she knows what they are."

"You let her go out there!" She cried. "Unprotected?"

"Relax, little one. I gave her a small course on how to protect herself and her home from vampires. She should be ok, but time can't be wasted. We need to find the Mistress's lair."