This is a special story of the month because it fits in with Father’s Day.  Over a year ago I reviewed The Spaces Between Your Screams by Christopher Hivner for Niteblade. One of the standout stories for me was “Salvation’s Children” in which a father confronts a vampire for exacting revenge upon his family.
Owen is a single father who is slowly losing his three children to one of the local vampires. The adult son killed the vampire’s mate. As punishment, the vampire attempts to take away what is dearest to the son… his younger sisters.
Two scenes in particular stand out. The first is when Owen goes to Alexeyev’s house to get back his youngest daughter. He finds his oldest daughter is slightly mad and swinging upside down on a golden rope like an ornament. His reaction of shock followed by anger is real.
Alexeyev is a vampire of logic who is also grieving. In the second scene, Owen and Alexeyev are able to make a personal connection from having lost their mates. Owen makes a difficult decision that is an example of a parent’s tough love. This personal connection lets Alexeyev show compassion which wouldn’t normally fit into his logic.
The ending isn’t a happy one but it’s satisfying.