Drayton, the Taker (A Drayton Short Story)
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4.3 • 10 Ratings
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Publisher Description
Some call him a monster. Some call him mercy.
Drayton once believed he was a vampire. He doesn't know what he is. Or why he has lived for thousands of years. He takes not his victim's blood but the silky essence of their soul during their last breath. Often mistaken for the Angel of Death, his victims sometimes ask for forgiveness. Sometimes he delivers. After all, he is not without sin.
When he discovers Andrew Drummond dying on the roadside, he does what he must. But in Andrew's final breath comes a plea. Not for life, but vengeance. In that fleeting exchange of soul and memory, Drayton feels Andrew's torment. The betrayal. The cruelty. The man who destroyed everything.
And Drayton makes a promise.
He will hunt down the source of Andrew's suffering. He will make him feel every moment of the pain he inflicted. He will deliver a justice only a creature like Drayton can provide.
Because some souls deserve peace. And some deserve him.
Perfect for fans of Interview with the Vampire, The Sandman, and The Dresden Files, this dark supernatural thriller blends immortal mythology with gritty moral justice. Drayton delivers a chilling portrait of a creature who walks the razor's edge between savior and executioner, offering mercy to the dying and damnation to those who deserve true suffering.
Customer Reviews
This is not a typical vampire tale
I think the only time I enjoyed vampire tales was when I used to watch the tv series Forever Knight.... That was a show about a vampire striving to be human again. I think Drayton is more like a vampire who is trying to cling to an essence of humanity, to continue to make sense of the world - at least the parts he can control.
Confessing this, I reluctantly started reading Drayton, with the premise it would be a rather quick read. Worst case scenario, the pain wouldn't last too long ...
Have you ever played tug of war - on the losing side? Within a few paragraphs, it was like holding on while the mind races to try to figure it out. Cuz you certainly didn't wanna fall in the mud and miss anything!
In a word, it was captivating and it stands in a class of its own as *not like other vampire stories*.
It seems as if Drayton had remnants of human growth and a desire to be better. After all, if you have to live an eternity, shouldn't one really be better than the rest of us?
The characters were quickly developed with pure substance. Even Young, investigating via the internet was believable (I have a bestie who googles everyone new she meets! I'm waiting for her to hang out a Private Investigator sign from her stoop.)
It is a perfect little stand alone work. Some short books leave you growling, kind of like it stopped mid adventure; an unfinished book. This was, within itself, a complete chapter of his life. He was an intriguing individual and I'm sure the other books in this series will add to his moral and mental complexity. Life doesn't get easier for us as we get older. It would appear Immortals have a similar dilemma.