This collection of three novellas explores the backstories of peripheral characters from Belasco’s Blood & Ancient Scrolls vampire series.

“Teeth are Bones” (previously published in 2022 in Together We Stand Volume 2: A Charity Anthology for Ukraine) is essentially the origin story of Zoraida, a vampire who, as a human, lived in Haiti during the Haitian Revolution in the late 1700s. After she meets a mythical, formerly enslaved freedom-fighter named Kgosi—who turns her into a vampire—they begin a timeless but tragic love story while battling against American occupation of the island. “Blood Brothers” uncovers the gruesome beginnings of Dubhghall and Wulfhram’s friendship. After the two nearly kill each other during a clash between Picts and Vikings in the 900s, they’re turned into vampires and begin an epic friendship that spans centuries. “Abyssinia” (previously published in 2023 in the Adventures in Bodily Autonomy anthology) is set in Prohibition-era Philadelphia and revolves around a factory worker named Palmina who helps other struggling young women receive abortion services. When she meets a woman named Astryiah—who happens to be a vampire—Palmina finds a new way to help women in need. It’s a surprisingly romantic love story that will leave readers with tears in their eyes, and a powerful, timely read. All three stories feature well-developed characters, impressive emotional intensity, and a dark, lyrical writing style. A fight scene from “Blood Brothers,” for instance, is described thusly: “As he rolled, blood spun out and caught in the twilight like a little whirlwind of garnets.” The only criticism is the stories’ overuse, at times, of series-specific terminology: “Maybe it is in the vhoon-anghyaa from Asdrúbal, that none of his frithaputhraish can ever recover from the loss of their patar.”

Three bite-sized vampire stories that make for a tasty sampler.