Blood From Stone

In the town of Red Rock, a desert oasis of bright lights and casinos, Darya has finally found a place to escape the darkness of her past. Once bound to serve the whims of a ruthless vampire lord, she has broken free and is determined to live a life unshackled by the chains of immortality. Darya's newfound freedom is short-lived, however, as Jure, her former betrothed, tracks her down with a cold calculating gaze. Jure, a creature of the night with eyes that burn like embers, is not a suitor to be trifled with. A relic of a bygone era, he hails from a time when the forces of the unknown were feared and respected. He has no intention of letting Darya go, and sees her new life as a transgression that must be punished. As Jure settles into the town, his presence is a dark stain spreading across the community like a bad omen. Amongst the gamblers and drunks that throng the casinos and bars of Red Rock, Jure blends in with an unsettling ease. He is a chameleon, able to adopt any persona or guise that suits his purpose. His eyes, however, remain unwavering, fixed on Darya with a malevolent intensity that sends shivers down the spines of those who cross his path. As he insinuates himself into the community, the body count begins to rise, with the local authorities none the wiser to the true nature of the killer. Sheriff Tom Harris is a fair and decent man, tasked with keeping the peace in a town where the lines between good and evil are increasingly blurred. He has his hands full, with a growing crime wave that seems to be getting worse by the day. As more bodies turn up, mutilated and drained of their lifeblood, the Sheriff begins to suspect that something is amiss. He is unable to put his finger on it, however, and is left scratching his head as the death toll mounts. For Darya, Jure's presence in town is a constant reminder of the horrors she left behind. She knows that he will not rest until she is back in his thrall, forced to serve him for eternity. Desperate to avoid being pulled back into the abyss, she turns to the only person she can trust - a local bartender named Jake. Jake, a grizzled old-timer with a heart of gold, has taken Darya under his wing, and is determined to help her protect herself from Jure's clutches. As the stakes grow higher, Darya, Jake, and the Sheriff converge on a deadly collision course with Jure and his cohorts. The forces of the law are powerless against the undead, and the outcome is far from certain. In a clash of modern forces against immortals from a dying era, the very fabric of society is stretched to breaking point. As the battle for Red Rock reaches its climax, Darya must confront the darkness within herself, and decide whether to surrender to her true nature or fight to reclaim her humanity. Jake, meanwhile, must choose between his loyalty to Darya and his duty to the law, while the Sheriff finds himself torn between his duty to protect his community and his growing sense of fascination with the supernatural forces at work in the town. In the end, only one thing is certain - blood will be shed, and the line between good and evil will be drawn in the red sand of Red Rock. Will Darya emerge victorious, or will Jure prove to be too much for her to handle? The outcome is far from certain in a world where the forces of darkness are always lurking just beyond the edge of town, waiting to strike.