“Obe,” Frankie yelped, “are you okay?”
“Peachy,” Snod grumbled, wiggling back around to stretch out beside Frankie. He turned his head,
calling to Ephraim, “How’d you find me?”
“I’ve been huntin’ you for weeks,” Ephraim scoffed.
Snod frowned, echoing, “Weeks?”
“Father Sanguis ordered me to keep an eye on you,” Ephraim replied. “He had a feeling you wouldn’t
be able to complete your mission. So I went on and told Athaliah your last location. Let him
escape...”
Snod closed his eyes, groaning lightly, “You followed him here. You knew he’d find me.”
“Yup. I watched, I waited.”
“Waited for what?” Snod demanded sharply.
“Orders to take you.”
“Sanguis wants us alive?” Snod demanded, trying to keep Ephraim talking.
“You’re breathing, aren’t you?”
“What about Athaliah?”
Ephraim paused before growling, “What about him?”
“If any harm befalls him, I swear to God—” Snod began, his rage boiling.
Ephraim reached back and pounded his fist against the steel, shouting, “You ain’t got no right
swearing to a god that you betrayed!”
“Fuck you! If you hurt my brother, there’s no god in the world that’ll keep you safe from me!” Snod
seethed venomously.
“I don’t have orders for him!” Ephraim snapped back. “All right?”
Snod fell silent, glaring furiously.
“I only have orders for the two of you,” Ephraim sighed, clearly frustrated. “I’m supposed to bring the
two of you alive and brought before the council. Now... shut up.”
“It’ll be hours before we’re back at the compound,” Snod sneered. “You really think I won’t find a
way—”
“We’re not going home,” Ephraim grunted. “The council is waiting for us close by.”
Snod’s eyes widened. He had never known any members of the council to leave the sanctuary of their
compound before. He didn’t understand what was so important about a vampire’s name that they
