“The Order will accept you back with open arms if you give us his Maker’s name. Earn the vampire’s
trust, seduce him, bewitch him. Do whatever you have to do, but we must know the name of his Maker
and if he’s still alive.” There was a pause. “Can you do that, my son?”
Snod took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he breathed, “Yes, Father. Yes, I can.”
Chapter Four
Snod hung up with the archbishop, putting his clothes back on and returning to the couch. The cloth of
his shirt was irritating his raw back, but he ignored it. He had a new mission, one that reeked of
deceit, but he had no other choice.
If he didn’t complete this mission, he would forever forfeit his place in the Order.
Sanguis told him that his phone would be deactivated because he had to be cut off from all the
Order’s resources, but he would turn it back on in one month. At that time, Snod needed to give him a
name.
He remembered the vampire mentioning his Maker when they were trapped down in the tunnels,
warning of his intense hatred toward humans. Snod wondered why Sanguis wanted to know so
desperately or what possible benefit a name would be, but it was not his place to question a member
of the council.
His place was to obey.
As for his current state of mind, he was at once elated and miserable. Being free of the Order
technically allowed him to do as he pleased, but there was still an uncomfortable sense of guilt
embedded in his bones that made him ache with indecision.
There was a little voice telling him that everything he had done or wanted to do now was wrong, and
then there was an even tinier voice saying that it wasn’t.
The lashing hadn’t made him feel any better. He had simply gone through the motions, and the ritual
provided no comfort. He was lost and confused, his heart and head at war with one another and
unsure of how to proceed.
He had little time to process any of it. The front door opened and Snod leapt to his feet to see the tall
figure of the vampire walking in.
The vampire’s face lit up, laughing happily. “You’re still here!”
“Yes,” Snod said, his stomach rolling uncomfortably at how that gorgeous smile made his heart skip a
few beats.
