I was not going to kill the girl.

  Despite what she might believe, despite the fear in her eyes and the tremor in her voice, I had never intended that outcome. She was part of my harem now. Mine. I had already decided I would keep her, and I do not make decisions lightly.

  But I am not a fool.

  I know how these things work. Faith does not survive alone. Religion spreads in quiet circles, whispered between trusted people, hidden behind small rooms and dim lights. There is always a leader. Someone organizing it. Someone guiding the others.

  Allysia was not that person.

  She was protecting someone.

  I stepped closer to her, watching the panic flicker behind her eyes. Humans forget that we can hear their hearts. Hers was racing so violently it almost echoed through the room.

  Fear.

  Defiance.

  Loyalty.

  Interesting combination.

  My hand closed around her jaw again, tilting her head slightly as I leaned closer. The scent of her was stronger now, sharp with adrenaline, warm with the pulse beating beneath her skin.

  For a moment I hesitated.

  Not because I doubted what I was doing.

  Because I knew exactly what it would do to her.

  Then my teeth sank into her neck.

  She cried out sharply at first, the sound breaking against the quiet room, but the reaction changed quickly. The moment the venom reached her bloodstream her body softened, the tension melting into something weaker, heavier.

  Behind me, I heard Xavian mutter quietly.

  “...fuck.”

  He understood immediately.

  Xavian and I share women sometimes. It has never been unusual for us. Power brings certain expectations, certain freedoms.

  Allysia simply had not been informed yet.

  Her pulse slowed slightly as the venom settled deeper, the fog returning to her thoughts. I could feel it happening in the way her body leaned subtly toward me instead of away.

  I pulled back just enough to speak.

  “Who are they, Allysia?”

  Her breathing was uneven now.

  “Even just the leader.”

  Xavian moved closer behind her, his voice softer than mine as his hand slid down her arm.

  “Just the name.”

  Her lips parted.

  “His name—”

  She stopped suddenly.

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  Even through the fog, something inside her fought back.

  “Please,” she whispered.

  The word was tangled with confusion.

  Whether she was begging me to stop or begging me to continue, even she probably didn’t know.

  It didn’t matter.

  She was mine.

  And I intended to show her exactly what that meant.

  I pulled away from her neck and kissed her hard, cutting off whatever protest she might have tried to form. Her balance shifted, and when I stepped back Xavian caught her easily.

  One of his arms wrapped around her waist.

  The other rested lightly against her throat, steadying her.

  Her head tilted slightly against his shoulder, her eyes unfocused from the venom still clouding her thoughts.

  “Tell me,” I said.

  For a moment I was certain she would break.

  Her lips moved.

  Her breath hitched.

  But then something changed.

  Her eyes focused.

  Just a little.

  And she shook her head weakly.

  “No.”

  The word was barely more than a breath.

  But it was enough.

  Enough to tell me exactly what I needed to know.

  She would rather die than give them up.

  Interesting.

  Very interesting.

  “Let her go, Xavian.”

  My voice cut through the room with quiet authority.

  Xavian looked at me, surprised.

  “For now.”

  He released her.

  The moment his arm loosened around her waist, Allysia stumbled forward like someone waking from a dream too quickly. Her legs nearly gave out beneath her as she caught herself on the edge of the table, breath coming in uneven pulls.

  The venom was still moving through her system.

  I could see it in the way her eyes struggled to focus, the way her hands shook as she tried to steady herself.

  Good.

  The fog would cloud her thoughts just enough.

  “Leave,” I told her.

  She didn’t argue.

  She didn’t speak.

  She simply ran.

  Or tried to.

  Her steps were uneven, clumsy, her body still heavy with the lingering effects of my bite. She nearly collided with the doorway before disappearing down the hall, her footsteps echoing faintly as she fled the house.

  The room fell silent.

  Xavian turned toward me immediately.

  “What the hell?”

  I closed the briefcase slowly, sliding the Bible back inside before snapping the latches shut.

  “That,” I said calmly, “is exactly why I banned religion.”

  Xavian leaned against the table, watching me carefully.

  “It is strong,” I continued.

  “And the damn thing spreads like wildfire.”

  Humans cling to belief like drowning people grasping driftwood. Once it begins, it multiplies quietly. One prayer becomes two. Two becomes a gathering. Gatherings become movements.

  Movements become rebellions.

  I have watched it happen before.

  Centuries of watching humans organize themselves around invisible promises of salvation.

  Promises that inevitably lead them into conflict with those in power.

  With us.

  “And you let her go,” Xavian said.

  There was no accusation in his voice.

  Just curiosity.

  “Of course I did.”

  I walked toward the window, looking out across the darkening street below.

  “She’s drunk on venom,” I said.

  “And emotional.”

  Behind me, I could hear Xavian shifting his weight slightly as he thought through what I had said.

  “She’s going to run to them,” he realized.

  “Yes.”

  “She’ll warn them.”

  “Yes.”

  I allowed a small smile to form.

  “And that,” I said quietly, “is exactly what I want.”

  Because humans are predictable.

  Especially frightened ones.

  Allysia believed she was protecting them.

  In reality, she was leading me directly to them.

  Xavian’s smirk spread slowly across his face.

  “You’re using her.”

  “Of course.”

  “She won’t realize it.”

  “No.”

  For a moment neither of us spoke.

  I could still hear the faint sound of her footsteps in my memory. The unsteady rhythm of someone trying desperately to escape something far larger than themselves.

  Part of me almost admired the determination.

  Almost.

  “You like her,” Xavian said suddenly.

  I glanced back at him.

  “That is irrelevant.”

  “It rarely is with you.”

  I ignored the comment.

  Allysia was interesting.

  Bold.

  Stubborn.

  Loyal to a fault.

  All qualities that made humans dangerous.

  And valuable.

  “She will come back,” I said.

  “You think so?”

  “She has nowhere else to go.”

  That was the unfortunate reality of her situation.

  She had lost her job.

  Lost her friend.

  Lost the church that had once sheltered her.

  Now she belonged to me.

  Whether she accepted that yet or not.

  Xavian pushed himself off the table.

  “Well,” he said.

  “This should be entertaining.”

  I picked up my coat from the chair.

  “Come on.”

  Xavian’s eyes lit with the same familiar excitement he always showed when a hunt began.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To follow her.”

  The city outside was already sliding toward night, shadows stretching across the streets as the last of the daylight faded.

  Somewhere out there, Allysia was running.

  Panicked.

  Desperate.

  Trying to protect people who believed they were still hidden.

  They weren’t.

  Not anymore.

  And soon, I would know exactly who they were.