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Back to Sekhmet… The hall was empty, but it did not feel empty.
Three half-god true vampires stood across from Sekhmet like a verdict.
Elena stood beside him like a wall that had decided it was tired of being a wall and wanted to become a spear.
Elena spoke once, voice calm enough to insult them. "You are not taking him."
Sofia smiled, showing no fangs, which somehow made her worse. "We already did," she said softly. "The moment he made true vampires. The moment he breathed that blood oath into the world. He belongs to our problem now."
Natasha's gaze did not leave Sekhmet. "Move aside," she said. "Or become a stain."
Alex did not speak yet. He took another step forward.
The sound was small. The pressure was not.
The hall's air tightened around that single step as if reality itself had decided to watch closely.
Elena moved.
Not backward.
Forward.
