Born of Blood, Bound by Hate
Hatred, it seemed, had grown roots in every heart.
A muted murmur of voices reached her through the mist—low, cautious tones threaded with the authority of command. Ahead loomed a half-hidden doorway in a derelict warehouse, its frame smeared with layers of gang tags and faded posters. Odessa crouched in a gap between a rusted dumpster and a metal shutter, her breath steady as she pinned her ears to the humid air. Through the door came the measured voice of Maverick, the vampire envoy whose reputation for elegance and cunning was matched only by the secret ache in his dark eyes. Opposite him spoke another voice, rich and deliberate, hinting at leadership among the neko ranks—though Odessa di