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Rowan watched with a careful eye as Louisa sank her fangs into the flesh of Abanoub’s neck and gave a slight suck. It seemed the pills were still working as her red eyes remained in their neutral state. She straightened and swished the blood in her mouth as if tasting wine before spitting it out on a washcloth.

Her eyes glowed white before blazing lines mapped out each vein on every visible piece of skin.

Reaching into her fanny pack, she pulled out a knife. Made a small incision along her wrist and poured the free flowing blood into Abanoub’s mouth.

A great jerk shook the bed, and Abanoub screamed in pain. Tarik made to stop the vampiress, but both Rowan and Kin pinned him to the ground before he took his first step.

“Give it a minute.” Kin growled.

A few seconds was all it took for the shaking to cease and a few more for Rowan and Kin to let go of the young Egyptian.

Tarik roared at them, ready to attack, before a soft tired voice said, “Please Tarik, calm down.”

Abanoub reached out his hand, which Zeva filled with a glass of water.

The glowing ebbed to a smolder and Louisa smiled down at Abanoub as it extinguished, “Feeling better?”

“Much.” The sphinx answered, his face bronzed and much more handsome than Rowan had first realized.

Tarik moved to stand over his master’s bed, tears rolling down his cheeks. “Father. You’re okay?”

Abanoub furrowed his eyebrows together, and a hand reached down to pat his knee. “I think I’m better than I have been in years. Louisa, was it? Your blood is miraculous. I was certain there was no fix and you even rid me of the knee pain I’ve been contending with for half of a decade.”

Louisa shook her shoulders in a cocky swagger. “I am pretty great. Aren’t I?”

Rowan rolled her eyes. “Abanoub, would it be alright to ask you a few questions now?”

The man tensed, perhaps because of the habit of keeping sphinx business close to the vest, but when his shoulders relaxed Rowan knew she would get what she came for. “Alright, I believe you have earned it. What do you wish to know?”

Keeping in mind the prideful nature of alphas, she began, “What happened the night that asp first poisoned you?”

Abanoub’s eyes glazed over as he recalled the tragedy, “That asp was supposed to be the gold-plated body of the asp Cleopatra — yes, that Cleo — used to poison herself. For centuries, Sphinx Alphas have given it to their replacements as a sign of the peaceful transfer of power. There’s never been a sign of sentience, but some believe a fragment of the souls of our ancestors inhabit it.” He cast his eyes to the ground. “The day of the attack, I felt as if our ancestors were rejecting me astheir current bearer. It happened midmorning, on my way to breakfast. I felt disoriented and confused. This is one of the worst ways to feel when you’re constantly keeping your beast at bay. We are at our deadliest during our adolescence and in moments of loss of emotional and physical control. By the time I got a bit of my control back, I had already done irreversible damage.”

“Why didn’t you remove the nemes as soon as you regained that control?” Louisa’s question had Tarik on the offensive and Rowan watched as a knife slid out of his sheath, aimed at the vampiress’ throat.

Kin caught the knife mid swing and set the sphinx with a fiery golden glare. Louisa, realizing what would’ve happened, stared slack-jawed at the young sphinx.

“It is a fair question.” Abanoub waved his hand. “Please, Tarik, control your temper. These are outsiders, unaccustomed to our ways.”

Tarik cursed under his breath but retreated to a corner of the room with his hands stuffed deep into his pants and a scowl on his face.

Abanoub took a deep breath before continuing. “I didn’t realize the asp was behind the madness. There was no pain in the initial attacks or even the discomfort that comes from the slightest mosquito bites. It was only when the asp injected me again that I realized what was attacking me. It was too late; no matter how much I willed my hands to remove my nemes, I couldn’t. I ended up killing four more before the Atlanteans showed up with their holy water and forced it down my throat. It put me out of commission for a few hours. When I awoke, the Atlanteans were still on standby. They made me drink until they believed I was stable enough to be reasoned with. I tried to remove my nemesagain, to explain myself to my betrayed sphinxes, but the words didn’t want to come out.”

“Tongue-tie curse.” Louisa scowled. “The only reason you can tell us now is because Rowan melted the asp.”

He nodded, “Yes. Once I reached the conclusion that once the Atlanteans left with the water, I would be under the control of the asp again, I decided the best thing was the execution. My family would be safe if I was gone. I vaguely remember making them lock the door of my cage, however the rest is a complete blur. I am not even sure I remember your approach.”

“I understand you must be tired, Abanoub.” The dark circles under his eyes and the way he had slowly sunk further and further into his pillows hinted at it. “But, I have one more important question. Does anyone else have access to your nemes?”

Tarik snapped his attention to them, and the wary gaze Abanoub threw at his son ignited a fury in response.

“Do you already have an idea?” Zeva asked when he didn’t answer.

The sphinx clenched his jaw and gave one sharp nod. “Yes, but she is already dead.”

Rowan felt the telltale sign of telepathy wrinkle the air. She watched the ping-pong match of words between father and son. Whoever Abanoub suspected had an emotional connection to the alpha. She could both smell and see the tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

Had she been one of his victims?