Page 154 of Mortal Sins

He felt sick.

Frankie sang on beautifully, each word cutting right into Snod’s soul.

Snod couldn’t stand to hear any more. He got up, ignoring Lorenzo’s concerned protests and rushing

right out the door. He was dizzy, nauseous, not even sure where he was going except that he had to get

away. He was in such a hurry that he didn’t even watch where he was going and smacked right into a

young man.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” he mumbled, his mind still reeling. He sighed, looking down at the man he had

slammed into, asking, “Sir, are you all right?”

The young man was gawking at him, his jaw dropping as he squeaked excitedly, “Obie!”

Snod stared in shock, blinking several times for his vision to properly focus, dumbly gasping,

“Athaliah?”

Chapter Fifteen

It was his brother.

Athaliah Zerah Snod.

Here in front of him and smiling and laughing, throwing his arms around his neck triumphantly and

kissing his face, squealing loudly, “Obie! I found you! I finally—”

“How did you—”

“Finally fucking found you! I’ve been—”

“You left? What happened, why did you—”

“I came to look for you!”

Their voices were rushed, crashing over one another and finally falling into a calm silence, holding

each other close. He could feel Athaliah’s shoulders trembling with sobs, gently cradling a hand into

his hair. His little brother had always felt so small in his arms, but especially now.

Snod was holding him so near and so tight that his feet were dangling off the sidewalk, carrying him

to the alley beside the bar for some semblance of privacy. Even in the dim light of the street lights, he

could see the familiar blemish that had kept Athaliah from hunting.

His brother’s right eye was almost white, the pupil exploding out in a white cloud that looked like a

starburst. A congenital cataract, the doctors had said. A blemish that made him unworthy, said the

Order. It was just part of his brother, thought Snod.

“Father Sanguis told everyone what happened,” Athaliah began rambling quickly. “That you’d been