EPISODE 8: THE BROTHER ## CHAPTER 1: HOUSTON Houston stretched beneath Elena like a concrete ocean. Different from New Orleans—less history, more glass and steel, the bright monuments of oil money rising into the Texas sky. But the vampire underworld beneath it felt familiar: the same eternal politics, the same careful balance between secrecy and survival. "Raymond owns three clubs in the Montrose district," Cassius said from the passenger seat. "Uses them as feeding grounds and recruitment centers. His fledglings work there—entertainment, security, whatever roles suit their former lives." "How many fledglings are we talking about?" "Five confirmed, possibly more. That's the problem. Unauthorized turnings create chains of obligation that make intervention complicated." Elena pulled into a parking garage, choosing a spot with good sightlines. "I read the file. Raymond believes in direct action—take what you want, control what you can, human institutions be damned." "That's the philosophy. The practice is messier. He genuinely cares about the people he turns—sees himself as saving them from human mortality. The violence is a means to an end." "The end being?" "A vampire society that doesn't hide. That takes its rightful place as the apex predators we are." Cassius's voice was carefully neutral. "It's not that different from what Helena preached. Just less organized." They exited the car and walked toward the...