---
"We are stronger."
Sekhmet nodded once.
"Yes," he said. "Stronger than you should be."
The twins looked at each other for a heartbeat. Then both of them moved. They dropped to their knees in front of him at the same time.
Not forced. Not theatrical. It was instinct and gratitude woven together.
Vera lowered her head. "Master," she said, voice shaking slightly now, not from fear but from overwhelming change. "You saved us."
Vela's voice followed, steady but intense.
"You gave us life again," she said. "A real life."
Their loyalty pressed into the room like a weight.
Sekhmet could feel the bond.
It was not the crude chain of ghoul control.
It was deeper.
It was a blood oath.
Not mindless.
But heavy.
Betrayal would not be impossible.
But it would hurt them in a way that reached the soul, not the skin.
Sekhmet stared down at them.
He did not like worship.
But he understood the gratitude.
He spoke calmly.
"Stand," he said.
They stood immediately.
