in a Romanian village rotting under fear, a devout girl is condemned as a succubus and marked for death. Each day she kneels in the forest to beg God for forgiveness, unaware her prayers are claimed by Regulus Black—a vampire who hears them as a summons. As the village prepares fire and stake, Regulus answers her faith with blood, turning protector into predator and proving that some prayers are answered by monsters.