Dante heard the commotion upstairs, and he could smell the fear of those bugs that remained. But it was no longer his concern. So instead, he lead Chloe and Oz down the thickly carpeted stairs and into the basement, turning the right corner from the stairway and leading them to where the bloodletters were kept.<br/><br/>The huge, open room looked like a barracks; triple-stacked bunk beds lined the walls, and sitting on benches at large tables in the center of the room were most of the unclaimed branded Dante had at his disposal. The room was not cramped, but there was not even an illusion of privacy to be had.<br/><br/>"The bathrooms and showers are to the left of the stairs," Dante explained as he led them in, the blood bags looking up to greet their lord, "meals will be brought to you down here by one of my servants. You are to stay here unless a vampire tells you otherwise. You<em>will</em>follow any vampire's instructions to the letter, unless they contradict an order I have given you." The coven leader spun on his heel, looking the two of them over. His hands were clasped together behind his back as his icy blue orbs studied them. "You will receive your brands shortly after your first meal is brought. Any questions?" he asked, though his scowl showed that the answer had better be no.