“Not easy, but doable. Nobody would have given you a hope, and yet here we are.”

Torija spun around to face Daisy. “Worked for me? In case you haven’t noticed, I have poison taking over my body because of my misdeeds, and it will kill me.”

“You just have to face your past.”

“Just? Just? I don’t think you have the first idea who I am and what I’ve done. I’ve killed countless, I’ve maimed, I’ve hurt, and you think I’m redeemed just because you say so? I’m Victorija Dred, and I can never make up for what I’ve done.”

Torija ran out the door and fled the house.

* * *

Daisy pulled on some shoes and her leather biker jacket, then hurried downstairs after Torija. She was in a panic. She had pushed Torija too far, too fast.

What if she hurt someone?

By the time Daisy got outside into the black of the night, she thought maybe the nightie and leather jacket left her a bit underdressed. Her granny’s house was in a relatively rural area without many street lamps. The road was lit up, but the fields and trees on either side of the road were shrouded in darkness.

Daisy hugged herself and shivered. She was more than slightly vulnerable, and to top it off her spidey sense was tingling. Daisy had noticed they were getting stronger since her bond with Torija.

Someone out there in the dark was watching, and she prayed it was Torija. Everything was telling her to go back inside the house, but Daisy couldn’t risk Torija running. Maybe she was already gone.

This was her one task, set to her by the Grand Duchess, Angele, and destiny, and it seemed she was on the verge of failing. She took a deep breath and walked around the perimeter of the house. Daisy’s heart was pounding. When she reached the back of the house, the security light came on just as a male with vampire teeth and red eyes launched at her.

Out of nowhere, Torija was with her and held the male by the neck and stared into his eyes. “Who sent you?”

“Anka.”

“When you recover from the broken neck I’m going to give you, you’ll disappear, forget who and what you found here, and tell Anka that you’d heard Victorija Dred and Daisy were still in France.”

Daisy watched with bated breath as Torija easily dealt with the intruder. She could see how much stronger and faster Torija was than the normal turned vampire. She squeezed her eyes shut when she heard the vampire’s neck snap. Even though she knew the vampire would heal, it was still horrible to watch.

When she opened her eyes, Torija was in front of her, breathing heavily, teeth elongated, and wild looking.

“Why are you out here on your own? It’s dark.”