“Sera? What?”

She had never seen Bhal like this, pure rage radiating from her. Normally she was a calm, cool warrior.

“Bhal, please, let me explain,” Daisy tried again.

Byron touched Bhal’s shoulder. “Step back, Bhal. She is clearly not with her clan any more.”

“Alex!” One of Byron’s staff came downstairs with Amelia and ran over to Alexis. “Calm down. Let Byron deal with this.”

“You know what she did,” Alexis spat.

The way this woman was touching Alexis suggested she had found a new love at last.

Byron stepped in front of them all and gazed down at Torija. “Katie, take Amelia and Daisy upstairs.”

“Not bloody likely,” Amelia said.

“I’m not letting you hurt her, Byron,” Daisy added.

It was such a strange experience to have someone care enough to try to protect her. Torija liked it. Daisy was worth the sacrifice of her immortal life. She deserved so much more than Torija could give her. She spat more blood from her mouth onto the hall floor, then smiled up at Byron. “Hello, niece.”

She was met with stony silence, then, “No one will harm her for the moment.” Byron pointed to two of her nearest vampires and said, “Take her down to the holding room.”

“Yes, Principe.”

They helped Torija to her feet, and Daisy held onto her arm. “Don’t take her away. She’s not who she was—she’s changed.”

“Victorija Dred will never change,” Alexis shouted.

Byron held her hand up, bringing the argument to an end. “She will be safe. We just need to find out what’s been happening with Daisy.”

“I will be okay, mon cherie. Let me go.”

Daisy’s great courage was displayed to Torija again when she pointed at Byron, the most powerful vampire in the world, and said, “If anything happens to her, I’m holding you responsible.”

Byron raised an eyebrow, then nodded. “Very well.”

* * *

“You have to believe me. She’s not Victorija Dred any more.”

Daisy paced up and down in front of the dining table as the group tried to understand what was going on. Alexis was not seated, but leaning against the wall, with her arms folded, steam nearly coming out her ears, while Byron, Amelia, Bhal, and Katie sat around the table.

“It’s just your blood bond talking. She’s manipulating you,” Alexis said angrily.

Daisy was so frustrated. How could she explain what she and Torija had been through? “Nobody can manipulate me, Vamp,” Daisy replied, equally as angrily.

Katie jumped up and said to Alexis, “Alex, let Daisy explain.”

Daisy came back to the table and leaned on the top. “I don’t know how else to explain.” She let out a big sigh. “Byron, you said you’d heard of the Brassard family of vampire hunters.”