Amelia was sitting on the couch in her nightdress and dressing gown. When Daisy arrived at the house, she would have been happy to go straight to bed, but Amelia was sitting on her own, reading. Byron had gone to get Amelia some food from a late-night takeaway.

They had lots of staff to do that kind of thing, but Byron saw it as taking care of her pregnant wife, Amelia explained.

“How is it?” Amelia pointed to her neck.

“It’s calming down,” Daisy said.

Amelia took her hand. “I know how hard it is. Remember, I carried Byron’s bite when we weren’t together. It physically hurts not to go to them, doesn’t it?”

Daisy nodded. “I don’t know why this had to happen to me. Why did nature, mother earth, the gods above, whoever decide that Daisy MacDougall should be bonded by blood to the most notorious vampire in the world?”

“I don’t know, but Byron says there’s always a reason. Remember I told you about the Grand Duchess Lucia?”

“Byron’s great-grandmother? The one Victorija killed?”

Amelia nodded and rested her hand on her small baby bump. “She left a letter for Byron, asking her to bring Victorija back to the light, to the family.”

“She thought she could be saved? That was before Victorija killed her, though,” Daisy said.

“Lucia was a very powerful woman, is still, over on the other side. Her power, along with my ancestors’, gives me the Debrek life force and my magic.”

“What are you saying?”

“When we were under attack from Victorija, at the castle in Scotland, Lucia walked out of the castle, knowing she was going to her death. Lucia was so powerful that she could have stopped Victorija at any time, but she didn’t.”

“Why?”

“From what I’ve gathered since, she felt she failed Victorija.”

“Failed her how?”

“Victorija’s father Gilbert was an angry, resentful, jealous vampire. He wanted to be Principe of the Debreks and rejected the family’s new oath to only take blood by consent. Victorija and her mother were innocents. Lucia felt that she should have tried to get Victorija and her mum back, if they wanted to. It seems Victorija was angry that the family didn’t, and Lucia thought her anger was just. But right to her last moments, she thought there was good in Victorija.”

Just like Angele said. It was so strange. The image of the evil, sadistic Victorija was falling away, bit by bit.

“Monsters are made, not born,” Daisy said.

“Exactly what Lucia said in her letter to Byron. Where did you hear that phrase?”

“Oh, I can’t remember.” Daisy felt bad, but she wanted to keep the notebook to herself for the time being. Amelia and Byron might make a fuss about the whole thing.

Their conversation was interrupted by loud voices approaching the drawing room doors.

“Sounds like food,” Amelia said with glee.

v