This Victorija was a very different creature than the one who had taken Amelia out for dinner, charmed her, and then tried to abduct her. When Daisy tried to stop Victorija from taking Amelia in the bathroom of The Sanctuary Club, she was full of anger, hate, and injustice, all the negative emotions that if you don’t fight them, will take over your soul.

Now she saw a mentally scarred, sad vampire that was trying to come to terms with emotions again, the emotions that their blood bond and Lucia helped to bring out.

This was more like Torija. She wasn’t dead, she was just buried so deep inside Victorija’s soul. It took Victorija’s deteriorating mental health to open the door for Torija to take a tentative step out that door.

Victorija scrubbed her face with her hands, then walked back towards her. She pulled off the arm restraints and said, “I am not my father.”

“What does that mean?”

“My mother was kept in this chair and drained of her blood when he needed it.”

Daisy rubbed her wrists. “What are you going to do?”

“I need time to think.” Victorija pulled a knife from her pocket. “Cut yourself on my bite wound with this.”

“Why would I do that?”

Victorija leaned over said, “Out beyond that door, my vampires all need to believe that I am feeding on you, or I will lose control of this clan. They already think I’m weakened. If I lose control, I can’t protect you.”

Daisy smiled. “I knew Torija was still inside you.”

Victorija grasped Daisy’s chin. “Then you’re a fool. I’m going to find a way to break this bond and keep my vow to Angele. You are just an old debt.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Vamp. I know what’s inside you.”

Victorija turned slowly and said, “If that’s the case, then consent to giving me your blood, and I’ll give you safe passage out of here.”

Daisy couldn’t do that. She had to coax Torija out of this vampire—she couldn’t just give her what she wanted.

When Daisy stayed silent, Victorija held up her hands and smirked. “You see? No one loves the monster, no one cares about the monster, no one trusts the monster. Oh, and cherie, don’t take that necklace off if you don’t want me or any of my vampires to just take what they want.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Daisy said sarcastically, “and don’t call me cherie. I’m nobody’s sweetheart.”

“And if I can’t find a way to break this bond, you will be breakfast, lunch, and dinner, believe me.”

“I don’t, Torija,” Daisy said.

It was crazy to have such surety in a vampire that she previously thought was an evil sociopath, but Daisy knew when she watched Torija cry over Angele’s body that she wouldn’t harm her.

* * *

“Thanks, Uncle Jaunty,” Amelia said.