Alexis and Bhal were the only two with her. Alexis touched her on the back, and Byron turned, snarling, fangs ready to attack. “Get me blood, or I’ll take yours, vampire,” she roared.

Alexis jumped back like she’d been slapped, and Byron dropped to her knees, shaking.

She was only dimly aware of her friends’ conversation through the fog of hunger, but she heard Alexis say to Bhal, “She has to feed on the Principessa. That’s all she needs to make her better.”

“No,” Byron replied. “Don’t let me feed on Amelia.”

“Alexis, go. I’ll take care of the Principe.”

Byron heard the door close and Bhal kneeled beside her.

“Byron, look at me.”

Byron held her hands on her head hoping the pounding inside her skull would stop. The pain of hunger pounded in her head, her chest, her stomach, and her sex. She needed to drink from her Principessa, make love to her, and only then would every need she had be sated.

Bhal pulled her head up and looked into her eyes. “I’m here, Byron. Calm, take deep breaths.”

“Please don’t let me feed from Amelia like this. The monster inside me will take too much. It’s taking control of me. She needs to ask me to feed—I won’t take without consent.” Through Byron’s panic and pain, she could still feel the horror of the time the darkness had taken control and Bhal had found her, and helped Byron fight the monster that was inside her, waiting to take control.

“I won’t. I promise, but I’m sure she would help you if you told her the truth. In the meantime, you will feed.”

Byron groaned at another wave of pain hitting her hard. “I’ll take too much…”

Bhal rolled up her sleeve, and presented her wrist. “You won’t take too much from me. I’m strong enough to give you what you need.”

Byron’s mouth watered as she gazed longingly at Bhal’s blood-filled wrist.

“Feed, Byron. My blood is so much stronger than an attendant’s, and it will help, until you can try and work things out with the Principessa.”

She couldn’t hold back another second. Byron sank her teeth into Bhal’s wrist, just as she had done a long time ago as a young vampire. Bhal’s rich, powerful blood flowed down her throat and she felt the pain start to calm slightly.

After taking more than any human could give her, Byron pulled back, and tried to get her breathing under control.

“Better?” Bhal stood and offered her hand to Byron.

“Much.” Byron took her hand and stood on wobbly legs. “Are you okay?”

Bhal looked at her bleeding wrist and said, “It will heal in a few minutes. From now on I will feed you. I can take a lot more than your human attendants.”