Sera reached over Daisy and lifted Amelia’s hand to inspect the ring Byron had given her. “It’s nice to see this on your finger. You are all I’ve ever wished for my sister, Amelia, and I’m glad to call you my sister.”

“You too. I was an only child. It’s nice to be part of a family, and one that doesn’t find fault with everything I do. Can I ask you something, Sera?”

“Sure, I’m an expert in all things Debrek.” Sera smiled.

“Does every Principessa wear this?” Amelia asked.

“No, our mother didn’t because she was a vampire. Only mortals, so they have protection against injury.”

That was interesting. So she wasn’t the first mortal, as Sera put it, to marry into the clan. “Who was the last person to wear this?”

“My great-great-grandmother, the Grand Duchess Lucia Debrek, but I better leave Byron to tell you about her.”

Now, that was intriguing. She sounded so grand, and a little intimidating. It was just one more thing to add to her list of a million questions. It was going to be hard being a human and entering a world she never even knew existed. At least Daisy had been researching this world for a long time.

Amelia looked up and saw Wilder filling a whiskey glass from the decanter. She had to talk to her. “Excuse me for a minute, will you? I need to talk to Wilder.”

Sera grasped her hand as she stood and said, “Be careful with her. I think she’s a little heartbroken.”

Amelia nodded, and again felt guilty. She had never led Wilder on or made her believe there could be anything between them, but it didn’t stop the guilt. She had to make this right again.

“Wilder?”

She watched Wilder tense at the sound of her voice, then turn around slowly, with a large glass of whiskey. There was an awkward silence. Then Wilder said, gesturing to the ring on her finger, “I hear congratulations are in order, Principessa.”

“Yes, thank you. Wilder, I—”

Wilder stopped her. “You don’t have to say anything. The Principe came back into your life, and no one’s going to turn her down. But, then again, she never really went out of your life, did she? All these months you carried her with you everywhere you went, even though she hurt you.”

“Yes, I did, because I couldn’t equate the person I knew with what she did. Now I understand why she left me—because she loved me, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Wilder gave her a sad smile, and Amelia took her hand. “You know the only bright spot in the darkness over the past six months? It was you making me laugh and smile, Wilder. Thank you.”