Amelia, Katie, and Sera had danced for about twenty minutes before they decided a toilet break was needed. Wilder left her position near the dance floor and tried to follow them, but Amelia said, “I’m sure I’ll be perfectly safe with Katie and Sera, Wilder.”

Wilder looked unimpressed, but with persuasion from Sera she finally pulled back to her original position.

Amelia was out of the stall first, and began to reapply her make-up. She shook her head as she listened to Sera and Katie talking, laughing, and joking between their two stalls. Both were clearly feeling the effects of the alcohol they had consumed.

She put her lipstick away and noticed her phone screen flashing. She had put it on silent before their night out so she wouldn’t be disturbed. Amelia saw the name Victorija flash on the screen and even though she knew she shouldn’t answer, somehow, she just couldn’t stop herself.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Amelia. It’s Victorija here. You will walk to the back door, without alerting anyone, and come to me. Do you understand?”

In her mind a memory of her last encounter with Victorija came to the surface.

“The next time you hear my voice, Amelia. You will do exactly as I say,” Victorija said while gazing into her eyes.

“I will do exactly as you say,” Amelia repeated.

Even though every fibre of Amelia’s being was fighting against it, she couldn’t help but reply, “Yes, I understand, Victorija.”

Amelia quietly walked out of the bathroom and down some steps to the back door. She pushed them open and found Victorija and another woman standing by Victorija’s limo.

Run, Run! Amelia screamed inside, but she just couldn’t.

Victorija opened her arms in welcome. “Ah, Amelia, I have you at last. Come here.”

She walked to her, and Victorija held on to her wrist. “Right, let’s get her in the car, and you can cast your spell, Lillian.”

Lillian went to take her other wrist, but as soon as she touched Amelia’s skin she recoiled sharply, making Victorija drop her hold.

The moment she felt the jolt, Amelia realized she once again had control of her mind and body, but she couldn’t just run from a super-fast vampire.

“What is wrong with you?” Victorija bellowed at Lillian, who was staring at Amelia and rubbing her wrist.

“She’s, she’s—”

“Just grab her—Drasas, help us.”

When Victorija and Drasas launched for her, quite by instinct she pushed out her hands and shouted, “No!”

As she shouted, a force of white light knocked both vampires to the ground, unconscious. Amelia gasped, staring at her hands, then turned her gaze to Lillian, shaking by the car.

“You’re the one,” Lillian said.

“What?” The doors behind Amelia burst open, and Wilder pulled her back into the club.

Chapter Twenty-four