It was a big, overwhelming thought that she could play a part in creating the next generation of Debrek vampires. “How do you know I would be able to have a baby with you—maybe the spell wouldn’t work with a human.”

“My great-great-grandmother, Lucia, is a powerful witch. When I was seeking answers to what I thought was my blood sickness, she connected to you by holding a hairbrush of yours, that you had left in our bedroom in Monaco.”

“What did she say?”

“That we were blood bonded, and I had to protect you at all costs. It was more what she didn’t say.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s hard to explain. She appeared to know more than she was saying. The first thing she said was, She’s here at last, and gave me the ring.”

Amelia sat back in the seat and remembered the flash of power that had come from her hands, and knocked Victorija and Drasas off their feet. She still hadn’t told Byron. She was frightened to face what it might mean. “My life has become so strange.”

Byron laughed. “That’s nothing. Wait to you meet the BaoBhan Sith.”

“The Baavan what?” Amelia said.

“It’s Gaelic. They are a relic from an earlier time, living in our world.”

“Are they vampires?”

“They are vampires, but with a deep connection to nature and magic. Vampires with a great deal of fae in them. An ancient kind of paranormal being.”

Amelia sat up quickly. “Fae? Like fairies?”

Byron smiled and raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t say that to their face. People with that heritage in their blood, like Slaine, prefer the term fae.”

“Slaine is part fairy? She’s like seven feet tall or something.”

Byron laughed softly. “She’s only part fae—her father was a shape-shifter, hence the big build.”

Amelia held her hands against her cheeks. “So let’s just recap. I’m bound by blood and in love with a super vampire. A super vampire clan that has secrets every other clan would kill to get hold of, and we are going to seek refuge with a band of Scottish fae vampire people?”

Byron leaned over and kissed her lips and whispered, “You still have the Debreks’ greatest treasure to meet, my great-great-grandmother, the most powerful witch in the world—the Grand Duchess.”

* * *

The castle came into view, and it was as beautiful as Byron remembered. She hadn’t been here in a century, but it never seemed to change. The road they were on led across a stone bridge with a gatehouse, the only access to the castle on the island. Remnants of the ancient Caledonian Forest, which used to cover most of Scotland and down into England, surrounded the loch.

“Byron, this is gorgeous,” Amelia said, her face pressed up against the car window. “It’s like something from a film about medieval times.”