Lucia gasped and blood ran from her mouth. “My time…has passed. Amelia is the lifeblood of this family now. Protect her, and our bloodline will continue in love, forever.”

Byron heard Alexis and Sera arrive by her side, and kneel in respect beside her.

“I promise you, I will protect her, and we will make you proud.”

Lucia reached up and touched Byron’s cheek. “Victorija is damaged.” She gasped. “I am partially at fault for her. If she had been brought up with us—we should have done more.”

“We all make our own choices, Grandmother.”

“I told her the secret she has been seeking. The secret spell is love. It was never taken from the Dreds. They abandoned love.”

Lucia’s skin started to go greyish blue.

Byron heard Amelia’s voice cry out, “Byron, Lucia!” In a few seconds Amelia was beside them. She looked at Lucia and then to Byron and Sera. Byron shook her head and tears started to spill from Amelia’s eyes.

“Listen,” Lucia gasped. She grasped Amelia’s hand, and said, “Byron, Sera.”

They both laid their hands on top of Amelia’s, and Byron felt the icy cold from Lucia’s skin.

“You three are the future of the Debrek clan. Always live by blood, family, and love, just as Cosimo and I wished for.”

“We will, Grandmother,” Byron said.

Sera, who had tears streaming down her face, said, “We’ll miss you so much, and never forget you. Great-great-grandpa is waiting for you.”

Lucia eyes started to flutter closed. “Amelia—be strong for what’s ahead, and, Byron…help Victorija if you can—”

Then her breathing stopped, and the light went out of her eyes. Amelia jumped in fright as a light spread from her ring throughout her body, then disappeared, and Lucia’s body crumbled to dust.

Chapter Twenty-six

Amelia kneeled by the fire in the drawing room of the castle, desperately trying to get the warmth into her bones. Byron, Sera, Alexis, and Bhal were enjoying a drink while Hilda explained what she knew about Lucia and her legacy.

Hilda took a sip of hot tea before placing it on the coffee table in front of her. “As Lucia told you, when she created the spell that allowed her and her descendants to have children, her spiritual ancestors gave her two conditions and a prophecy. One condition was that her husband”—Hilda looked to Byron and Sera—“your great-great-grandfather, Cosimo, would sacrifice his life as a vampire, and live out his natural life, while Lucia lived on as the life force that would allow more children to be born.”

Byron walked over to the decanters on the sideboard and filled her glass. “And the second condition being that we keep our word to take blood by consent.”

“Yes. Your great-great-grandmother was from an ancient coven of witches that practised an old craft. Much older than ours, and although we study it we don’t understand it all.”