Thankfully, Victorija got up and buttoned up her black suit jacket. “Very well, places to go, humans to kill, you know how it is.” Then she leaned over and whispered, “I can see into your soul, Byron. You’re just like me inside, we share the same DNA, and deep down you’re scared because you know it’s the truth. The need to kill and to drain the life out of a human’s body, it’s all in you.”

Byron felt sick. She used every ounce of control she had left and stood, her height towering over Victorija. “I’m nothing like you, cousin. Now leave my home, and leave the human behind. She doesn’t deserve the ending you have planned.”

“Take her, you need her more than I do.”

In a blink of an eye Victorija was gone, and Byron fell to her knees.

Sera had her arms around her in seconds. “Byron, tell me what you need.”

“I need blood—I need lots of blood. The hunger is tearing me apart.”

“Duca?” Sera shouted.

Alexis came straight in. “Yes, Sera.”

“Bloody Victorija. She did this on purpose. Byron is beyond hunger. I’ll take care of our human guest, but please take care of Byron.”

“Of course.”

Chapter Twelve

The workroom of Grenville and Thrang was alive with the noise of sewing machines and the chatter of the staff. Amelia smiled as she walked towards her apprentice, Daisy MacDougall. This was the one part of her life where she could find solace and some kind of happiness.

She had thrown herself into her work in the past six months. Amelia thought if she kept busy, she might just keep her sanity, and her hard work was paying off. Her new ideas and clients were keeping Grenville and Thrang a thriving business.

This morning she and Daisy had been cutting and then pinning together material for a new VIP client, and Amelia had volunteered to get the coffee.

“Here you go, Daisy. Let’s take a break.”

“Just a sec,” Daisy said through a mouthful of pins.

Daisy pinned the top part of the sleeve on the mannequin, then set her tape measure and things aside. She took a seat next to Amelia and kicked off her heels.

“You’ve done really well today, Daisy. Your cutting is excellent, and I don’t think you need me standing over you any more.”

Daisy eyes lit up. She was so enthusiastic and fun to have around, and she brought laughter to the stuffy male-dominated workroom. She sat down beside Amelia and took her mug of coffee from her.

“How was your weekend?” Amelia was always interested to hear about Daisy’s adventurous private life, since she had none.

“It was great fun. My friends and I took our cameras to an old graveyard and recorded all night.”

Amelia chuckled. “I’m sorry, Daisy, but that sounds too cold and scary for me.”