“Yes, I can’t wait.” Amelia leaned in to kiss Byron, but Byron stopped her.

She whispered, “Alexis is here.”

Amelia got up from Byron’s lap and joked, “What would we do without your super hearing?”

Byron smiled and winked. She had gained more strength than she could have ever imagined by being blood bonded to Amelia. Her very presence gave her strength and made her feel invincible. But she supposed that was only natural since Amelia was the Debrek life force, since Lucia died. She gave them strength and the ability to have children.

There was a knock at the door. “Come,” Byron called out.

“Do you want some privacy?” Amelia asked.

“No, I have no secrets from you, mia cara.”

Alexis came through the door and bowed her head briefly to them both. “Principe, Principessa, you called?”

“Yes, Duca.” Byron knew better than to offer Alexis a seat. Alexis was always on duty, always on alert. “I’ve been going through the Grand Duchess’s things, and I found this letter addressed to me. Read it,” Byron said.

Alexis scanned the letter quickly. Her eyed narrowed, and then she looked up and said, “You’re not seriously considering this?”

“It wouldn’t be my first choice, but it’s my great-great-grandmother’s dying wish.”

Alexis shook her head vigorously. “Have you forgotten what that vampire has done? She turned me, she killed some of our staff twice, and the Dreds murdered the woman I loved.”

“I understand, but we’re talking about finding her and talking things out, not forgiveness. Victorija will carry that guilt around until her last breath. In the meantime I want you to put out feelers, send out a recon team to find her.”

Byron had never seen Alexis angry before. She felt Amelia put her hand on her shoulder in support.

“This is a mistake. You can’t do this,” Alexis said.

Byron leaned forward in her seat. She understood Alexis’s objections, but she had to obey her orders. She said firmly, “Do as I have asked, Duca. I won’t ask again.”

Byron could see Alexis’s jaw flexing as she most likely was trying to not lose her temper.

“Yes, Principe,” Alexis said. “Excuse me then. I will give out the orders.”

Then she stormed out the office door.

Amelia looked at Byron and raised an eyebrow. “That went well.”

* * *

Alexis was shaking with anger and a need for blood. How could the Principe ask this of her? She stopped dead outside the room where her Anna had her throat ripped out, so many years ago.

She stood and closed her eyes. When she tried to picture her Anna in her mind, her face was blurred, and then Katie’s face floated across her mind, and she could see every feature clearly.

Alexis’s hunger for blood soared, so she got out her phone and requested a human staff member on the blood rota app.

She hurried down to the basement and cleared the security lock on the blood room door. When she walked in, she found Katie unbuttoning the first few buttons on her blouse to feed a waiting male vampire.