“Then how do I conquer this? Byron fell in love with her blood bond, Amelia, but that is never going to happen to me. If I don’t drink their blood, then I will go slowly mad, like my father did when he killed my mother.”

“Who have you exchanged blood with? One of your vampires here?” Anka asked.

“No.” Victorija began to pace in front of the fireplace. “I don’t allow anyone to feed on me.”

“Then think long and hard, because that person will need to be brought here to feed you. In the meantime, I must go.”

Victorija didn’t even notice when Anka got up and Drasas followed her out.

Anka stopped outside the door and took Drasas’s hand. “She knows who it is, somewhere in her subconscious.”

“I’ll bring whoever it is to her as soon as we find out who,” Drasas said.

Anka leaned in and stroked her cheek, lighting fires all over Drasas’s body. “In the meantime, we cannot halt our plans. I need your vampires to help my witches.”

Drasas hesitated. “Victorija—”

Anka ran her fingers down Drasas’s chest and lingered on her belt buckle. Drasas groaned, and then they heard a great crashing noise from Victorija’s room.

Then Victorija shouted, “Get me some blood now!”

“Your Principe is in no fit state to make these decisions. Look how long you’ve wasted already.”

“Victorija might see this as treacherous,” Drasas said.

“No, you are taking care of the clan while she cannot. I know who you are, Drasas, and who you long to be.”

“What do you mean?” Drasas asked.

Anka slipped her hand down to Drasas’s crotch and grasped it. Drasas leaned forward looking to kiss Anka, but she held her at bay.

“I know how you felt sitting on the street, homeless. Humans passing you by, spitting on you or worse. When Victorija turned you, you wanted to feel power over those humans, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” Drasas would never forget the fear of living on the streets. It drove her to be the powerful vampire she was.

Anka brought her lips to her ear and rhythmically squeezed her sex. Drasas closed her eyes and concentrated on the feelings Anka was giving her.

“I can make you even more powerful than a born vampire, Drasas. Follow me and do as I say.”

“Yes, Anka.”

When Drasas opened her eyes, Anka was gone. She slammed her fist against the wall, making the plaster crumble. She had been on the edge of orgasm.

One of her female vampires came walking down the corridor. “Can I serve you, Duca?”

She grabbed Meg’s hand and pulled her into one of the adjacent castle rooms. “Yes, you can, Meg.”

Meg was a femme-presenting newly turned vampire who was eager to please. Just what she needed.

“I need to fuck you and drink from you.”

“Anything, Duca.”