older than thirty. Had he been human, he would have been very
handsome, but it was hard to see past the horns and the teeth and the
power in his eyes. His smile was warm and paternal, but I found it
hard to smile back. Camila’s suffering was ripping at my heart.
She was beside him on a large golden couch. The whole room
was decorated in dark wood and creams and gold, but I couldn’t take
my eyes off Camila. She wouldn’t look at me. She was too ashamed.
Clear blue tears ran down her face in a steady stream. Dalhem’s arm
was around her shoulders. As she sobbed, he tightened his grip to
comfort her, but she only sobbed harder.
“You are already a quick study. Using your powers with such
precision and not even an hour old.” My eyes fluttered back to his
face.“Master.” I dipped my head to him deeply.
“My Rodrick. I thank you. You may go.”
My head whipped to the side. Rodrick was standing in the
corner looking back at Dalhem. I was too overwhelmed by Dalhem’s
power and Camila’s tears to sense another vampire in the room.
“I thank you, Master, for your grace and forgiveness and your
acceptance of my word,” he said. Dalhem dipped his head with
subtle appreciation in reply.
Then Rodrick took three long strides in my direction and
hugged me. He was trying to tell me something, give me some sort
of warning, but he couldn’t. There was no way to keep any sort
of communication from Dalhem and we both knew it. Instead, my
arms went around Rodrick’s waist and I squeezed back, my only
way to thank him for at least trying to be on my side. Whatever side
that was. And then he vanished.
• 303 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
I took a deep breath and turned back to face Dalhem.
“I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news. I’m going to have
to punish our darling Camila, and I believe you know what that
punishment will be.”
“Please don’t hurt her,” I begged him as a sharp pain shot
through my chest. I could hear Natasha’s words pounding in my
ears. Remove the head or the heart. The sun will do the rest.
“Oh, my Ginger.” Dalhem frowned at me sternly. “I may be
pure demon, hell-spawned, but I think you misunderstand my love
for your mate. She is the only piece that remains of my twin. Though
her execution is called for and just, I would no sooner harm her than
I would harm my own daughter. But that does not erase the mistakes
she has made. I overlooked the taste she gave you for human blood
all those months ago. I should have corrected her then. But now she
has changed you against your wishes and she has taken the life of
a feeder that did not belong to her. If our Rodrick had not forgiven
her immediately, she would have to answer to more than just me.”
“But I begged her to change me. And Greg—”
“You begged her to help you. Let us not be confused. And yes,
my Gregory harmed you and a feeder belonging to our Natasha. I
would not have allowed him to live, but our Natasha and our Rodrick
and even your precious Samantha, deserved their vengeance, and
our Camila took that away from them because her only thought was
of you.”
“And she saved me. I don’t understand. What’s the difference
between her changing me and her changing Cleo? We were both
dying. She saved us both.” I waited for his anger to rise as I kept up
my arguing, but all I felt was his compassion.
“My Ginger, she saved our Cleo with the aid of her sister-
queens. She trusted them, as she vowed that she would, to bring our
Cleo across safely. Your sister-queens could have healed you and
left you human, but our Camila let her emotions for you get in the
way. She let her emotions overrule what she truly knew to be just.”
He went on, speaking firmly but softly, all for my sake. I wasn’t
going to change his mind, but he was willing to explain.
• 304 •
Better Off red
“Though you have yet to commit the ritual, I only allowed our
Camila to bind herself to you as her na’suul under the terms that
she would be willing to let you go if you ever wished to leave her.
Humans may be a very treasured gift to us, but they don’t view time
and bonds as we do. They don’t treasure their own lives as we do.
a large difference between fabricating stories to your family about
your mysterious girlfriend and them believing you are dead.”
Camila tensed, but stayed quiet as the tears dripped off her
chin. I wanted to go to her. Trying to move was useless, though.
Dalhem would not allow it, not until he was done. My feet were
frozen to the floor.
“You will never see the sun again, my Ginger. And I hope you
had no desire to have children of your own, because now that choice
is gone. And there is also the small matter of your family. You may
be content with our Camila now, but you have seen the behavior of
your sister-queen, Cleo. If in a day or in a week or twenty years,
when you see that your family is forever removed from you, you
may hold our Camila responsible for taking your life.
“Our Cleo comes from an extremely loving flock, but they
never would have accepted her as a demon. Her only choice was
death.” He stopped then, and looked over at Camila. Gently, he
tucked a longer, spiky lock of her hair behind her ear. He was testing
me, not my love for her, but my patience with him. I swallowed
twice, waiting.
“You never tried to share the truth with your family, did you,
my Ginger?”
What the fu—
“No. Of course I didn’t. I thought it was against the law. And
so did she.”
He sighed wistfully. “If only she thought to ask. Again, her only
thought was of her Ginger, and sometimes those sorts of thoughts
work against you.”
He had to be kidding, but I knew he wasn’t.
“You’re saying I could have told them?”
• 305 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
“I am saying, my Ginger, now I am afraid it is too late, and one
day you may feel the sting of that regret. And when you ask that I
cast Camila from your sight, the pain of losing you as a result of her
own selfishness will be far greater than any punishment I could hand
down. Our Camila will wish for death, and I will not grant it.”
“Please. I love her and I still want her, with or without my
family,” I said.
“And what will we do about them now, my Ginger? Linda and
her Fredo and Todd. You are probably wondering.”
“I am,” I replied. He was talking in circles. I had no idea what
he was getting at.
“I will handle them.”
“How?” I gulped.
“That is not your concern, my Ginger. Our Camila has forced
my hand. But you will know the outcome. In the meantime, you will
not contact them. When it is done, they will reach out to you or they
will bury your memory. Either w
ay, I will not allow our Camila to
make those sorts of decisions anymore.”
“Her punishment,” I breathed. “What would her punishment
involve? Or is this all?”
“Many things and one only. She may no longer act as the Queen
of my Alpha nest. She has made some grievous mistakes. She may
be old to you, but she is still very young, and now I have seen, too
weak and too immature to handle such a responsibility.”
Then I felt my jaw clench. I had a deep respect for our master,
literally running through my veins, but Camila was my maker. No
one had the right to insult her. Still, I kept my mouth shut. A slight
smile returned to Dalhem’s lips as he moved through my mind.
“A perfect example. You love her, but you know not to speak
hastily. You are very young, but you know when to exercise restraint.
Yet you know she was wrong. I can feel it, my Ginger. She went
against your wishes.” He took a deep breath, completely for show,
and squared his shoulders. He still held Camila close. “You will be
queen.”
“But I’m younger than she is.”
He grew very serious. I’d challenged him just enough for one
night.
• 306 •
Better Off red
“The decision is mine.”
“I—Sorry. If I become queen, what happens to Camila?”
“That is entirely up to you,” he replied.
“So if I become queen, she can come home with me?”
“Yes, if that is what you wish. Her rank remains among the
demon class. I would not have her weakened against others, but she
will have no authority over the sister-queens within the confines of
the house.”
“What about her feeders?”
“Again, that is your decision, but I am trusting you with my
daughter.”
“I have to feed from Benny?” For some reason I didn’t like this
idea. “No. I am trusting you to care for her. If you prefer that she
continue on with our Camila, then so be it.”
“If I don’t want to be queen, then who will do it? What happens
to Camila and me?” I asked. I didn’t want to leave any nook
unchecked. I didn’t want Dalhem to catch me in some loophole
when it came to my future with her.
“I don’t believe you will refuse me, but if you do, Natasha
will reclaim Samantha. I will then set you up in another nest. You
are independent, but you do not truly desire to be alone. You may
remain near our Camila if you chose, but she needs to remain near
me. Here. I will only permit her to live amongst my young feeders
in the Alpha nest if you are with her. Her mate seems to be the only
one to control her.
“Cleo is strong, but her recent behavior displeases me. I would
pass the throne to Kina. She has exhibited excellent control of her
power and she respects me well. I treasure her as I treasure all of
my queens, but my Benita trusts you. Her mother and I are never
far. Though, in an interesting twist, I find that I feel as all human
fathers do. This is her first time away from home. I worry for her and
I would like her to have you near. The other sister-queens cannot
provide her mother and me with that sort of comfort.”
“I’ll do it. And I’ll take Camila with me,” I blurted.
• 307 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
“Excellent.” He smiled wider than before, flashing his tiger-
sized fangs.
At that very instant, he took my breath, ripped it right from my
lungs. He held Camila in the same motionless space, the two of us
frozen as he took a piece of her mind and her soul and switched it
with a piece of mine.
I exhaled sharply, feeling a new sense of power, different
connections to not only all the girls and the sister-queens, but to
Dalhem himself. The lives of forty-two humans and vampires were
now my responsibility; Camila was my responsibility. If I failed
them in any way, I had to answer to our master. The burden was
immense, and it was mine to deal with. I was Queen.
“You grow accustomed to it,” he said. “We are done here. In
thirty-six hours, you will receive a call and you will know the fate
of your former life. Do not reach out to them, my Ginger. Mistakes
can, at times, be mended. Certain harms can be healed, but nothing
can be undone.”
“Yes, Master.” I didn’t know what else I could say.
“She asked for a life-bond with you, my Ginger. Did you know
what that means?”
“No, Master.”
“Our Camila asked me for your hand-na’suul, but she asked
to die once your human form passed on. I would not allow it. Now
you must excuse me. I’m going to have a few more words with our
Camila.” Gently, he stroked her soft black spikes away from her
forehead. “Maybe you’d like to get better acquainted with your true
maker.”
At that moment, an enormous man, taller than Rodrick,
appeared behind the couch. He nodded once to Dalhem before he
nodded to me, skipping the bowing and the praising. He was dressed
rather plainly in a white T-shirt, a black leather jacket, and jeans. His
long red hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. His thick red and
blond beard was trimmed close to his face. I swallowed, gazing at
him and reminding myself that this man was not my father.
“Seamus serves my sister, Caana. It was hard to locate him,
but we did,” Dalhem said, then he nodded toward the door behind
• 308 •
Better Off red
me. “There’s another sitting room right out there. Please take your
time.”We stepped out of the room, but instead of making himself
comfortable in a chair, Seamus stood across the small space, looking
at me with his arms folded across his chest.
“Your name’s Ginger?” His Scottish accent was so thick I could
barely understand him, but the deep, rhythmic tempo of his voice
was oddly soothing. I could have listened to him talk for hours. He
seemed to be in a little bit of hurry, though. The night was moving so
fast, especially now, the moment when I wanted him to stay.
“Yes. Ginger Carmichael,” I answered.
He walked over to me and gazed at my face. He served another
master, not Dalhem, and I sensed I was still important, but my power
and rank meant nothing to him. I was just another young demon. I
looked up, craning my neck to return his studying stare.
“Let me get a look atcha?” He gently grabbed my chin and tilted
my head this way and that. “You’ve got the look of your mother.”
Yes, I did, in a way. I had my mother’s nose and the delicate
shape of her face, but I had this man’s lips and emerald eyes, even
his cheeks. And, of course, his thick red hair and his freckles.
“Are we related?” I asked outright.
“Yes. I’m your uncle. Your father, Ian, was my brother,” he
explained, dropping his hand from my face. “Met your mother on
a trip. I went home to tell my da I was going to marry an American
girl. I would have made it back to her, but I was stabbed on my way
to the pub the night before I meant to come back to Boston. My
queen found me and changed me.”
He went on, not skipping a beat. “My worthless brother waited
a year after my headstone was in the ground, then he came to
America and found your mother. He won her and you were made. I
tracked them down. Janet was pregnant with you and he was trying
to beat the life out of you both.”
It was strange to hear my mother’s name spoken out loud. It
had been so long. But for some reason, I wasn’t shocked by my
birth dad’s behavior. The few men my mother had brought home
• 309 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
had been abusive creeps. It was no surprise my father had been one
too. Maybe the violent streak ran on that side of the family.
“So you killed him?” I frowned.
Just then Camila came through the door. I’d waited eleven years
to hear what Seamus had to say, to even find out that he existed, but
at that moment, Camila was all I could see. We were in each other’s
arms before I could even blink, hugging each other tight, trying to
breathe each other in as if our desperate embrace would keep the
other from vanishing ever again.
I kissed her hard, and when I pulled away, I wiped her tears.
She was back to herself, but still on edge.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yes, baby. I’m fine.” She glanced over at Seamus. “I’m sorry.
I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Seamus looked at us both for a second before he answered me,
acting as if my tearful reunion with my girlfriend had never taken
place. “No matter. I was just telling Ginger what became of her father.
Yeah, I killed him. Right in front of your mother. She didn’t know
what I was at first, but after I healed her, she made me promise I
would never come near her again. I kept my word. I know I may
sound a bit callous, but I loved her. Ian had no right to put his hands
on her.” A muscle twitched in his cheek and I knew then he was
telling the truth about his feeling for her. He still loved her.
Camila’s arm came around my waist. I gripped her hand against
my stomach, more than willing to take her support. Whichever one
of us was queen, I still needed her. She knew what I was about to say.
“She killed herself,” I told him.
“I’ve heard.” He turned his back for a second and stroked his
beard. When he turned back around, all emotion was wiped from