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“I cannot give them up, Ramedes.”

“You mean you will not? This is strange. I never imagined a Vam’pir could care so deeply for someone outside their bloodline,” Ramedes stated.

“That does not make love. Blood is meaningless to the Vam’pirs except as food. We love who we wish, and there is nothing that we would not do for one of us.”

“You mean the Vam’pirs, who have been Kit and Rahmon’s parents all this time? Because Kit and Rahmon are not one of you,” Ramedes challenged.

“But the children are not truly Viscerov either. What does it matter to you if I save them?”

“That means that my friends may never be reborn again,” Ramedes whispered.

There was another yell, and I grinned.

“Do you think your friend will elude us for long? I am afraid not. We’ll have him soon, and I already have you and the children, so shall we finish this farce?”

“I’ll kill the children first,” I said, and Ramedes flinched.

Only slightly, but she did. Why? I looked down at Kit and Rahmon as their change continued, and I found myself wondering.

“That would shatter your friend’s hearts,” Ramedes declared, recovering.

“They would rather the twins dead than a slave to Viscerovs. If you take one more step, I’ll break their necks right now.”

I laid a hand on their throats, and Ramedes stopped. I swear she paled.

“No need to be stupid, kill them, and you shall not get out alive. Neither will your friend,” Ramedes replied softly.

“If I don’t save the twins, then what does it matter if I die? I may as well be dead if I fail Pal and Mera,” I answered, and as I watched, Ramedes took a step back.

Ramedes’s hands came up as if to calm me down, and I suddenly felt peace. I realised what I had to do, and there would be no going back once I made the decision.

I smiled at Ramedes and bared my fangs.

“You would change them! The children of your friends?” Ramedes exclaimed.

“Yes, it would hurt Pal and Mera, but they’d have the twins forever. By killing Kit and Rahmon, I stop whatever foul process you started. By reviving them, Pal and Mera still have their children. To a Vam’pir, death doesn’t always signify the end.” I laughed.

Somehow, I had Ramedes off guard, and I picked the twins up again.

Ramedes let me leave, and I discovered priests and soldiers waiting outside. I looked back, and Ramedes reluctantly motioned for them to move away. I could still hear screams and shouts, and, opening myself, I found Nathan.

He was alive and running. Nathan was full of glee at the chaos he caused. I sent Nathan a message telling him where I was and waited.

Nathan appeared grinning; trust him to be having the time of his life. Nathan’s grin faded when he saw Ramedes.

“So, you are the one causing all this trouble? By rights, I should have your head,” Ramedes said.

“Kill me and lose your own head, too. Your kind turns to ashes, much like ours, so I am told,” Nathan replied, taking Kit.

“This is stalemate. I will not let you leave with them, and I do not think that you would truly do what you said that you would do,” Ramedes insisted.

I looked at the regal figure in front of me. Ramedes was clothed in gold satin and her clothing left nothing to the imagination, yet all I felt was pity. Ramedes would not have the children.

Over my dead body, but then I am already dead, am I not?

“No, there is no stalemate. I will kill the children, as I said. Let us through.”

I moved forward, and Nathan followed.