Now up close with the Lady Victoria, Vail was starting to wonder if he should have left the situation alone. The aromatic smell of her blood was nearly intoxicating, and he had to fight to stay focused on the reason why he had approached her to begin with. The Wynter standing across from him had to have been feeling it too, perhaps even more so if the other vampire hadn’t fed as recently as he had. He knew it wouldn’t take much for the situation to turn dangerous. If either one of them were to lose their composure, a frenzy would start, immediately giving them both away to the Crests. Knowing that there had to be members of the Order amongst the crowd, he was sure they would be killed on the spot.

Vail held the other Lord’s gaze unwaveringly, intent to find some reason to stay if he tried to dismiss him. However, it seemed an argument was unnecessary because Victoria intervened before he could object. The eagerness in her voice was surprising to him, and he wondered if she knew that the man whom had approached her first wasn’t what he seemed to be. The thought caused him to study her a bit more closely. Whether his guess was correct or not, he was glad she had interrupted before the situation had a chance to escalate.

The peace wasn’t kept for long though. As soon as Lady Victoria hurried off to freshen up, the two vampires turned on each other with hostile glares. “Quite bold of you to show your face here, Hygrace,” the Wynter tilted his chin up. “Or perhaps I should say foolish. You do know this is the Crest manor, don’t you?”

“I could say the same to you,” Vail rolled his eyes. Now that the overwhelming odor of blood had faded, he was able to think clearly again. He casted the rival clan member a cold look. “I don’t know who you are or what you’re trying to pull, but I would suggest you stop chasing after the Crest heiress before someone from the Order catches onto you.”

To his confusion, the Wynter merely laughed, his broad grin momentarily exposing his upper set of fangs. “I see word hasn’t reached your household yet, has it?” he asked. When Vail just stared at him, he stood up straighter. “The Crest heiress and I are to be betrothed.”

That wasn’t the answer Vail had expected to hear at all. Lady Victoria was beautiful beyond a doubt, but she was part of a family that hunted down and killed their kind as a method of livelihood. He couldn’t see why a member of the Wynter clan would want anything to do with her.

He gawked at the other Lord, too curious to restrain himself from asking, “What on Earth are you marrying a [i]Crest[/i] for?”

“It isn’t your business to know,” the Wynter answered with a hint of warning in his voice. “But understand this: If you do anything to get in my way, I will kill you.” He angled his body to walk away, signaling that he was done with the conversation. “Enjoy your dance.”

Vail watched him go without responding, keeping his guard raised even as the rival vampire passed out of his sight. He still didn’t know why the other Lord was so interested—or perhaps [i]possessive[/i] was the proper term—of the Lady Victoria, but he had a feeling his attachment had to do with more than just her beauty. Not wanting to start a feud over something that he had no proof would hurt his own family though, he contented himself with keeping an eye on the Wynter from a distance for now.

He stayed put by the table for a few minutes longer, absently swirling the remains of the sherry in his glass as he waited for Victoria to return from freshening up. After his conversation with the other vampire, he had come to the conclusion that there had been no reason for him to get involved with the couple. However, he’d already offered the girl a dance, and he wasn’t a complete savage. He would honor the commitment just this once and then keep his distance for the rest of the event, just as he’d planned.

Luckily, he didn’t have to stand around for long.

As soon as the Lady Victoria reappeared by his side, Vail turned to her and bowed with well-rehearsed eloquence, “Are you ready now, My Lady?”