The following day, Vail awoke much earlier than he usually did after spending a night out. It wasn’t the most pleasant morning of his life either. Judging by the light that filtered in through the curtained window by his bed, it was probably around eight o’ clock. He had gotten plenty of sleep, but he felt like he’d hardly slept at all. He rolled over to face away from the light, drawing his sheets over his head. On top of waking up tired, his teeth ached as well. He had fed just two nights before, but he nearly felt like he had gone over a week without the sustenance he needed to function at his highest capacity.

He stretched his jaw uncomfortably, his lips peeling away from his long fangs as he opened his mouth. It was hard to say why he was feeling so terrible so soon after his last meal. Perhaps the human he’d fed on had had a health condition that had tainted her blood, or perhaps he simply hadn’t drunk enough of it to satisfy his body’s craving… or, perhaps it was because of a certain Crest heiress who had reignited his primal hunger with a single drop of blood that was different than anything he’d ever experienced before.

As his mind wandered back to that moment at the party when he had first caught a whiff of Lady Victoria’s cut, Vail could already feel himself beginning to salivate compulsively. Of course, he knew he couldn’t have her, since the politics between their families were far too complicated to risk inciting a war, but it was hard not to be drawn by his own curiosity. He wished there was a way for him to find out what it would be like to feed on such tantalizing blood without causing tension between the Crests and the Hygraces. In spite of himself, he even found that he was mildly jealous that Lord Spencer was able to have as much of it as he wanted.

Disturbed by the thought, he climbed down from his bed to get ready for the day, eager to put the events of the previous night behind him in favor of moving on. It wasn’t like there was any point in dwelling on what had happened anyway. He was never going to see Lady Victoria again, and it was unlikely that he would cross paths with her betrothed either. The best thing he could do was forget about the couple—and the Lady’s mouthwatering blood—and go on like nothing had changed.

As Vail dressed himself, he was pulled from his musings by a knock on his door. He turned around to see that his father was standing in the doorway with a bemused expression detailing his features.

“You’re up early,” Lord Peter commented, knowing his son well enough to find the behavior abnormal. Usually when he attended parties, he slept in until at least ten o’ clock the next day.

“Yes, well, I didn’t stay out as long as I’d planned to,” Vail shrugged, raising his arms over his head to slide on a clean shirt.

“Trouble with the Crests?” Peter asked with a concerned frown. “I knew it was a bad idea for you to attend this event, Vail. Did someone from the Order recognize you?”

“No,” the younger Hygrace answered thoughtfully. “I did run into Alexander’s daughter, but I told her my name was Griffiths. Even if she didn’t believe me, there was no familiarity in her eyes.”

“Good,” his father exhaled. “Since Lord Crest’s passing, relations between our family and the Order have been… tense, to say the least. The last thing we need is for one of them to think you’ve taken an interest in stalking the Crest heiress.”

“I would do no such thing,” Vail cracked an amused smile. “But I think someone else already has.”

“What do you mean?” Peter knitted his brow.

“There was a Wynter at the party,” Vail explained, absently checking over the clothes he’d put on in order to straighten out any wrinkles. It would have been an easier task if he could simply check himself in a mirror like a human would, but with no reflection of his own, he had to be a little more thorough. “He went by the name Spencer, but I’m sure it was an alias. Either way, he’s supposedly engaged to marry Lady Victoria soon. I don’t think she has a clue who he really is, poor girl.”

“That is concerning,” Peter crossed his arms. “If he marries Alexander’s daughter, he’ll become the next head of the Crests.”

Vail faltered at that. Though it was obvious to him now, he hadn’t thought about the consequences of a Wynter marrying into the Crest family before. Last night, he had been so caught up in his desire to keep out of the other families’ affairs that the connection hadn’t even crossed his mind. Knowing that his father was probably correct in assuming that was the rival’s end game, he felt more troubled about what he’d learned.

“Don’t worry about it for now,” Peter said, seeming to catch the uneasy look on his son’s face. “I’ll deal with the Wynters. You go downstairs and get some breakfast. Your mother saved you a plate, since we both expected you to be up much later.”

“Tell her I appreciate it,” Vail nodded. He stepped around his father to go down to the parlor, but then paused as another thought came to him. “Speaking of eating, I think I’ll be going out again tonight,” he mused, glancing at the other vampire once more. “I woke up feeling a bit famished, so I’d like to feed before I get too ill.”

“I thought you went out recently,” Peter studied him confusedly. “Do you really need to go again so soon?”

“I think the woman I fed on must have had a disease,” Vail lied, deciding not to tell his father about what had happened with Lady Victoria. “Regardless, I’m already aching. I need to go out soon, and I see no reason why I should be confined to the manor tonight.”

“Alright,” Peter relented. “Just be careful.”

“I always am,” Vail smiled, turning away from him to get something to eat downstairs.