Vail spent the rest of the day assisting his mother with the care of two refugees whom had shown up seeking help when he had been gone the night prior. There was one man and one woman, both members of the Jewel family. According to his mother, they had escaped an attack by the Order while they had been out to feed and had arrived in quite a bloodied state. He thought they looked worlds better now. The wounds they had sustained from the Saints’ weapons had been thoroughly purified and bandaged, and neither of their hearts had been touched by silver. As long as they got plenty of rest, he was sure they would fully recover within the week.

As night eventually fell, Vail readied himself to go out for a meal of his own. Between the news that the Wynters were moving and the sudden appearance of two vampires whom had been attacked by the Saints, he could tell that his parents were more nervous than usual about his departure. He didn’t share in their fear though. It had been a long time since he’d had any trouble with any members of the Order since he knew how to keep his head down. Additionally, he wasn’t worried about the Wynters because they were obviously biding their time to infiltrate the Crest family. It would have been a foolish move on their part to start a fight with him and cause a feud with the Hygraces. As far as he could tell, it was perfectly safe to go out tonight.

Feeling confident, Vail bade his parents goodbye and headed out of the manor to explore the city.

At this late hour, the streets were mostly empty aside from the odd passerby here and there. He strolled at a leisurely pace, in no hurry to sate his hunger. Though his jaw still ached, he was well aware of how dangerous it could be to let his instincts drive him. Forcing himself to be patient was a good way to keep from losing control. After all, a frenzied vampire was a dead vampire as long as the Order was around to kill any who drew attention to themselves. For his own safety, he couldn’t rush in his search for a target.

After a bit of walking, Vail came across a tavern that was still bustling with activity: The Black Bull. He paused outside to peer through the window. Like any other tavern, the patrons inside were mostly men as far as he could see. He clicked his tongue. Though he would feed on a man if he had to, he much preferred the sweet taste of a woman’s blood. Unfortunately, he didn’t always have that choice in this day and age. The Order had recently figured out that women were the prime victims of his kind, so they kept the local brothels under constant watch. Given that it was rare for ladies to go out alone when they weren’t working for a Madame, he often had to settle for male prey.

Still, that didn’t mean he would settle without taking another look around first.

Vail was just about to turn away from the tavern when something caught his eye that made him pause. One of the patrons at the bar had a more curvaceous figure than the rest. He smiled to himself. It seemed there was a woman at the Black Bull after all.

Keeping her in the corner of his vision, he slipped into the crowded building and made his way over to the counter. However, he had only made it about halfway when he froze again. Amongst the sea of smells in the tavern, he realized there was a familiar scent that he hadn’t expected to catch. [i]No.[/i] He narrowed his eyes at the Lady’s back. Of all the women in London, he just had to stumble upon Victoria Crest, didn’t he? The coincidence made him want to snort.

Of course, knowing who the woman at the bar was, there was no point for him to stay at the Black Bull any longer. As much as he wished to feed on a woman’s blood tonight, he couldn’t lay a finger on the heiress of the Crest household. He let out his breath in a short sigh. It seemed like he was probably going to have to settle for taking a male victim this time.

He was just about to approach a young man who was sitting alone by the front of the room when another motion drew his attention. A man at the counter had taken that moment to cozy up to Lady Victoria. He wasn’t sure why he cared—perhaps he already felt some level of pity for her because he knew who her husband was to be—but for some reason, the sight made him frown. He shifted his weight from his left foot to his right.

[i]It’s not my place to get involved,[/i] he thought sternly. Victoria had come to this place of her own volition. Surely she could take care of herself. There was no reason for him to intervene, especially when he still needed to focus on finding a suitable meal before he lost his window of opportunity. His hazel eyes flicked from the bar to the man at the table then back again, and he exhaled. As much as he tried to convince himself it was a bad idea, he disliked the thought of ignoring the situation at the counter too much to simply walk away. [i]I’m going to regret this…[/i]

“Ah, there you are!” Vail exclaimed, pushing his way through the crowd as if he was in a hurry to reach the Lady’s side. “So sorry I’m late. I had a few matters at home that needed my attention, and—” He faltered, his gaze falling down to the man’s hand and then lifting back up to his face with a warning look. “And just who might you be?”

The man’s eyes widened, and he hurriedly pulled away from Victoria. “Sorry, sir,” he fumbled to apologize, his words thick from the ale he’d been drinking. “Didn’ realize she was with some’n.”

“And you thought that gave you the right to get friendly, did you?” Vail scoffed. He tipped his head toward the door. “Get out of here.”

As the man hurried off, Vail turned back to Victoria, wondering offhandedly if she had recognized him. He [i]had[/i] been wearing a mask at her party before, so there was a chance he could have gotten lucky and she didn’t realize who he was. Regardless, he’d done his good deed for the day, so he had no intention of lingering around her any longer.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s dangerous for a lady to be on her own at this hour?” he said, deciding to offer her one piece of advice before he turned around to leave. “I think it would be wise of you to consider going home before you get yourself hurt.”