When Victoria answered his question, Vail nodded thoughtfully. It would take plenty of careful planning for them to pull off the murder of a member of the Wynter family. Of course she wouldn’t have the entire plot laid out already. His role in it wouldn’t be very easy either. He would have to find a way to catch Spencer by surprise—no simple task when the other vampire had just as sensitive of a nose as he did. He was going to have to spend the next few days thinking of ways to trap his rival. The thought nearly made him shake his head. It felt strange to switch from hunting humans to scheming against one of his own kind. However, he’d already agreed to be a part of the murder, and he’d already received part of his payment in the form of the Lady’s blood. He couldn’t back out from it now.

As Victoria rose from the lounge chair, Vail did as well. He felt much better now that his craving for her essence had been satisfied. His mind was sharp and his body was enriched. Better yet, he wouldn’t have to worry about suffering from withdrawals again until she inevitably passed. As long as he could keep feeding on her every three days, he would stave off the fatigue and ill symptoms that usually forced him out of the manor to hunt. The next few years of his life would be fulfilling indeed.

Carefully, Vail followed Victoria through the dark house to the front door, as it had come time for them to part ways. All that was left was for him to make it back to the Hygrace estate without being caught by a member of the Order. Enough time had passed that he felt fairly confident he would make the short journey with no trouble. Humans were an impatient species, after all. The Saint who had been prowling about earlier was likely long gone by now. Since no one else among the hunters knew his face—at least, no one that he was aware of—he would have an easy stroll back through the streets of London.

“Of course,” he said amusedly when the Lady asked if he had enjoyed himself. “I did get what I came here for, even though it wasn’t quite how I expected.” Forming a pact with the heiress of the Crest household hadn’t even been a thought in his head before tonight. Plans often had a funny way of changing though.

Upon arriving at the door, Vail reached for the handle to pull it open. He could be a gentleman sometimes, when he felt like it. As he waited for Victoria to pass through first, a smirk tugged at his lip and he couldn’t stop himself from whispering in her ear: “My question to you is, did you enjoy [i]yourself[/i]?” It was a peculiar ask, even to him, since the answer should have been obvious. However, the sound of her feminine giggle still echoed in the back of his head. He wanted to know why she had reacted in such an interesting way.