At first, Vail was surprised when Victoria told him that the Order might go after her mother if she ran away. He had thought the Saints had at least something of a moral compass when it came to handling their own kind, since they boasted about being a group comprised of chivalrous gentlemen. It seemed he had been wrong. But, then again, he supposed it made sense that they would stoop to such despicable levels if they were willing to negotiate with the Wynters. The rival clan had never been above using blackmail and threats to get what they wanted. Perhaps their dark ways had rubbed off on the hunters.

As she mentioned the peril of his family again, he shook his head. “If the Order is working with Spencer and the rest of them, they’re going to come after us anyway,” he explained. “The Wynters have always hated us. At this point, I don’t think there’s any way for us to stay out of this mess.” Truthfully, he was glad he’d found out about the collaboration between the other vampires and the hunters before the Hygraces were attacked. After all, he was certain it was only a matter of time now. He would have to warn his father to be on alert for any Saints around the manor, so they wouldn’t be caught off guard if or when the strike happened.

When Victoria said she didn’t have anywhere to run, Vail frowned contemplatively. Unsure how the Order tracked anyone down—since his technique of hunting by scent worked so well, he’d never bothered to investigate how humans accomplished the same thing—he couldn’t tell if she was right that they would find her. She seemed to know what she was talking about though.

He might have offered to help her hide from them, but he knew that would only bring its own problems. If he tried to bring her back to his family’s manor the rest of the Hygraces would know she was there immediately. Even if by some miracle his father allowed her to stay, the Order might send the Wynters to look for the Lady if they were unable to locate her. There was no concealing her scent from Spencer. It was too dangerous to even try, so he didn’t bother bringing up the suggestion.

Suddenly, he was distracted when Victoria asked him about his motives. The bluntness of her question took him by surprise, and he stared at her for a moment before he chuckled, showing the points of his fangs in a grin. “You really want to know?” he asked, studying her amusedly. He’d never met a woman who was unafraid to press him to admit his thoughts to her before. Her directness was refreshing, a pleasant change from the boundaries most people set. [i]Although…[/i] His eyes swept over her supple, naked body as she stood in front of him. He supposed any expectation of [i]boundaries[/i] between them had gone out the window long ago.

“A little of both but more of the first,” Vail confessed, looking up again to meet her blue eyes. “I would be lying if I said I didn’t care about losing access to your blood. However, I hate seeing you look like this even more.” He traced the curve of her hips with his fingers as he spoke, absentmindedly following her body’s shapely contours. “The Victoria I met was confident and full of life, beautiful in every sense of the word. It would sadden me to see her be turned into a shell of her former self by a group of men who have no right to dictate her fate.”

He simpered at her, “A woman as capable and intelligent as you deserves much more than that, My Lady.”