All of Vail’s senses were alive when he finally laid with Victoria. He relished the feeling of her hot skin pressed against his, the mingling smells of her blood and pheromones, and the sound of her breathy voice in his ear. Even the sensation of her lips and tongue on his neck drove him crazy, fueling his passion and primal desire to have his way with her. The combined stimulation was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Even though he’d had his fun with a couple other vampires during his youthful years—well before the Hygraces had gone into hiding—sleeping with a human was far different. Being so close to her triggered his instincts as both a male and a predator, and he was nearly overwhelmed by the intensity of his lust for her.

He lost himself so completely in the heat of the moment that by the time it was over, he felt like he had to reorient himself to his surroundings. He laid by Victoria’s side, removing his weight from her body as he waited for his heartrate and breathing to regulate on their own. The lasting ecstasy left him feeling lightheaded, and he didn’t want to move from the bed, even though he knew he needed to return to his family’s manor before dawn as well as she did. His father could never know what he had done tonight. His relationship with the Crest heiress had already been taboo before. Now that he’d taken her in a way that was forbidden between vampires and humans, it all had to be buried in the dark. He couldn’t tell a soul about what had transpired between them without losing everything.

Regardless of the risk, he was surprised to find that he didn’t regret sleeping with Victoria at all. At least, not yet. Instead of a leaden weight of foreboding about the consequences, there was a sense of relief inside of him that radiated peace. He’d wanted to have more than just her blood for quite some time now—he would finally admit this to himself—and now that he had, the sexual tension he’d been suppressing around her was gone. His muscles relaxed, and even though he was still wary of what his actions would bring, he managed not to dwell on the issue to the point of anxiety. Right now, all he wanted to do was replay the night in his head, the writhing of their entangled bodies as they crossed the line that had doomed them.

Absently, he let his gaze travel down her naked figure. A mess of complex emotions accompanied the sight, and he was certain now that his earlier guess had been right: The nonromantic boundaries he’d tried to set before had been all that had stood in the way of him falling for Victoria Crest. Now that the door was open, there was nothing to stay his attachment to her. His addiction had bled over from more than just his taste for her blood; he wanted every part of her to himself without exception.

He understood now why his kind warned that this was such a dangerous place to be.

Taking a slow breath, Vail lifted one hand to touch the spot on his neck that she had sucked. He found it to be tender and though he couldn’t see it, he could tell she’d left a mark. He would have to be careful to hide it from his family in between the hours it took to disappear. “I think we need a new condition,” he said, meeting her gaze with a teasing glint in his eyes. “It’s hardly fair that you can bite me on the neck when I can’t do the same to you. For the sake of equality, it should be both or none.”