Vail nodded contemplatively when Victoria explained that it might be difficult for her to contact him again while she was being watched. To some degree, he understood that she was right, but it was difficult for him to imagine what would prevent her from reaching out to him. He hadn’t seen the measures the Order had taken for himself. He didn’t know how many guards were stationed at the Crest manor nor the kind of steps they had taken to keep Alexander’s daughter safe. All he could do was guess based on the way she had described her situation to him earlier, trapped in her room against her will.

As she added that he shouldn’t come to find her if he didn’t hear back, he said nothing. Even though she spoke wisdom in advising him to keep his distance, he knew it was too late for that. He hadn’t even been able to stay away from her for a week the first time he’d tasted her blood. Now that he had grown accustomed to feeding on it regularly, he had a feeling his cravings would only become worse if he lost access again.

Additionally, after tonight, he was invested in her even more than just through his physical addiction. He disliked the thought of abandoning her to the Saints and the Wynters. If either of those groups laid claim to her, he was sure he would be unable to see her again. He wouldn’t get to drink her blood, nor would he be able to touch her or even talk to her. The thought of suddenly losing all of that made him tense. He wanted her all to himself, even if it meant he would have to put in a little more effort to hold onto what they had.

As she sat next to him on the edge of the bed, he wrapped his arm around her waist, enjoying the feeling of her soft, bare skin beneath his fingertips for a moment longer. It was relieving to him that she seemed to want to see him again just as much as he longed to see her. At least he could be sure his new feelings weren’t one sided. He just wished their desire to reunite was enough to make it happen. Unfortunately, as long as the Order was determined to prevent them from closing the distance, he had a hunch that sneaking off to be with her again was going to be nothing short of a nightmare.

He nodded again when Victoria announced that she no longer held him to his end of the bargain. Though he had fought her on the decision last time, he was coming to the realization that there probably was no easy way for him to follow through with killing Spencer for her. The consequences to both himself and the rest of his family were too great to ignore. He would have liked to keep his word to her and help her anyway, but it was better for him to relinquish the deal and keep out of the Wynter’s affairs, as the Hygraces had done for the last century.

Her gentle lips warmed his shoulder before he felt her stand up beside him to get dressed. He followed her with his eyes, taking in his final view of her hypnotic figure until she was covered. “I would have done it for you if I could,” he assured her as he rose to put on his clothes as well. “Unfortunately, with so many Saints around, it doesn’t look like I’ll have the opportunity.” He truly did think it was unfortunate. He wanted Spencer out of her life perhaps even more than she did now that he had such a strong possessiveness over her body. The thought of backing down and letting a [i]Wynter[/i] have his way made him taste bile. Even if he couldn’t murder the other vampire outright, he wasn’t done trying to think of other ways to steal the Crest heiress out from under Spencer’s nose if it was still possible.

“I could say the same to you,” Vail glanced up from buttoning his shirt as Victoria told him to stay safe. The members of the Order may have been claiming to protect her, but he didn’t trust that brood of vipers for one second. After Gerald had risked her life in the basement the other night, he was sure any one of them wouldn’t hesitate to put her life in danger if they thought they could benefit from doing so. She was a sacrificial lamb to them, to be used and thrown away the instant she was no longer valuable.

When they were both finished getting dressed, Vail lingered near the door. He wasn’t sure how to part from her now that their relationship was changing. Leaving with just a simple ‘goodbye’ would surely offend her, but he was hesitant to push for anything more, since he was still getting used to the idea of being so close to a human. He shifted his weight. Even though it was strange to him, this [i]was[/i] the path he’d chosen to take. He would have been fooling himself if he believed otherwise. There was no reason to keep pushing back against where that path was leading them.

Having made up his mind, he stepped over to Victoria and rested one hand on her hip while using the other to coax her to lift her chin to him. He held her gaze for a brief moment before leaning in to press one more tender kiss to her lips, savoring the feeling of her mouth moving against his. “Goodnight, Victoria,” he breathed when he pulled back from her again. “I’ll be awaiting your correspondence.” With that, he turned and headed out the door, leaving her to return to her family manor alone.