The following evening, Vail awoke feeling as well as he always did after feeding on Lady Victoria’s blood. He was a bit more famished than usual though. He supposed he must have worked up an appetite after they’d given in to their passion the night before. It was past the time his family usually ate supper, but he got dressed and headed downstairs to see if he could find something to eat anyway. Perhaps one of the servants could prepare him a simple dish if there were any still in the kitchen.

On his way, he passed a few of his cousins who hadn’t retired to their bedrooms yet, but he didn’t bother stopping to speak with any of them. Conversations with his uncle’s children were usually dull, since they rarely left the manor. He could only take so many stories about who beat whom in a game of chess or what new hobbies they had accumulated to pass the time. Of course, he understood why they would be hesitant to venture into the city, especially with the recent rise in Saints nearby, but it didn’t change the fact that he thought them to be too sedentary for their own good.

Even before he had met Victoria, Vail had been the only Hygrace to bother spending any length of time outside apart from their shared endeavors to feed on human blood. He always kept his head down for safety’s sake, but he couldn’t stand being locked up in the manor as often as they were. In his opinion, there were better ways to stay hidden from the Order besides turning into total recluses. He had managed not to get himself killed so far, so it seemed his method was working just fine too.

Well, maybe not so much anymore.

Now that he was sneaking out to meet with Victoria, he was treading much more dangerous ground than he had been in the past. The fact that he’d nearly been killed twice in just a matter of weeks was proof enough of that. Perhaps there was wisdom in staying put in the manor like his cousins after all, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop seeing the Crest heiress—not after he’d let himself get addicted to her blood, and not after he’d enjoyed the rest of her body last night. Even though he knew it was likely to be his downfall, he craved to see her again and again until a silver bullet pierced his heart.

Imagining their intimate time together yet again, Vail was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear the voice calling his name until a sudden hand on his shoulder made him turn around in a daze. He blinked as he met his father’s gaze. Peter was studying him with a mixture of concern and bemusement.

“You’re certainly distracted today,” the older Hygrace observed. “Anything on your mind that I should know about?”

“No,” Vail shook his head, hating how easily the lie came out. Not wanting to dwell on it, he changed the subject. “I’m rather hungry. Did you need something from me?”

“Information,” Peter expressed. “I’ve been curious to know how your meeting with Lady Crest went.”

Vail wanted to groan. He’d forgotten that he had told his father he was seeing Victoria for the purpose of gaining intel on the Saints. Of course the leader of the Hygraces would want an immediate update on whether or not they were in danger. Unfortunately, he and Victoria had done very little talking at The Shire, so he didn’t have any real leads to offer.

So much for changing the subject.

“It was alright,” he shrugged, trying not to let his thoughts return to the picture of their intertwined bodies so he wouldn’t blush. “She didn’t have much to say this time.”

“Really?” Peter frowned. “Why would she reach out to you so late at night if it wasn’t urgent?”

“It’s beyond me,” Vail said haplessly.

“Hm,” his father grunted, narrowing his eyes. “Well, it sounds to me like she was just interested in your time. I had a feeling this would happen… which is why I’ve arranged precautions to save you from temptation.”

“What do you mean?” Vail could already feel his stomach turning.

“This morning, I wrote a letter to the Macey family,” Peter explained. “With the recent movement among both the Saints and the Wynters, I believe it is pertinent now for our family to start building stronger ties with other strong clans for our own protection. Edison’s daughter, Sylvia, is still unmarried, so I’ve gone ahead and asked if he would betroth her to you so that we might form an alliance.”

“You did [i]what[/i]?” Vail’s eyes widened in shock. “Father, I have no interest in marrying! Can’t you arrange for one of uncle’s heirs to wed her instead of me?”

“This is for your sake as well as the family’s, Vail,” Peter sighed. “If you’re going to insist on continuing to see the Crest heiress, I’m going to make sure you have a reason not to let her seduce you. Besides, I would have thought you’d be happy with my choice. You’ve told me before that you fancy Sylvia. The last time our families communed, I remember the two of you got along famously.”

“We did…” Vail admitted. He recalled the meeting his father was referring to. At the time, he had found Sylvia to be a splendid person and might have even considered marrying her. However, after spending the night with Victoria, he couldn’t bring himself to think of giving himself to any other woman. Was it foolish? Perhaps. Lady Crest was a human whom he could never have in the way he truly desired, while Lady Macey was a vampire he could love without restraint. It only made sense for him to choose the latter, but he couldn’t force his sinful heart to agree.

“But this isn’t about who you chose,” he went on stubbornly. “I just don’t want to get married yet. Please, father, tell Edison to give her hand to someone else.”

“I’m surprised you feel so strongly about this,” Peter’s frown deepened. “But my decision stands. If Edison agrees to my proposal, you will begin courting Sylvia for marriage as soon as I receive word of his approval.” He held up his hand as his son opened his mouth to protest again. “This is final, Vail. I suggest you spend the next few days coming to terms with it.” With that, he turned and strode up the stairs to retire to his room for the night, leaving the younger Hygrace to stare at the ghost of where he had just been.