Having finally confessed the feelings he had kept buried for so long, Vail knew there was no going back anymore. Victoria knew where his head was at now, and he had no doubts that she felt the same way toward him. The rapid beating of her fragile heart was enough to give that away. He could hear the faint pounding and smell her heightened pheromones and knew his words had been received well. It just made him even more certain that this was the right choice. What did it matter if their romance was frowned upon? Perhaps he would be more vulnerable to the Order by giving more of himself to a human than he should; perhaps he would even die, but he didn’t care. The Crest heiress had become too precious to him to give up, and he would fight to be with her if he had to.

Of course, there were still some loose ends that needed tying—namely in regard to his father and the newly arranged marriage he had been forced into. He was still unsure what his newfound conviction would mean for his relationship to his family. It would be difficult for him to explain why he couldn’t marry Sylvia without bringing up the human woman whom had captivated his heart instead. Peter would never approve of his decision to be with Victoria, but the consequences of their inevitable fight were still unclear. He only hoped they would be able to make amends when the dust finally settled.

“I’ve told you before,” a smile pulled at the corner of his lip when she looked at him with such surprise. “I believe you’re worth it, My Lady. It just took me until now to realize how much I want [i]all[/i] of you.” As he spoke, he lifted his hand to brush a wisp of hair from her delicate face, only to pause when she took his hand and brought it to her lips. The weakness in her grip reminded him of everything she had been through, and for a moment, his anger toward Spencer the Order was reignited. However, the flame died quickly when he saw the gentleness in her expression, and a tenderness for her rose up in its place.

“It may never be simple,” he admitted in a hushed voice. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t try.” He was done turning a blind eye to his own desires just because someone else was in the way. It was cowardly to roll over every time he didn’t have a clear path to obtain what he wanted. He knew it was the way of his kind. Vampires usually survived for centuries because they took the safe route, but what was a life of longevity without passion? He didn’t want to go about every day settling for less, just because it guaranteed him another day on this earth. Not anymore.

“I’ll handle the Wynters,” he promised Victoria, caressing her cheek with his fingers. The blush that painted her fair skin was endearing, and it warmed him to hear her profess that she wanted to be with him too. “They may hunt us, but it will never come to anything more than that. You give me more of a reason to live than I’ve ever had before, Victoria. I won’t let anyone get between us.” As if to prove his point, he pressed another kiss to her lips and breathed, “You are mine and no one else’s. I’m not going to allow him to hurt you anymore.”