Vail pursed his lips together in a thin line as Victoria’s eyelids drooped shut. It was good that she was able to rest, but he was deeply concerned about her condition. Seeing the feisty, determined woman reduced to the limp ragdoll laying on his bed disturbed him. He worked carefully on tending the punctures in her neck, hopeful that cleaning and binding the wound in sterile bandages would protect it from infection until her body restored enough blood to begin healing itself. He was no doctor, so it was the best he could do for now. Just as he was about to get up to look for something to wrap around her neck, he flinched as the door to his room flew open without warning. He had been so focused on taking care of Victoria that he hadn’t heard Peter’s approach. His father froze in the doorway, mouth agape as his dark brown eyes landed on Lady Crest, swaddled in blankets on the Hygrace heir’s bed. A number of emotions flitted across the clan leader’s face. Shock, confusion and fear were among the mix, but he eventually settled on unbridled anger. “Vail, what the [i]hell[/i] have you done?” Peter roared, spittle flying from his mouth with the intensity of his fury. Contrary to his father’s incensed state, Vail stared back at him almost dumbly. He hadn’t thought Peter would discover him this quickly and thus hadn’t had time to compile his thoughts into an acceptable excuse. Heart racing with nervous energy, he rose to his feet but remained close to edge of the bed, unwilling to venture further from Victoria’s side while she was still so vulnerable. “I didn’t have a choice,” the words fell from his tongue while he was composing himself enough to speak. “They left her half dead! If I didn’t take her, they might have even killed her.” Peter stared at him this time, unable to comprehend what the younger Hygrace was trying to say. He didn’t know what Vail was talking about, but it seemed like there was more going on outside the walls of their family manor than he’d thought. “Who are they?” he asked, still fuming at his son’s irresponsible actions. “Just what have you gotten involved with?” “The Order,” Vail answered his first question with a wince. He felt guilty for admitting that he had been keeping secrets from the clan leader, but there was no way to hide it anymore. “They’ve formed some sort of agreement with the Wynters. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but she’s in the middle of it.” He gestured at Victoria. “The one I met at the party, Lord Spencer, he drained her of her blood and—” He stilled his tongue before he added that the other vampire had tried to rape her too. His father wouldn’t care about that detail, and it would only serve to give away his attachment to her. “Father, you know the Wynters,” he abruptly changed course. “Whatever they’ve been doing with the Saints can’t be good for us.” Peter considered his words for a moment before he narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps… but what were you doing out tonight?” Vail shifted his weight. It was the inquiry that would unravel everything. Taking a steeling breath, he met the leader’s gaze evenly, “I went to find her.” His father pinched the bridge of his nose, “I warned you about this, Vail! You cannot get involved with a human. I understand if you’ve decided you want female companionship, but that’s why I arranged your marriage to Sylvia. She’s a perfect partner for you. Beautiful, congenial, and [i]belonging to the same species[/i].” “I told you, I don’t want to marry her,” Vail argued hotly. “I care about Lady Victoria. You don’t have to understand it, father, but I don’t care that she’s a human. She’s the one I want to be with.” He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as he made the confession for the first time. He didn’t even know if she felt the same way toward him, but it was too late to take it back. A ruddy blush spread across his face, masked by the darkness to the Lady but plain as day to Peter. The elder Hygrace clenched his jaw, “Just how far has this gone?” Vail said nothing, but his silence was more than enough of an answer for Peter. “I cannot allow this to continue,” the clan leader spat. “Get that wench out of my house at once.” “The cold will kill her,” the heir stepped closer to the bed with a protective glower. “She’s practically hypothermic. You said this manor is a safe haven for anyone who needs help, and right now, she needs it more than anyone else. At least give her time to recover from everything she’s endured.” Peter scowled back at him before his gaze drifted to Victoria. A tense minute passed, and he took a step toward her, causing his son to stiffen reflexively. “Stand aside,” he ordered. “I can smell the blood. You don’t know what you’re doing.” Vail eyed him hesitantly, “You’ll let her stay?” “It is our family’s duty to care for those who come to us,” Peter agreed in a low voice. “She may rest until she has the strength to carry herself home, but not a second longer. And as for you,” the look in his dark eyes sent a shiver up the Hygrace heir’s spine. “I’ll think of a fitting punishment later.” Vail grimaced at the warning but didn’t argue as he stepped away from the bed to give his father room to work. Peter’s willingness to help Victoria was hanging by a thread, so he didn’t want to debate with him until her condition was stable. If keeping his mouth shut meant she would be alright, then that’s what he would do. Peter leaned over Lady Crest to see the extent of the damage. Though the clan leader had even more self-control than his son, the pungent scent of her rich blood still made his pupils dilate hungrily. He could smell Vail’s pheromones mingled with hers as well, giving away who had been the source of the bite in her pale neck. “Fetch me some ice, bandages and a cup of tea,” he instructed, tearing his gaze away from the girl even though his predatory urges beckoned him to lap at the succulent liquid that seeped from her injury. Vail didn’t move. He didn’t trust his father not to bleed her dry while he was gone. “You should do it,” he suggested instead. “And I’ll stay with her while you’re gone.” The elder Hygrace snorted, “Like I said before, you don’t know what you’re doing. [i]This[/i],” he picked up the damp cloth by her head, “just agitated her skin. The bleeding has to stop [i]before[/i] you try to clean the area. Just do as I say, Vail. You’ll be more useful that way.” He bit the inside of his cheek, still reluctant to leave the two alone. However, he couldn’t deny that it was safer for his medically inclined father to watch over Victoria in case she took a turn for the worse. Peter seemed calm enough not to sink his fangs into her flesh in his absence too. He dipped his head. “Yes, father,” he submitted, turning away from them to gather the supplies the older vampire had requested.