Lady Crest winced and inhaled sharply at the stinging pain in her neck wound. It had to be done though. She needed to recover, though not too quickly otherwise she would be turfed out as soon as she was able to stand on her own two legs fully. She didn’t want to go back home any time soon. She would have to confront Gerald about her father’s death. And that was not going to be a moment she looked forward to in the slightest. It was going to test her patience and ability to cope with stress.

Victoria frowned at Peter as soon as he mentioned sending her home. He was quick to get rid of her and reminded them both she wasn’t to stay longer than necessary. “If there is any family to go back to...” She murmured sadly. They knew her father died, she only had her mother and she wasn’t sure what The Order would do with her. Was he so heartless to send a young woman back into danger? His son would not approve of such an action. Yet it would be inevitable if she were not welcome here.

“So…you are content to send me straight back into the Wynter’s clutches, are you? You realise they are working with The Order and know about Vail and I…they will turn their sights to your family next.” She warned Peter to the possibility they would be dragged into the turmoil. She was obviously feeling better because her feisty personality came bubbling back to the surface and he would see why Vail was quite taken with her. She wasn’t a timid, overly polite and lightly spoken girl as most were in these times of human society where females were better off seen and not heard.

He ought to consider that if that were to happen, Victoria was his only link to insider information and any pre-warning of attacks on the Hygrace clan. He would do well to make an ally with the Lady Crest rather than dismiss her so easily. She may only be human, but she had her uses in other ways. Such as making his son happy in all his long life, he expressed that this human was worth risking everything for and people didn’t make such claims with ease. Alexander Crest was merely human, yet he managed to strike a bargain with this powerful clan leader into a truce. Humans weren’t as weak and inferior as he thought. At least not the Crest family. They had all been through a lot already in their mortal lives and survived much hardship surrounding vampires. Alex met his demise at the betrayal of The Order and the Wynter’s involvement, possibly just to get at his daughter’s blood to empower their entire clan. 

She sipped her tea as she let Peter mull over what she had said. “Not to mention they are using my blood to empower their entire clan. Whose to say their lust for power will not grow. They are already set to descend upon London any day now…” She may have been weakened and bed ridden but she could still overhear conversations and plans being made by Spencer and The Order in her own house. They planned on making Crest Manor their new base of operations. Her human mother would serve as food, along with their servants. She worried for all their lives.