Vail held his breath as he awaited Victoria’s answer. Even if the solution he had come up with turned out to be a feasible option, it would amount to nothing if she didn’t agree to go through with it. He knew that asking her to completely change her genetic makeup for him was a lot. She was a human being through and through, equipped with every blessing and curse that came with the species. Transforming into a vampire, if possible, wouldn’t just give her a set of fangs. She would have to learn how to live the way he and the rest of his kind did, coping with insatiable bloodlust in exchange for immortality. He couldn’t predict if she would adapt well to the change or loathe him forever for condemning her to such a fate. However, it was her body that would be put through the rigors of mutation, so he would leave the decision in her hands.

Even when she confirmed that she would do anything for him, he was tentative. It was easy to agree to something when one didn’t know the consequences. There was still a chance that she would change her mind when he explained what he was asking of her. He parted his lips to answer her question, but before he could speak a word, the sound of the front door caught his attention followed closely by the scent of his father. Their time alone was quickly coming to an end. “That, he is,” he sighed with audible disappointment. “I’ll tell you later…”

Glancing at the door, he considered their current position. If it was only Peter who would be coming upstairs to check on them, he might have stayed put by Victoria’s side. Unfortunately, there was an unfamiliar cologne in the air, which meant the clan leader wasn’t alone. He didn’t want to cause a scene by clinging to Lady Crest’s side while the physician treated her so, reluctantly, he pulled away from her feeble grasp and climbed down from the bed. There was no hiding the faint traces of his scent that lingered on the sheets where he had been laying, but at least the human visitor wouldn’t be privy to their unorthodox behavior.

“He brought a doctor with him,” he notified Victoria as he returned to the armchair by the window. Less than a minute passed before there was a knock on the door, and the two men entered. Peter looked between Vail and Victoria with an unreadable expression, but the Hygrace heir knew he was suspicious of what they had been doing in his absence. In contrast, the physician had a cordial look on his face as he approached the bed, oblivious to the tension between father and son.

“Ah, Lady Victoria, I presume?” he stepped up to her and smiled warmly. Though his field could be grim at times, he had a perfected bedside manner to keep his patients from dreading his visits. “My name is James Walton,” he went on. “Lord Clark told me you’re feeling ill, so I’m here to help you get back on your feet.”

Subtly, Vail glanced at Peter. Like he had done at her birthday party, his father was also keen to use an alias when he interacted with humans. It was safer, since it was difficult for the Order to figure out who they were connected to, and it took almost no effort to let the fake personas disappear when their eternally youthful faces outlived the name that had been attached.

James took notice of him in the next instant. “And you must be Peter’s brother,” he assessed. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of making your acquaintance.” He studied the vampire with interest. “Let me guess: Fraternal twins?”

“Five minutes apart,” Vail shrugged, playing along with the charade. He propped his elbow on the arm of his seat, resting his cheek against his fist in an apathetic manner. Since he and his father looked so close in age, it wasn’t the first time they had pretended to be twins to explain away their appearances. The lie had become second nature to both of them as they continued to use it for almost two centuries.

“Fascinating,” Doctor Walton mused before turning back to his assigned patient. “Lord Clark told me you may be septic, but I’m going to perform an exam to find out for myself. Do you mind if I take a look at you, My Lady?”