Victoria’s hesitation made Vail ponder if she was having second thoughts about her earlier declaration that she would do anything for him. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she was. To ask her to give up her humanity, the life that she had always known, was quite a lot. He wasn’t sure if either of them knew the full consequences of the old ritual too. Were turned vampires the same as born vampires? Were there any side effects of the transformation? What if it didn’t work? His thoughts buzzed with unanswered questions, but unfortunately, Reginald was no longer around to ease his concerns. If his father or mother knew about this mysterious part of their species’ history, he doubted they would tell him either. Being with the Crest heiress intimately was already frowned upon. Taking away her humanity was certainly forbidden.

A redaction of the idea was already on the tip of his tongue when she suddenly cupped his cheek in her hand. A flicker of surprise crossed his features as she announced that she would still go through anything to be with him, even after learning what that ‘anything’ was. She was either fearless, or she cared about him more than he’d realized. In spite of himself, he felt a hint of warmth color his face. He and his family were close to one another, but not like this. The affection he felt for Victoria was new. It was voluntary rather than expected, proffered out of a motive he couldn’t quite name but recognized with certainty whenever it bubbled up inside his heart. For the first time, he wondered if this was what it was like to fall in love.

Touched by the conviction in her voice, Vail met Victoria’s lips with tender passion. Had she been feeling well, he would have pressed into her more fervently; but he was aware of how weak she was, so he kept the exchange light. Although he did draw her as close as he could with his arm around her back. As much as he liked their time alone, a part of him wished his father could witness their affectionate exchanges. They were just as devoted to each other as any vampire couple he had ever known, if not more so. If Peter could just bring himself to realize this, maybe he wouldn’t be so cold to the human that had tamed his son’s heart.

Careful not to exhaust her, Vail didn’t draw out the kiss as long as he would have liked. When he pulled away, he glanced at the window, through which bright light still poured into the room. It was earlier than he normally woke when he was operating on a nocturnal schedule. Letting go of Lady Crest’s hand, he moved to the middle of the bed again and laid down beside her, this time nestling underneath the duvet before he wrapped his arms around her. The only other visitors they would be having that day were a servant and possibly Peter, so he could settle down more comfortably to rest while she recovered.

“I’ll see what I can find tonight, when everyone else is asleep,” he promised, burying his head against her neck. Reginald was gone, but his journals and heirloom books were still among the Hygrace archives. If he was going to find more information on the turning ritual, that was the most promising place to search.