“How can I when you’ve been watching me like a hawk?” Vail teased when Victoria accused him of cheating. Truthfully, he hadn’t noticed that the move he’d played had put her in checkmate until after he’d done it. It had been a delaying tactic at the time, something to keep her distracted while he searched for a way to win the upper hand in the game. Apparently the half thought out trick had worked better than he’d expected, and he came off looking like he knew what he had been doing when his knowledge of chess strategies was actually quite limited. It had been little more than a fluke that he’d managed to best her three times in a row that night.

As her eyes met his, he exhaled quietly, reminded that it wouldn’t be much longer before they would be forced to go back to their intermittent meetings. After spending the last few days in her constant company, he felt like he’d been spoiled. Having the privilege to be with her and talk to her without any time constraints had been exactly what he’d expected from a courtship, despite his father’s insistence that he would only ever court another vampire. He had enjoyed their conversations, learning more about her and opening up to her about himself. It had felt comfortable—natural, even—to grow closer to the Crest heiress, and it was like nothing he had experienced with any member of his own race before. He would miss the ease that cohabitating had brought them while it lasted.

On top of that, he had some lingering worries about what would happen when she returned to her own home. He had been able to save her from her manic fiancé once, but what if Christopher went after her again? He had no way of knowing if she was in danger from a distance, and now that his father knew about their relationship, he was certain he couldn’t get away from the Hygrace manor often enough to keep an eye on her. It was a stressful situation. He just hoped they would be able to turn her quickly enough that the other vampire wouldn’t have another chance to take advantage of her.

At Victoria’s question, Vail nodded without hesitation. “I wouldn’t trust anyone else to do it,” he replied honestly. What he kept to himself was that he still wasn’t completely sure that he could turn her to begin with. From what he’d been told by Reginald, vampires had stopped turning humans long ago, so there was a chance that the ritual could no longer be done today. However, choosing to stay optimistic, he pushed his concerns aside and added, “Besides, I don’t want to involve anyone else in this. I’ve heard enough from my father to know that he would disapprove, and I’m done letting him or anyone else make my decisions for me.”

Feeling resolved, he rose from his chair and stepped around the table to where Victoria was seated. He leaned down to press a firm kiss to her lips, trailing one hand down her arm until he reached her fingers. Her feminine scent made his heart race with a mixture of desire and hunger, and he pulled back before the urge to feed on her tempting blood grew too overwhelming to resist. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he assured her breathily, giving her hand a squeeze as he righted his posture. Enough time had passed that he knew he could make the trip without running into any of his cousins. With that thought in mind, he headed for the door to retrieve the tome.