Vail remained awake long after Victoria succumbed to the clutches of slumber. Nocturnal by nature, he laid by her side, the wheels of his mind spinning as he tried to think of something they could do to solve all of the mounting problems that threatened to pull them apart. Of course, there was no magic answer to fix everything though. The closest they had come was the turning ritual, and even that had proven to be too risky to attempt. He sighed quietly and held her close, warmed beneath the duvet by the heat that radiated from her naked body. His blood cravings had subsided for now, but he still felt restless as the clock ticked against them. If she hadn’t fallen asleep against his chest, he would have gotten up to pace or read or do something productive in the hours that remained until she would be sent back to the Crest manor. Instead, he stayed still, alone with his thoughts while the dark sky outside slowly gave way to the first light of dawn.

The Hygrace heir wasn’t sure when he’d dozed off, but he knew that he must have, because the next thing he realized was that someone was rapping sharply at his bedroom door. He stirred and blinked his eyes open tiredly, exposing his long fangs in a yawn. Morning had come all too quickly, and with it, the arrival of his choleric father. Like Victoria, he was still bare skinned after their tussle in the sheets the night before. The pillows and blankets had been strewn haphazardly around them, and the book they’d been reading had fallen at some point to the floor. He hadn’t seen a reason to cover up the evidence that he and his human lover had been intimate though. Even if they’d tried to pretend like they hadn’t succumbed to their lust, there was no hiding the sickly-sweet pheromones that still hung in the air. Peter could have already detected the damning scent from beyond the door.

When neither of them immediately jumped up to answer his knocking, the clan leader took it upon himself to enter the room without permission. He stepped inside and halted near the entrance, his narrowed eyes fixed on the couple in bed together. He had already found out that Vail had slept with Alexander’s daughter before, but seeing them together now, post coital, made his blood boil. There was much he wanted to say to his increasingly belligerent son and the woman whom continued to take advantage of his misplaced interest. However, her escorts were already waiting for her in the foyer.

“Make yourselves decent,” he growled with barely restrained rage. “Lords Pierce and Alabaster of the Order are here to collect you, Lady Crest.”

And there it was, the proclamation Vail had been dreading for days. He remained still for a moment longer before he reluctantly sat up on the mattress, his bare chest revealed as the sheets that had been covering him fell into a heap in his lap. “Couldn’t you at least give us some privacy?” he asked dryly, noticing that his father had planted himself by the door. If he had been alone, he wouldn’t have minded the other vampire’s presence, but he disliked the thought of his father watching Victoria get ready like a pimp preparing a prostitute.

“It seems I’ve given you far too much privacy,” Peter folded his arms unwaveringly. “Now get dressed. The sooner you’re both clothed; the sooner she can be on her way.”