As soon as the door was closed, Peter turned on Vail with unbridled anger. Now that the humans were gone, he had no more reason to feign politeness and hide the frustration he had felt since he’d first caught the scent of heightened pheromones outside his son’s bedroom door. Sleeping with the Crest heiress—and under the roof of the Hygrace manor, no less—had been one of the most foolish things his successor had ever done. It would not go without punishment.

“My study, [i]now[/i],” he growled, turning to go back up the stairs.

Vail blinked, still caught in a daze as he stared at the ghost of where Victoria had just been. Peter’s words barely registered as he stood processing what had just happened. Part of him wanted to chase after her to proclaim that he loved her too, but doing so would delay her leave and infuriate his father even more. To keep from ruffling any more feathers that morning, he would just have to wait until the next time he and Lady Crest were able to meet.

With that thought in mind, he turned away from the door to drift after the clan leader to his study. Before they even arrived, he already knew what Peter was going to speak with him about. He also knew that his father would have done so sooner if it hadn’t been for the armed Saints in their foyer who might have become violent if they had overheard that the heirs of the Hygrace and Crest families had slept together. Peter’s patience was purely political, and now that their guests were gone, he would say what was on his mind.

“I am beginning to seriously consider making your cousin, Erasmus, my successor,” Peter said in a dangerously quiet tone, closing the door behind them when they were both inside the study. The thin panel of wood wouldn’t be enough to deafen any listening ears if any of the other Hygraces decided to eavesdrop on their conversation, but it provided enough of a semblance of privacy for the clan leader to part with his mask of composure. As he turned back to his son, there was a burning fury in his eyes. “Your actions have been incautious lately, Vail. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but this needs to stop right now. What were you [i]thinking[/i], sleeping with Alexander’s daughter? Do you not understand how reckless that was?”

“We’re in love,” Vail replied simply. It felt strange to admit his feelings to his father first of all people, but there were no stronger words to express the depths of his attachment to Victoria. “And I don’t care if it was reckless. I want to be with her more than I’ve ever wanted to be with anyone else.”

“She’s a human!” Peter snapped. “And, not to mention, she’s engaged to be wed to a member of the Wynter clan. You have no right to lay claim to her when she cannot be yours.”

“She isn’t going to marry him,” Vail asserted stubbornly. “She doesn’t have to. The engagement was arranged by her mother, but it can be broken.”

“You’re stirring up trouble that may just get you killed,” Peter curled his lip. “The Wynter clan is composed of far more than just one man. There is obviously a reason why they want her—”

“For her blood,” Vail interrupted, crossing his arms exasperatedly as he repeated the point to the thick-skulled clan leader.

His father shot him a glare, “Whatever the case, if they’ve set their sights on her, they won’t give up until they have her, and they won’t tolerate an interloper like you getting in their way. All actions have consequences, Vail. If Lord Spencer realizes what you and Lady Victoria did last night, he will be furious. And what if she’s pregnant?” He pinched the bridge of his nose as he noticed a flicker of confusion cross his son’s face. “You didn’t know vampires and humans can interbreed, did you?”

Vail shook his head, “We’re of different species, so I thought…”

“Of course you did,” Peter said dryly. “Yes, we’re of two different species, but vampires are related closely enough to humans that one can reproduce with the other. It is especially risky when the human is female, because their kind is far more fertile than ours. They have limited lifespans, so they bear children at a higher rate in their youth and have a period of time every month when they can be impregnated.” He sighed as the blood drained from Vail’s face. “Sleeping together once doesn’t mean she [i]is[/i] with child. I just need you to understand all the consequences that could result from what you two have done.”

“I didn’t know that part,” the Hygrace heir admitted, deciding not to remind his father that he and Victoria had also been intimate at The Shire. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve made my decision. I want to be with her, and I’m going to do everything I can to make that happen. I’m sorry if you disagree, father. My mind is made up.”

“Don’t be stupid,” the clan leader narrowed his eyes again. “I didn’t want to do this, Vail, but if you continue to defy me, I’m going to have to disown you as a member of our clan.” He held up his hand as Vail opened his mouth to respond. “I would suggest you take the rest of the day to think about the gravity of the decision you choose to make.” With that, he turned and walked out of the study, indicating that the discussion was over.