Peter had deduced Diana’s identity before she introduced herself to him. The familiar Crest scent, the similarity between her appearance and Victoria’s, and distant mentions of her name during his encounters with her late husband had all pointed him to the conclusion that she was the widow of Lord Alexander Crest. He remained quiet as she explained the reason for her visit, silently irked by yet another mention of the Wynter clan. The only targets the rival vampires would swoop down on were those who were going out of their way to incite their rage. He had kept his family safe for the last century by keeping to his own territory and leaving the other clan be as long as they didn’t actively hurt any Hygraces. There was no reason to alter his method when it had served its purpose thus far.

In the corner of his eye, he could see Katherine observing him keenly. Like their son, it seemed that she had been deceived by the claim that they needed to go out of their way to stop the Wynters from conducting an attack that he doubted would ever come to pass. He usually took his wife’s thoughts into consideration, but for this matter, he was unwilling to compromise. Since Reginald’s death, it was he who had kept their family safe and cooled tensions between the Hygraces and the Wynters. He couldn’t risk sacrificing all of his hard work when all this talk of their enemies was nothing more than rumors.

“Lady Diana, I welcome the continuation of the truce between our families, but the agreement I made with Alexander never entailed that the Hygraces would take up arms alongside the Crests,” his words were firm and unwavering, indicative of his resolution to stay out of the others’ affairs. He hadn’t budged when the issue had been brought to his attention by Vail, Victoria, or Katherine, and he wasn’t going to change his mind now. “If the Order has provoked the Wynter clan, then it is their problem to solve, not ours. We will not get involved in their conflict. I’m sorry.”

--

As the Crest manor came into sight, Vail could already feel himself beginning to salivate at the prospect of tasting her blood again. He was eager to find out how Victoria was doing since the last time they had seen each other, but he couldn’t help his nature. During the days they had been apart, he had gone back to hunting in the streets of London to satisfy his bloodlust and replenish his strength to prepare for the inevitable strike of the Wynters. However, the humans he fed upon couldn’t compare to Lady Crest. He longed for the unique substance that flowed through her veins and made him feel rejuvenated like nothing else.

With a mask of composure, he approached the front door and knocked. Had he known the layout of the interior, he would have attempted to enter through her bedroom window to avoid alerting the staff of the manor to his presence, but since he’d only seen the ballroom, this was the next best option.

He waited for the door to open and then flashed a smile at the maid who appeared on the other side. “Evening,” he greeted her, easily making eye contact as she looked up at his face. “I’m here to see Lady Victoria. May I come in?”