Vail could hear the hesitation in Victoria’s voice when she responded to him, but he was too enthralled by the thought of drinking her blood again to take a metaphorical step back and question if she was prepared to endure a feed that eve. Assuming that she was just nervous about being bitten, he pushed the detail aside as he primed her skin. He knew how to be gentle in the midst of his lust for her blood, and she had recovered quite a bit since Lord Spencer had taken too much. As such, he wasn’t concerned about hurting her like he had the last time he’d impulsively ignored her weakened condition.

When he finally pierced her flesh with his long canines, he felt the quiver run through her body and held onto her instinctively to keep her from slipping out of his grasp. Unlike the last time, her blood flowed much thicker and tasted just as rich as ever before, and he lapped it up zealously. The metallic tang on his tongue and the intoxicating scent in his nose made it difficult for him not to lose himself to a frenzy, but he took intentionally slow breaths to stay grounded as he fed. Her frightful whimpers didn’t escape his keen ears. He didn’t want to fray her nerves any more than they already were by gripping her too firmly and leaving bruises or taking too much of her blood.

However, her shivering didn’t seem to stop. He licked the scarlet liquid from his lips and glanced at her sideways as she continued to tremble in his arms. Her veins were still producing a steady flow, so he was reluctant to quit just yet, but it bothered him to see her act so scared of him. He thought she knew that he would never bring her close to death’s door like her fiancé had. He cared about her deeply, and even though he couldn’t suppress his nature, he did everything in his power to make the experience less unpleasant for her.

Careful not to let her see the blood on his jaw, he lifted one hand to hold her head against his shoulder, trying to comfort her. “Victoria, you need to calm down,” he spoke gently. “The bite is over. I’m not going to take more than what is already flowing, but if you hyperventilate, you could pass out.” His gaze returned to the weeping punctures in her neck. During the time he had paused to address her, some of the blood had trickled down her shoulder into the bathwater. He used his other hand to wipe the thin dribble from her skin and passed his tongue over his fingers so as not to waste the excess.

Victoria shivered in Vail’s arms as she tried to calm down. She nodded at him in response that she needed to calm down. The bite was indeed over. The worst part was over. He had licked any trickling blood she could feel, that was the moment that traumatised her. The feeling of the blood leaving her body. She had too much of it taken from her recently and she feared if she lost anymore, she would surely die. She hadn’t quite recovered mentally from the experience. She knew Vail would in no way hurt her intentionally and he wasn’t like Spencer. “Hold me…” Her voice was but a whimper like a small child.

After a few minutes, her breathing had resumed to normality as she rested against his chest. She kept her mind on other thoughts other than thinking about her blood escaping her veins. With this blood phobia, she wondered how she’d even cope as a vampire who needed to drink it to be strong and survive. She couldn’t see herself biting anyone either. Biting someone was associated with more intimate rituals between lovers. Or animalistic behaviour. She wasn’t born a vampire, so their instincts were not normal to her.

“Sorry…” She sighed and nuzzled against his warm neck. “I’m not…quite myself after….Spencer draining me within an inch of my life. It’s made my blood phobia even worse.” She explained. As long as she didn’t see the blood anywhere, she felt she could cope with Vail biting her and indulging in her. But it did worry her that on some level that’s the only thing he saw special in her, despite being told he cared for her and even loved her since spending time with her when he had not fed on her blood.

“Wouldn’t you miss it though?” She asked curiously and her eyes found their way up to his face. “If I was a vampire…wouldn’t you miss drinking my blood?” She had to ask, her curiosity took the better of her. How would Vail cope without his regular fix that he had gotten used to? He hadn’t indulged when she was too weak to be fed on but he knew there was a chance of hope in the future to drink it more once she was healthy again. If she turned into a vampire, he wouldn’t be able to drink her blood, it would be like cannibalism….wouldn’t it?

At Victoria’s whimper, Vail ran his hand down and up her back, gently stroking her shoulders to remind her that he was there. He had sunk his fangs into her skin and taken some of her blood, but he was still the same man who had expressed his love for her, and he wouldn’t hurt her more than he had to in order to tap into the veins in her neck. Before she even gave an explanation, he guessed that her reaction had more to do with the way Spencer had treated her than it did with anything he was doing now. It saddened him to see her reduced to such a pitiable state when his bite had never impacted her like this in the past.

While she struggled to regain her composure, he carried on with drinking the rest of the blood that poured from her punctured flesh, though he paid closer attention to her pulse and respiration to make sure she didn’t lose consciousness. The flow was still steady, so if he didn’t collect it, the viscous liquid would just drip into the bathwater. He disliked the thought of wasting any of it. With each sweep of his tongue, he could feel the strength coursing through his body that only her blood could provide. He had missed the rejuvenation that came with feeding from her, and he continued to do so until the stream began to dry up.

The sound of her voice beckoned his attention, and he pulled back from her neck to lick the dark stains from the edges of his mouth. He had drunk enough to feel satisfied, so he lifted his other hand to clean his jaw off with water. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” he assured her, watching the water tinge pink where her blood mixed with it. “I didn’t know you had a phobia.” He wouldn’t have even considered it, since she had volunteered her neck to him the first time he had fed on her. It surprised him that a woman with a fear of blood would do such a thing, let alone continue to humor him every few days when he came by to pierce her again. She was either foolhardy or brave—or perhaps a little of both.

Fortunately, he had washed away all the remnants of the feed from his face by the time Victoria sought his eyes. Holding her gaze, he pondered her question. “Well, yes,” he admitted honestly. “We don’t drink from each other, since there’s nothing to be gained from it, and I am especially fond of your blood.” Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her lips and then pulled back again with a smile. “But I love you, Victoria. Not what I can get out of you. If you could become a vampire, I wouldn’t hesitate to give up making you my prey, because I would get to keep you for a lifetime, and that’s far better.” He rested his hands on her waist below the water and kissed her again to punctuate the statement.

“There’s no reason to concern yourself with that though,” Vail reminded her with a sigh. “It isn’t worth trying when you might lose your life if in the process.”

Victoria managed a small smile at Vail as he soothed her with his tender lips, she closed her eyes to breathe him in. At first, her phobia was able to be coped with. It was only other people’s blood she didn’t like to see. Still blood was fine. Any flowing blood made her feel faint. It was now when losing so much of her own blood, seeing it being physically extracted from her like she was a cow being milked in a factory, that she couldn’t stand anything to do with it any longer. She didn’t think telling Vail about it would stop him, however. At least he tried to make it as painless and unpleasant for her as possible. He was nothing but considerate toward her and that did prove to her that he did have deep feelings of love for her. But how far would he really go for her blood?

At his confession he would miss her blood, she nodded as she obviously knew the answer. But at his reaffirmation that he loved her, another question struck her mind. “Then how come the first thing you want from me is my blood and not my body?” She grinned teasingly at the vampire as she leaned in to nibble his earlobe enticingly. True, it was too dangerous for her to be turned until more evidence could come to light or even technology could assist with it. They had just about perfected blood transfusions medically without patients dying, the invention of antibiotics had helped with any septicaemia resulting from the procedure. Perhaps that’s how the humans that didn’t survive the transition, died? But how could they experiment with this, they didn’t exactly have willing test subjects throwing themselves at their feet.

She winced at him as he told her not to concern herself with it. He could tell her all he wanted, she still would. Eventually death would claim her. It was only worth trying when she was in actual fact, at death’s door. But if she were turned at an older age, would she revert to her youthful age or stop ageing at her current physical state? Questions, questions…she could only sigh as she pondered, sweeping her delicate hand down Vail’s bare chest as she rested her head atop his shoulder for a few quiet moments in contemplation and savouring her time with the man she was effectively banned from seeing by his father.

“I think I deserve my reward now for letting you drink from me, despite my phobia.” She still went through with it, for him. Bravery was nothing to do with it. Quite simply, she would do anything for this man. He had stolen her heart and she had fallen for him hopelessly and completely. If he asked her for her hand in marriage it would make her the happiest woman alive. She didn’t care how long she’d have to wait for Peter’s blessing or in fact going ahead with it without his blessing altogether. She was just happy that Vail felt the same and this infused her with such feelings of deep love and the desire for him that came along with it. There was no denying he was the best-looking gentleman in the city. If this female vampire Peter so eagerly wanted Vail to be with, knew of his preference of a relationship with a human instead, she might positively think herself hard done by! A human capable of outdoing a vampire? This was proof that they should never underestimate the resolve of a Crest woman.

“It’s a difference of priorities,” Vail exhaled as Victoria took his earlobe between her teeth. With his bloodlust satisfied, there was nothing left to distract him from the beautiful woman sitting on his lap. Her teasing smile and playful nibble caused a different kind of lust to surface, and he sensuously followed the curves of her hips and waist with his hands. “My kind lives far longer than yours, so our instinct to preserve life is stronger than our desire to procreate,” he explained thoughtfully, reflecting on the lessons he had been taught by Reginald and Peter. “Assuming I’m not killed, I’ll be here for centuries while humans rarely see more than eight decades. Because of that, I don’t have the same urgency to have children as mortal men do, and my drive to keep myself alive by drinking blood is far higher. It has nothing to do with how I feel about you.”

It was also why violence between vampire clans was so devastating. The reign of the Hygraces had helped their population stabilize, because they had acted as protectors of their kind whenever the Order struck, but if they dissolved into squabbling amongst each other, the Saints wouldn’t even need to lift a finger against them. They would destroy themselves.

Idly, he wondered if their lower libido was also related to the fact that they could add to their numbers by turning humans with a bite. Since the ritual was no longer widely used, his family had never listed it as a method of procreation, but it seemed logical to him that they wouldn’t have as much of a need to bear natural children if there was a more convenient way to go about procreation. The only reason they didn’t do it that way anymore seemed to be because of their evolving view of humanity. If looking at mortals as more than just prey was discouraged, he could only image that adopting one into a pureblooded family line would be considered abominable.

When Victoria leaned her head on his shoulder, Vail rested his cheek against her hair. “If you don’t believe me: Before you came along and seduced me at The Shire,” he squeezed her in a hug as he teased her in return, “I hadn’t been with a woman since the 1700’s.” Not to say that the thought had never crossed his mind. There had been a few vampires who had caught his eye over the past two centuries, but after the novelty of intimacy had worn off, he was no longer interested in meaningless flings. He had been content with his solitary life, and it hadn’t been until Lady Crest had streaked her lips with blood that his dormant carnal appetite had been rekindled.

At her request for her reward, the Hygrace heir smiled and turned his head to murmur in a low tone in her ear, “I think you do.” Reaching up to her chin, he coaxed her to turn toward his face with a touch of his finger and kissed her deeply as he held her close to himself. His hands wandered over her attractive body, tracing her soft skin beneath the water, but before he could push to escalate things, he paused as his father’s words came back to him. He still wanted to have her, but he didn’t feel right about doing so when only one of them was aware of the possible consequences.

Pulling back from her lips, he cleared his throat and met her gaze. “Before we do this, you should know something,” he said slowly. “I found out recently that it’s possible for vampires and humans to conceive across species. I don’t know much about it, but I want to make sure you’re comfortable with the possibility that we could… that you might become pregnant if we keep sleeping together.”

She was surprised he hadn’t been with a woman in such a long time. It all made sense to her now. A vampire’s priority was to prolong their already long life rather than to procreate and pass on their DNA like humans had a natural base instinct to. Not that it was a priority for Victoria, as she had never really thought about having children or even the real need to. She was content enough with her life before the dangers to take up motherly duties. Now with the impending war with the Wynters and The Order, she was in very real danger. It wasn’t safe for her to bring a child into the world. Then again, if it were Vail’s child. It would be half vampire…and a Hygrace.

She pulled back and blinked at Vail a couple of times. “They…can?” She sounded shocked at being told vampires and humans could breed together. She supposed they were not that different anatomically. “I didn’t know…” She backed away slightly. Her mother could have saved her from any risk by telling her that it could happen, then perhaps she wouldn’t have been so eager to seduce the man. All she saw was someone to connect to on a physical level, not to procreate with so soon. This was why usually couples were married before they had sex so that when the woman ended up pregnant, it wasn’t looked at as scandalous. But if Victoria were to become pregnant accidentally, there would be more than human gossip to worry about. Vail’s father would be even more furious, despite Vail being the only son he had to give him grandchildren. He may not accept a half breed into his family. It was worrisome to think about.

She sighed. “Then I could already be pregnant. It’s too late to tell me now.” As it took four to six weeks before a woman got the symptoms of morning sickness and lateness to her periods, Victoria was just about on that timescale since their night at The Shire. She figured she wouldn’t have her usual period after her blood drain, there wouldn’t be anything left to produce more blood, her body would conserve it. Not to mention her recent stress, which also affected a woman’s cycle. She felt so stupid, not thinking about this risk before. She looked at Vail with a hint of worry. What if she was already? What would they do? How would they cope? “I….never really thought about having children anytime soon, however it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I did. But I suppose this new information does change things…” She sighed slightly. Not that she wouldn’t want to have his child, but they weren’t exactly approved of as a couple and wouldn’t even have their marriage sanctioned.

Victoria gazed into Vail’s eyes sadly, her blue pearls twinkling in the soft candlelight. “And what about you Vail…? Would you be alright with it if I did become pregnant? Your father hates me enough as it is, I cannot see him allowing you to have a child with me...” She reminded him of the obvious, but would Vail see it that way – a child would be an unnecessary burden upon his family. Or it could be the thing that united them depending on circumstance. She just didn’t want to end up as a single mother with Vail visiting her and their child once a month and being married off to another female vampire. Or even worse, ignored completely and cast aside with her bastard half breed child and kept a secret from every other Hygrace there was. At least if they decided not to sleep together anymore, Vail wasn’t a man hell bent on sexual desire and could easily live without it.

Vail nodded his confirmation when Victoria questioned him in surprise. He had been just as unprepared when Peter had told him that vampires and humans could reproduce together a few days ago. It was something he wished they had known earlier, especially when they had already slept together twice without any thought of the possibility that their actions could bring a new life into the world. He didn’t regret taking the plunge from predator and prey to lovers, but as one who preferred to have all the information he needed to make an informed decision before acting, it had been shocking to find out belatedly that they might face an unexpected consequence because of what they had done.

It was also true that it was too late to tell her when she may have already become pregnant. The thought made him feel woozy. He didn’t know if human women experienced pregnancy the same way his kind did, but he was aware that it took time before symptoms appeared in both of their species. The prospect of having children of his own had never crossed his mind since he hadn’t planned to take a wife until he took over as the next head of the Hygraces and needed to name a successor. Even when he had been young and experimental, it hadn’t been difficult to avoid the narrow window of time in which a vampire could be impregnated. If he and a female immortal had wanted to be intimate, they could tell by the strength of her pheromones if she was fertile or not. According to his father, though, mortal women were fecund far more often than their undying counterparts.

When Victoria asked if the risk changed anything for him, Vail remained quiet. There was a lot to consider. First and foremost, she was right that his father would never approve if they conceived a child together. He hadn’t heard of another instance in which a human and a vampire had offspring—it was why he had assumed it was impossible—but now, he wondered if there were none because the clans refused to accept half breeds among their ranks. As long as the Order was hunting them down so viciously, it was nearly impossible for a vampire to survive without the protection of their family too. Any children they had would be cast aside as anathemas, and if he chose to side with them, it was likely that he would be exiled as well. It wasn’t exactly an appealing future.

And then there was the matter of what would happen to Lady Crest. Even if she wanted nothing to do with Lord Spencer, the fact remained that she was still engaged to marry him. If word got out that she was pregnant with another man’s child—and a Wynters’ rival, no less—he couldn’t imagine that the other vampire would just stand by without taking out his anger on her. They would have to flee London to protect her from his wrath. Going it alone would be their only option. No matter how he looked at it, their already difficult lives would just become even more dangerous if they had a child now.

“That’s… hard to answer,” he finally spoke as he mulled over the dilemma in his head. “If you became pregnant, I can’t think of a way it would end well for us. As you said, my father would never approve of any children we may have. I would probably have to forfeit my inheritance, and we would have to be on our own…” He sighed. “But, I still want to be with you, and this is a risk that isn’t going to disappear by itself. I may not be as sexually driven as a human man, but I still love you.” He wrapped his arms around her to close the distance she had formed when she’d pulled away. “I don’t to spend whatever time we have left keeping you at an arm’s length because of something that might happen. I understand if this is a fire you don’t want to play with, but if you still want to be with me, then I’m willing to move forward… We’ll just have to be a little more careful from now on.” He offered her a half smile. “No matter what, I’m not going to leave you, Victoria. I’ll do whatever I can to be there for you because you’re mine.”

Vail had a point. It only might just happen. However, if it did then they would be at a disadvantage the rest of their lives, and as he put it, very alone. Their child would suffer. It just wasn’t worth that risk. Not until they were sure their union was approved by both families. A half breed would not be accepted right now. Perhaps if they were married, it would in time? Victoria had a good grasp of human anatomy enough to work out her fertility cycle. She was supposed to be in the middle of it right now, but she had also missed her last period, which she thought was due to the blood drain. If she were pregnant upon their first encounter at the inn, surely the foetus would not have survived her ordeal. Her body would be too weak to carry it. She knew her mother had a few miscarriages before Victoria was born. It was a precarious thing, carrying life. However, she could fall pregnant now she was better.

At the mention that Vail wasn’t as sexually driven as mortal men, and it made sense that the drive to procreate quickly wasn’t as vital to a vampire. Although, it may ought to be if their numbers were indeed dwindling. She didn’t care if he wasn’t interested in intimacy or not, but she was rather enjoying their amorous activities. It had been the first time she’d felt alive. She smiled warmly as he confessed his love for her again and leaned on his chest when he wrapped his arm around her. A soft sigh escaped her lips. It was still nice to cuddle. She noted he did not wish to keep her at arm’s length for fear she might fall pregnant. That meant he didn’t not want to be intimate ever again with her, which made her heart swell.

They would have to be careful, she nodded in agreement at that. She looked up into the lad’s eyes when he declared he would not leave her. Whatever happens, he would be there. And that is all she could truly ask of him. Even if they were unfortunate to birth a child together and be shunned forever. At least they would have each other. Adoption certainly would not be an option. No vampire would take it, no human would want to raise a predator. The Order would destroy it as an abomination that went against everything they stood for. Their only choice would be to flee. It was not worth risking right now. So intercourse would be off the table now she knew the full details. Hopefully Vail would be able to sense her pheromones to know when she was in her fertile window.

She loved the feeling that Vail had a certain possessiveness over her. It made her feel giddy inside. Her smile transformed into a grin after she pecked his cheek sweetly in admiration for his promise. “You know...there are other ways to be intimate…” She teased as she leaned in to kiss him.

---

They both dried off with their towels and Victoria wrapped her hair in another smaller towel like a turban with strands of brunette curls peaking out along her face. She smiled at Vail with pink flushed cheeks. “You know, for a man who claims to have not been with a woman in a century…you certainly know what you are doing.” She winked playfully. She fastened the towel around her torso and approached him slowly, sliding her hands up along his bare biceps. “When will we see each other again?” She asked as she heard the front door go. Obviously, her mother had returned. She was eager to find out what had occurred at the Hygrace manor.

Vail closed his eyes as Victoria leaned into his chest, enjoying the feeling of her warm body pressed against his in the porcelain tub. That was something he could never have if he had chosen to be with another vampire. Humans may not have been as sturdy as his own kind, but the heat that Lady Crest’s slender frame produced made his cool skin tingle pleasantly. He was fond of holding her, and even though the intimacy that had been developing between them had been interrupted, he could still keep her close in a harmless embrace. The fragrance of the bathwater would mask her scent from his family as well. When he returned to the Hygrace manor, all he had to do was say that he had fed on a woman wearing a strong perfume if anyone asked about the floral scents that now clung to his bare flesh. Peter couldn’t accuse him of visiting his lover on mere feminine aromas alone.

The peck she placed on his cheek roused Vail from his thoughts, and he opened his eyes again to see her face. Her sultry words drew a smile to his lips that lingered as she leaned in to press her mouth against his. There was a mild disappointment inside of him now that he knew they would have to be mindful of the potential consequences of sleeping together in the future. However, as he was not a human with a powerful urge to reproduce, he wasn’t so attached to the prospect of intercourse that he would sulk about the loss. And she was right. There were other ways they could be with each other without risking the inception of a half-blood child. With that thought in mind, he arched his back to lean over her and pulled her in at the waist, deepening the kiss as he caressed her soft skin with his fingertips.

---

Drying himself off with the towel he had borrowed from Victoria, Vail was careful to collect as many of the water droplets as he could. It was one thing to tell his family that he had fed on heavily perfumed prey, but it was quite another to convince them that he hadn’t been up to anything else if he came back wet on a cloudless night. While he had joined his human lover in her bathtub, he had taken care not to soak his ash brown hair with any stray splashes, since it would take longer to dry off, but he still had to mop up the water that glistened on his pale torso. Even though Peter had reluctantly backed down from trying to force him to keep his distance from her, the Hygrace heir knew he had pushed his luck with the clan leader more often than he should have recently. He didn’t want to start fighting again if he could avoid the conflict.

“I can’t take all the credit,” he glanced up at Victoria with a hint of amusement, wrapping his towel around his lean waist. “You make it easy to tell when you like what I’m doing.” It had been the same at The Shire and again in his bedroom. Every twist of her body and sound that escaped her lips cued him to her preferences. He had only needed to pay attention to her responses to know what she fancied, and the fact that he had kept to himself for the last century had little to do with his performance. “I should say that you know your way around a man’s body as well,” he commented as she approached. “At least, you know your way around mine.”

He rested his hands on her hips, his hazel eyes flicking toward the bathroom door as he heard the distinct turn of the knob at the front entrance. At the same time, he picked up the now-familiar scent of her mother. “I hadn’t thought about it,” he mused, turning back to Victoria and letting his gaze drift down to the fresh bite mark on her snow white neck. “But I’d like to see you every third night again if I can. Now that I know which room is yours, I can stop in through the window too, so no one has to know I’m here.”

Lady Crest welcomed Lord Hygrace’s hands on her curvy hips and she slid one hand down his lean torso to caress his skin tenderly. She still couldn’t believe what started out as a classical dance evolved into the forbidden lover’s journey. Victoria smiled at Vail and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You make it so easy to know what to do..” Of course, she was inexperienced in the ways of intimacy and Vail had been her very first sexual encounter. And somewhere deep down, Victoria hoped her last when they would be together for as long as she lived.

“You don’t have to climb through my window, you’re always welcome here.” She nuzzled her nose against his cheek playfully. For Vail he didn’t have to hide his affections for the Crest heiress in the Crest household. “Although, you best put your clothes back on and look decent in front of my mother.” She chuckled and let him get changed back into his dry clothes. She walked out of the bathroom with her wet hair pinned up. She received her mother just outside her bedroom wearing only her bathrobe.

“Well? How did your talk with Peter go?” Victoria was eager to find out how it went. Diana merely shook her head. “He did not take any of our information to heart. He will not get involved.”

“Just as we thought…” Victoria sighed along with her mother. “I saw the young Lord Hygrace depart upon my arrival. I take it he came to visit?” Diana commented just as Victoria glanced back at her bedroom door. “Yes. He’s just changing.” She made no effort to cover up her new bite mark and Diana frowned and with sad eyes brushed her fingers against the wound. “It doesn’t hurt, mother.” Victoria stated.

“Darling, you must be careful though. You could get another infection.” She knew full well how irresistible her blood was to vampires. “I’ll keep it clean, mother.” Victoria insisted with a nod and Diana winced at this. “Ensure that you do…although I am not overly fond of him still feeding from your blood and putting you at risk like that. What are his intentions? Is he going to marry you or just keep using you as his personal bloodbag?” She had thought Vail wouldn’t be like Francois. Victoria brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and blushed bright red, she knew Vail could hear all this. “I…don’t know.” She admitted the truth, she did not know of Vail’s intentions. “But what I do know is that he has vowed not to leave me and that he loves me.”

Diana sighed. “But you are being careful, aren’t you?” She asked in a low tone. Victoria blinked at her. Did she also know of the dangers of intimacy between a vampire and a human? Victoria appeared anxious and looked down sheepishly. “Oh darling, why did you not tell me sooner?” Diana appeared even more worried and took her hands. “You risk becoming pregnant, you understand that don’t you?” Diana firmly gripped her daughter’s hands pleadingly. “I didn’t know we could reproduce as two different species.” She admitted. “But…how do you know of this mother?”

Diana shifted on her feet. “I just know someone whom it happened to and I don’t want it to happen to you.”

“Really,” Vail blinked when Victoria said he was welcome in her home. The maid had granted him entrance once that night, but he hadn’t assumed that he would be permitted to come and go as he pleased when it became apparent that he was the Crest heiress’s forbidden lover. As far as he was aware, she was still technically engaged to Lord Spencer, and the Saints had been firm in their decision to uphold their union. By getting involved, he was directly hindering their plans. He also wasn’t used to their unusual relationship being tolerated by others. His father had been adamant that they were fools for trying to be together, and on some level, he had assumed that anyone else who found out about them would agree with the Hygrace leader. It surprised him that she was so confident that her family and their servants would be comfortable with letting him in through the front door every few days to see her.

As Victoria went on to say that he should make himself decent for her mother, his eyes widened slightly. He had heard Diana enter the manor, but he’d assumed she would retire to her own quarters without stopping by to check on them. Now that she mentioned it, though, he perceived the distant sound of footsteps approaching her bedroom. The thought of facing the widow in her own home unsettled him. When he had confronted her on the doorstep of the Hygrace estate, he had been in his family’s territory and he hadn’t just been intimate with her daughter. They had only spoken about serious matters as well. During that short period of time, they hadn’t truly been introduced to one another, and he found the current situation—scrambling to dress himself after fooling around with Lady Crest in her bathtub—a less than ideal way to meet for a second time.

Despite his qualms, there wasn’t time to protest before Victoria proceeded to pin her hair up and head for the door, so he pushed down his unease and quickly slipped his clothes back on. From behind the dividing wall of the bathroom, he could hear their conversation plainly. Unsurprisingly, Peter had disregarded Diana’s advice about the Wynters. He had expected nothing more, since his father refused to see that the tactic that had kept the Hygraces safe for decades had an expiration date. It was still discouraging to hear that the stubborn patriarch hadn’t even taken her warning into consideration though. He sighed to himself, leaning his shoulders against the wall and folding his arms over his chest while he continued to listen to the two Crest women talk.

The next subject to arise was the bite mark he had left on Victoria’s neck, of course. Vail remained planted out of sight in the bathroom, fully dressed but reluctant to make an appearance just yet. He ruminated on Diana’s words. The widow was understandably concerned about the fact that he was still feeding on her daughter’s sweet blood, but it wasn’t like he was trying to put her at risk of infection. Every time he bit her, he took every precaution to minimize her pain and keep the wound clean. Short of giving up access to her veins completely, there was nothing else he could do to protect her, and he was too addicted to the vitalizing effects to do that.

My intentions, the thought resonated in his head. Truth be told, even he wasn’t entirely sure what his intentions were in the long term. If it had been solely up to him, he would have whisked her away in an instant and made her his wife, but everything was much too complicated for that. All he could do for now was love her in the present and hope that they would find a way to be together in spite of the barriers between them. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than nothing.

The subject changed again, and this time Vail knitted his brows skeptically. His ears were keen enough to detect the subtle palpitation of Diana’s heartbeat when she said that she knew someone whom had been impregnated by a vampire before. She was lying to Victoria. Privately, he wondered why she would be dishonest with her daughter about such a thing, but seeing as it wasn’t his place to get in the middle of it, he said nothing as he finally stepped out from behind the wall. His hazel gaze traveled over the older woman with a reticent but knowing look, the only giveaway that he was aware of what she had done.

Still unsure how to approach the widow when he wasn’t as familiar with her as he was with his human lover, he merely came to a stop at Victoria’s side and acknowledged Diana with an incline of his head, “Lady Crest.”

Victoria turned just as Vail came out to greet the two women. Diana looked up at him. “Lord Hygrace.” She could not smell the pheromones in the air, but she wasn’t one to judge as she was just as Victoria in her youth when around a handsome man…or vampire. “I fear your father has a severe case of stubbornitis. I hope you can convince him further or your family might be in very real danger because of your attachment to my daughter.” She held Victoria’s hand gently. “Spencer will come for her again.” She anxiously expressed with solemn eyes.

Victoria gazed downward. “I will not let him have me without a fight.” She squeezed her mother’s hand. “And Vail wont either.” She looked up at Vail with hope flickering behind her eyes as she reached her free hand out toward him for strength and support. She just hoped the Order were ready for the Wynter’s arrival. “He is no longer my fiancé. I renounced his proposal officially and cancelled all the wedding plans.” Their engagement was officially off. She hoped this made Vail happy that she was officially a free woman to make her own decision. And she chose to be with Vail.

“I hope that…once this is all over…that your father with come to accept us...” Victoria’s tone squeaked a little. Diana nodded. “I accept you both. I know love’s young dream when I see it. You remind me of me and your father.” Diana smiled at Victoria. “And if they don’t accept you as their daughter in law. Then more fool them.” She stroked her cheek softly as Victoria nodded sadly. She was sure Vail saw her worth even if she were a lowly human. “You are welcome here with us, Vail.” She told him firmly before bowing to him and retiring for the evening. Victoria smiled at Vail brightly. Now he would know where she had got her grace and beauty, her kind and soft heart from. Whereas her bravery, wit and stubbornness she received from her father.

She escorted Vail down to the front door. She opened it for him as she knew it was time for him to return to his manor. "So...what are your intentions, Lord Hygrace? With your family and the next move with your father at least?" She wondered what his plan was. She knew his intentions with her were to stay by her side throughout this whole ordeal. Even at the risk of losing his family. She hld onto his hand as long as she could before he had to leave her.

Vail wasn’t sure what he had expected when he’d approached the Crest ladies, but Diana’s nonchalance gave him clearance to relax. She was much more accepting of him than Peter ever had been of Victoria. Despite the fact that he had used her daughter for her blood again and fooled around with her in the bathroom—as was made obvious due to his state of undressed when she’d arrived—the widow was surprisingly calm and didn’t even spare a single comment about their relationship. Her inviting nature was like a breath of fresh air after his own family had reprimanded and ridiculed him for ‘playing with his food’ as his cousins had so tastelessly put it. He liked how much simpler everything felt when he didn’t have to be on a constant defense.

“I’m well aware of that,” he sighed when Diana reminded him about the potential consequences of Peter’s stubbornness. “He’s too set in his ways to believe me either though. I’m doing everything I can, but as long as he’s the patriarch of our clan, my hands are tied.” The most he could get away with was gently nudging his other family members to stay in pique condition without directly telling them that he was pushing back against his father’s wishes. Since word had gotten out about his romance with Lady Crest, he’d lost all credibility among the Hygraces. It was the most frustrating place he could be when a war was looming on the horizon. He just hoped that if or when the time came, he could persuade the rest of the clan to rally so that they wouldn’t be massacred by the Wynters.

As Victoria declared that she wouldn’t allow Lord Spencer to have her, Vail nodded in agreement. He had tiptoed around her fiancé for long enough. Now that he was both certain and confident about his feeling for the Crest heiress, he intended to fight for her. He wouldn’t allow the rival vampire to take advantage of her again. And to his delight, it seemed like the villain was no longer holding all the cards. “You did?” he turned to Victoria with raised brows as she informed him that her engagement was off. The annulment was long overdue, but he was still impressed that she had cut ties with Spencer when the Order had been backing him since the beginning. “Good,” he smiled at her, supportively lacing his fingers with hers. “It’s about time he understood that he’ll never have you, because you’re mine.”

His father was another story. When Victoria mentioned him, Vail said nothing. Unlike Diana, Peter was openly hostile to the idea of his only son getting involved with a mortal. It didn’t matter how much she mattered to him because the clan leader couldn’t see past her human skin. “Thank you,” he inclined his head politely to the widow as she exited the room, appreciative of her acceptance. Between himself and the Crest heiress, he had inarguably gotten the better future in laws—assuming they would be able to get married one day, that was.

Privately, he wondered how furious Peter would be if he requested to move into the Crest manor for the decades that remained of Victoria’s limited life. It was unorthodox, since a bride was usually adopted into her new husband’s family, but nothing else about their relationship was conventional. Besides, he preferred the thought of living with her someplace where they wouldn’t be berated constantly by people who thought they were fools. Her family’s estate would certainly be more peaceful than his in that regard.

Walking alongside her to the door, he considered her question. “My intentions are to keep loving you,” he replied after a pause, glancing at her sideways. “I wish I could tell you that I had some sort of grand plan to win my father over, but I don’t. With everything else that has been going on recently, I haven’t had time to think about it. I’ve made it clear to him that I’m not going to change my mind about you and that he’s going to have to accept it since he can’t pass off my inheritance to anyone else without causing an uproar among our relatives. Anything else I try will have to wait until my family is no longer in danger.”

He leaned down to press a kiss to her temple. “I don’t know what lies ahead, my love, but I promise I’m not done fighting for us yet. I’d like to one day be able to call you my fiancée, and later my wife. For now, though, you’re just going to have to trust me. I’m not going anywhere, even if my father disapproves.”

Victoria blushed with coyness as Vail laced his fingers with hers and declared she was his. In a more formal fashion. He made his feelings perfectly clear to his own family before and now to his future mother in law, she hoped, at least. She was grateful that her mother was so accepting of him and took it so well but then again, she saw the horrors Lord Spencer had put her through.

As Victoria escorted Vail to the door, she smiled upon hearing his intentions were to keep loving her. She could not ask for more than that. Other than a gesture of commitment in the form of an engagement ring. Which would enrage his father, of course. She sighed when Vail expressed, he didn’t have any kind of plan to win over Peter. Only time would tell. Or if the Wynters made a move on them. So, it was settled then, they would wait until the Wynters were dealt with. And that meant more training with the Order. Victoria wasn’t going down without a fight. She only latched her hand tightly around Vail’s cooler skinned hand.

She received his kiss with a soft sigh, she loved the feeling of his lips upon her porcelain skin. She swooned as he called her ‘his love’ for the very first time. She never thought two words would melt her heart so much than those he spoke. She smiled brightly when he declared he was going to fight for her, for them both to be together. She almost gasped at the mention he wanted to make her his fiancé and wife in the future, her cheeks flushed bright red. “I do trust you, Vail. With my life, my soul and my heart.” She revealed softly. She was happy he wasn’t going to let his father win in his decision to keep them apart.

“Once we deal with the Wynters and when everything has calmed down, we can discuss our future…” She didn’t want to add ‘if she lived’ at the end of the sentence. She didn’t want to think about that. “So I shall see you in three days’ time?” She confirmed his plan. She knew he was still sneaking out of his manor house and keeping his rendezvous with his lover a secret from his father. “I’ll miss you, until then I shall be waiting.” She tiptoed up to peck his lips gently with her ruby ones. As she released his lips, she grinned at him. “My love.”

A pleased smile pulled at Vail’s lip when Victoria declared that she trusted him with every part of her being. He could tell by her occasional questions that she wanted more than just an informal, secretive relationship with him, and he truly did want to give her more than that. He was grateful that she was willing to be patient for now. It would have been selfish of them to put their romance above the threat of the Wynters, because he knew that doing so would only further distract Peter and sever their trust in one another. For the sake of the slim chance that the clan leader might take his advice about preparing for war one day, he would have to keep meeting with the Crest heiress subtly. It was for the safety of his family, and he was glad that she seemed to understand his reasoning.

When she repeated the plan back to him, he nodded. “And no later,” he assured her. Even though he was the one who had insisted that they wait, he wasn’t eager to postpone taking another step forward with her either. Since her lifespan was so brief, it felt to him like they didn’t have very much time. The few decades they would have together were a mere blink compared to his immortal existence. The knowledge didn’t deter him from investing in her as a mate, but it still saddened him to know that the woman who had stolen his heart would only be able to hold onto it for thirty or forty years. He didn’t want to wait any longer than was necessary to stop hiding and be with her every day.

Leaning down slightly, Vail met Victoria’s lips as she kissed him and then met her blue eyes adoringly. “And I’ll miss you as well,” he agreed with a quiet exhale, though a soft smile graced his lips when she called him her love. Although she had been ill at the time, he had enjoyed the days they had been able to spend in his bedroom after he’d whisked her off to the Hygrace manor. It had felt like a window into the future that he longed to share with her, one in which they didn’t have to spend more time apart than together. He hoped the next three days would pass by quickly, so he could return to see her again.

“Stay safe, Victoria,” he advised, his thoughts wandering back to the ominously quiet Lord Spencer. “If you need me before the end of three days, don’t hesitate to tell me. I meant it when I said you’re mine, and I protect what’s important to me. As long as I can help it, I’m not going to allow him to hurt you again.” His lip curled slightly at the mention of the rival vampire, but the cold expression vanished as he planted one more kiss on her cheek. “Barring any incidents, I’ll see you in three days.”

Turning to the door, he stepped out into the cold night and casted her one last glance over his shoulder. “I love you,” he said to her once more just before he closed the door behind him and began the walk back to the Hygrace manor.

Those three words had such power over Victoria. She felt a rush of tingles as he said he loved her. She couldn’t be anymore lucky to have the vampire Lord’s love, rather than just his desire for her blood. She bid him a goodbye blown kiss from her hand before he shut the door behind him. She then turned and leaned her back against the door, sighing contently. She wore a soft smile on her face and her cheeks felt flushed. She stared dreamily off into the distance for a few minutes thinking about Vail. She missed him already.

She ventured up to her room to get some much-needed sleep before training resumed tomorrow. She would keep herself busy until she saw Vail again in three days. She felt giddy knowing Vail vowed to protect her from Spencer. Instead of planning her wedding to Vail, she was training for an upcoming battle with the Wynter clan. She didn’t exactly live a normal life to any other noblewoman.

---

It was nearly five am when there was a loud bang at the front door. Victoria awoke with a contorted expression. “What in the name of God…?” She sighed as there was no servants in to get the door. More banging ensued as she put on her long dressing gown and slippers. “Hold on!” She shouted as she hobbled down the stairs sleepily. She got to the door and shouted. “Who is it?”

“Ray and Gerald! Open up it’s pissing it down!” Gerald shouted back through the wooden double doors. Victoria sighed and opened the door to the two drowned rats. “Do you know what time it is?”

“Five am.” Ray declared as he rushed past with what looked like a tiny scroll that a carrier pigeon used. “The Wynters have landed in Southampton, sooner than we expected.” He warned her as her expression turned to worry. “Really? That means they’ll be here within two day or so at their speed of travel on foot.” She knew the speed of vampires from learning more about them.

“We have no time to prepare. We must put our plan into action.” Gerald stated as Victoria put her hand to her temple in frustration. “I thought we had weeks to prepare, not days…” She sighed and looked up at them both. “So what is the plan? Run, hide or fight?” She asked and folded her arms.

“The plan is to fight with a back up to run and escape to your aunt’s manor in Scotland.” Ray revealed and beckoned her to follow him to her kitchen. He got out a map of London. “We’ll set up the first defence perimeter here along London Bridge. Then the second defence line here at Waterloo, the third here at Piccadilly Circus and the final on the outskirts before reaching Crest Manor.” He pointed out some markings at the locations. “And we’ll set up a trap for the rest that filter through the defence lines.” Gerald added. “With fire, brimstone and lots of silver.”

“Shouldn’t we let the Hygrace’s know? I’m sure Vail will help us fight.” Victoria suggested.

“We don’t need that vampire to fight our battles.” Gerald snorted and she sighed at him.

The return journey to the Hygrace manor was uneventful for Vail. He made it back to his family’s territory without incident and even arrived at his bedroom without being stopped and questioned by any of his relatives. Even though he’d already come up with an excuse to explain away the floral perfume that clung to his skin, he was relieved that he didn’t have to use it before he retreated to the sanctuary of his private quarters for the night. Attempting to dodge a potential argument with Peter, he remained behind the closed door, occupying his time by reading more of the book he had found in the archive until his concentration was broken by a quiet knock.

He permitted the visitor to enter, silently praying that it wasn’t his father, and then raised a brow bemusedly as his mother stepped into the room. She looked worn with tired eyes and skin that was slightly paler than usual, and her clothes were spattered with flecks of blood—not her own, Vail determined when he pinpointed the scent as human. “What are you still doing up?” he queried, setting his book aside to give her his full attention. Like the rest of their family, Katherine had adjusted to a daylight schedule, so he had thought she would be sleeping until sunrise.

“A new refugee arrived after you left,” she sighed, closing the door behind her.

“Oh?” Vail mused, his hazel eyes drifting quizzically down to her stained clothes.

Katherine followed his gaze and shook her head sourly. “It belongs to a servant,” she answered his unspoken question. “Erasmus forgot himself and bit the poor girl. I had to separate them before she fainted from shock.”

Vail nodded thoughtfully. It was rare for one of his relatives to prey upon the humans who served them, but he suspected he knew why his cousin had done so. Even though the other Hygraces had laughed in his face about the threat of the Wynters, Erasmus must have secretly taken the warning to heart. If the cowardly vampire thought his life was in danger, he would have stopped leaving the premises to feed altogether until his bloodlust had grown so unbearable that he’d snapped. His cousin’s mistake would be difficult for the rest of the family to recover from—anytime this happened, the servants became terrified of the vampire clan they served—but Vail was smugly pleased that his only potential competition for his inheritance had slipped up so royally. If there was ever a chance that Peter would have willed the Hygrace estate to Erasmus, it was gone now.

“Does any of this have to do with me?” he asked as his mother sat down in the chair across from him. As much as he enjoyed hearing that his relative had tripped over his own two feet, he didn’t believe Katherine had come to his room just to tell him that news.

“No,” she confessed, her eyes wandering down and up his frame. “I just had a suspicion that I wanted to confirm.” A knowing expression took over her eternally youthful features. “You came back awfully late tonight.”

“I went out to hunt,” Vail shrugged nonchalantly. It was technically true, since he had fed on Victoria’s blood when he’d visited the Crest manor. He just left out the detail that he’d done so whilst sitting with her in a bathtub.

“Mhm,” Katherine seemed unconvinced. Her gaze was tinted with both concern and disapproval as she went on, “Vail, I think it would be best if you stop seeing that human, at least until you’ve given someone else a chance. Peter has been in communication with Sylvia’s father, and they’ve arranged for the two of you to begin courting tomorrow afternoon.”

“Why am I only hearing about this now?” Vail narrowed his eyes, feeling blind-sided by the reveal.

“Peter knows you wouldn’t have agreed to it while you’re still obsessed with the Crest girl,” she replied matter-of-factly. “Keeping the arrangement from you was for your own good. I’m only telling you now so that you can behave with dignity when Lady Sylvia arrives tomorrow.” She rose gracefully from her seat and smoothed down her bloodied skirt. “You should get some sleep while you can. Your father will be by tomorrow at noon to wake you for the outing. Goodnight, Vail.” She bowed her head to him curtly and strode back to the door, leaving her son to process the news alone.

Victoria spent the next day training hard with Ray, one on one, getting better at fencing with each sparring match. “Good, you’re improving.” Ray stated as he sheathed his sword. “Oh almost forgot, I have something for you.” He beckoned for her to follow, she did eagerly toward a small box placed in the courtyard. It had been delivered earlier. When Ray opened it, all she could see was something shiny glinting in the spring sunlight.

“This…is your new armour.” He pulled out a breast plate, leg plates and gauntlets. “Made entirely from pure silver custom made to your size – your mother gave us your measurements so it should fit you perfectly.” Ray explained as he showed her the items. She gasped. “This must have cost a fortune.” She declared in awe as she inspected the beautiful armour.

“No expense spared in this fight. We need to ensure you are protected enough to ward the vampires away from you. The minute they get access to your blood, its game over. Your blood is their weapon. It will empower them twice fold.” He said in all seriousness. Victoria frowned and nodded. “Yes unfortunately.”

She then thanked him before running inside to try it on. Her mother helped her into it. She had a lot of trouble walking in it at first as she wasn’t used to the stiffness but it wasn’t all that heavy, made from a very thin layer of metal, its function was not to stop bullets or swords but to encase her in silver. The Lady made her way out to the courtyard and showed it off to Ray. “It fits a little too snugly.” She chuckled as she tried to bend the knee and it squeaked.

“And now for the helmet.” Ray said as he pulled out a silver helmet with a horizontal eye slit and popped it over her head. “There.” He smiled as she looked like a Knight of Camelot. “Sir Victoria Crest of London.” He laughed as she pouted, not that he could see that underneath the helmet! “I look stupid…” Her muffled voice came through the helmet.

“Nonsense. You look great…for a costume party!” Ray laughed harder and knocked on her helmet. “Heeey!” Victoria punched his arm with her gauntlet in response. Ray held his arm. “Ow. At least it packs more of a punch now.”

Victoria giggled and nodded. “I can see pretty well actually. I should practice in it.”

---

Later that evening when all had gone dark, she sat in candlelight, writing out her battle plans for Vail’s information to then deliver to the Hygrace manor later on. Then she contemplated the emergency escape plans. It detailed her aunt’s address in Scotland where she would escape to if they ran into danger. She then thought about an emergency supply of her own blood for him, in case the Wynters decided to take their fight to the Hygrace manor. She then asked a servant to go and call upon a doctor, out of hours of course. Soon a doctor would be at the door and Victoria asked him to draw a pint of blood for donation to the hospital urgently. A lie but the good doctor obliged as he trusted the word of a Crest. Once it was in a glass bottle and the doctor had left, she rolled her parchment into a scroll and wrapped it around the bottle with a ribbon and a tag with his name on in her cursive writing, then took a delicate white rose from the kitchen vase, freshly cut by her mother that day, to furnish it off as a token of her affection for Vail.

When she was happy with that, she donned her silver armour to disguise her scent from Peter and the rest of the Hygraces. She had trouble mounting her horse in the stable but once atop Phillipe, she rode off toward the mansion to deliver her gift.

Katherine’s forewarning about Peter proved to be true when the leader of the Hygrace clan appeared at his son’s door at noon on the dot. Vail was expectedly irritable about the announcement that he needed to get up and make himself decent for Sylvia’s arrival, but he didn’t resist the plans his father had made for him. Even though he had no intention of leaving Victoria for the other vampire, he would have pitied Lady Macey for coming all the way to the Hygrace manor just to be turned away because he refused to see her. Besides, it was just one day with her, and they were under no obligation to do anything other than spend time together. He could tolerate that for a few hours knowing that their outing wouldn’t impact his relationship with the woman he actually desired to be with.

So, he bathed and dressed himself and strode down to the foyer as soon as he heard a knock at the front door, stifling a yawn that threatened to escape his lips. He had gone to sleep earlier than usual, but he was still accustomed to slumbering until the evening, and the effects of rising sooner were weighing down on his psyche. He hoped he would grow more alert as the day dragged on.

“Vail, look who’s here to see you,” Katherine, who had come to the door after one of the servants had answered it first, turned toward him with a bright smile as if he didn’t already know Lady Macey was coming for a visit. She stepped out of the way to let him by, but it didn’t slip past him that she was lingering like she expected him to bolt at any second.

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Vail swept them over his guest instead. It was undeniable that Sylvia was a beautiful woman. She wore a deep purple dress that cinched at her tiny waist and flared at her voluptuous hips, showing off an hourglass figure that not all female vampires could boast of despite their superior genes. Her inky black hair had been teased and curled to fall in thick waves over her left shoulder in a way that framed her diamond-shaped face and contrasted starkly with her white-blue irises. As their gazes met, her scarlet lips pulled upward at the corners in a playful smile that he remembered well from the last few times they had crossed paths. “It is good to see you again, my lord,” she curtseyed to him politely with a grace that was difficult for humans to match. As she dipped down, the frilly umbrella in her hand shifted, and sunlight fell on her flawless, alabaster skin, which nearly seemed to glow in the afternoon light.

“And you as well, Lady Macey,” Vail bowed to her in return. He could feel his mother’s unrelenting gaze on his back, and he stepped outside as soon as he righted his posture, eager to get away from his overbearing parents.

Sylvia said a quick goodbye to Katherine before joining him on the way to her waiting carriage. “You’re brooding,” she observed, an amused smirk twisting her full lips as she fell in step beside him. “Was I too formal? You know that display was just to please your mother.”

“I know,” he sighed, pausing to wait for the coachman to open the door for them. Although he harbored no romantic feelings for the woman standing next to him, they were friendly enough that he was less restrained with his emotions in her presence. They had known each other almost as long as he had been alive—she was about fifty years his senior, not that it mattered to their kind—and had seen quite a bit of each other since the Maceys were informal allies of the Hygraces. The long history had formed a level of comfort between them that allowed Vail to let his guard down and trust her.

“It isn’t you, Sylvie,” he explained vaguely, taking her hand to help her climb into the carriage. As he did, his hazel eyes traced the pristine cosmetics that painted her face and the luxurious fabric that hugged her curves. “But you are taking this engagement rather seriously, aren’t you?”

“Aren’t you?” she returned as she settled down on the back seat. “We both knew this was coming. Our families have been alluding to our marriage for decades, so it was only a matter of time before they started planning it.” She shrugged carelessly, twirling a lock of shiny hair around her finger. “We might as well embrace it. Wouldn’t you rather marry me than some other woman you may not get along with?”

I’d rather marry the woman I love, he thought bitterly as he sat down across from her. “You’re really fine with all of this?” he frowned, quirking a brow at her. “We get along, but I know you don’t look at me like a potential partner, and I don’t see you as one either.”

“Since when does that matter?” Sylvia stared at him bemusedly. “I’m not sure when you became such a romantic, but this isn’t about us. It’s for our families. And I do think we would make a good team, by the way. We already know each other well, we have similar ideals, and we enjoy each other’s company. If it’s physical compatibility you’re concerned about, we could test the waters at the end of today,” she added nonchalantly. “I won’t be fertile until next summer.”

Vail coughed into his sleeve. “That isn’t what I meant. I just…” he trailed off with a troubled look, unsure how to tell her that his heart had recently been taken by another. He knew she would just pester him for details if she found out, but she was perceptive enough to figure it out for herself.

“Vail Matthias Hygrace,” Sylvia chirped with a knowing grin, flashing her wicked fangs. “You’re smitten with someone, aren’t you?” She leaned forward in her seat, taking his silence as confirmation that she was right. “Well, now out with it. Who is she?”

“That’s a bit of a sensitive subject,” he diverted. Even though he loved Victoria and wanted to be able to declare it proudly, he was certain that Lady Macey would be just as disapproving as the rest of his family. For the sake of having one less vampire breathing down his neck about who he chose to be with, he wouldn’t tell her the truth just yet. “My father isn’t supportive though. She’s the reason why he reached out to yours about hurrying our marriage along.”

“Oh,” Sylvia deflated, noticing the frustration in his voice. “I’m sorry, Vail… We may not be in love, but for what it’s worth, I’ll do my best to be a good partner to you.”

“Thanks,” he turned his head to stare out the window, falling quiet again as his thoughts found their way back to Victoria. But it will never get that far.

Victoria rode quickly towards the Hygrace Manor in the dim light of the setting sun. Eager to get her message to Vail as soon as she could so he could be as well prepared for the upcoming Wynter Clan’s arrival as he could. She was hoping to sneak up to the door without being smelt by any of the Hygraces that would alert them to her presence. If Peter had found out she was anywhere near there, he may do something worse than just throw her off the premises. Good thing her armour smelt of pure silver, something the vampires hated to smell. As long as it disguised her scent, she didn’t care it was heavy and stuffy inside.

She allowed the horse to canter to a stop and she hopped down slowly, landing with a clunk, about one hundred yards away from the gate so her horse did not make too much noise. She then thought about asking a random orphan to deliver her gift for a shilling or two as she took a leather pouch from the horse’s saddle bag to take with her. She walked as quietly as she could toward the manor house when she spotted two figures outside the main entrance door. She couldn’t quite make them out so she drew nearer and hid behind a tree. The oil filled lamps outside the manor was able to light up the porch well enough for her human eyes. When they adjusted they recognised Vail outside the door conversing with…a lady. Perhaps it was just a relative or servant, she thought. A carriage awaited the lady as she seemed to be saying goodbye to Vail. Then to her horror, Vail leaned in to kiss the woman’s cheek! She almost dropped her satchel, smashing the precious contents inside.

Her heart pounded as she couldn’t tear her eyes away. As Sylvia turned around and she got a good look at her face, Victoria saw just how beautiful she was. She had to be a vampire. The one Vail had mentioned to her. It seemed his engagement was imminent or even worse…had been in place all this time while he had pursued her. Just for her blood. Gerald’s words echoed in her mind. “A vampire would say anything, make you believe anything to make you do their bidding.” Victoria felt her eyes burn as tears filled up in them, as her respiration increased. She kept herself hidden as the carriage rode past her. Victoria knew she could never compete with the beauty of a vampire, and she would not live as long, leaving Vail all alone, if he did genuinely love her. She cared too much about him to hurt him. She looked down at her satchel and clutched it to her torso tightly. She decided to still drop it off, even if it was to become a parting gift. There was no point seeking vengeance when she didn’t have all the facts. Either Vail would respond her letter in some form or even show up a day earlier than planned or he wouldn’t.

Lady Crest would not be taken for a fool. That was for sure. So until she knew more about this arrangement between Vail and his new lady, she had to concentrate on the Wynters. She grabbed a boy passing by his arm. “Hey kid. I’ll give you a shilling if you deliver this wine to that manor’s door for me.” She offered the boy, who stared at the lady in armour. “Okay!” He chimed, and took the heavy bag from her. He practically skipped up to the door and rang the bell for a maid to answer the door. “Delivery!” He presented her with the parcel and left as she shut the door.

The boy ran back to Victoria and she tossed him two shillings. “Thanks lady! I can eat tonight!” He then ran off. She sighed feeling sorry for the child. When this was all over, she was going to go back to helping the orphans and homeless. She dragged her feet back to her horse and patted his mane. “Oh Phillipe…sometimes I think you’re the only friend I’ve got.” She sighed and hauled herself up on his back and rode back to Crest Manor for much needed rest. Tomorrow would be a very long day…