Vail lifted his shoulders in a shrug when Victoria pointed out that he had been intoxicated by her blood first. It was technically true, but that was a different kind of intoxication than what he had been talking to her about. His desire for the essence that flowed through her veins was entirely physical, primal, and was reminiscent of the way he was drawn to any human that walked the earth. He was just addicted to her because her blood was stronger than anyone else that he had fed on before. In contrast, his fascination with her as a woman stemmed from his mind and heart. She had invaded his thoughts and his dreams and filled him with delight every time she touched his hands or kissed his lips. The feelings she brought out in him were different than anything he’d experienced before, and he basked in them like a strong drug. He couldn’t compare the sensation to the way he felt when he drank from her soft neck.

When Victoria threw her arms around him, he slid his hands up from her legs around her back, returning the hug. “I forgive you,” he murmured into her thick hair, more relaxed now that they had resolved the misunderstanding. “I would be a hypocrite not to… I’ve not trusted you as I should have in the past.” As they held each other, he took in her familiar, sweet scent, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment although he kept his light eyes fixed on the door in case any of the Saints became impatient and burst into the kitchen. In their current position, it wouldn’t have been unlikely for a hunter to assume he had his fangs buried in Lady Crest’s throat when they were really only locked in an embrace. He didn’t want to take the chance that one of them would shoot his gun before waiting to hear an explanation.

“You might want to tell your mother and that Saint who answered the door,” he added as an afterthought, idly trailing his fingers through her brunette locks. “They’re both still under the impression that I was using you, and I don’t think they’ll listen to a word out of my mouth right now.” He let his arms fall down from her back when she pulled away from him, watching silently as she took each of his hands in hers. Her touch against his burnt hand stung, but he didn’t react outwardly to the pain. As he had said to her when they had first started talking to each other, physical afflictions were just nuisances to him. The initial sear of the silver gun against his flesh had been the worst part, and now that he was just left with a few angry red marks on his palm and the pads of his fingers, the discomfort was almost mild enough to forget.

“I did,” Vail nodded and took a deep breath as the reason for his visit was brought up. “I tried to convince my father to take the threat seriously one more time last night, but he’s still refusing to do anything. That’s why I came here. He may be too stubborn to take any precautions against the Wynters, but I’m going to protect my family… even if it means I have to align myself with the Order.” He looked up from their joined hands to her alluring face. “I’m here to offer whatever services I can to the Saints, so I can make sure the Hygrace clan will be safe from harm.”

As Victoria exposed her neck to him, the vampire’s pupils dilated predatorily, but he hesitated. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked, removing his uninjured hand from hers to brush her hair away from her collar. Though he questioned her, it was clear that his thin resolve would break if she didn’t rescind her offer. “You need your strength, and there’s a small army of hunters just outside this room. It’s hardly an ideal time for me to… drink…”