When Victoria asked if she scared him, Vail showed his fangs in a grin. “Perhaps, if I didn’t know whose side you were on,” he decided. “Although I wouldn’t come within two yards of you either way.” As much as he loved her, the suit of armor she had put on was the equivalent of wearing fire and feces to his kind. He despised the metallic odor, and even getting close to that much pure silver would have been painful. When he guarded her during the battle, he would do so from a slight distance, so the job would be bearable.

At the sound of a horn, he glanced out the open window. The Saints really were treating the upcoming battle like an all-out war though, to their credit, they needed to take such measures against the Wynters if they hoped to win. On an average night, most humans could only overpower a vampire if they were able to catch one by surprise or had the advantage of numbers. Or if the vampire hadn’t fed recently, as had been the case when Ray had shot him weeks ago. In this case, the army of humans was about to stand up against an entire clan of beings who were physically superior to them in every way. It was going to be an uphill battle, and it was to their benefit that Lady Diana had had the foresight to enlist the Moncouriers to help them win against their enemies.

He turned away from the window again when Ray entered the room. While the two humans spoke, he slipped on the gloves he had brought, listening quietly to their conversation as they headed downstairs. Victoria’s mention of ‘doing the worst’ flagged his attention, and he looked up at her with slightly narrowed eyes, wondering what she and her Saint friend had discussed and if it was something he should know about. At the end of the day, her safety was more important to him than anyone else’s, and he’d be damned before he allowed any harm to befall her whether it was planned or not.

When Ray offered a hand for him to shake, Vail hesitated briefly before he took it. He was used to the Saint sending glares his way, and he hadn’t forgotten that the man had fired a gun at him not long ago. The ability of humans to ‘forgive and forget’ astounded him. He supposed that since their lives were so short, most of them didn’t have the time or energy to hold onto grudges with the same vengeance that his kind was capable of. Whatever Ray had decided about him, it was clear that the gesture was an olive branch, so his tension ebbed away once he’d recovered from his initial flinch.

“I understand,” he assured him, shaking the hunter’s hand and looking down at Victoria. “She’ll be safe with me.”

Once he was alone with Victoria, Vail stood to the side while she mounted her horse. The presence of the steed along with the silver armor changed his perception of her from vampire slayer to knight, and he studied her amusedly from the ground. Keeping up with a stallion at full canter would be difficult, even for a vampire, but since he had just fed on Victoria’s blood a few hours ago, he was strong enough to manage it. So, when she asked if he was ready, he met her blue-eyed gaze and nodded resolutely. “Lead the way, my love.”

--

The instant Mikael stepped onto the Hygrace property, Peter had known he was there. The scent of a Wynter was one he would never forget as long as he lived. At the time, he had been in his study, writing a furious letter to be sent to the Crest estate, where he was sure his son had gone on his foolish endeavor to get involved in a conflict that had nothing to do with them. He was livid that Vail had disobeyed him. It had been one thing for his successor to get involved with a human woman, but it was quite another for him to tie the Hygrace name to a fight that could drag their entire family into the flames of war. His method of staying uninvolved was the only way they could avoid being attacked by the enemy clan a second time, and he was going to make it known that if Vail didn’t return to their manor by the following day, he would be stricken from his inheritance and disowned as a member of the Hygrace clan.

He had only written three quarters of the letter when Mikael’s sickeningly familiar smell wafted to his nose.

Immediately, Peter felt his breath catch in his throat, and he turned toward the door of his study in disbelief. “No,” he muttered to himself. It couldn’t be. There was no reason for the Wynters to touch his family when they had done nothing to them for decades. His pulse soared for a moment before reason kicked in, and he let out his breath in relief. There was only one Wynter on his doorstep. Most likely, the rival vampire had appeared to give him some kind of warning, not attempt to start a fight when he was severely outnumbered.

Composing himself, the Hygrace leader stood up from his desk and straightened his shirt to meet his guest before the maid even had a chance to alert him to his arrival. He strode downstairs and then to the front door, carrying himself with confidence as he planned to tell the Wynter that his family would continue to remain neutral in their conflict with the Saints. However, his plan became irrelevant as soon as Mikael opened his mouth.

Realizing too late that the Wynter hadn’t come in peace, Peter barely stumbled out of the way in time to dodge the first attack. “You’re insane!” he spat. “My entire clan is home right now. Do you really think you can kill all of us by yourself?”

“You’re all weak,” Mikael sneered. “I could kill every one of you blindfolded.” He lunged again, and the two vampires began to brawl. To Peter’s surprise, the Wynter was incredibly strong, and it didn’t take long before Mikael overpowered him. As he was shoved against the wall, he snarled, baring his own fangs. His blood roared in his ears, and he fought furiously against his enemy’s grasp to no avail. Part of him still couldn’t believe this was happening. As much as he loathed to admit it, his son had been right. The Wynters really had been plotting to kill them, and he had put his entire family at risk by not preparing them to fight.

Drawing a sword from his belt, Mikael grinned wickedly at his prey as he scrabbled against his iron grip. “This is too easy,” he purred, pointing the blade just underneath Peter’s jaw. “The Crest girl’s blood truly is special… All it took was a small sip for me to reduce you to this. Pathetic.” He chuckled as Peter glowered at him.

“Kill me if you really think it will give you some sort of peace for your murderous grandfather’s death but leave the rest of my clan out of this,” the Hygrace leader growled.

“How noble of you,” Mikael barked a laugh. “Oh no, Peter. I’m not just here for you. In fact, I think I’ll kill the others first, so you can listen to their screams before you die.” With that, he bought his sword down on Peter’s left leg. The blade was lined with the thinnest coating of silver, so it pierced the vampire’s skin and severed flesh and bone in one fell swoop. The Wynter let go of his prey and watched him drop to the ground with a scream, blood pouring from the amputated limb. “I’ll be back for you when I’m finished,” he announced casually, turning around and leaving Peter to watch helplessly as he ventured deeper into the manor to hunt down the rest of the Hygraces.