At first, it looked like the Saints’ plan was working. Vail and Victoria swept past the first few barricades with ease, leading their pursuers straight into the jaws of the waiting hunters at every checkpoint. The Wynters were too frenzied by the smell of her blood to comprehend the trap that they were willingly stepping into, and they were being picked off one by one the closer they got to the Crest manor. Occasionally, the Hygrace heir peeked back over his shoulder to see how many were left. The majority of the rival clan was still hot on their tail, but it was encouraging to see their numbers dwindle every time he checked up on them. The longer the hunt went on, the more confident he felt that the Order and the Moncourier clan were going to come out of this battle as victors. There was just one barricade left.

He turned around to look forward again after glancing at the Wynters one more time. The manor was just up ahead, so he hastened his pace alongside Victoria’s horse, eager to end it. However, in the next moment, his eyes widened as a new scent struck him suddenly. The smell was Wynter, but it wasn’t one of the vampires who had been following them thus far. It was a new individual who was somewhere up ahead. He swore under his breath and turned to warn Lady Crest that they needed to alter their course to avoid an ambush, but the enemy was faster. Much faster, in fact.

He inhaled sharply as a figure darted out from a nearby alley and dug a set of cat-like nails into the stallion’s neck, tearing clean through its flesh with one sweep. The beast crashed to the ground, and Vail skidded to a stop to avoid tripping over its body. His blood ran cold at the sound of Victoria’s scream, but fortunately, it seemed like she had just been surprised by the attack, not injured. Determined to protect her from the new threat, he rushed to her side and looked over his shoulder with a concerned frown. The vampires who hadn’t been taken down by the Saints were closing in on them quickly. They had to keep moving because he couldn’t take them all on by himself.

When the new arrival spoke up, Vail turned around again. He didn’t care at all what a Wynter thought of him. What caught his attention was the fact that the vampire was able to hold a silver crossbow bolt in his bare hand without cringing. He gawped incredulously at the sight. He’d never met any vampire who could handle the metal so effortlessly, and he couldn’t understand how this man seemed to be impervious to the arrow’s sting. For half a second, he wondered if this Wynter was part human like Victoria’s brother, but that option was ruled out quickly. He didn’t smell at all like a human. The vampire standing before them was a pure-blooded immortal.

He was wrenched from his thoughts when the Wynter spoke of Victoria’s blood. His skin prickled at the tone of the other vampire’s voice, and he narrowed his eyes. If not for Spencer’s presence nearby, he would have lunged at him to keep her safe. However, he couldn’t leave her side and put her at risk of being attacked by someone else while his back was turned.

Unless.

His eyes flicked down to the crossbow in her hands. She [i]had [/i]been training since they’d first met, and she was wearing a full suit of silver armor, so perhaps she could handle her ex fiancé while he fended off the ambusher. The Wynter may have been able to tolerate an arrow, but he was feeling good with a fresh dose of Victoria’s blood in his system from that morning. At the very least, he could attempt to keep the other vampire distracted while she made a run for the castle.

“It wasn’t created for you,” he spat, hoping to draw the Wynter’s attention to him. He could smell Victoria’s blood on the rival’s breath, so he was aware that he’d drank some somehow, but the knowledge didn’t deter him. He casted one more furtive glance at the Crest heiress, praying that his hunch had been right and she could hold her own against one vampire without him, before he sprinted at the man he’d targeted.