All things considered, this was one of the better outcomes they could have had after the Wynter clan had run them out of London. Vail exhaled softly when he and Victoria parted from their kiss. Both his clan and her family were in poor shape because of the losing battle, but at least they still had each other. In the time that had passed since he’d met her, she had slowly become his reason for standing up to the rival vampires and doing something with his life other than simply existing. She gave him purpose, and he didn’t know what he would have done if he’d lost her. He was relieved that he didn’t have to find out. Now that she was awake and starting to move around, they could work together to figure out what they needed to do next now that their families had been displaced to Scotland.

When she spoke about how relieved she was to be with him, his smile returned. “I love you too, Victoria,” he murmured, touching one more swift kiss to her forehead and reaching to take her hand in his. It was different, sitting beside her without the scent of her blood tempting him to sink his fangs into her neck, but so far it wasn’t a change he disliked. He’d ingested so much of her blood when he’d drained her completely that the pangs of withdrawal hadn’t hit him in the week since. It would most likely be at least a few more days or another week before he really missed the unique rush that only she brought to him when she was still human. By then, though, Victoria would need to feed too, so he could curb his cravings by going out with her while she learned to hunt. Other mortals couldn’t fully satisfy his thirst for the blood he’d lost access to, but they were better than nothing.

Relaxed in her presence, Vail leaned his head against hers and closed his eyes, enjoying the peaceful quiet and the gentle rhythm of her beating heart until he noticed belatedly that someone else was approaching the bedroom. He caught her scent first, followed a few seconds later by the sound of a soft knock on the door. In the next moment, a familiar face poked around the side of the panel and grinned at the sight of the couple on the bed.

“Sorry to intrude, but Lady Diana told me she was awake,” Sylvia apologized as she stepped inside. She was dressed in an azure gown that highlighted the color of her eyes, and her thick, black hair was pulled out of her face at the temples in two Dutch braids. “I don’t believe we’ve formally met,” she went on, fixing her inhumanly blue eyes on Victoria and showing her fangs in another friendly smile. “Sylvia Macey, at your service,” she curtseyed gracefully.

“Lady Macey has been keeping us informed on the Wynter clan’s activities since we left England,” Vail explained, eyeing the other vampire with a subtly questioning expression. Sylvia made it sound like she had shown up to introduce herself to Victoria properly, but he knew her well enough to suspect that she viewed the human-turned-vampire as a novelty. It was far more likely that she’d stopped by because she was fascinated with the Crest heiress in the same manner as one might be in discovering a new species of animal.

“Lady Macey?” Sylvia echoed the title with raised brows. “So formal, Vail. You can call me Sylvie, my lady. Everyone does.” She took a couple steps further into the room. “I promise I won’t interrupt you two for long. I just wanted to let Vail know I’m here for whenever he can bear the thought of parting with you long enough to hear what news I’ve brought of the Wynters since we last spoke—and to meet you, of course, Victoria.”