Sylvia nodded and turned away to make the request of one of the Hygrace cousins, and Vail glanced over his shoulder as Audrey left the room to fetch James and Francois. He was grateful that his former fiancée was being so supportive of Victoria. Even though he wouldn’t let his family’s disapproval persuade him to stop being with her, it was draining to constantly be on the defense around people who thought they were mad. He knew Sylvia probably wasn’t as wholeheartedly pleased that he’d chosen to be with a woman who’d been mortal when they’d met, but at least she was trying not to let her prejudice influence her opinion of the Crest heiress. It was nice to have one voice on their side in a room full of vampires who believed he was making a mistake.

He turned back to Victoria as she spoke to his father. It was unlikely that she would get through to Peter—he and his mother had tried for a week to no avail—but it still warmed him to see that she cared enough to try to reignite his hope. He leaned his shoulder gently into hers when his father didn’t respond to her heartfelt words. Despite her valiant effort, the clan leader was unmoved. His grief and guilt had consumed him, and it would take far more than seven days to repair the damage the emotions had done to him internally. “He’ll come back to us eventually,” he assured her in a hushed tone and squeezed her hand. He had no idea how long it could take, but he felt confident that his father was strong enough to get through this trying time; and now that Victoria was a vampire too, she would live long enough to see it.

When the Moncouriers arrived, Vail turned away from his parents to watch as they greeted his family with all the grace and charisma of the French. Sylvia seemed especially pleased when James kissed her hand. Her features lit up, and her lips curled upward in a pleased smile. “Sylvia Macey. Charmed,” she introduced herself in return. As soon as James had turned away from her to approach Victoria, she turned to Vail with a grin and pointed at the other vampire, mouthing silently: ‘I like him.’

Vail rolled his eyes at his friend’s antics. Sylvia had always had a weakness for Frenchmen, finding their accents and romantic overtures enchanting. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she spent the rest of her visit showering James with questions about himself interjected with coy compliments and flirtatious touches to the arm. He had no stake in who she chose to be with, though, so he didn’t comment on it as James spoke to his half-sister. Instead, a soft smile alighted on his lips as the other vampire flattered his lover. “I don’t think; I know I am,” he looked down at her fondly. She was undeniably the most beautiful woman in the room, and she brought out qualities in him that he hadn’t even known he’d had. He wouldn’t want anyone else on his arm for as long as he lived.

“Right, now that everyone is here, I ought to give my sorry speech,” Sylvia announced, looking a little pink after Francois greeted her in the same charming manner as his son had. She could have had either one of the Moncouriers and been perfectly happy, since the father was equally as handsome as his son. Stepping closer to the others, she cleared her throat and relayed her news, “I only know what I’ve seen around the city, but I can tell you all that the Wynters are taking full advantage of their recent triumph over the Hygrace clan. They’re parading about, declaring themselves the new head dynasty in England and demanding the loyalty of every other clan in the country. Anyone who opposes them is to be considered an enemy and is threatened violently until they submit to the ‘new order’—that’s what they’re calling it. I’ve already seen it twice. Vampires who belong to clans that still side with the Hygraces are attacked in the streets while they’re out to hunt. The Wynters bludgeon them cruelly, but they don’t kill them, so they can crawl back to their families as a message to the rest. A few more clans have joined them because they’re afraid of what the Wynters will do if they continue to stand in their way.

“They didn’t have to bully everyone though. Quite a few clans knelt at their feet as soon as they announced that they’d run the Hygraces out of England. I’m certain that they’re gathering forces to wage war against the humans. The Wynters have always believed that vampires deserve to reign over them, since they are our prey, and now that they’ve won the authority to lead the rest of the clan in the country, they’re making strides toward building their utopia. If those warmongers have their way, things are only going to get bloodier from here.”