The word "vampire" felt like blasphemy on his tongue—forbidden, dangerous—but Blaire's desperation had long since burned away his capacity for fear or propriety. 

If even the slightest possibility existed that Duke Cassius Valtier possessed the power to save Evelyn, he would seize it without hesitation.

He pressed trembling lips to her fevered forehead, barely daring to touch skin that burned like live coals. "Hold on," he whispered against the dampness of her dying flesh. "I'll make this ...