Instinct caused Vlad to grip her tighter, and he met Luca's gaze with as much steadiness as he could muster. The last thing he wanted to was hand the woman over to someone like him, but there were people all around and he had a point. His legs were almost entirely numb, and the fact that he was still standing was a minor miracle in itself.
"Fine." Slowly, with uncharacteristic gentleness, he eased Theresa into Luca's arm. It was then that he realized how exposed he was - he'd used his shirt to offer her some kind of warmth - and he folded his arms across his chest. All those masks were staring, and he didn't like it.