Her gaze sharpened. Now this was why he had requested to see her. If she had to guess... Coward was from London, but had fled over a century ago. Now returning as a vampire, he wanted to restore his exalted position in society, make his mark and impress Millicent. And he had decided that the best way to do that was by carving out his own territory at the expense of the fae.

At least he had picked the right target. She could hardly object to that. And why not make use of an ambitious vampire? In many ways they were the fae's deadliest foes.

"We have a common interest in pushing the fae back," she agreed, which was not quite the same as expanding Islington territory in order to do so. "So are you here to ask for my help, or simply my approval?"

The implication being that any action he took required her approval. Sylvia was not above using words in her own favour.