Page 2 of Blood Day (Blood Alliance #7)

Lily

Another failure . How is this even possible?

I did everything right on this exam. Every movement. Every kick. Every punch. Yet, Master Cedric failed me. Again .

My teeth ground together, and my fingers threatened to curl into fists against the paper in my hand. At this rate, I would absolutely fail his class. Which meant the Immortal Cup was out of the question for my future.

Only the best and highest-marked students qualified to compete for immortality.

I wouldn’t even come close with these marks against my record.

I just wished I knew what I’d done wrong. How to please him. How to fix my technique to his satisfaction. Everyone else seemed to understand except me.

I’d practiced day and night.

And I swore my angles had been just right.

Maybe taking a fighting course had been a bad idea. But becoming a Vigil was my second choice to immortality. At least Vigils had a semblance of rights in this world .

Unlike practically every other designation.

I excelled in every other course.

So why not this one?

I bit my lip as I considered the vampire in question who continued to fail me. He stood at the front of the room in a pair of black slacks and a white button-down shirt. It was what he always wore, even while demonstrating fighting moves on the mat.

Elegance personified.

Gorgeous, too.

Midnight eyes. A square chin shadowed by a neatly trimmed beard that framed his handsome jaw. Full lips. Thick brown hair that was tousled near his ears. And a body that reminded me of a sleek wolf more than a vampire, his fluid-like grace something that drew my gaze to him every time he moved.

“Is there something you need, Prospect Four Hundred and Seven, Year One Hundred Seventeen?” Master Cedric asked, his deep tones sending a chill down my spine.

Because that was me— Prospect Four Hundred and Seven, Year One Hundred Seventeen .

We were all named by our prospect numbers and the year we would be assigned to our fates.

This was year one hundred sixteen.

Which made me almost finished with my training.

Assuming I didn’t fail this course.

Master Cedric’s dark gaze lifted to mine, the cruelty lurking in the depths of his irises causing me to freeze before him. The glimmer of irritation in his irises was impossible to miss, as was the curl of his lip as he glared at me in obvious impatience.

Because he’d asked me something.

Something I could no longer remember .

Not with him staring me down as though I were his next meal.

An accurate assessment, given my mortal status and his superiority over humankind.

I lowered my gaze, demonstrating my weaker stance and bestowing unto him the respect due for his position.

Except my focus dropped to the paper in my hand, reminding me that this vampire had just failed me— again— and I didn’t understand why. I wanted to improve my skills not just for him but for myself, too. Because I knew I could excel at being a Vigil if given the appropriate marks.

“Master Cedric,” I began, swallowing as I tried to form my words. “Are there, um, any opportunities or courses you recommend for me to improve my skills? I feel like I missed a class before yours, and I want to perfect my technique to more adequately meet your expectations.”

Even though I’m reasonably certain I’ve done everything right thus far.

But clearly, I’m missing something.

So help me. Please.

Those last few statements were thoughts I wouldn’t dare utter in his presence. It was a miracle I could even voice the request for help. Vampires and lycans weren’t known for their kindness or acceptance of failure. When a mortal proved to be unworthy, the human became food.

I didn’t want to become food.

Just the notion of it left me feeling cold and uncertain. Or perhaps it was Master Cedric’s chilling silence that stirred the hairs along the back of my neck.

I risked a glance upward, the impulse one I knew better than to allow, and froze beneath his narrowed stare. Obsidian flames danced around his pupils, the superiority and power pouring off him in an intoxicating wave that threatened to suffocate my very being .

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, immediately kneeling before him. “I don’t mean to continue to fail you.”

I’m going to die here. Today. In this classroom. Because ? —

His palm went to the top of my head, sending a mixture of ice and warmth through my veins. That single touch spread fire across my skin, making me acutely aware of his dominance. Not just from being a vampire, or even a man, but simply from being him .

He was graceful and meticulous, and chillingly concise in class.

And he was touching me.

Not harshly. Just petting me softly as though I were a disobedient animal kneeling at his feet.

An animal he intended to punish.

Kill.

Maybe even fuck.

I stopped breathing, that final thought making my thighs clench. I’d witnessed vampires taking their prey hundreds of times.

Humans were naturally drawn to them, inherently submissive, and many screamed in ecstasy even as they died.

Would Master Cedric do that to me now? Thread his fingers through my hair, drag me to his desk, and take me against the hard wood while drinking me dry?

It would be so easy for him. No one would ask any questions. No one would reprimand him. I resembled prey in a university run by predators.

This place was meant to weed out the weak, to ensure only the strongest of mortals would survive.

My marks until now were exemplary.

But I’d made a mistake taking Master Cedric’s course.

And now I would pay for that mistake with my life.

The constant thrumming in my head made me dizzy, my body begging me to breathe. To move. To do something other than kneel here at Master Cedric’s feet.

I swallowed, my eyes falling shut, resignation steeling my nerves.

Some humans fought in their final moments. Others went down gracefully.

Predators enjoyed the fight, that moment where their victims attempted to flee, to scream, to beg for mercy. Something told me Master Cedric would be no different.

All I wanted was to improve my marks.

To prove my worth.

To potentially become something more .

But this vampire had loathed me from the moment he’d laid eyes on me.

And I’d possessed the audacity to question him.

“You’re such a delicate little flower,” Master Cedric mused, his fingers drawing through the strands of my hair and interrupting me from my inner torment. “So pretty and meek.”

It’s what I’m meant to be , I wanted to reply. But I knew better than to speak. I’d already tested his patience by being bold enough to request help.

A stupid, na?ve move.

Why had I stayed after class? What had given me the nerve to speak to him?

Shock, maybe.

Because I couldn’t believe he’d failed me again . After all my training and accurate movements, he’d told me it was all wrong. He’d called me weak .

Your left leg is too bent.

Your foot is off-center when you kick.

You missed your target by several inches.

I’d read that feedback five times, confused by each word. I’d just kept thinking, He’s wrong. This is all wrong. Then my mind had wandered to the Immortal Cup and the very real impact these marks would have on my future, and I’d forgotten myself completely.

I’d remained when everyone else had left.

Leaving me alone with a predator.

A predator who hated me.

And now I was on my knees, awaiting his punishment.

Because there was no mistaking the situation here—he would punish me for acting out of line. I’d questioned him. Asked for direction. He wasn’t my mentor. That wasn’t how this world worked.

I survived by keeping my head down and following directions.

To request assistance was not obedient. It suggested I felt he owed me an explanation. No superior owed any human an explanation for their choices and decisions.

Kneel.

Worship.

Admire.

Those were the core rules for my kind.

Along with a myriad of others about serving our Masters and doing whatever they commanded of us.

His thumb drew a line along my jaw to my chin, capturing it with ease and guiding my focus upward. “It’s bold to request my assistance, little flower.”

I swallowed. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you?” He cocked his head. “Or are you merely terrified of my reaction to your request?”

I blinked. “Both.” It came out in a whisper, my admission causing his eyebrows to lift.

“A truth,” he replied, his eyes roaming over my features. “I suppose that shouldn’t surprise me. It’s one of your more positive traits.” His intense gaze fell to my lips. “As is your mouth. ”

The dark meaning in his words wasn’t lost on me.

I’d taken two sexual arts courses on how to properly please males—both lycans and vampires. All humans chose a preferred skill in that realm of existence, and I’d opted for oral studies. I still had one more class to pick, and I hadn’t decided yet what it would be.

They were important marks for our overall record.

Because many of us would be sent to the breeding camps.

Others would be drafted for royal harems.

I wanted neither of those fates.

However, the way he’d remarked on my mouth suggested it was my destiny anyway. Because it meant he’d taken note of my marks in those areas.

Perhaps that was why he chose to fail me in his course—he didn’t see me as worthy of being a Vigil.

My jaw clenched in response, my reaction innate.

And entirely wrong.

Because he caught it.

His eyes narrowed, indicating that he read my response as open defiance.

“I want to do better,” I blurted out, wanting to explain myself to him. “I… I’m trying…”

His eyebrows rose. “Am I supposed to care?”

“No,” I answered quickly. “I’m aware that I’m… that this isn’t…” I couldn’t finish, his intense stare silencing me from speaking. His dark gaze reminded me of a stormy night, the black orbs glistening with unshed lightning as he waited to strike.

I should have just apologized.

No, I should never have stayed. I should have accepted my failure and left.

Because now I was going to die.

And I doubted he would make it pleasurable .

“You want to learn how to please me, little flower?” he asked, and there was something in his tone that stirred a flutter in my abdomen. A hint of promise that captivated my entire focus.

“Yes, Master Cedric,” I told him. “I do.” It was the truth. I’d been trying to figure out how to appease him for months.

His lips curled ever so slightly at the edges, causing my heart to skip a beat.

Beautiful .

All predators were.

But something about him and his features called to me more than anyone or anything else. Perhaps because this was the longest I’d ever been allowed to observe one of his kind. He still had my chin clasped between his forefinger and thumb, forcing me to hold his alluring gaze.

It was a dangerous game.

One he’d started with his touch.

Or maybe he felt I’d initiated it with my boldness.

Regardless, I was utterly enthralled, waiting for him to speak, to deliver my fate.

His touch softened, his thumb tracing my jaw once more as he slid his fingers back into my hair to grab a fistful of my strands.

I didn’t react, allowing him to manhandle me as he saw fit, and that only seemed to amuse him more.

“Watching you fail pleases me,” he said softly, his gaze holding a touch of some hidden emotion I couldn’t define.

“You’re like a pretty wilting flower, trying so hard to bloom beneath the midnight sun.

” His grip tightened in my hair, his gaze narrowing.

“Death suits you, darling. Perhaps you should embrace it.”