Page 22 of Blood Day (Blood Alliance #7)

Lily

Seven Months Later

“We’re one month away from Blood Day,” Advisor Livia informed me as I sat cross-legged on my bed, facing the infamous screen on the wall. “Your scores are exemplary in all your courses.”

She started reading them to me as though I didn’t know my own grades.

I knew I’d excelled.

I’d pushed myself harder than ever, hoping with each new month that I would see the male who’d doubted my skills and prove to him my worth.

But he’d never appeared.

Master Khalid had taught all the fighting courses.

Including the last one I’d taken that focused on swordsmanship.

And the one before that on archery training.

I’d excelled in both classes, as they were about skill more than physical strength. I’d even outshot Prospect Six Hundred and Forty-Two during the final exam .

Master Cedric appeared to me in my dreams, his expression never once impressed. So I woke up and tried to prove him wrong again.

And again.

And again.

“We need to discuss the final sexual arts training course,” Advisor Livia said, interrupting my thoughts.

“I strongly discourage you from taking vaginal training, as your virginity is a high mark in your favor. However, there are, of course, those who prefer skilled females. So if joining a harem is a route that interests you, then we can proceed.”

“What are my other options?” I asked, my voice void of emotion.

Because I didn’t want to care.

What was the point anyway? I’d practically done everything else to my body except the actual art of traditional intercourse. Why not just complete my training and ensure I was prepared in all ways to serve a master?

Because I still want Master Cedric , I thought darkly . And some na?ve and stupid part of me wants him to be my first. Not Six.

It didn’t matter how many orgasms Six gave me in our sexual arts courses; none of them compared to what Master Cedric had done with his hands.

The ones in class always felt forced, my body reacting because I had no choice.

But Master Cedric had made me feel alive.

Master Cedric is gone. He doesn’t care about you. Stop thinking about him, I demanded of myself as Advisor Livia started rattling off course options.

We’d already agreed that I would take the final fighting sequence course.

As well as a class on the food service industry .

And a weekly lesson on pack service requirements, should I end up in a lycan clan.

The last topic was related to sexual arts, which always seemed to be Advisor Livia’s favorite regimen to review. She’d restructured my food program again several months ago, cutting back on the increased portions Master Cedric had recommended, but giving me more than my former dietary plan.

It’d allowed me to gain muscle, although not too much.

I felt strong, yet fragile at the same time.

Which she claimed was the perfect combination. Some photos had been taken of me recently to update my records, and she’d been very pleased with my body tone and curves.

So I wasn’t surprised at all when she recommended my final course be in the art of pleasing other women. “I think it would give you some versatility,” she added, those green eyes of hers glimmering with approval.

“Okay,” I agreed, mostly because I preferred that over the other option of vaginal preparedness.

“Excellent,” she replied, tapping away at her tablet. “We’ll touch base again in two weeks this time, as we are nearing the end of the program and I want to ensure you’re prepared. Good evening, Prospect.”

She signed off without another word, just like she did at the end of every meeting.

I stared at the wall for a minute, then stood to prepare for my classes.

The water in my closet had helped me through the last eight months, but I was down to my last seven bottles. I left them alone, saving them for a day when I needed them most.

Part of me still believed Master Cedric had put them there. It was the same part of me that dreamt of him every night.

I’d only known him for a handful of weeks. And most of those days had been spent in class where I’d tried to please him and he’d constantly failed me.

Then we’d spent one powerful night together.

That was it.

Yet his presence in my life had impacted me more than anyone else ever had. And I couldn’t figure out how to erase him from my mind.

The only positive that came from the experience was my obsession with proving him wrong. Because in the process of doing so, I’d managed to nearly perfect my scores.

My door beeped as the latch unbolted. Then a schedule rolled across my wall as Advisor Livia sent me my revised course information. As per usual after every monthly meeting, my lesson times and locations would change immediately.

Sometimes one or two courses would stay mostly the same, such as my introductory fighting course with Master Cedric that had gone on for more than a one-month term.

At least until Master Khalid had taken over.

Then it’d become his course that had continued, but the name and purpose had changed every month after that.

But this time, everything on my schedule shifted.

I studied the revised regimen and committed the details to memory.

Then I went through my usual routine of showering and picking up breakfast.

Two scoops of eggs. A full piece of toast. Half of a banana.

Almost the same as yesterday, just a different type of fruit today. Yesterday was half of an apple .

I ate quickly, finished a quarter of my water, and went to the food services course.

Master Clarissa was in charge again, which didn’t surprise me. She tended to lead these types of classes.

The majority of the students involved were the same as well, including Six. I stood beside him like I usually did when we had a course together and listened as Master Clarissa explained our first task.

My clan organization course was next—Six didn’t attend this one with me—which was led by a lycan named Master Felix. He didn’t appear all that thrilled to be teaching, his gruff tone and scowl clear markers of his annoyance.

And he dismissed us early.

I used the time to drop my new books off in my room and eat the protein bar I’d received for lunch.

Then I headed toward the gymnasium building for my new fighting course. Advisor Livia had said this final regimen would combine several tools together from the previous classes.

I hoped that meant I could use a bow again.

It’d been fun to aim at targets.

Even though they’d been shaped like human bodies with the bull’s-eye being the heart.

Master Khalid was already in the room when I arrived, his attention on his tablet. He wore his trademark black jeans and a matching T-shirt—an outfit he chose to wear to every class for the last eight months—giving him an intimidating appearance.

I’d originally assumed he was a lycan because of his height and muscular arms.

But he was actually a vampire.

Something I’d discovered when he’d drunk a glass of blood wine during one of our exams. His gaze had turned predatory at the time, reminding me of Master Cedric. Fortunately, I hadn’t been the one on the receiving end of that look.

Prospect One Hundred and Thirty-Nine had been the one he’d eyed with interest. She’d finally recovered from her injuries—something that had taken several weeks—and had been my partner in these courses ever since.

His gaze went to her now as she entered, the blues of his irises seeming to overtake the green. Then he blinked and went back to his tablet.

She scurried up beside me to set her items down next to mine. There were floor mats in the center of the room, suggesting we would be sparring again. But neither of us took off our shoes yet. We would once Master Khalid confirmed today’s task.

The archery courses had started in this same room before he’d led us outside. So it was possible he’d do something similar today.

More prospects entered the room, many of them familiar, but not from my previous fighting courses.

Actually, aside from me and Prospect One Hundred and Thirty-Nine, only two others were participants from our last course.

Odd .

We all usually progressed as a unit.

Perhaps our group was joining another class?

But if that was the case, where were all of our other former classmates?

Six entered, his eyes immediately meeting mine. A note of confusion flickered in his light green eyes. I responded in kind.

He joined me and Prospect One Hundred and Thirty-Nine and set his bag beside mine. “What course name do you have right now?” he asked in a low tone .

“Advanced Fighting Session Seven,” I whispered back to him. “You?”

“Advanced Endurance Session Seven.” His gaze met mine as he added the location and time.

“Same as mine, but a different name,” I replied.

Others in the class had begun to murmur as well, causing Master Khalid to clear his throat. “Quiet.”

Everyone fell silent immediately.

Minutes passed, and more prospects entered until there were nearly sixty or seventy of us.

Something is very wrong , I thought, swallowing.

Most of my classes had ten to fifteen humans, max.

Several of us exchanged glances, the nerves palpable. I did my best to remain neutral, but it became harder to mask my reaction as more and more prospects arrived—all of them ones I recognized as being in my year.

Six’s arm brushed mine, his knuckles sweeping across the back of my hand. I didn’t look at him, but I returned the gesture. We weren’t friends. Just allies. We’d been through a lot together, and sometimes we attempted to share comfort in the other’s presence.

This was one of those times.

I started counting the prospects, needing a distraction, but only reached seventy-two when Master Khalid started speaking.

“Tonight’s course will take place in a new arena outside the university gates,” he announced. “I’ll lead you to the exit. Your objective is to run and use whatever skills you have to survive, and try not to die when you’re caught.”