Page 3 of Blood Day (Blood Alliance #7)

Cedric

Those damn irises were hypnotizing me, making me want to do something forbidden. Keep her. Tame her. Make her mine.

She looked so fucking tempting on her knees, her pretty, sad eyes staring up at me in clear shock.

I’d just admitted to failing her on purpose because it pleased me.

And she had no idea what to say. How to react. Yet I could almost taste the part of her that wanted to rebel, to fight my decision and demand an explanation.

But like a good little human, she kept her exquisite mouth shut.

Because she wasn’t allowed to question her superiors.

Maybe she would flourish after all. Bow down and beg. Suck some royal cock for the next decade or so until she lost that life in her eyes.

Which was precisely what I didn’t want to see happen.

She was too beautiful, too inspiring, too lovely for such a fate .

And yet her eyes took on a glimmer of that look now as she stared up at me, her mind processing my words.

I watched each emotion flutter through those alluring irises—first shock, then bleak acceptance, and finally a hint of fiery resolve.

Oh, yes, more, I thought, chasing that emotion across her features and loving the way it lit a fire in her cheeks.

She wanted to prove me wrong.

To fight.

To find a way around the failures in my course and pursue her dreams.

There was just one detail she failed to understand.

“When you fail my course, you won’t be eligible for future combat classes,” I told her.

“So maybe you’ll focus on sexual arts instead.

” My gaze went to her mouth for what felt like the hundredth time.

Her lips were perfect, fuckable, full . Just like her tits.

“If you’re lucky, they’ll send you to a harem,” I continued.

“If you’re not, you’ll end up in a breeding camp, or worse. ”

True words.

Harsh words.

But she needed to understand her fate.

I was doing her a service by failing her, by degrading her scores to a point where no one would notice. Because most harems were worse than the breeding camps.

“They play dangerous games,” I warned her, my voice lowering to a whisper. “Dangerous games meant to break the spirits of those desiring favoritism. You’ll be lucky to survive initiation.” I relinquished my hold on her hair, my fingers itching to run through her silky strands.

So soft.

So light.

So opposite of my traits.

Speaking freely to an inferior being was frowned upon by my kind. I wouldn’t be punished for it, of course. But she would. If anyone heard the words I’d just said to her, she would die. Perhaps by my hand.

They’d give me the option, something that some might assume to be a punishment.

However, superior beings didn’t feel for their pets.

Making it a rather bland assumption indeed.

No, it’d be more of an offer than a form of castigation. They’d ask if I wanted to enjoy her as a snack first, which I would.

Then I’d take her to her grave.

Peacefully.

Beautifully.

Passionately .

My gift to her. And a memory to haunt me for a lifetime.

Such a delicate, sweet flower.

I bent to inhale her fragrance, loving the way her blood sang beneath my ministrations. She wanted me, just as she should. It was only natural to crave the touch of a superior.

Many took advantage of it.

Something I could so easily do now after she’d blatantly stated her desire to please me.

Maybe I should let her. Indulge the connection. Allow her to worship me at my feet for what little time she had left on this earth.

I ran my fingers through her hair once more, considering the option.

It was a dangerously attractive option. We weren’t supposed to take humans away from their studies, but many of my kind offered private courses to increase a mortal’s potential and worth.

That wasn’t the same as claiming her or keeping her as mine .

Individual studies increased a human’s value, making them more attractive to the vampires and lycans who took mortals into their possession.

Maybe I could offer her my own form of training.

Then fail her entirely.

Write a personal recommendation to have her removed immediately for a lack of obedience.

I could even offer to be the one to terminate her.

I drew my knuckles down her cheek, considering the option and wondering why I hadn’t thought of it before. Perhaps because she hadn’t ever approached me about her scores.

That arguably showed courage.

A courage I would have to break.

Or maybe I would stoke it with fire, allow her to shine for a few brief moments in time, then reward her with death.

Students died every day.

No one cared.

I’d considered removing her before, but something about her wilting enthralled me.

Perhaps I should let her blossom just to destroy her.

A tempting idea. I cocked my head. “How badly do you want to pass my course, little flower? What position in society is it that you desire?”

She swallowed, her pupils dilating to cover those fiery embers in her irises. They’d only grown stronger in the last few minutes while I held her on her knees, staring down at her in mild contemplation.

“I want to go to the Immortal Cup,” she told me, making me roll my eyes.

“All humans want that. Only twelve go a year. You think you’re special enough to qualify?”

“I was. Before your class. ”

I snorted. She wasn’t qualified for the Immortal Cup at all. And it had nothing to do with her scores.

The participants in the games were almost always preselected through genetic profiles.

Unfortunately, my little flower didn’t have what the superiors wanted for immortality.

If she did, I would help her. But she’d been marked as harem material as her highest level of worth, mostly because of her body and pouty lips.

Not to mention her oral scores.

They were quite delicious, to the point that I’d almost given in to the desire to watch one of her exams.

But I’d had this irrational urge to murder the human she’d been assigned to perform on, and I’d forced myself to walk away.

Her eyes narrowed at me, momentarily distracting me from my thoughts. “My scores were perfect until your class.”

“True,” I agreed. “But they’re not perfect now.”

That fire touched her cheeks again, stirring a brilliant blush that crept all the way down her neck to the white T-shirt covering her breasts. I almost demanded that she remove the fabric, just so I could see how far the warmth went.

But she released a little noise that had my gaze jumping back up to her face.

A growl .

Her eyes widened, shock bleaching her features and chasing away the blush.

The little flower had just growled at me.

Fascinating .

I wanted to hear her do that with my cock lodged deep inside her. Make her growl and scream at the same time while her body fought the impulse to explode in rapture or jolt in fury .

I could picture it vividly.

And that image alone sealed her fate.

“You want to please me, little flower?” I asked, the question rhetorical now since I already knew the answer. “You want to try to pass my class?”

She started to nod, but I caught her throat, my palm squeezing as I forced her to remain still on her knees.

“I’ll offer you an opportunity with private lessons,” I told her. “But the moment you disobey me, I’ll fail you on the spot. And I don’t think I need to elaborate on what that means for you.”

She didn’t move or react other than to attempt to swallow against my hand.

“Take a day to think about it,” I continued, my grip tightening just a little more to demonstrate the threat of her decision.

“I’ll expect your response after class tomorrow.

And you can give it by staying behind, removing your clothes, and waiting for me on your knees on that mat.

” I pointed to the one she’d taken her test on just yesterday.

“But if you accept my offer, you’d better be prepared to work for my approval.

Because I won’t go easy on you, darling. ”

My palm flexed a little more, cutting off her airflow as I held her gaze for several beats.

Her eyes widened.

Her cheeks went whiter than before.

And her lips parted in a clear desire to breathe.

I waited.

Counted a few more seconds, ensuring she understood the potential consequences of my offer.

Then I released her with a shove. “You’re dismissed, Prospect.”

I turned my back on her, not necessarily to be cruel, but because I didn’t trust myself not to pounce on her. That little growl of hers had nearly undone centuries of control.

She’d tempted me.

Even more than she already had.

An amazing feat, considering how badly I already wanted her.

But I’d give her this choice of fate.

She could spend the next nine months playing with me before her destined Blood Day .

Or she could take my class, fail, and see what designation she earned from the infamous Magistrate.

There was little I could do to help her in this world. I only wanted her death to be quick.

Because no one else deserved to see my flower wilt.

Only me.

She was my Lily.

Mine .

“Sleep well, little flower,” I said as I heard her shuffling behind me. “And try not to dream. Fantasies don’t exist in your world anymore.”