Page 30 of Blood Day (Blood Alliance #7)

Cedric

A dark laugh echoed through my thoughts as I repeated my confession in my mind.

Death had been my purpose for millennia.

Yet it was the one thing I couldn’t give to Lily.

A better man would put her out of her misery. But I wasn’t a good man. I wanted Lily, even if just for a month.

She’d die.

I’d live.

And the memories of our time together would follow me for eternity, or until I found a new flower.

Hmm . I ran my thumbs along the hollows beneath her pretty eyes. No. There will never be another Lily .

I’d lived several thousands of years and had never found a female like her. She captivated me in a bewitching way, making me wonder if some higher being had sent her here just to torture me.

She’d accused me of tormenting her.

And maybe I had to an extent.

Just not for the reasons she’d described.

Lily’s lips brushed mine, her eyes holding a myriad of questions that she couldn’t seem to voice. So she responded with her mouth, kissing me for the first time.

Oh, she’d returned my embraces with passion in the past.

But this was the first time she’d taken a kiss for herself.

The first time she’d demonstrated an interest that went beyond her regular training.

I let her lead, my lips responding to hers with the same gentle stroke. I’d told her this shower was for her, and I’d meant it. This was my version of an apology, a way to start over and create our own beginning.

All my cards were on the table.

All my truths.

Whatever she wanted, I’d give her. Except for death . That I would never bestow upon her. But I would kill for her if she asked me to.

This obsession was borderline toxic, the lengths I would go to for her edging on suicidal.

I’d dreamt of stealing her before Blood Day.

I’d dreamt of claiming she’d died, then keeping her for myself.

I’d dreamt of running away with her.

But they were all fantasies that could never come to fruition.

Silvano would find me. Then he’d take out his anger on her rather than me, while forcing me to watch. And I could never subject her to that fate.

Lily pulled back, her pretty irises more blue than green now. “I don’t understand you.”

My lips curled at her admission. “How about we play a game?” I suggested, my hands sliding from her cheeks to her neck. “You can ask me whatever you want while I wash your hair. And I’ll answer every question.”

Her expression had immediately turned wary at my mention of a game —a term I belatedly realized wasn’t the best to use in this situation. And that wariness had quickly melted into suspicion after my explanation.

Her gaze narrowed as she asked, “In exchange for what?”

“I get to touch you.” I shrugged. “That’s all I want.” I reached up to tug on a strand of her hair. “I won’t even make it sexual. I’ll just take care of you while you ask me questions.”

Because this was for her.

I would merely benefit from having her here.

She swallowed, her expression telling me that she didn’t believe me at all. But her training kicked in as she nodded. “Okay.”

Part of me wanted to push for a stronger acceptance. However, it would be more prudent to prove her wrong.

So I would.

I pressed a kiss to her forehead and stepped back beneath the water. “Stand over here,” I instructed, showing her with a gesture where I wanted her. Then I went to the corner shelf of the shower to find some supplies.

She did as I asked, her bottom lip catching between her teeth as she observed me.

I stayed quiet, allowing her to think as I returned to set the bottles on the floor beside her. When she didn’t speak, I busied myself by running my fingers through her hair once more and ensuring her strands were damp enough.

It wasn’t until I gently pushed her a step forward that she finally asked, “You left the university?”

A safe question, I mused. Since I’ve already insinuated that.

“Yes.” I didn’t elaborate because I wanted her to pry, to step outside of her zone and ask me what she truly wanted to know .

I bent to pick up a bottle and poured some shampoo into my hand.

“Where did you go?” she whispered.

“To Silvano Region.” I started massaging the shampoo into her hair. “And also Clemente Clan.”

“L-lycans?”

“Yes.”

“Is that where I’ll go?”

I frowned at her question. “I don’t know. Your records don’t show a definitive location yet.” But I hoped she didn’t end up there. Alpha Walter was a narcissistic prick with a power complex.

Hence the reason I’d been called home.

“So you weren’t there about the moon chase?” she asked as I pulled her back beneath the water to rinse the shampoo from her hair.

“Why would I go there for…?” I trailed off, my brow furrowing as I spun her to face me. “You think I went there to make arrangements to watch you be raped and killed?” I couldn’t hold back the fury in my tone. Because what the fuck ? “Why the fuck would I want to watch that?”

Her eyes widened.

Then she flinched as soap entered her gaze.

I cursed and helped her rinse the shampoo from her face, chastising myself for handling her so roughly. She might have had my blood in her, but that didn’t make her invincible.

After carefully rinsing the shampoo from her hair, I gently pulled her out from under the water again.

“Silvano called me back for a favor. He needed me to remind Alpha Walter of a few key items. Which is a polite way to say that I had to beat the shit out of a few of his wolves. And it took several long months for the message to be properly delivered. ”

I shouldn’t be telling her any of this.

Hell, I shouldn’t have even divulged what I truly wanted from her.

But it felt good to be truthful.

It felt right to be honest with her about my intentions, too.

She didn’t trust me because I hadn’t given her any reason to put her faith in me. However, now she was mine for a month.

Silvano had promised me two years without interference so long as I helped him with his wolf problem.

I’d taken the offer.

For Lily.

For this single month where I could coexist with her without any other responsibilities.

Of course, I hadn’t factored Prince Khalid into my plans.

But I’d feel him out over breakfast and determine if he would be a problem then.

“It goes without saying that anything I share with you is another secret between us,” I said softly, my palm cupping her jaw. “What I did for Silvano can’t be shared. And it had nothing to do with a moon chase.”

She swallowed, her head bobbing a little. “They share a border, right?”

“Yes. And they’ve been working together. But Walter is a cocky son of a bitch. So Silvano asked me to remind him of his place.” More like commanded me. But I’d been able to negotiate my two-year reprieve as payment.

However, at the end, I would officially become his sovereign.

“By beating up his wolves,” she whispered.

“I have a knack for violence,” I replied, bending to pick up another bottle—this one conditioner. “I’m also very good at sneaking into places undetected.” Such as clan territory. Walter’s enforcers didn’t stand a chance.

“That sounds dangerous.”

I shrugged and started lathering her hair again. “It’s the nature of my existence.”

Although, I usually entered situations like that without fearing death. This time had been a bit different because Lily had given me something to look forward to. Something to live for.

“I’ve always been drawn to violence and righting wrongs. I even made a living off of it for a very long time. But when the world changed, I shifted into an enforcer-like role for Silvano.”

Enforcer wasn’t the official term, but it was one she would understand from her lycan politics class.

“He calls me when he needs me,” I clarified lamely. “However, he’s just given me two more years before I have to join him in the political arena.”

“As his sovereign,” she whispered as I guided her beneath the spray again.

“As his sovereign,” I echoed. “It’s not a future I desire, but it’s the one I’m required to accept.”

Silence fell between us as I finished cleaning her hair.

Then I moved on to her body, using the soap and sponge I’d picked up from the corner.

“What future do you desire?” she asked after several minutes of quiet.

I knelt to start with her legs as I considered her question. Peace seemed too vague a response. “I’m honestly not sure anymore,” I finally settled on. “This new world is too different from the old one for me to give you a good answer.”

“What do you mean by ‘new world’?” she asked, her expression no longer exuding that earlier wariness or suspicion. Just a healthy dose of curiosity.

I ran the sponge up her thighs while holding her gaze.

“The world wasn’t always like this. There was a time when humans ruled and my kind lived among them in secret.

But then lycans were discovered, and the human governments responded by trying to weaponize them. It didn’t end well for the mortals.”

An understatement.

Nearly ninety percent of humankind was killed for the atrocity. The remaining ten percent were enslaved.

And the Blood Alliance was formed between the vampire royals and lycan alphas.

“It’s not a history the universities teach humans. All they want you to know is that we are in charge. To suggest otherwise is dangerous and could lead to a revolution.” A laughable suggestion, really.

The only way a revolution could be successful was with vampires and lycans at the helm.

I gently turned Lily to begin soaping the back of her legs while I let her process everything I’d just revealed. She shivered as I neared her ass, her skin prickling with goose bumps as the air around us seemed to shift.

I inhaled, smiling as I scented her sweet arousal. It’d been there the whole time, just subtle and slightly subdued because of our conversation.

It would be so easy to seduce her. Just slip the sponge between her spread thighs and brush her pretty pink flesh.

I swallowed and forced the desire away, reminding myself that this was about her.

She was in charge.

I would follow her lead.

And if she happened to turn around and guide my face to her sweet pussy, I would happily oblige .

Alas, she remained still.

So I focused on thoroughly soaping up her beautiful, firm ass before standing to work on her back.

She continued to tremble yet remained silent.

I’d given her a lot to consider. If she wanted to ask more questions later, I’d allow it.

I rotated her again to work on her torso, my sponge expertly creating suds against her breasts and abdomen before venturing to her arms.

All the while, she watched me from beneath hooded eyes.

I ended our intimate moment with a quick stroke of the sponge against her shaved mound and added a swift caress between her thighs, then set aside my supplies on the ground and rinsed her a final time.

When I finished, I met her gaze and said, “Game over. But we can play another one, if you want to.”

Again, maybe not the best choice of words. However, I wanted her to fully grasp my version of a game. Maybe that would help her understand me better.

Rather than wait for her to reply, I took a step back.

“I’m going to put my hands on the wall. If you want to touch me, you can. The soap is right there.” I gestured to where I’d set it against the marble floor. “If you don’t want to play, then step out of the shower and take one of the towels. I’ll wash up and join you when I’m done.”

With that blatant offer, I turned and pressed my palms to the stone-tile wall.

And waited.

Hoping she would understand the purpose behind my offer. An apology . Not direct. Not obvious. Just a subtle way of submitting to her needs.

My version of displaying intent .

Proving to her that I wanted her to choose me, not bow because of her training.

I would understand if she stepped out—I absolutely deserved that reaction.

I just hoped she wouldn’t.

I closed my eyes.

What’s it going to be, little flower? I wondered. Are you ready for my version of a game? Or are you going to run and hide?