Page 4 of Blood Day (Blood Alliance #7)

Lily

Master Cedric’s words whirled through my mind on repeat all the way to my room and deep into the morning hours.

“I’ll offer you an opportunity with private lessons. 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.”

He didn’t.

I knew exactly what that meant.

Death .

But he’d essentially promised me that by failing me in his course, too.

The question became, how far was I willing to go for a chance to survive?

My answer was easy—as far as it took.

He wanted me to kneel for him naked on a mat? So be it. I’d done far worse in my sexual arts courses.

So why can’t I sleep? I wondered, squirming in my sheets. We were in the middle of the hot season, which meant the sun was almost unbearable during the day. And the dust clouds made it nearly impossible to see .

Fortunately, vampires were nocturnal.

Which meant Blood University operated on a night schedule.

Lycans apparently could do day or evening, but they didn’t seem to mind operating beneath the stars. Probably because they preferred to avoid the warmth of the sun.

I could feel it peeking through my blinds now, heating my body to a near boiling point. Similar to Master Cedric’s touch .

His palm around my throat had been terrifying.

And arousing .

Every time I swallowed, I remembered his hand against my skin, the heat of his palm singed into my memory. Vampires might have been walking undead, but that didn’t make them cold.

Something Master Cedric had more than proved with his fingers and thumb.

I brushed my jaw, his residual energy a kiss to my senses. It was only in my head, but that didn’t make it any less real to my thoughts.

“Try not to dream. Fantasies don’t exist in your world anymore.”

Then why did I want to fantasize about him? To dream about the way his irises had burned as he’d studied my mouth? To recall the intensity coming off his skin as he’d touched me?

My thighs clenched, my insides rolling with molten fire.

He’d done something to me. Wrapped me up in some sort of spell. Enchanted me in a manner that made me feel insane.

Or maybe I’d just lost my mind.

I growled at him , I marveled, rolling over to my other side. What was I thinking?

He’d just made me so frustrated.

And I’d reacted .

I’d thought surely my life was over in that moment, that he would snap my neck for daring to disrespect him in such a manner. His dark gaze had heated severely, making me almost crave his lethal bite.

And then he’d offered me a choice.

A way out.

Well, not really.

Just an alternative to my fate. A way to please him. An opportunity I wouldn’t refuse.

Close your eyes , I told myself. Rest. You’re going to need it .

Because he wouldn’t go easy on me.

He never did.

I’d dreamt of him.

Perhaps it had been my subconscious’s way of defying Master Cedric. Or maybe his final words had triggered the dream.

I’d been naked and on my knees, awaiting his final judgment.

Which had come in the form of a bite that spiraled me into an orgasmic state.

A state I still felt between my thighs now as I watched him demonstrate a new series of techniques. He was giving us our homework assignment, just as he did at the end of every class, telling us to return to our rooms and practice so that we could demonstrate them for him tomorrow.

Normally, I would rush right back to my small private space to do just that.

But I had an opportunity to accept.

“Remember, I expect precision and accuracy tomorrow,” Master Cedric said, his gaze landing on me before addressing the rest of the class. “You’re all dismissed.”

No one stood around to ask questions.

No one spoke a single word.

Instead, they grabbed their bags, shuffled from the gymnasium-style classroom, and went on their way.

This was the last class of our night, ending just two hours before dawn. Most would stop by the cafeteria for their dinner bags—something I’d missed last night and regretted when I’d seen my small rations for breakfast—and would take their meals back to their rooms.

I would go without.

For him .

For a chance at surviving his course.

Although, he’d made it rather clear that he enjoyed watching me fail.

This was all probably a game to him, a way to taunt his prey. But I didn’t have a choice. It was this or death, and I wasn’t ready to embrace that yet—even though he’d suggested just yesterday that I should.

Recalling all his statements sent a shiver down my spine.

I made my choice , I reminded myself as I straightened my shoulders. This is what needs to be done. Strip. Kneel. Beg. Whatever he requires.

Stripping wasn’t a problem—I often had to remove my clothes for class or other activities.

Kneeling wasn’t an issue either—I prayed on my knees to the Goddess before breakfast daily. It was a required activity for all the humans, to chant our thanks for allowing us to live.

Begging would be more difficult, primarily because I didn’t know what Master Cedric wanted from me other than failure .

And failure wasn’t in my repertoire.

I removed my clothes, as he’d told me to do, and fell into a submissive kneeling pose on the mat—thighs slightly spread apart, hands behind my back, and head bowed.

Sometimes the Masters required us to sit back on our heels, but I wasn’t sure if he preferred that or not.

So I knelt with my thighs and upper body perpendicular to the floor while keeping my eyes downcast as a show of respect.

Then I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I started counting seconds, then minutes, and eventually just focused on my breathing.

Master Cedric hadn’t left, his presence a dark shadow in the room. However, I sensed his focus wasn’t on me. I couldn’t say how or why I knew that, just that I felt free to breathe for the moment because those cruel, cold eyes weren’t directed my way.

Was this a test? A way to ensure my resolve?

I could remain like this for hours; I’d done it before.

But surely he wouldn’t force me to remain in this pose all day. The windows of this room overlooked one of the campus’s many deserts, marking it a prime location for sunshine.

I would melt in here.

Become dehydrated and pass out.

Maybe that was his intention.

I swallowed, uncertain of how long I would last under those circumstances. Not with how little I’d eaten over the last twenty-four hours and how terribly I’d slept last night.

“Let’s see how well you were paying attention today, Prospect,” Master Cedric said, his tone and words causing goose bumps to pebble up and down my arms. “Show me tonight’s lesson. We’ll see how poor your technique is and go from there.”

My heart raced in my chest. Tonight’s lesson. The assignment he gave us for practice . He’d just executed it twice for us to memorize.

I usually practiced these dozens of times before performing in front of him.

And he wanted me to do this without any practice at all.

“Now, little flower,” he demanded.

Little flower . I wasn’t sure why he kept calling me that. I’d never heard him say it to anyone in class. But I wasn’t going to waste time evaluating it now. Not when he gave me an assignment to fulfill.

I carefully found my footing while recalling everything he’d shown us and fell into the appropriate fighting stance.

The routine he’d demonstrated today wasn’t long, just a series of kicks and punches in quick succession.

It was all about the footing and hip movement, something I’d always studied carefully throughout each lesson.

So I focused on that now, moving my feet along the floor in a dance similar to his and putting the appropriate effort behind my throws and swift leg thrusts.

One of the positions required a knee tuck that I executed with a bit of a wobble, but Master Cedric didn’t say anything until I completed the final tumble.

“Again,” he told me.

I didn’t argue. I didn’t even hesitate. I merely went back to the starting position and ran through the routine once more.

Then I repeated it a third time on his command.

And a fourth.

And a fifth.

But it wasn’t until the sixth attempt that I actually felt his eyes on me, his stare resembling a brand that imprinted itself on my soul.

I stumbled in response, earning a snort from him.

Rather than pause, I kept going, my cheeks on fire from the exertion and knowing I’d fumbled beneath his penetrating gaze.

I quickly started on a seventh turn, running through the routine this time with flawless ease and feeling the perfection in each step.

But when I lifted my focus to him, hoping to see pride in his expression, I found him glaring at me instead. “You’re already dead, Prospect.”

My brow furrowed. I didn’t understand what he meant.

He dropped something on his desk and started toward me, his intense expression sending a chill of foreboding over my spirit. Don’t, I told myself as I nearly took a step backward, my instinct to flee thundering through my veins. Don’t run .

It was what excited predators.

They enjoyed stalking and hunting prey.

If I remained still, he might not try to kill me.

Although, he’d already claimed me to be dead.

So maybe not.

He grabbed my hips and moved me back into the position where I’d lost my balance, then he swept my bent leg out from beneath me and sent me down hard to the mat.

His body landed on mine in the next breath, his lips at my neck, his hands holding my wrists over my head to capture me beneath him.

I jolted, my heart suddenly in my throat. Goddess…

But he hadn’t come down hard on me. He’d moved rather stealthily, his weight balanced more on his knees as he straddled my legs. Then he’d melted into me on the floor with his thighs pressing on mine and his torso fully covering me.

All within the course of a few seconds.

However, it was enough to soften the tackle after knocking the wind from my lungs with his leg sweep.

Almost as though he was trying not to truly hurt me.