Page 43 of Blood Day (Blood Alliance #7)

Cedric

There were two ways I could approach this: pretend I didn’t give two shits about Lily and present a stoic facade, or reveal all my cards.

One look at Khalid this morning had me choosing the latter. Not that I ever fully intended to go with the former. Perhaps I would have with Silvano. But the moment he touched Lily, the facade would have fractured.

Which was a problem.

This whole situation was a problem.

Yet I couldn’t find a single ounce of guilt within me. Not even when I considered what this would do to Lily.

Because it all felt too right to deny ourselves the intimate pleasure of the bond.

A fucked-up assessment, one I should feel bad about. Alas, I’d lived a very long time, and I wasn’t going to reject something that made me feel .

I placed my palm against Lily’s lower back, expressing my claim as I held Khalid’s burning gaze.

His irises had shifted from turquoise to dark brown orbs, suggesting the mug in his hand wasn’t coffee this morning.

His prospect sat beside him with her blonde head bowed, the fire from yesterday nowhere to be seen.

“Mmm,” the prince murmured. “Seems you had an eventful day.”

I pulled a chair out for Lily, then took the seat between her and Khalid. “It’s been an eventful few months.”

“Indeed.” Khalid glanced at his prospect and set down his mug. “Well, my darling, it appears you won’t be eating dear Lily for evening breakfast today.” His dark eyes returned to mine. “Unless, of course, you wish to share?”

The words were a test, one I couldn’t pass.

If I agreed, I would risk a strongly possessive reaction that might result in physical harm to someone in this room.

If I refused, I was admitting my weakness.

But hearing Lily’s whispered thoughts—all of which centered around my pleasure and not her own—had me replying, “No. I do not wish to share.”

“A sentiment that I’m sure Silvano will adore,” Khalid mused. Then he leaned forward to steeple his fingers together against the dark wood table, his expression turning serious as he evaluated me and then Lily.

I said nothing. Because there really wasn’t anything to say. I knew the danger of my actions. Just as I knew how my kin would react.

Khalid possessed the authority to take Lily from me right now, bend her over the table, and demolish our bond.

I could react. I could attempt to save her. But it would be at the expense of her life, and potentially even mine.

Yet I wasn’t sure that cost would actually stop me. Already I could sense my irritation at Khalid for just being in the same room as Lily. The notion of him touching her had me wanting to kill him without question.

It was a thread he seemed to sense because his eyes narrowed in blatant warning. That won’t end well for you , he seemed to be saying.

Try me, I replied with a look. He might have been deadly, but so was I. And I had more to lose than he did at the moment, which made me even more dangerous than usual.

Lily’s hand found my thigh, the touch sending a jolt through my heart. She was seeking comfort in the midst of the aggressive storm unfolding around her. Yet she was also providing support, too.

She confirmed with a whispered thought that she would do whatever she had to do to ensure our survival. Including letting Khalid have her.

Which I immediately shot down by telling her, That’s not going to happen .

I wouldn’t allow it, something I knew firmly now that we were sitting here, staring each other down.

He would have to hurt me to be able to touch her. And I wouldn’t go down easily.

Khalid continued to study me for another beat, his expression calculating. “Silvano will destroy her.”

“I know.”

He cocked a dark brow. “And you willingly put her in that danger?”

“ Willingly isn’t the term I would use.” I hadn’t exactly planned to make Lily mine. Although, I certainly didn’t regret it.

“I like you, Cedric.” Khalid spoke the words with a lingering undertone of a threat, almost as though he wanted me to be aware that his fondness for me wasn’t entirely a good thing. “If you ask me to break this bond for you in a humane manner, I will.”

It was an offer to free me and Lily from the mating link, one very few of his stature and age would ever voice in such a way. A gift of friendship, in a dark sort of way. One I should accept because it would save Lily from Silvano.

Yet I couldn’t find the words or the will to let it happen.

“I appreciate the offer,” I said, meaning it. “But I can’t.” My soul wouldn’t allow it. The second Khalid tried to touch Lily, I’d react violently. I could feel the possessive energy clouding my mind and refusing to abate.

Lily was mine.

Perhaps temporarily.

But I would fight like hell to keep her for as long as I could.

“The offer stands until Blood Day.” Khalid picked up his mug again to take a sip, his turquoise gaze flickering with dark embers again that made his gaze molten brown. “After that point, you’re on your own.”

“Understood. And thank you.” It was a generous offer and a reaction I hadn’t fully expected from him. Most royals in his position would merely take Lily to prove a point. He was respecting my wishes and offering to help me in his own way, and I truly did appreciate the demonstration of compassion.

“Obviously, her schedule will require changing now,” he added.

“Yes.” The Erosita bond would be evident to anyone who knew her scent. It was a subtle change, one some might not pick up on. But anyone who did would create a problem.

It wouldn’t be considered proper to allow an Erosita to attend classes with other humans. My bond to Lily not only elevated her status by marking her as a vampire possession, but it’d also made her temporarily immortal and had granted her access to one of my kind’s most precious secrets .

All of that together made her an inappropriate candidate to attend Blood University.

“We have two choices,” Khalid said after finishing the contents of his mug.

“We either mark her change of status in the system, or I merely approve your original request to keep her off-site for hands-on training. The latter originally might have piqued Silvano’s interest, which I’d been wanting to avoid.

However, the former will absolutely intrigue him, and I don’t much fancy a visit from your maker.

Therefore, we will opt for the schedule change instead. ”

I tried not to let my surprise show in my features. I’d assumed his revision of my scheduling request for Lily had been a power move on his part. However, he’d been trying to prevent soliciting Silvano’s attention.

Something I very much agreed with him on, as I didn’t want Lily anywhere near my maker.

If Khalid put her new status in the system, Silvano would be on his jet in hours, heading straight here. He would be pissed, and I’d be forced to endure whatever punishment he wished to give.

Which would be at Lily’s expense.

Hence Khalid’s offer to remove our bond and save her.

Now he was protecting her in a different way, at least temporarily.

“She’ll still need to attend Blood Day,” Khalid continued. “As you’ve said, you’re not a true sovereign yet. You have no power or authority to claim her. And if anyone sees you together, they’ll know what she is to you.”

I clenched my jaw at that. He wasn’t implying that my possessive nature would be obvious—although, I suspected it would be—but that the scents would give us away.

Lily’s sweet perfume held a hint of my vampiric cologne, one that those who knew me well would notice. Everyone else would just assume that was her natural scent. Or that maybe a vampire had intimately touched her prior to attending the ceremony.

Unless I stood nearby.

In which case, my fragrance would be all over both of us, openly claiming her as mine. Just as it did now. A natural sort of protective shield, one that activated when nearby.

However, if I was away from her, it would be faint and almost undetectable.

Unless someone bit her.

If that happened, her blood would give it away.

I’d never bitten someone else’s Erosita , but from what I understood, there was an addictive element to the flavor that ignited a competitive instinct in my brethren.

Vampires loved power plays.

To find an unguarded mate would prove fruitful indeed. She would become a bargaining chip or simply a toy to be tormented, knowing the vampire half would sense the pain.

Erositas used to be revered, but not by everyone.

And now, they were seen as emotional connections— weaknesses —among my kind.

Khalid didn’t seem to share that opinion, as he appeared to be trying to help me.

At least for the next few weeks.

That was likely why his offer stood until Blood Day. After that point, she would belong elsewhere, and my link to her would inevitably lead to my pain, in addition to her own.

The smart move would be to let him end it all now.

Cut this off before the emotions grew stronger between us .

But I couldn’t. I wanted this experience. I wanted to know Lily. I wanted her to know me.

I’m a terrible mate, I acknowledged. But I refuse to let you go, Lily. You’re mine. Even if only for a few weeks.

Her palm remained against my thigh even as a myriad of conflicting thoughts blended in her mind.

She wanted this feeling, too.

But she also hated me for skewing her view of reality.

Despised that we’d created something so special between us that neither of us could keep.

Yet was thankful for the experience at the same time, and grateful to me for making her feel something warm. Something intense. Something pleasing .

I placed my hand over hers and gave it a squeeze, an action Khalid tracked with his eyes as though he could see straight through the massive wooden table.

“Lily will need to continue her schooling here with Emine.” Khalid’s gaze returned to mine. “That will need to include some sort of sexual training and fighting courses. They are evenly matched, and Emine needs practice.”

I assumed Emine was his chosen name for his prospect. “I understand. But I’ll handle Lily’s sexual training.”

“ We will handle it in some group sessions,” he corrected. “Emine needs to learn how to properly behave in certain situations, and the information will benefit Lily, too.”

I considered him for a moment. “My response to that demand depends on what you have in mind.”

He grinned. “Let’s eat breakfast first. Then I’ll have Emine demonstrate.”

His blonde prospect shivered in response, her blue-gray eyes darting up to Khalid as her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. Whatever he meant by “demonstrate” seemed to have her intrigued.

He reached over to brush his knuckles across her cheek in an endearing sort of manner, then he picked up the bell on the table to solicit service.

Apparently, that meant his comment was a demand, not a request.

That didn’t surprise me.

He’d been overly generous this evening.

It was time for his motive for that generosity to appear—in the form of a “group session.”

Lily squeezed my thigh, her nervous energy loud in her mind. But she didn’t outwardly react at all other than her grip on my leg.

I ran my thumb along the back of her hand.

Whatever Khalid intended for us, we’d survive.

Hell, we might even enjoy it.

Be sure to eat everything I put on your plate, little flower. I suspect you’re going to need your strength.

Especially as Khalid had a penchant for drawing blood and testing sensual limits.

Just like me.

Only with a bit more violence.

And lethal toys.

Like knives.