Page 49 of Blood Day (Blood Alliance #7)

Cedric

Lily’s blood trickled over my tongue, the decadent flavor my new favorite meal.

She writhed beneath me, her lips parted in a pant as I drove her over the edge for a third time.

We’d woken up like this almost every day for the last four weeks.

And I was still nowhere near satisfying my craving for her. If anything, I only desired her more .

“ Cedric ,” she moaned as I held her down with a palm against her lower belly.

Don’t move, I told her. The femoral artery is delicate.

She shuddered in response, her pussy clamping around my fingers as she fought the sensations overtaking her body.

We’d been working on her limits.

She could take a lot more than she realized. However, I monitored her reactions and listened to her fears.

Which was why I refrained from biting her clit or anywhere else too sensitive. Fucking Peyton had ruined that prospect with her cruel trainings .

Maybe one day Lily would want to experiment, but not anytime soon.

I’d love to say we had time.

But we didn’t.

We had days.

A savage part of me wanted to take Lily and run. However, Silvano wouldn’t let me hide for long. And he would take my punishment out on Lily.

Her fingers tightened in my hair, a subtle pull that drew me back to my breakfast as she convulsed beneath another rapturous wave.

Fuck, Lily , I breathed into her mind, her arousal saturating my senses and exciting my predatory drive.

I crawled up her prone form and claimed her mouth with my tongue as my cock slammed home inside her slick heat.

So perfect, I told her. So fucking mine.

Her nails clawed my back as she tried to stake her own claim, her body wrapping around me in a hot embrace as she accepted every punishing thrust into her tight cunt.

I wanted to wake up like this every day for the rest of my very long life.

I’d been a fool to assume a month would be enough.

A fool to ever consider killing her and losing this precious time together.

A fool for falling for her .

But I couldn’t help it.

I… I couldn’t stop. I was addicted to this beautiful girl, her existence breathing renewed life into my lungs.

There were so many experiences missing between us. So many opportunities we’d not been able to pursue because of the cruel parameters of this new world.

Khalid’s training sessions had taken up the majority of our time together .

Sparring.

Sexual facades.

Sharing .

The classes hadn’t just been for Lily and Emine, but also for me.

For us . A way to train me not to react to someone touching my Erosita .

A way to help test the limits of Khalid’s patience.

Of course, he’d mastered that act. He’d appeared entirely unfazed when it came to Emine’s well-being.

His only tell existed in his eyes, which he’d probably hide behind a pair of shades.

Or his fucking headdress.

I hated him.

I hated this world.

I hated everything except for my sweet flower.

My Lily.

And her hot little pussy.

“Fuck,” I cursed again, burying my head against her shoulder. “Keep doing that.” She had a tight grip on my shaft, pulsing around me and demanding that I come inside her.

I wanted to fill her up.

I wanted to own her.

Possess every goddamn inch so no one else could ever touch her.

She was mine . My mate. My Erosita . My life.

And these assholes wanted to take her away from me.

I refused to allow it. I just… didn’t know how to stop it.

“Cedric,” she whispered, arching into me, demanding my focus.

These moments shouldn’t be wasted with dark thoughts of the future.

No, I should focus on fucking her.

Claiming her .

Indulging in this beautiful bond and our addictive connection.

I caught her mouth again, my tongue dancing with hers as I slowed my pace to prolong the moment. But her thighs clamped down around me, her smaller form taking charge and dragging me over the edge into a delirious state of pleasure.

I growled, irritated and elated at the same time.

She’d learned so much in the last few weeks.

“You’re going to suck me off now,” I warned her on a low rasp of sound as I continued to unload inside her. “I wasn’t ready.”

She nibbled my bottom lip.

Then bit down hard enough to make me bleed.

The action caused my lower abdomen to clench as my orgasm spiraled into new depths. Lily, I groaned, dying a little as she sucked the essence from my mouth. Minx.

She hummed in response and swallowed my blood.

Like a little vampiress.

Except her teeth were blunt and evoked a bit more pain as she bit down on my lip again.

You’re enticing my inner beast, I told her.

I’m enjoying my breakfast, she countered.

Yeah? Are you hungry, little flower? I asked, my hand finding her hip as my opposite one went to the back of her head.

Yes.

I rolled us, putting her on top. Then go down and drink your fill.

Her lips curled into a grin, her eyes glittering with renewed vigor from my blood. Yes, Master.

She uttered the phrase like a taunt, knowing full well it would ignite another fire inside me.

I’m going to drown you in my cum , I told her. Make you choke on it and bring you back to life with my blood .

A punishment I’ll enjoy, she replied, her teasing note so new and fresh and very much welcomed. She was really beginning to trust me. Or perhaps she always had.

We were bound in a supernatural tie that seemed to exist even before our mating.

It left me conflicted and confused about our future. Our past. Our present. I couldn’t think straight with her clouding my mind, her presence enslaving me in a way I might never understand.

I was utterly lost to her.

Especially now with her mouth trailing down toward my cock. “Suck me off, Lily,” I told her. “No teasing.”

She responded by wrapping those beautiful lips around my crown and sliding down. My hand found her hair again, my fingers knotting with the strands as I urged her to take me deeper.

I could fault the university for a lot of things. I could even hate their course structure. But there was no denying the gifts they’d given Lily in terms of oral training.

She was fucking phenomenal.

I’d once said something about her not being trained to handle supernaturals.

I’d been wrong.

Very, very wrong.

“That’s it,” I encouraged her. “All the way down.” It didn’t matter that I’d just come inside her moments ago; I could already feel another orgasm building.

Because that was what she did to me.

My little bewitching flower. So tender and sweet, yet devious between the sheets.

I’m keeping you, I chanted. Forever.

I didn’t know how. Maybe I would take her and run, just like I kept dreaming about. Maybe Khalid would find a way to make her part of his harem, like he seemed to be indicating he would.

That’d been the point of all his training—to prepare Lily and Emine for the future in his court.

A future I would be joining as a new sovereign.

Assuming everything went according to plan.

It was a plan I needed to discuss more with him.

Which I would do.

Later today.

After I finished…

Fuck .

Lily swallowed around my head, her pretty blue-green eyes watching me from below. She knew I loved that—seeing her gaze water around my girth, watching her give me everything as she hollowed her cheeks, and swallowed .

My veins were liquid fire, my insides ready to erupt.

I really might drown her, just as I’d threatened.

“Take a deep breath,” I said, drawing her off my dick just enough for her to really inhale.

She did, her instinct to obey ingrained in this dynamic between us.

There were moments where she pushed some boundaries, testing us both—moments where I felt like the real Lily was about to shine—but her submissive tendencies always overruled her in the end.

We’d work on that.

I’d help her find herself.

With time, I thought. Time. Time. Time.

Lily’s teeth skimmed my sensitive skin, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Such a beautiful sight.

So tempting.

So goddamn perfect.

I made her breathe one more time, then thrust as deep as her throat allowed and came undone on a snarl that vibrated the walls around us.

She drank me down with a skill that nearly had me wanting to come again, but she fucking drained me with her attentions.

I was so blissed out that I barely noticed the buzzing on my wrist.

By the time I acknowledged it, the call had ended.

I grunted and pulled Lily up to kiss her, not bothering to look at who had tried to interrupt this precious moment.

Except the vibrating began again as my lips brushed her swollen mouth.

I ignored it, intent on worshipping my mate with my tongue.

However, a third call had me pulling away to look at the notification on my watch.

Silvano.

Of fucking course.

Lily froze on top of me, her eyes widening. “Shit. I need to answer this, Lily.”

I shifted her to the side and sat up, then urged her with a thought to duck beneath the covers and hug my leg. She didn’t speak, just did as I demanded and curled into me.

Clearing my throat, I hit the answer button—as my wrist started buzzing for the fourth time—and said, “Good evening, My Prince.” The screen populated the air before me, which meant he could see my nude chest and mess of hair.

That should serve as an explanation for my delayed response.

He arched a brow. “Busy evening?”

“An enjoyable one,” I told him. At least until you interrupted it . “How can I help you, my liege?”

His gaze danced around the screen like he was searching for my snack. I didn’t give anything away, just relaxed into the headboard and feigned boredom.

Do not make a sound, Lily, I warned her. He’s looking for evidence that you’re still here.

I understand.

Another beat passed, and Silvano’s moment of fascination fled. “The situation with Walter is coming to a head,” he finally said. “We need to meet to discuss next steps.”

“Is he still misbehaving?”

“He’s mistaken me for a fool,” Silvano gritted out. “And you leaving seems to have made him think he’s free to continue his antics.”

“I see.” So this discussion would really be about forcing me to come home indefinitely to play babysitter to the errant alpha lycan next door.

Great .

“Anyway, I’m already on my way to you. I should arrive by daylight. Please see that my rooms are ready.”

Oh, so this was more than just a courtesy call to inform me that our two-year agreement was about to be voided due to his games with Walter. No. This was primarily a call to demand that I prepare his quarters for his unexpected arrival.

We were supposed to meet in Romania—home of the Blood Day ritual.

Not here.

He could have called Adrienne to make the arrangements. But he chose to call me in a show of power meant to put me in my place.

“I’ll see that everything is ready for your arrival,” I informed him, doing my best not to react to the belittling request or the very clear intention of him reneging on our deal for my temporary freedom .

It was almost as though Silvano wanted me to walk into Khalid’s open arms.

Or perhaps that was the point of all this—some sort of fucked-up loyalty test.

Was Khalid feeding information to Silvano about me and Lily?

Was that how Khalid knew about my visits to Clemente Clan? Had Silvano told him?

I’d assumed Khalid was following me or using his spies to gather intel. I hadn’t really considered that he could be playing a game at Silvano’s request.

“Good. See you soon,” Silvano said, a note of warning in his tone as he ended the call.

I clenched my jaw. What game are we really playing here?

Whose side is Khalid on?

Are his offers genuine? Or a trap?

I ran a hand down my face, my mind running a mile a minute as I tried to sort through this maze of politics and truths and lies.

Only one thing was clear to me—Lily needed to return to the dorms. Tonight . Because regardless of Silvano’s and Khalid’s true intentions, Silvano would kill her on sight.

At least she would be somewhat protected at the university.

Even if temporarily.

“Cedric,” she whispered.

“It’s the only choice,” I told her. “On the off chance that Khalid’s proposal is real, then I need to keep you a secret from Silvano. And I can’t do that with you here. He’ll smell our connection the moment he arrives.”

“Won’t he sense it regardless?”

“He might pick up on a new fragrance within me, but he won’t know what it is until he sees you,” I told her.

“ Erositas are rare, and he’s never tolerated such connections in his court.

So he wouldn’t readily recognize it. But the moment he meets you, he’ll know immediately.

Because you smell like me. And he made me. ”

She crawled out from beneath the blankets. “What if he goes to the university?”

“He won’t. He’d consider that too far beneath him. And the royals never bother with prospects. They won’t even get close to you on Blood Day unless you’re chosen for the harem camp or the Immortal Cup.”

She frowned. “Didn’t Khalid say he wants me in his harem?”

“He’s implied it,” I said, recalling our dinner from two weeks ago when he’d mentioned that as a potential way to ensure Lily and Emine both ended up in his territory. “But I’ll need to speak with him more about it.”

“Because Silvano may recognize our bond if I’m sent to the harem camp,” she replied.

I frowned. “Maybe.” Fuck . “Regardless, I need to get you back to the dorm. Right fucking now.” It would take hours to try to remove her scent from my rooms. From this palace. From me .

Silvano would still pick up on traces of her sweetness, but I would play it off as a recent meal. He didn’t have a heart. He wouldn’t even consider the possibility of Lily’s existence.

Unless Khalid’s been talking to him , I thought again.

Even then, having Lily out of his reach would ensure her some safety.

Temporarily.

While I felt out the situation.

It would give me some clarity and freedom to think as well.

“Okay,” she said, having read the chaos in my mind. “ Take me back to the dorms. I’ll wait there for further instruction from you.”

The trust in her voice matched the faith in her eyes.

And just for a second, it gave me pause.

It made me realize how intertwined we’d become. How it wasn’t just me who felt addicted to her, but that she was just as enthralled by me. Perhaps even more so, given her innocence and impressionable age.

I wanted to live up to the hope blossoming in her mind.

I wanted to be the hero she expected me to be.

Not the villain. Not the monster. But her white fucking knight.

However, this world didn’t allow for those types of fairy tales to exist anymore.

I wanted to give her the happy ending she deserved.

I just wasn’t sure I could.

So I kissed her instead and allowed all my dreams to whisper across her tongue, a silent vow of desire and fantasy wrapped up in a forbidden embrace.

If I could save her, I would.

But I wouldn’t promise her anything else.

Because I refused to lie.

Not to her. Never to her.

My Lily.

My renewed life.

My future.