Page 50 of Blood Day (Blood Alliance #7)

Cedric

Returning Lily to the university felt final in a way that made my skin crawl.

Something was about to change.

Silvano. Blood Day. Khalid.

I couldn’t define the cause for this black sensation, but I’d been alive long enough to know better than to ignore my instincts.

Lily’s room hadn’t changed.

Her bed was made. Her closet was filled with the student-regulated wardrobe. And the stale air carried a hint of irksome humidity that immediately made her sweat.

But she didn’t ask for my assistance or water or anything at all. She merely stood there and stared up at me with the stars in her eyes.

A dangerous look. One I should chastise. But I couldn’t. Not when that look made me feel heroic, almost as though I wasn’t a monster or a violent creature of the night .

So I kissed her instead.

No, I devoured her.

I implanted myself inside her in the same way she lived inside me. I poured everything I could into our embrace, leaving promises against her tongue that I expected her to safeguard with her heart.

You probably won’t see me for a few days, I warned her. And there’s a good chance I’m going to have to cut off our link.

I couldn’t afford for Silvano to suspect anything. And remaining connected to Lily left me vulnerable.

You should still be able to feel me, I continued, speaking into her mind while I kissed the life out of her. But you won’t be able to hear me. And I may not be able to hear you.

It was the last thing I wanted to do. But I couldn’t risk being distracted by her thoughts in Silvano’s presence.

If something goes wrong, I’ll find a way to reach you, I promised. I’ll find a way to warn you. But you need to be prepared. If Silvano comes for you…

I swallowed, my heart instantly fighting with my mind, refusing to allow the rest of that statement to be heard.

Just the thought of what I needed her to do made me murderous. Sad. Utterly destroyed.

But I had to tell her.

She needed to understand.

Lily. I cupped her cheek, my forehead meeting hers as I allowed us a breath. Death is preferable to playing with Silvano.

I understand, she whispered, her pretty eyes meeting mine with all that vibrant hope and adoration again.

You can’t let anyone else see you look at me like that, I warned her.

I won’t.

I stared down at her for a long moment, memorizing her features and missing her already. I’ve never known love, Lily. I’ve never truly believed such an emotion could exist. But you make my heart beat with renewed life. You’re the existence I never knew I desired.

And you’re the dream I never expected to experience, she replied. The dream I never allowed myself to conceive.

Don’t stop dreaming yet , I told her. Our fantasy is just beginning.

She could no doubt hear the uncertainty in my mind, that pestering little murmur that questioned if what I’d just said was a lie.

But she didn’t react to it.

All she did was kiss me again.

Dueled with my mouth in an embrace that felt a little bit like goodbye.

Not yet , I thought. This isn’t our end.

I released her in a blink and teleported to the kitchens to grab her water and additional rations.

No one noticed me.

And it helped that I knew where the cameras were here.

Lily was still standing where I’d left her moments ago as I returned, her eyes widening at the sight of me holding what probably looked like a month’s worth of water. It was just a case of twenty-four bottles.

And a bag of fruits that wouldn’t spoil for another few days—bananas and apples.

Just in case anyone gives you trouble in the cafeteria when you go in for your rations, I murmured. I’ll have to inform Livia of this change as well. She may require a call.

I hated the vampire who masqueraded as an advisor. But that just went with my hatred for all this bullshit.

I’d meet with Khalid first. Feel out the situation. Then figure out what to do with Silvano .

Worst case—I’d kidnap Lily and we’d go on the run.

Best case… I really didn’t think there was a best case. A renewed world? The ability to have an Erosita of my choosing that I didn’t have to share?

That all seemed too unrealistic.

And while I could allow myself a small speck of hope for Lily’s sake, I was too practical to lose my senses over impossible fantasies.

I set the supplies in Lily’s closet.

Then grabbed her again.

And sank my fangs into her neck.

I wanted to leave her wearing my mark for all to see. It was what my fellow brethren would expect after having claimed her as a playmate for a month. Her “advisor” would be satisfied with the display as well, assuming she ended up calling later this evening as I already suspected she would.

Lily clung to me as I took a deep swallow.

Then she accepted my kiss once more. But I didn’t give her any of my essence this time. She already had a healthy amount inside her. Plus our bond. She’d heal quickly, perhaps even too quickly. But there wasn’t much I could do about that.

Try not to bathe too much. The others will smell me on you. I want them to assume it’s because of how much time we spent together. Not because of our bond.

I wasn’t sure that’d be enough.

She didn’t smell like a vampire, but she no longer smelled human either.

Try to avoid getting too close to any of my kind, okay?

She nodded.

I’ll make sure Livia doesn’t sign you up for any last-minute courses. That way, you can remain in your room as much as possible .

Okay. Her fingertips traced my jaw, her gaze studying me. I’ll be thinking of you.

I’ll be thinking of you, too , I vowed. We’ll see each other again soon.

Yes, Master Cedric.

I fought the urge to smile and brushed a final kiss against her lips. Be good, Lily flower.

I didn’t wait for her reply, instead teleporting to my car and getting inside before I changed my mind about leaving her here.

It would be so easy to strap her into the passenger seat and drive off.

But we wouldn’t get far.

Khalid Region sprawled out to the east, with Sahara Region encompassing the west. Going north would take us into the Mediterranean Sea and onward into Ayaz Region or Hazel Region.

No good options.

Which left me with trying to resolve this the political way—by playing this game with Silvano and Khalid.

I drove back to the palace, my mind acutely aware of Lily’s calmness. It would hurt to cut her off. But it was what I would need to do to concentrate once Silvano arrived.

However, I left the link open while I pondered the situation with Khalid.

What are his real motives?

Why did he insist on training Emine and Lily together?

Was it all a ploy to lull me into a false state of comfort? A way to ensure we worked together?

Or did he truly intend for us to become partners?

I could approach this a few different ways. I could wait until Silvano arrived and be honest about Khalid’s offer for the sovereign position, then tell him I’d only played along because I’d been trying to ascertain his true motives.

I could go to Khalid with a warning about Silvano’s impending arrival and see what sort of plan he had in mind. Then I could carry it out in hopes that Khalid meant his sovereign offer. Or I could use the plan against him by allying with Silvano.

Or I could just ask for his plan and evaluate his sincerity from whatever idea he suggested.

I could also put all my cards on the table and be honest. But that required me to know what I wanted.

Which I didn’t.

Other than Lily, I truly wasn’t sure what I desired.

Being a sovereign had never appealed to me. However, if it meant I could keep Lily, I’d consider it.

A position of power would afford me a great deal of authority. And being a sovereign would place me just under a royal, making me superior to everyone else.

The question was—which royal did I want to serve? Khalid or Silvano?

I didn’t trust either of them.

But Silvano was my maker. Serving him would be better suited. Except he’d never let me keep Lily. He’d use her as a pawn to control me. Or destroy her just to remove the potential distraction.

And Khalid… I wasn’t sure I could completely bow to him. But he’d made it sound like he would help me on numerous occasions.

Did he mean it? I wondered as I parked the car outside the palace. Or is he playing me?

I gritted my teeth. Only one way to find out.

If this was all an elaborate ruse, then the game was about to end with Silvano’s arrival.

Which meant I wouldn’t lose much more by going to Khalid now because if he was working with my maker, then he would have already given Silvano all the information anyway.

However, on the off chance that he wasn’t working with my maker, I needed to use this new friendship.

It wasn’t my usual strategy to work with others. But I recognized the need in this situation to seek out assistance where I could.

I teleported out of the car, not bothering with dropping the keys by the door or any other formalities, and went straight to Khalid’s quarters.

The scent of fresh blood reached me, suggesting I might be interrupting a meal with Emine. Although, if he cared about her like I suspected he did, then he’d want to move her to safety as quickly as possible.

Silvano might not be able to take a toy from another royal, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying.

I lifted my hand to knock on the door, but it opened before my fist met the wood.

Khalid’s inky irises met mine, confirming he’d just fed. There was some evidence of it on his white dress shirt as well, along with a tear in the fabric across his chest.

Emine must have clawed him, I thought, amused.

“Oh, good, you’re here,” Khalid drawled, leaning against the door frame. “It saves me a call.”

I arched a brow. “A call?”

He nodded and allowed the door to open a little wider to reveal the mess he’d left on the floor.

“I need some help cleaning up.” He glanced over his shoulder at the lifeless female on the carpet.

“Can you handle the paperwork while I take care of the body?” Some of the turquoise had bled back into his irises by the time he looked back at me.

“I’d like to have this sorted before Silvano arrives. ”

Fuck.

What is it? Lily asked, sensing my shock.

I blocked her before she could see the events in my mind. She might not have been close friends with Emine, but she’d cared for the woman.

The last thing I wanted was for Lily to learn about the other woman’s death through our mental connection.

Besides, I had a much more important problem to deal with now.

Because Khalid had just made it clear that he’d been working with Silvano the entire time.

Emine’s dead.

It was all a ruse. A clever ploy to gain my trust. And I stupidly fell into his trap because I thought we shared a common desire—to keep our humans alive.

Fuck.

Khalid’s lips curled as though he could see the puzzle pieces coming together in my mind. “You didn’t think your maker’s arrival was a secret, did you?”

“I wasn’t aware that he’d called you.”

“Ah, so you came to tell me?” His grin grew when I didn’t respond. “How loyal.”

My fingers curled into fists as my mind warred with what to do.

Kill Khalid?

Run?

Try to get to Lily and disappear?

I could teleport and?—

“Don’t,” Khalid warned. Against what, I wasn’t sure.

But I hated that he seemed to be able to read me so easily. It made me wary and even more uncertain of how to proceed.

Perhaps playing along was my best option.

At least temporarily .

“Just fill out the paperwork,” he said. “Include whatever you need to enter for Lily, as I assume she’s already back at the university.” He gave me a look that spoke volumes about his uncanny ability to see several steps ahead. “When you’re done, we’ll talk.”