Page 148 of Blood Day

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?”

“Willinglyisn’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 voicein 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.” TheErositabond 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 anErositato 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.”