Page 223 of Blood Day

He considered me for a long moment before saying, “One howl from Viper will have the lycans running. As he works for me, it won’t take much for me to convince him to sound the alarm. Is that your preference? Or would you preferacceptingthe escape route he’s already crafted for us?”

My jaw ticked. “I see.”

“I imagine you do.” He gestured for the hallway. “Shall we?”

“Maybe I’m craving a bloodbath,” I told him, irritated by his confidence.

No. Fuck that. I was irritated by his damn existence.

And because I knew he was right.

“I have no doubt that you’re craving blood, Cedric. But you have a mate to consider.” He looked at Lily forthe third fucking time. “A very naked, somewhat irate mate.”

I gave in to the urge to follow his gaze to myErosita.She was glowering at Khalid with barely contained rage, her mind still rioting over the reveal that he’d killed Emine. It seemed my darling flower had grown emotional roots, ones she was now relying on to ground her in reality.

“She’s quite upset about Emine,” I informed him as I slid my gun back into my holster. There was no point in holding the weapon. If Khalid wanted to fight, we’d do so with our hands. But I doubted it would come to that—he’d simply have his wolfhowl.

“Hmm,” Khalid hummed, saying nothing else.

I pulled my shirt over my head and handed it to Lily.Put this on, little flower.

She didn’t immediately agree, her mind seeming to caress mine as she listened to me reason through our options.He killed Emine.

Yes,I replied.He turned her into a vampire.Which was something I’d helped him hide from Silvano by burying the body and distracting my maker when Khalid had left to tend to hislittle mirage.

In exchange, he’d promised to keep Lily safe. I’d thought he’d meant to take her as part of his harem.

But no.

He’d simply played me with a proverbial riddle.

“Would it make you feel better if I let you hit me?” Khalid offered. But the words were for Lily—who was now gaping up at him—not me. “That usually improves Emine’s mood. Will it improve yours?”

Put on my shirt, Lily, I snapped at her before looking at the royal vampire. “Stop talking to her.”

His eyebrows rose. “Would you issue that demand to Silvano?”

“You’re not Silvano.”

“No, I’m not.” He fixed his tie as he added, “Which is something you should consider very carefully, Cedric. Because my offer is about to expire. And without me, you will be returning to your maker. And he will learn of Lily’s existence.”

A threat.

One echoed in Viper’s expression.

All I need to do is howl, his dark eyes promised.

I nodded, conceding that they’d won this round. However, they might not be as lucky in the next one, something I told Khalid with my eyes.

Which only earned me a slight grin of amusement.

Underestimating me would be his downfall more than mine.

We’d been playing a game for months whereby I hadn’t felt like I had a lot to lose. But I was more dangerous now than ever before because I finally understood the depths of my feelings for Lily.

I’d just illegally crossed into Clemente Clan and broke into a lycan compound to save her. That alone said everything. Six months ago, I would have resigned myself to her fate and not once looked back.

And I would have been forced to live an eternity without feeling. Without trulyliving. All because I hadn’t really considered the sensations of love and devotion worthwhile before. I hadn’t known how powerful and enlightening they could be.