Page 241 of Blood Day

I contemplated what he was saying and nodded slowly. “A history we rekindled while you were visiting the university.”

“Precisely. We shared a few humans and rekindled anold friendship, one that reconfirmed your use to my territory. One political discussion led to another, and here we are,” he murmured.

“Here we are,” I repeated, glancing at the building before us and the dark curtains on the windows. “This is a residence for vampires.”

“Humans, too,” he replied. “But don’t worry. You and Lily have the penthouse, which is the entire top floor. The only ones who can access that area are the two of you. Not even I can enter uninvited.” His eyebrows lifted. “How’s that for an old tale?”

I grunted. “A ridiculous one.” Vampires didn’t need to be invited anywhere, especially ones who could phase. Which meant Khalid could enter at will anytime but was choosing to give us privacy. “Where do you live?”

“On the opposite side of the city in the primary palace.” The way he said it had me wondering if that was true. It was one of those sentences that just seemed to flow a little too easily.

No, someone like Khalid wouldn’t live in an obvious place.

He’d maintain a secret residence.

One where he could hide anything he considered precious.

Things like Emine, I thought, glancing at her stoic expression. Nothing showed in her eyes. Not even an inkling that he might be lying.

But I knew he was.

“You’ve trained her well,” I told him, smiling.

“She’s excellent with secrets,” he conceded, aware that I saw through everything he’d just told me.

However, that only proved how real all the other details were, how truthful he’d been about the humans of this region and his desires to find a way to coexist under newsocietal rules while maintaining a semblance of respect for the mortals.

“Do the vampires hunt?” I asked, curious about how his blood tax worked in this region. Because I didn’t want anyone touching Lily, so I had to know if I needed to protect her from blood sports.Would she be required to donate?

“Yes,” he replied. “But I prefer the termseducing.”

“So, similar to the old days when we had to convince our meal to give us a bite,” I murmured.

“Indeed. However, for those who don’t want to bother with the effort, we have our blood banks. Most food also has blood in it for vampires, same with drinks. And there are feeding dens where humans work willingly. They are well compensated and cared for. No killing allowed.”

“I see. And will Lily be required to donate?” I asked, voicing my earlier thought aloud.

“Only to you, Cedric. As sovereign, you have the right to claim her. The only requirement is that she remain willing.”

I am, she thought, making me smile.

“That won’t be a problem,” I told him.

“No, I imagine it won’t be.” He relaxed into his seat. “But we can go into the rest later. In the interim, why don’t you take Lily inside and go explore your new home. Or take her for that swim she desires.”

The way his turquoise gaze glittered told me he had somehow overheard my conversation with Lily, making me wonder about his ability to read minds again. Khalid was an unknown entity with power I could feel warming the air between us, but I wasn’t sure of exactly what he could do.

Some vampires possessed unique talents—such as phasing.

And something told me Khalid harbored some of the most unique talents of them all.

It required a hell of a lot of power to accomplish what he’d done here.

Yet he made it appear flawless and simple. Perhaps to him, it was.

“The entry is through there.” He pointed. “Your retinas will grant you the access you need.”

My eyebrow inched upward. “You have imprints of my eyes on file?”