Page 38 of Blood Day

Only darkness.

And…peace.

Chapter 9

Cedric

I dabbedLily’s chin with a wet washcloth, cleaning the blood off her skin.

My little flower had wilted so quickly on the drive, talking to me one moment and incoherent the next.

I’d worried I would have to force-feed her, which I’d done to an extent. But she’d returned long enough to swallow on her own. And now her body would take care of the rest.

She’d imbibed more than enough of my essence to thrive. It would have some residual effects for a few days, too.

So I’d need to find a reason to excuse her from her courses.

Otherwise, her enhancement would be obvious to those around her.

I also needed to ensure she understood the importance of what I’d done and why she couldn’t tell a soul. She’d already agreed to it in the car, but her response had felt more programmed than true. I would take the next fewdays to make sure she truly meant her compliance for the right reasons.

“There,” I murmured, studying her pretty face. “Good as new.”

I set the cloth to the side and focused on her arm again, straightening it once more to ensure the bones settled appropriately. Sometimes enhanced healing caused the bones to set at an awkward angle, which resulted in having to break them again to mend them properly. I also pulled her legs down and rolled her to her back, wanting her organs and insides to repair themselves without issue as well.

It shouldn’t take long.

Her injuries were substantial and would have been life-threatening if left unattended, but my blood would cure her in a few hours.

Still, I remained beside her in the bed while she healed, just in case something went wrong. She rested beautifully on her back, her pretty blonde hair fanned out around her head.

I let her steady pulse soothe my nerves while I worked on my tablet. I had several messages to reply to, including one from Silvano.

It ended in the same way all his messages did.When will you be back?

“Never, if I can help it,” I muttered out loud. But I couldn’t reply that way.

Fortunately, there weren’t cameras in this house—something I’d checked upon moving in and regularly scanned for while living here.

Lilith favored technology, using it as a way to keep not only humans in line, but her lycans and her own kind as well.

I would never understand how the royals decided onher leadership. She wasn’t even the oldest vampire among us. Kylan owned that role, followed closely by Jace.

Well, technically,Camwas the oldest.

But he was presumed dead.

So that left Kylan.

Even Silvano was older than Lilith.

Not that he should ever lead. He was a sadist with a power complex, hence the reason I chose to hide in the middle of the fucking desert.

Many assumed we shared similar proclivities since he’d sired me, but I preferred consenting prey. I glanced down at the blonde behind me. “Hmm, maybe I like wilting flowers, too,” I mused aloud.

Wilting flowers with spirit.

When Lily had questioned me in the car, I’d been thrilled. That was why I’d divulged so much information to her afterward. It had taken courage on her part to ask such a question. And it was a simple one, too. The kind of question a human would have asked with ease two centuries ago.