Page 5 of Blood Day

Because many of us would be sent to the breeding camps.

Others would be drafted for royal harems.

I wanted neither of those fates.

However, the way he’d remarked on my mouth suggested it was my destiny anyway. Because it meant he’d taken note of my marks in those areas.

Perhaps that was why he chose to fail me in his course—he didn’t see me as worthy of being a Vigil.

My jaw clenched in response, my reaction innate.

And entirely wrong.

Because he caught it.

His eyes narrowed, indicating that he read my response as open defiance.

“I want to do better,” I blurted out, wanting to explain myself to him. “I… I’m trying…”

His eyebrows rose. “Am I supposed to care?”

“No,” I answered quickly. “I’m aware that I’m… that this isn’t…” I couldn’t finish, his intense stare silencing me from speaking. His dark gaze reminded me of a stormy night, the black orbs glistening with unshed lightning as he waited to strike.

I should have just apologized.

No, I should never have stayed. I should have accepted my failure and left.

Because now I was going to die.

And I doubted he would make it pleasurable.

“You want to learn how to please me, little flower?” he asked, and there was something in his tone that stirred a flutter in my abdomen. A hint of promise that captivated my entire focus.

“Yes, Master Cedric,” I told him. “I do.” It was the truth. I’d been trying to figure out how to appease him for months.

His lips curled ever so slightly at the edges, causing my heart to skip a beat.

Beautiful.

All predators were.

But something about him and his features called to me more than anyone or anything else. Perhaps because this was the longest I’d ever been allowed to observe one of his kind. He still had my chin clasped between his forefinger and thumb, forcing me to hold his alluring gaze.

It was a dangerous game.

One he’d started with his touch.

Or maybe he felt I’d initiated it with my boldness.

Regardless, I was utterly enthralled, waiting for him to speak, to deliver my fate.

His touch softened, his thumb tracing my jaw once more as he slid his fingers back into my hair to grab a fistful of my strands.

I didn’t react, allowing him to manhandle me as he saw fit, and that only seemed to amuse him more.

“Watching you fail pleases me,” he said softly, his gaze holding a touch of some hidden emotion I couldn’t define. “You’re like a pretty wilting flower, trying so hard to bloom beneath the midnight sun.” His grip tightened in my hair, his gaze narrowing. “Death suits you, darling. Perhaps you should embrace it.”

Chapter 2