Page 12 of Blood Day: Part One

“Now, little flower,” he demanded.

Little flower. I wasn’t sure why he kept calling me that. I’d never heard him say it to anyone in class. But I wasn’t going to waste time evaluating it now. Not when he gave me an assignment to fulfill.

I carefully found my footing while recalling everything he’d shown us and fell into the appropriate fighting stance. The routine he’d demonstrated today wasn’t long, just a series of kicks and punches in quick succession. It was all about the footing and hip movement, something I’d always studied carefully throughout each lesson.

So I focused on that now, moving my feet along the floor in a dance similar to his and putting the appropriate effort behind my throws and swift leg thrusts. One of the positions required a knee tuck that I executed with a bit of a wobble, but Master Cedric didn’t say anything until I completed the final tumble.

“Again,” he told me.

I didn’t argue. I didn’t even hesitate. I merely went back to the starting position and ran through the routine once more.

Then I repeated it a third time on his command.

And a fourth.

And a fifth.

But it wasn’t until the sixth attempt that I actually felt his eyes on me, his stare resembling a brand that imprinted itself on my soul.

I stumbled in response, earning a snort from him.

Rather than pause, I kept going, my cheeks on fire from the exertion and knowing I’d fumbled beneath his penetrating gaze.

I quickly started on a seventh turn, running through the routine this time with flawless ease and feeling the perfection in each step.

But when I lifted my focus to him, hoping to see pride in his expression, I found him glaring at me instead. “You’re already dead, Prospect.”

My brow furrowed. I didn’t understand what he meant.

He dropped something on his desk and started toward me, his intense expression sending a chill of foreboding over my spirit.Don’t,I told myself as I nearly took a step backward, my instinct to flee thundering through my veins.Don’t run.

It was what excited predators.

They enjoyed stalking and hunting prey.

If I remained still, he might not try to kill me.

Although, he’d already claimed me to be dead.

So maybe not.

He grabbed my hips and moved me back into the position where I’d lost my balance, then he swept my bent leg out from beneath me and sent me down hard to the mat.

His body landed on mine in the next breath, his lips at my neck, his hands holding my wrists over my head to capture me beneath him.

I jolted, my heart suddenly in my throat.Goddess…

But he hadn’t come down hard on me. He’d moved rather stealthily, his weight balanced more on his knees as he straddled my legs. Then he’d melted into me on the floor with his thighs pressing on mine and his torso fully covering me.

All within the course of a few seconds.

However, it was enough to soften the tackle after knocking the wind from my lungs with his leg sweep.

Almost as though he was trying not to truly hurt me.

A weird thought, one that probably wasn’t right at all. This vampire hated me. He wanted to fail me. Why would he treat me kindly on the floor?

His lips brushed my neck, his resulting hum trickling over my skin and setting my blood on fire for him. I almost tilted my head, my instinct to give in to his vampiric kiss one practically trained into me from birth.