Page 62 of Blood Day: Part One

Maybe I should kneel with the other girl. At least that would give me a somewhat contrite appearance.

Swallowing, I decided to do just that.

I dropped the towel and went to the floor near the table. Master Cedric had wanted me naked and kneeling during our first private lesson. Maybe if I did this now, he’d indulge me in a punishment rather than kill me outright.

Although, I wasn’t sure the former would be much better.

Goddess, I’m a mess. I’d lost my head completely, forgotten all my training, and verbally assaulted a superior. Surely that hadn’t been his desire when he’d told me to speak freely.

My knees protested a bit against the marble floor. Kneeling on the plush carpet of the bedroom or even the rug in the decorative seating area would have been preferable. But I assumed this other human knew Master Cedric’s preferences.

I kept my head down and started counting.

When I reached a thousand, I started over.

Once I hit the number again, I went back to one.

It kept me calm and helped me control my breathing.

I was on my seventh round of the nine hundreds when Master Cedric finally returned. His steps were silent, but I felt his presence like a whip against my senses.

Anger.

Irritation.

Hunger.

I experienced each emotion as though they were my own. But they weren’t mine. They werehis. Was he projecting? Had imbibing his blood done something to connect us? Was I picking up on his emotions because of my enhanced state of being?

“Leave us,” he said, his voice deep and commanding. “Now.”

Who is he talking—

The other female hopped up to her feet and scurried from the room, leaving me behind on my knees before I could finish processing my thought.

Am I supposed to follow? Was it a test to see who ran first? What does he want me to do? Is this—

“Stand up, Lily.” His voice maintained that lethal edge to it, his fury prickling my neck and showering goose bumps down my arms.

My throat constricted, making it difficult to swallow or breathe.

Stand up, I coached myself.Stand up right now.

A jolt spasmed along my thighs as I forced myself to move, my knees aching from the sudden blood flow through my limbs. But the sting abated almost instantly.

I didn’t meet Master Cedric’s stare. Instead, I kept my head bowed and waited for further instruction.

He snorted, the sound harsh and abrupt and underscored with irritation. “Weren’t you just accusing me offuckingwith you?”

I winced. Not only had I screamed at him, but I’d cursed, too. Humans weren’t supposed to use that kind of language around their superiors. It was classified as insulting behavior. “I’m sorry, Master Cedric. I forgot my place. I’ll accept whatever punishment you wish to deliver.”

“I don’t have time to punish you, let alone correct you,” he retorted. “That tray is full of food for you. Eat it. I need to make a few more calls.”

He didn’t wait for a response or my agreement, his presence leaving mine in a wave of irritation as he returned to the balcony.

I nibbled my bottom lip.The tray is for me?

Master Cedric had said something about food earlier, but he’d returned with water and I’d forgotten all about my stomach. I also wasn’t nearly as hungry as I usually would be at this time of the night. Because of his supernatural blood or my raging nerves, I wasn’t sure.