Page 122 of Blood Day: Part Two

“You’ll thank me by protecting our home,” he replied. “Until then, your first task is to let Lily touch the ocean. Then I need you to remember to pay Damien, as I don’t want him trying to track you down. As much as I’d love to recruit him, Ryder needs him more. And lastly, we’ll need to schedule a call with Silvano. For that, I want to be there. So be sure to invite me.”

“Giving me orders already,” I mused, my fingers wrapping around the handle.

“Tasks,” he corrected. “Necessary ones.”

I nodded. He was right. All thosetaskswere necessary. Except for him joining my call with Silvano, but I suspected that was for his own enjoyment more than anything else.

I could understand that.

Telling Silvano to go fuck himself would be quite fun.

“How do I notify you?” I asked him.

“You’ll find all your new phones and everything else you’ll be needing in your residence.” His gaze ran over me. “I even sent up a few tailored suits. I suppose it’s a good thing that we’re similar in size.”

My lips curled. “I suppose it’s a good thing you have decent taste.”

His gaze went to the mirror as he looked at Emine. “A good thing indeed.” He canted his head to the side. “Are you going to join me in the front seat, little mirage?”

“No. I think I’ll take a nap back here.”

“Hmm, playing hard to get, I see,” he replied. “You know how much I adore that game.”

She rolled her eyes and didn’t reply, making me wonder yet again about their dynamic. But now wasn’t the time to press for details. He’d tell me their story in time.

Or perhaps he wouldn’t.

Regardless, I had a mate who wanted to see the ocean. That took precedence over everything else. So I exited the four-by-four and opened her door. “I’ll be in touch, Khalid.”

“I know,” he agreed, his focus still on Emine. “Enjoy your swim.”

Lily allowed me to pull her from the vehicle, her arms eagerly encircling my neck in a hug. Her happiness was enchanting, causing my heart to warm as a result of being near her. “Ready to explore, little flower?” I asked after closing the door.

“Yes.”

“Then let’s explore our new home.” I caught Khalid’s gaze through the windows, my words my way of accepting his offer. Not that he needed it.

Because he’d been right.

I was always going to accept.

It wasn’t about his region or the sovereign position so much as Lily and the world our bond had introduced me to. Now I would do anything and everything to protect her, to save her, to give her a life, to ensure she never had to return to the darkness of Lilith’s society, to guarantee her safety and happiness.

And he’d provided me with the leverage to accomplish all that.

It was still a mind game on his part—a way to control me and take advantage of my age and power. He wanted useful vampires beneath him to function as guards for his world.

What better way to ensure my fealty than by offering my heart a place to thrive?

Khalid had said relationships were the key to Lilith’s failure, and he was right.

Loving others created a different platform to fight upon. When all a vampire lives for is to feed himself, he lacks a certain amount of motivation to survive.

But when someone else—someone like Lily—relied on that vampire for strength and purpose and safety, he suddenly had a lot more to fight for.

I understood that now. It was the biggest lesson I could have learned in life, one I was fortunate to experience before death had completely consumed my mind.

Because now I had a reason to live.