Page 5 of Blood Day: Part Two

So that was what he really wanted—a sparring partner for his prospect. I’d seen the two girls fight before. While they both possessed remarkable spirit, they weren’t physically capable of doing much damage. It seemed strange that he wanted to train them. But I wasn’t going to fight him on it.

I lifted my shoulder. “Seems reasonable.”

“Excellent,” he murmured, flashing his teeth in a rather threatening smile. “We begin tonight. When they return.”

I frowned. “When they return? My prospect is still here.”

He shook his head. “No. I arranged for her to be escorted to class after you left your quarters.”

My heart skipped a beat. “She’s at the university now?”

“As she should be, yes.” He gave me a look. “Is that a problem?”

Yes, it’s a fucking problem. I didn’t have a chance to warn her.“No problem,” I managed to say in as nonchalant a voice as possible.

I fucking hate these games.

These political maneuvers and word plays.

I thought Khalid despised them, too.

Apparently not.

“Good.” He set his coffee mug down. “I’ve always admired you, Cedric. I suspect this experience is going to bring us closer together.”

Another threat. A way of saying he intended to get in my head and fuck around.

And there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop him because of his royal title.

“I’m looking forward to it,” I lied.

“Me, too,” he replied, his blue-green irises sparkling with challenge. “And I very much look forward to getting to know your Lily better.”

My blood went cold.

He’s been spying on us.

It shouldn’t surprise me; Khalid thrived in the shadows and adored collecting secrets. I just hadn’t expected him to care enough about me to bother with my private matters.

“It’s a beautiful name, by the way,” he continued conversationally. “I chose one for Prospect One Hundred and Thirty-Nine as well. She’ll share it with you later.” He pushed away from the table and stood. “I’ve arranged for a midnight chase to warm up the prospects. See you then.”

He phased from the room, dismissing me and our half-eaten breakfasts.

What the fuck are you really up to?I wondered, his enigmatic nature making him impossible to read.

I suddenly had a new appreciation for Lily’s aversion to our games. Because something told me the one we were about to play with Khalid would come with high stakes.

High stakes that might just cost both of us our lives.

Chapter2

Lily

My nightmare is my reality.

It’d been that way since the moment I’d woken up to a human standing over me with a set of clothes. “You have fifteen minutes to prepare,” he’d said.

I’d obeyed.