Page 36 of Blood Lord

"Dye it."

His lips quirk, and he runs a thumb under my eyes. "Your eyes are usually darker, too."

"Even a day or two after being Made?"

He shrugs. "It's been so long that I honestly couldn't tell you."

I grab his hand, squeezing it. "Then, the Council probably wouldn't be able to, either. Think about it. We could make a few minor changes, you wouldn't have to leave me behind, and with a witness to corroborate your story and answer more questions about the surface, it will stir the vrakken up more." I grin. "We'd have an even bigger distraction than just you would be able to provide."

Raziel leans in, breathing me deeply. "I still worry about your scent."

I shake my head. "It would make sense for my scent to still be there if I am newly Made."

"Especially if we feed first," he whispers, and I arch an eyebrow.

"After we feed, our lips turn a brighter shade of red. If your lips are bright red, and I've only Changed you a day or two before, your scent would still come through."

He seems to be hesitant still, and I'm not quite sure as he tangles his hand in my hair. I shift forward, running my fingers along his face. "I will be safer with you than on my own," I murmur, and his eyes roam my face before he nods.

"You're right."

I take the opportunity to lean in, pressing a kiss firmly to his mouth, but he breaks it off before it gets too deep. We have a lot of work to do, and we both know that if we get a taste of each other, we won't be able to stop.

"So," I whisper, our faces still only centimeters apart as his thumb strokes my cheekbone and down to my jaw. "I guess I need a crash course on what it's like to be Made."

He grins. "Allow me to be your teacher."

Raziel stands, stretching out, and his wings flare behind him. He ties his long, dark hair back and he looks so handsome that I nearly forget what we're doing, especially as I reach for the top of the hunter's shirt I'm still wearing and pop open a button. "Maybe after, I can be the student that needs to gain your favor."

He chuckles, pulling me up to my feet and kissing the tip of my nose. "Selene, I will give your body all the attention it deserves after we get out of this. But first." He takes a step back, clinging only to my hands. "We have some things we need to cover."

I nod. "You're right. I need to focus. So, first thing, what should I look like?"

Raziel waves me off. "I'll use a glamour to change your hair color and make your eyes a touch darker. I'll try to mask your scent, too, but that will be trickier to do."

"Okay, and what abilities should I have?"

He purses his lips. "I didn't think about that. I mean, it's normal for you not to have wings, but your strength and speed should be improved. The good thing is we can stay in my home most of the time so none of it should really matter. I doubt they'll need to see you feed. And I can just claim to sun glamour you if there are any questions about that."

"See?" I squeeze his hands, grinning. "This is already going to be pretty easy."

He blows out a breath. "Don't get ahead of yourself. There is still the Council. You'll have to face them."

"Okay? Is there a certain way I need to act?"

He rubs his chin, and a slow smile spreads across his face. "To be perfectly honest, it's been so long since I've cared about any of that. I'm trying to think of how the younger ones act. I think you should just be yourself. They're all talkative and bubbly." He grimaces and I can see the last word he leaves out.Annoying.

"As for the Council proceedings, the matriarch, Brinda, sits in the middle. She is to be respected. You do not speak out of turn. You never argue with her. You only address her as Matriarch unless she gives you permission to do otherwise."

I nod. "I can do that. Be respectful and answer questions."

His jaw tightens. "As for their questions, they do not need to know of our time here in the cave or our relationship. We need to keep the conversation on Liiandor. Tell them everything you can about dark elf culture—and not the circus. If they ask how I Made you, we say that I found you as I was returning and decided to bring along someone who had been on the surface."

A thought hits me then. "What does it feel like to be Made? How does it work? You've bit me before." I touch my already healed neck. "But I'm still human. There's not even a mark."

"You have to drink from me," he says, his eyes darkening. "I will drink from you, and in the throes of my venom in your veins, I will offer you my own blood—which is mostly venom—to drink. The venom will overrun your system, and as it takes over your body, either you will conform to the Change or your body will reject it. Your heart and organs will stop and you will die."

My mouth runs dry. "Does that happen a lot?"

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