Page 26 of Ever Dark Academy: Vol. 1

Grayson tensed. “Just tonight? Why?”

Balthazar sighed. “I’ve been asked not to.”

“By who?”

Did Ryder ask?

“Oh, Ryder most certainly didn’t want me asking you anything. He got quite het up when I told him that he couldn’t be here with you while I looked at your memories,” Balthazar said.

“I don’t know why he would care,” Grayson lied.

But was it a lie? He didn’t understand why Ryder would care? Or why he would care that Ryder might care.

“He doesn’t either! Which is interesting in and of itself.” Balthazar leaned back in his chair with a grin. “He is a protector. And you’re his type, though you’re a bit tougher than you look.”

“I’ve had to be,” Grayson found the words just slipped out.

Balthazar tilted his head to the side. “You’re special. And the world wants to destroy special people unless they’re strong enough to survive it.”

Grayson didn’t answer. He tried keeping the memories that those words brought up down so that Balthazar didn’t read them. He wasn’t sure if that actually worked. But he had to try. Though this Vampire seemed all right it wasn’t safe. None of this was safe.

“Am I… am I in the Ever Dark?” Grayson asked, wanting some of his own questions answered.

“Yes, in the city of Nightvallen. You’re actually in the Eyros Palace. My palace.” Balthazar beamed.

He was clearly quite proud of this.

“So if you looked into my head and know what all happened with Gregory Starn, I take it that I’m not staying here?” Grayson didn’t actually think this. He was simply hoping it was true.

“You know that’s not happening,” Balthazar snouted softly. “Even if we were to just let you go, do you think that would be a good idea?”

“I…”

“The Sect of Dawn--or whoever this group really is--will be gunning for you,” Balthazar reminded him. “You have no money to relocate. You have no car to simply drive off and disappear into the sunset. You have no family to take you in. You are a sitting duck.”

Grayson swallowed. “But you can’t care about that! I’m nothing to you.”

Balthazar went very still. He didn’t even seem to breathe. And then he was moving again like a photograph come to life.

“Well, that’s not true. Among other things, we want to stop those people who want to stop you,” Balthazar said.

“The enemy of my enemy is… my friend?” Grayson asked, recalling the old adage.

“Indeed!” Balthazar’s grin didn’t dim.

But Grayson was sure he wasn’t telling the full truth. He didn’t have to read minds to know that.

“So… what do you want?” Grayson asked, hands fisting in the duvet that seemed deceptively soft now.

“Many things! Ask me what I want and you might as well ask me what the meaning of life is! But what you’re really asking is what is going to happen to you now?” Balthazar rephrased.

Grayson just nodded.

“We want you to stay here and go to school at the ‘Vampire wannabe academy’. Oh, I so love that!” Balthazar’s grin was infectious if it wasn’t for the dread he felt.

“Why?”

“As I said before, you have nowhere else to go that is safe. We want to keep you safe,” Balthazar said. “Maybe you can help us figure out who these people are. Maybe you can figure out who you are.”

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