Page 31 of Ever Dark Academy: Vol. 1

“May we have your leave to attend to these things, King Daemon?” Ryder asked, remembering himself this time.

“You may.” Daemon inclined his head again.

Both Ryder and Demos bowed to the three Immortals. It was a little stiffly done, but it was the honor their positions were due. It was hard though for Weryn to bow to anyone but their direct leaders.

It is hard to bow to Lawson? Knowing what you know? Feeling how you feel? Thinking how you think? Daemon’s mind was like a faint breeze and then gone.

Demos and Ryder left Caemorn’s rooms and headed back the way they had been brought in. Ryder sought out Grayson’s heartbeat for a moment, but then he stopped himself. He could not allow the strange craving the boy created in him overwhelm him again when he actually needed blood. So he pulled his senses tight to himself. He knew that Balthazar and Caemorn would honor their word as they had made it to King Daemon, and Grayson would be his to protect. At least for a little while.

“Are you going to tell me what happened in there with King Daemon?” Demos asked out of the corner of his mouth.

“No,” Ryder answered too quickly. He saw the flash of hurt on Demos’ handsome face and grimace. “Not right now.”

Demos and Lawson’s relationship was already rocky. He had always known that but now he saw it far more clearly. What had kept the two of them from going at each other’s throats was Ryder. If Ryder told him what Daemon had shown him--what Ryder had thought and felt in response--he wasn’t sure what Demos would do. Or maybe he did know. But he had to keep the peace. Lawson, for better or worse, was their leader.

For now, a voice whispered in his head.

“Are we going to keep Grayson a secret from Lawson?” Demos asked, and his expression was unreadable. He would go with whatever Ryder wanted to do.

But Ryder didn’t even have to think as he answered, “Yes. We’re not letting Lawson anywhere near Grayson.”

Demos lifted an eyebrow at him. He saw a million questions in his Blood Brother’s eyes. But something in his own must have answered them at least enough that Demos wasn’t going to ask him to elaborate.

“We keep Grayson and everything else,” Ryder said with quiet determination, “to ourselves.”

NEXT STEPS

Grayson stared at his reflection in the full length mirror in the clothes that Balthazar had brought him. He wore khaki pants, a white, button-down shirt, and a black v-neck sweater. There was a crest on the sweater located just over his heart. It was embroidered in rich, jewel-toned colors with a rather gothic-looking school building in the center and symbols for all of the Bloodlines along the outer edge. Balthazar had also provided him with a long, black dress coat--also with the crest--a pair of black leather gloves lined with fur, and a crimson cashmere scarf. Overall, it looked like some rich, preppy school boy outfit.

Grayson sighed and shook his head. The one truly good thing about it--well, there were two things--were that no one would ever recognize him in this outfit and the clothes were warm. On the street, fashion didn't matter, but warmth did. If something kept you warm it was worth its weight in gold. These clothes were incredibly finely made and they would last. They were probably the nicest things he’d ever worn.

There was a quick knock on the bedroom door. Before Grayson could say anything, Balthazar poked his head in.

“Oh, it’s perfect!” Balthazar enthused from the doorway as he took in Grayson’s outfit.

“It fits all right. Not exactly my style, but I guess it will do,” he said as he walked over to the side table and took a bite of a sandwich.

The food was amazingly good here as well, which rather shocked him for a school run by Vampires. He was almost certain that while Vampires could eat human food, they didn’t need to. But they'd clearly taken great care with it for the humans that would be attending the school.

The bread was freshly baked. It had a nutty quality that he liked. The turkey was cut off an actual roast bird. The mayonnaise was creamy and there was plenty of it. Juicy tomatoes and crisp lettuce finished the sandwich off. They tasted like they’d come just off the farm. He wondered if there was a farm in the Ever Dark, but he doubted it. Sunlight never shone. Yet there were plenty of plants that seemed to flourish.

“Are all the students wearing this or just me?” Grayson asked as he plucked at the front of the uniform.

“Just you.” Balthazar smirked.

Grayson stared at him.

“Of course not just you. We want people to come in as equals and differentiate themselves by how they do here. Uniforms level the playing field,” Balthazar said.

Grayson crunched a chip. Also fresh. “Really? I thought someone just had a uniform fetish.”

“Grayson!” Balthazar laughed delightedly. “Teasing me after the night you’ve had! You must be feeling not only better, but comfortable.”

Grayson played with the pickle on the plate. “Comfortable? But how could I be? You’re a bunch of predators. The fact that you’re like you are--”

“Beautiful? Even those of us who aren’t traditionally so still have that fascination, yes? Some kind of sensuality?”

“That makes it worse. You’re made to lure people in,” Grayson said.

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