Page 47 of Ever Dark Academy: Vol. 1

How will I know unless I taste it?

He swallowed hard.

“And the fact that he’s all edges with soft, wounded eyes has nothing to do with you taking your time? And making people wonder if Weryn is in it?” Demos took a sip of his own blood and grimaced as well. But both of them were wounded.

We’re all wounded.

“Grayson wasn’t meant to have such edges,” Ryder found himself saying, and realizing he had walked straight into Demos’ trap, shook his own glass at his Blood Brother. “He’s interesting. A human with powers like that…”

Demos nodded. “Yes, he is interesting, which is why that pup Christian set you off with a flea in your ear for hanging around him! Not even a year old and he bosses you around.”

Ryder snorted even though being sent away had been unpleasant. Though Christian had done it in such a way that had not been arrogant, but instead full of righteousness. He was Balthazar’s fledgling after all and Ryder--all the Weryn--were not falling into plan with his Master’s little school idea. But he hadn’t even been rude just cold. Cutting. A searing indictment with a flick of silver eyes. He had to admit that Balthazar had chosen his own fledgling quite well. Maybe he could pick the fledglings of others with equal good taste, but Ryder had no intention of finding out.

“Christian would boss you around, too,” Ryder suddenly pointed out with a dry chuckle. “There’s something about him. More than being Eyros’ fledgling or the Prince’s best friend. He’s different.”

“He is too friendly with Kaly. He can talk to the dead and know what’s beyond,” Demos stated the gossip about Christian Thorne. “He’s a strange one, to be sure. But he only thought to send you on your way because Grayson is interesting to the King. Forget Balthazar and Caemorn. The King himself came to see that broken boy.”

“He’s not broken. He’s just…” Ryder grimaced again when Demos laughed at him.

“Gods forbid, he is not broken! How can you fix him if he’s complete? He does not need Ryder to lure out the wild creature he is and set his wing or brace his wounded paw then!” Demos teased.

Ryder let his head fall back. His chest still ached when he did this. The skin on his chest was too new to be stretched or strained. Fresh blood would have been better to heal himself quicker, but he’d needed to see Grayson again. Needed to make sure the boy was all right, and was being treated well. If he told Demos that--assuming his Blood Brother didn’t already know--he’d never hear the end of it.

“Grayson is right that if we can discover who the Sect of Dawn is then Daemon will be indebted to us,” Ryder pointed out. “And we need that debt. One of the reasons that Christian felt no compunction against dismissing me is because the Weryn are not in Daemon’s good graces. Lawson… Lawson was like a bull in a china shop with him. He did not represent us well. Instead of getting our points across, he likely just angered the king.”

Demos studied him long and hard. Ryder strove not to squirm beneath that incisive gaze. Despite Demos being the younger of them, he had the ability to see into men’s hearts even without the ability of Eyros.

“You have never spoken against Lawson before,” Demos said carefully as he traced an infinity symbol on the table with a droplet of blood. Was he consciously drawing Daemon’s symbol or not? “And not wishing to tell him about Grayson is… not like you either.”

“Lawson will be leaving tomorrow. I don’t want him staying–”

“You don’t want him to stay?” Demos lifted an eyebrow.

“If I am… if I am to represent the Weryn at the school, having him here… won’t work well,” Ryder explained haltingly.

“Only if you let him stand in your way.”

“I have no intention of fighting Lawson for control of the Weryn--”

“No, you just want him out of the way so that you can control things without dealing with him,” Demos stated flatly.

“He’s our Master.” That sounded lame to his own ears. It was lame.

“He’s the one who turned us, Ryder, but both of us know--whether you want to admit it or not--that he’s never been either of our Masters,” Demos shook his head. The feathers in his hair fluttered.

Ryder looked down. “I respect him for what he’s given us.”

“We’ve brought more in than he’s given us,” Demos challenged.

Does your blood run pure, Grayson?

Ryder closed his eyes and swallowed. “I know.”

Silence fell. When he opened his eyes again, Demos was gazing at him with nothing less than shock.

“Whenever we’ve had conversations like this in the past, you’ve never conceded any of my points,” Demos said. “What’s changed?”

“Nothing.”

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