Page 32

“Yes, yes, it does, doesn’t it?” Balthazar tapped his chin. “But you do feel comfortable nonetheless.”

Grayson’s head lifted and he swallowed. He did. He had no idea why. Maybe it was the food. The sleep. The warmth. He almost felt safe here and that was totally crazy. What was even crazier was that he was comforted by the thought that Ryder was outside, waiting for him. He imagined the big man pacing, stopping with his hands on his hips, and staring at this place then pacing again. He wondered if Ryder would be wearing a shirt… He shook himself when Balthazar chuckled knowingly.

“Oh, don’t worry about going shirtless yourself. More clothes and shoes and everything you need will be put in your room at the academy,” Balthazar said.

“That’s generous.”

“We want you to continue to feel comfortable here.”

Grayson’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

Balthazar gestured expansively as he said, “This isn’t a prison. We aren’t jailors. Yes, we need you to stay here, but because of that we are going to make you as comfortable as possible.”

“Am I comfortable for the same reason I don’t hurt from using my powers?” Grayson suddenly asked as that very uncomfortable thought occurred to him.

“No.” Balthazar sighed.

“It’s jusT I don’t like a lot of people. New places pose challenges because I don’t know where all the exits are,” Grayson struggled to explain his normal anxiety. “But even though you’re all predators here I don’t feel anxious. I don’t feel anything at all like I usually do.”

“When the possibility of danger is everywhere the threat of it becomes dull.” Balthazar shrugged. “Or you believe that you are actually safe here despite everything.”

Grayson finished his sandwich. He didn’t know if either of those statements were true for him. But his anxiety was so much less. His mind felt empty instead of filled with the possibilities of being discovered, having to escape an enemy and losing everything. Maybe because he was truly stripped down to nothing. All he had and would have would be provided to him. He owned nothing any longer really, not even the secondhand clothes he had stored in his shitty little apartment.

“Since I’m not a real student here, what am I going to be doing exactly?” Grayson asked as he dragged the pickel through the remnants of his chips.

“Not a real student? Well, you will be joining the other students in all student activities, you are wearing the uniform and you will be called a student. So… you’re a student!” Balthazar smiled.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to be a Vampire. Isn’t that what this school is all about? Wannabe Vampires? Humans trying to prove themselves worthy?” Grayson asked.

“Meaning that you’ll be a bad student because you won’t be trying very hard?” Balthazar seemed to find this beyond amusing.

“Well, I guess if you put it that way, I’ll be trying to fail.”

“Hmmm. Well, let’s leave that for now. The thing is we cannot let you back out into the world until we know more about this Sect of Dawn and have eliminated them. Otherwise, I might as well drink you dry myself right now, because you will be so very, very dead otherwise.”

Grayson’s right hand went to his throat. He quickly dropped it. “Why do you care if they kill me or not?”

“Seriously? We’re Vampires not sociopaths,” Balthazar answered.

“It’s just an awful lot of trouble for you to go through for a person who you don’t know,” Grayson pointed out.

“Gregory is dead so there’s room. How much effort is that?” Balthazar mused.

“I’m sure you have a list of people that could fill his spot that want to be here so… you haven’t said anything about my… my abilities,” Grayson said awkwardly.

“Is there something you want to tell me about them?” Balthazar perked right up at that.

It was so strange that he didn’t just read Grayson’s mind and know everything about them. But Balthazar had said that someone had asked him not to do that. Yet who would care that much about Grayson’s privacy? Wouldn’t they want to know how he could do the things he could do?

“Humans would be far more interested in your abilities than us. After all, we know how we get those gifts,” Balthazar answered. “You were wise to hide them, because now, especially, the humans would be very interested in you. And they would do most anything to get them, including terrible experiments and likely dissection.”

Grayson’s shoulder blades twitched and he crossed his arms over his chest. “The other Vampire seemed interested in me, too.”

“Yes,” Balthazar answered, but said no more.

“But you aren’t?” Grayson narrowed his eyes at him.

“That wouldn’t be completely accurate. But we aren’t going to hurt you, Grayson. While what you can do is impressive we have a whole Bloodline who can do it better. Not to mention all the other advantages we have,” Balthazar answered with a shrug.