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The thought of going back to his rooms where the fire danced in the grate and a warm, soft bed waited for him sounded really good then. Especially when his mind conjured up being spooned by Ryder in that bed. He’d never let anyone sleep with him ever. But, again, here he was wanting things he shouldn’t. Wanting things that weren’t safe. But he did feel safe with Ryder even though the Weryn Vampire was associated with dangerous people like Lawson.

“I…”

Before he had a chance to answer, a servant came by with a silver tray with more champagne. Another followed with mini-burgers, steak sandwiches, melty ham and cheese toasts, crab puffs and more finger food. His stomach growled and Ryder took some of the food to simply hold for him because he couldn’t carry enough.

“Hungry after using my gift, I guess,” Grayson said between bites of the smoky ham and the sweet crab.

He’d noted the fact that the servant’s eyes were not silver--nor had the eyes of the people who had brought Ryder and Demos’ clothes earlier--which meant that they were human. “Are all the people who work here human?”

“Some.” Ryder shrugged and offered Grayson a tiny burger with cheese and bacon. He popped the whole thing in his mouth. “They are Acolytes, but others are young Vampires who are earning their place.”

“Acolytes? They’re humans who you feed from, right? Ones that give themselves over in exchange for the chance to be turned?” Grayson searched his memory for the definition of the term.

“Some of them. Others simply want to be near us and our power. And others have desires they can only be quenched with our fangs,” Ryder answered.

The arousal that had cooled burst to life in Grayson once more. He couldn’t help but understand the desire to be with a Vampire as he stared at Ryder’s long legs, taut waist and powerful chest. He could easily imagine those lips and tongue and teeth against his throat. Yes, he could understand those desires very well. He finished his champagne.

“Look at this. Look at how weird this is,” Mairead said as she came over with Eiji, swallowing champagne herself.

Grayson glanced to where she gestured. The Vampires stayed in their Bloodline clusters, not eating or drinking, but smiling to a certain extent. Yet they were not going over to any of the students. And, at the moment, none of the students were going over to them. In fact, Grayson, Mairead and Eiji were the only humans mixing with Vampires.

“I admit this reminds me of some bad middle school dance where the guys stay on one side of the room and the girls on the other, ” Grayson said.

“Why is no one going up to them?” Mairead’s eyes narrowed. “There was nothing in the materials about keeping our distance, was there? No, there wasn’t.”

Grayson was sure she would know if there were.

“Maybe it will take one brave soul to break the detente,” Eiji suggested.

“Perhaps, though everyone is pretending they didn’t see Grayson and Ryder cuddling.” She cast a narrow-eyed glance at him.

“Ah, well, yeah, the Kaly…” Grayson muttered and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Right. Sure. Likely story,” she said.

“You grabbed my hand, Mairead,” Eiji pointed out.

“I thought you grabbed mine.” But her cheeks were red.

Grayson hadn’t thought he would like Mairead. She was brash and rude, saying out loud what should only be thought. But she’d come back when he needed help and she evidently saw Eiji as her charge. Grayson wasn’t sure if Eiji needed Mairead, but he didn’t seem to object to her. And Grayson found himself softening towards her.

“It was impressive. I mean all of them were awesome, but the Kaly… they’re a little different,” she said with a shrug.

“And it appears we have caught their Immortal’s interest… or Grayson has,” Eiji noted.

Grayson’s head jerked up. Caemorn and Balthazar were being lowered to the ground. He wondered if the Ashyr Vampire holding them up would make her way over to confront him then about what he’d done. But it was Caemorn, just like Eiji had said, who started towards him the moment that his booted feet hit the ground. The sound of his walking stick tapping against the stone road as he strode to Grayson.

“What is the deal with every Immortal wanting to talk to you?” Mairead asked.

Grayson was starting to wonder himself. If he was to keep a low profile, this wasn’t doing it. But maybe he wasn’t. Maybe by making him a “favorite” or something then Sect members would gravitate towards him.

Ryder stood on one side of him and Demos went by his other the moment the lithe, blonde Kaly Vampire dressed in crimson stopped in front of Grayson. The memory or imagination of the mist becoming spirits had sweat breaking out on Grayson’s brow. But he held himself still. Mairead and Eiji lingered nearby, but Caemorn cast a single look in their direction and Eiji took Mairead’s arm and gently tugged her away. She squawked, but not too loudly and didn’t really resist. Caemorn then turned his attention fully back to Grayson.

“Grayson, my name is Caemorn,” Caemorn introduced himself.

“The Immortal Kaly, right? Just like Balthazar’s the Immortal Eyros?” Grayson asked.

Saying the name “Kaly” felt familiar despite its unusualness. Again, there was this feeling of remembering and imagining.