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Was Grayson jealous at the idea of other lovers with powers like his? But no, Grayson was hungry to understand his powers. Ryder felt foolish for a moment, but still… there might be something else behind those tawny eyes.

“No, I haven’t. The only Ashyr I know is called Dani and only tangentially through Demos,” Ryder answered.

“I bet you don’t have relationships outside of your Bloodline,” Grayson said.

His eyes were no longer on Ryder, but instead was studying the bed beneath them as if gauging the distance and psyching himself up.

“I’m with you,” Ryder found himself saying.

Grayson turned back to him. “What? Oh… yeah, but I’m not a Vampire so I don’t count.”

Ryder blinked. “That’s not… no, that’s how this works.”

“I meant a relationship-relationship,” Grayson said, using his usual bluntness that seemed to get through all of Ryder’s fuzzy thinking on situations. “You can’t have a real relationship with a human unless you’re planning to turn them. We don’t live long. We age. So you could only really love another Vampire, right?”

Ryder considered this. “There’s something to what you say. I’ve not had much time for romance--”

“You’ve lived almost 500 years.” Grayson lifted an eyebrow at him. “That’s not enough time?”

Ryder grimaced. “You’d be surprised how fast it goes when you no longer have a ticking clock. Years flow together then decades and then centuries.”

“Hmmm, well, am I right that you’ve never had any relationships outside of the Weryn then?” Grayson asked, once more looking everywhere but at him.

Ryder caught Grayson’s chin and sat up. It truly felt like there was someone holding him in place, keeping him from falling.

“Are you worried about what that means about us?” Ryder asked.

Grayson lifted an eyebrow. “Ah, no, because there is no us. This is just fun. I’m not a Vampire. I don’t want to be a Vampire so I won’t be around long enough for you to have time for a romance with me. After all, if 500 years wouldn’t be enough then I highly doubt however long I’ve got would be.”

Grayson appeared amused, but his statements did seem pointed. Ryder was surprised that they hurt him. Not because it wasn’t true. Vampires only had true romantic relationships with ones they wished to turn and other Vampires. Getting attached to a mortal was the height of foolishness. It was also dangerous.

“Vampires need to be careful,” Ryder said.

“Because you eat your lovers?” Grayson asked, still amused.

“No… yes, that’s part of it. But we have to be careful not to get too attached to anything that will not last,” Ryder explained.

Grayson frowned. “Why?”

“Because eternity can be a heavy burden sometimes. Loving a mortal--and not turning them--makes us feel the transitory nature of existence. It’s… unnatural to us,” Ryder strove to explain. “It can cause us to pine and that isn’t good.”

The frown cleared up and there was an almost look of pity on Grayson’s face. “I get it. Though I imagine it's pretty hard on the human, too, who loves you, but ages, withers and dies while you stay the same. Fresh and energetic.”

“I imagine it would be. Which is why I don’t look for comfort, friendship or anything other than blood and sex outside of my own kind,” Ryder explained.

“Right. Exactly. So we’re both not looking for anything other than a good time from one another. A really fleeting good time,” Grayson said.

Grayson’s gaze was steady with no hurt in it, but nothing else in it either. It was as if he had shut the curtains and locked the doors. And Ryder felt a stab of guilt as if he had just lied. But he hadn’t. It was the truth. This was very fun with Grayson. He enjoyed the young man. He was drawn to him, yes, but that was normal after what they had experienced. Grayson just made the protector in him come out, the alpha that wanted to keep those in his pack safe. Not that Grayson seemed to terribly need protection. The young man had saved Ryder and then himself. But still…

If only we had met under different circumstances! Ryder grimaced. Not here. Not at the school. Now Grayson is off limits, even if he isn’t Ashyr which is insane. He doesn’t even wish to be a Vampire!

But that too blank expression worried Ryder and hurt him, too. He truly wanted to be here and for them both to enjoy the time they did have together. They just couldn’t imagine that it wasn’t anything more than fleeting as Grayson had said.

Ryder though found himself saying, “I do not mean--”

Ryder did not get a chance to finish that sentence--and perhaps that was a lucky thing as he wasn’t sure exactly what he was going to say, but it would have been something, anything, to have Grayson look at him with joy again--because they suddenly both crashed to earth. And just like Grayson had said, they bounced. Luckily, Ryder landed on his feet and grabbed Grayson, stopping the young man from hitting the ground.

“Whoa! Shit! I didn’t realize it was going to just stop like that,” Grayson said and blinked a few times.