Page 9

Weryn

Earlier...

“ G rayson, I’ve so wanted to see you again,” the Vampire King said in a rich, dark voice that was and wasn’t familiar. It was a voice one heard in dreams. For a moment, Grayson was certain he had heard it before. “I am greatly pleased you are here... where you belong.”

See me again? Have we met before? And where do I belong? What does he mean by that? Grayson thought. I only came here by mistake!

But Grayson found that he was tongue-tied, and so he just blinked at the Vampire King for long, silent moments.

Daemon kept that comforting hand on his shoulder.

The earlier weakness seemed to stay away so long as Daemon touched him.

He normally did not like being touched by people he didn’t know.

It wasn’t safe. Yet he did not want Daemon to stop touching him, and not just because he feared the exhaustion again.

No, the touch was comforting. It was affectionate and warm and almost fatherly.

Grayson found himself looking up at that preternaturally handsome face with a lump in his throat.

His father had been gone a long time. He barely remembered him.

Yet when he looked at Daemon he felt a child again, believing he was safe because the other man was near.

“Are you settling in all right at the dorms, Grayson?” Julian asked. “Are the rooms to your liking?”

Grayson was able to nod if not speak. The rooms were beautiful.

Perfect, actually. Julian’s kind, handsome face was hard to focus on as he kept looking at Daemon.

Those red eyes were mesmerizing! Was Daemon giving off some kind of low level hum?

Grayson tilted his head to the side towards Daemon, but the sound didn’t increase.

It was like whispering voices in his head.

He could hear them like the rustle of the wind, but not understand them.

“His roommates are quite nice!” Balthazar bobbed his head, a grin on his lips, likely thinking about his win over Mairead.

“We have no idea if any of them are with the Sect of Dawn,” Caemorn muttered. “Will you still think they are nice if one or more of them are?”

“Oh, I love scoundrels!” Balthazar laughed.

“Because you are a scoundrel.” Caemorn shook his head.

“I can tell you’ve been teasing Caemorn endlessly, Balthazar,” Daemon said with a shake of his handsome head. “He looks nettled.”

“He makes it so easy.” Balthazar grinned broadly and bounced up and down on his toes as if a naughty child.

Caemorn rolled his eyes. “He conned one of the students in a game of pool.”

Balthazar opened his mouth to protest his innocence. “She asked me for the wager! I merely obliged her.”

Julian laughed. “I bet you did! And what did you win, Balthazar?”

“I haven’t decided yet!” Balthazar was grinning again, unrepentant. “She’s quite the useful sort considering… well, considering everything. So I’m sure she’ll have something to offer.”

Considering what? He knows something about Mairead. Well, he likely knows something about all of us.

“Mairead? Something to offer? Gossip is her game, but you would know all of that already, Balthazar,” Grayson got out, surprised that his voice worked.

Julian gave him a brilliant smile. “Then she’s just his sort! If she susses out something he doesn’t know, she’ll earn her value. Are you feeling all right, Grayson?”

“I’m… fine.” Grayson wasn’t feeling weak anymore. In fact, he felt quite steady. The whispering was less. But he didn’t want to worry them by saying anything about it. Maybe it was just in his head. “I’m good. Really.”

“My parents tell me that being human in the Ever Dark is different than it is for Vampires,” Julian explained. “There are places where they feel… unwell. As if their life force is being drained. The palace sometimes has that effect.”

So that explained it then. He was just having a normal human reaction to the palace. Yet he saw something in Julian’s eyes that had him wondering if the Vampire Prince was hiding something. But what? And why?

“Well, Grayson’s hardly… uhm, well, he’s not like everyone else.” Balthazar waved a hand through the air.

That wasn’t what he meant to say. Just like when he mentioned something about Mairead. Does he think my powers make me different? I suppose they do.

“I am relieved you are well. Especially after your encounter with Lawson Hughes,” Daemon stated quietly. The red eyes in that classically handsome face were fixed upon him. “That should not have happened.”

Yeah, he means that. And I have a feeling that if Lawson weren’t leaving today--or hopefully, already gone--Daemon would express to Lawson just how bad a move that was. But I’m not like the other students here. I can take care of myself.

“That was actually fun,” Grayson admitted with a shrug.

The others stared at him as if they couldn’t quite believe it. Julian lifted his eyebrows and looked slightly impressed. Balthazar’s mouth twisted into a smile.

“ Fun ? I heard that you had him completely immobilized!” Julian enthused then became more sober, “Not that you should have had to do that. And we really should have intercepted him before he ever got close to you.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. He’s a bully and he thought I was weak. I’m not. He would have kept coming if I hadn’t put him in his place. I mean he would have if he’d stayed here,” Grayson said. “I can’t feel bad about hurting someone like him.”

Another shrug and a look down at the ground as he wondered if they appreciated his enthusiasm for hurting one of their own. Perhaps he shouldn’t be so open about his ability to best Vampires, even ones as boastful and disgusting as Lawson.

“Good. Those are worthy feelings for one such as him. I hope this next news will… please you then.” Daemon smiled broadly. “Ryder has challenged Lawson for control of the Weryn.”

“Wait… what?!” Grayson grew rigid. “But Lawson was supposed to leave! Why isn’t he leaving?”

The others exchanged looks, except for Daemon, whose red eyes stayed evenly on him.

“Lawson was never going to leave of his own accord,” Daemon said.

Grayson wanted to cry out that this wasn’t true! Lawson had promised to leave! He was supposed to! As soon as he was gone, things would be so much better for Ryder and Demos and likely all of the Weryn!

But even as he thought those things, Grayson knew that Daemon was right.

Lawson was never going to leave unless someone made him leave.

And after seeing that Ryder was happy at the thought of him gone?

Lawson wasn’t going to let that stand. Not when that happiness was tied to someone who had shown Lawson up. ..

“It’s about me , isn’t it? He didn’t leave because of me.” Grayson normally wouldn’t think himself so important, but Lawson’s evident dislike of him after their fight the night before made this likely. “It’s because I didn’t just bow down to the bastard--”

“No, Grayson, this fight has been a long time coming,” Daemon soothed him, squeezing his shoulder. “You just gave Ryder the clarity he needed to see that this must be done.”

Grayson still felt a knot in his stomach. “I don’t want to cause Ryder trouble. Lawson’s his Master. That’s a big deal, right? To fight your Master? I mean to fight to control all of the Weryn? Ryder wasn’t expecting that when he left… ah, left earlier.”

Again, there were more looks exchanged between the Vampires that Grayson couldn’t read.

He supposed Balthazar was allowing all of them to speak telepathically while leaving him out of the group.

He wanted to shout that he needed to understand what was going on in order to help Ryder!

But did he? And what business of his was it that the Immortals discussed?

Nothing. He was a one-night stand for Ryder, right?

A fun time with no future. That’s how it was. That’s what they had decided…

But Lawson is staying because of me. This thing between Lawson and Ryder came to a head because I pushed and pushed and pushed and wouldn’t let Lawson win.

This time it was Balthazar who spoke, “Lawson brought Ryder into this world, but he was always meant to be here. Lawson was just a tool. He is not anything more.”

Grayson chewed his inner cheek. There was so much to unpack in that statement. But he didn’t ask the questions he wanted to. Instead, he just stated, “Lawson is a bad guy. He shouldn’t be the leader of the Weryn. But I know that Ryder cares for him.”

These seemed self-evident facts to Grayson. He knew that to go up against him would still hurt Ryder. He knew that Ryder hadn’t wanted to address the growing problem that Lawson was.

“No, Lawson should not be leader. And, in truth, Lawson has not been the leader in some time. Ryder must take his place as what he already is: the true ruler of the Weryn Bloodline,” Daemon agreed.

Caemorn and Balthazar nodded. Julian looked like he was in pain for these other Vampires.

Grayson wondered why. They didn’t seem close to Ryder.

But they appeared to know what he was going through.

They were the Immortal leaders of their Houses.

Maybe they had to fight their Masters too or something.

“So what happens now? Ryder and Lawson fight and when Lawson loses, he leaves like he should have already?” Grayson asked, gaze flickering between all of them.

“Not exactly,” Balthazar grimaced.

“What do you mean not exactly ?” Grayson’s voice was tight.

“Weryn fight to the death. The Second Death in this case,” Julian said softly.

His purple eyes--eyes not red like Daemon’s or silver like every other Vampire’s--were filled with sympathy. Grayson's teeth clenched and his back went very straight.

“ Where is this fight taking place?” Grayson gritted out.