Page 3 of Ever Dark Academy, Vol. 7

“I’ve always wondered. I dreamed I was a raven,” Grayson said. He stretched out a hand and spread his fingers. “I could feel the wind rustling my feathers.”

Ryder linked their hands together. “I see. Well, that could be an omen. You could be a bird shifter. That would suit you.”

“I don’t know.” Grayson pursed his lips as he reached down and patted the Dire Wolf’s head. “I sort of hoped to be something a little fiercer. Like a Dire Wolf.”

Ryder let out a chuckle. Khos’ tail whapped the bed.

“As my Childe, you may have more than one form,” Ryder said.

Grayson grinned. “Of course, that’s right. Some of your children had multiple forms. And since I am an overachiever–”

“You will be the best of all.” Ryder tilted his head to the side and smiled affectionately.

“I will try to make you proud.”

“It is my honor to have turned you, Ashyr,” Ryder said formally.

“And it is my honor for you to have done so.”

Ryder finished the rest of the blood wine and waggled the glass to make sure it was empty. He set it and the carafe down by the side of the bed. When he came back up, he drew his shirt off. Grayson felt saliva fill his mouth as he gazed at all that naked flesh. The dark nipples. The muscles covered by acres of silken skin. So beautiful.

Khos–reading the room or the bed–jumped down and went, tail wagging, over to a rug before the fire where it flopped down, head on paws, to sleep. Grayson straddled Ryder’s body. He felt the hot, hard press of Ryder’s cock beneath his ass even through their pants. He shucked off his shirt. Ryder’s lips began to open, to object, but Grayson put a finger over his lips.

“I know. I’m still too weak for anything truly fun, but I intend to feel your skin against mine when I feed,” Grayson told him.

Ryder kissed his finger. “Acceptable. Though you are going to test my self-control totally, aren’t you?”

“Ah, you are my Soldier. You know how to follow the orders of your General. And you always do what is best for me,” Grayson told him, his voice going softer and lower.

“Always.”

That was a promise that went beyond this room, beyond this moment, but for all time. They were together. Linked. Bonded. Always. Forever. Grayson smiled so broadly that his cheeks almost ached with it. He could feel the humming of his connection to Ryder and to all of the creatures of the Ever Dark.

How had he ever thought he was alone? The linkage had been there even before Ryder. All of the Immortals were connected to this place and each other and to, of course, Daemon. But he’d thought of himself as a singular being, standing apart, standing alone. He’d been wrong and he’d never been so happy to have been proven so.

“Now, where shall I begin to devour you?” Grayson mused.

“Anywhere you like.”

“Yes, because you are mine. All mine.”

“Yes,” Ryder agreed with a broadening smile.

He pushed Ryder back onto the bed. His fingers lightly ghosted over Ryder’s chest. His fingers rose and fell in the hills and valleys of his muscles. He circled around the darker areolas. Ryder’s nipples peaked as he did so. Ryder let out a soft grunt. Grayson grinned. He leaned down and let his hot breath gush over those tender nubs. His tongue snaked out and slowly traced that softer flesh. Ryder’s hands fisted in the comforter.

The taste of Ryder had Grayson’s eyes fluttering shut. His stomach clenched. His mouth flooded with saliva. He wanted to tease, but he needed to have a taste. Just a taste. And then he would move on.

His fangs came out for the first time in this Second Life. They felt so right in his mouth. He ran his tongue over them, nearly pricking it with the kitten-sharp tips. Unused. This would be his first time sinking them into flesh and taking in the blood of eternal life.

His mouth closed over that tight nub and he slowly bit down. His fangs were so sharp that they sank into Ryder’s skin like a knife through butter on a hot day. Blood welled up almost immediately. He tasted that unique umami flavor of blood that Vampires tasted, but humans could not. The blood zinged going down his throat. As soon as it hit his stomach, every part of his tingled. Much better than the blood wine. He needed this. He needed Ryder.

He took a few mouthfuls. His mind was flying again. He swore he could see wings again. The sound of the wind blowing through them. The way they lifted his body. The sense of lightness. He glided. He hovered. He flew. And with him was the warm presence of Ryder. A cord connecting them. He looked over and saw that there was another bird beside him. A falcon.

Ryder!

His eyelids fluttered open. He broke off from feeding. Ryder’s silver eyes were glowing though they were slitted.

It was real. Somehow. That will happen.