Page 41 of Ever Dark Academy, Vol. 7

Lawson… Natasha… it can’t be… it is them! It is!

Lawson and Natasha? Grayson repeated. Your old Master and his mate?

Yes! Ryder couldn’t formulate more words as he saw Legion point unerring towards where they were running. The lions took off with Legion moving shockingly fast behind them.

I knew that Legion turned Lawson, but Natasha? Grayson sounded as stunned as he felt.

I know. She claimed to be only half a millennia old, Ryder said. What a lie!

There was a pause and then Grayson put the thought that both of them were having into words, We only had her word for it. I have a feeling that many lie about their age, especially if they were in the War.

So many people have kept their heritage secret since then, Ryder admitted. In Weryn especially it was allowed, encouraged even, to claim to be born afterwards. To let people have a fresh start so long as they weren’t mad.

That makes sense, Grayson agreed. Nero has kept friendships with some of them who won’t completely conform. I was angry with him about that at first, but it will be useful to us in our search for the Sect of Dawn. But more than that, he wants them to remember that they are a part of us. And we must remember that we are a part of them, too.

It had been so clear and easy before when he and Demos had gone hunting War Children. Ryder had seen it as his sacred duty, because it kept Vampires safe from detection. Also, it stopped the killing of innocents. But, most of all, he’d been proud to be a Weryn taking down War Children. He’d been undoing what his Immortal had created. What he had created. But now he wondered if that had always been the right course.

Both of them lied to me. They told me this ridiculously romantic story about how they met at Siryn Blood Den in Paris… His voice darkened as remembered the elaborate tale that they’d told countless times. And it was all lies. They were together now. During the War. They were working for Legion. His pack animals. Ryder added, I will be having words with her.

She might not still be serving Legion, Grayson offered. Lawson wasn’t.

As far as we know. But I killed him rather quickly before he could do anymore damage or reveal the full extent of his perfidy, perhaps, Ryder said firmly. I put Natasha as one of the people in charge of our student night. By the gods, what if she is part of the Sect? What damage has she done while we’ve been gone? Or even when we were there?

Grayson was quiet. I’m sorry. I can tell you feel betrayed by her lying to you. You took a risk letting her in again after Lawson. But it seemed the right move to me at the time and I don’t know if it truly wasn’t. We must give her a chance to explain herself.

I don’t know what to think, but to keep her association with Legion from me… Trust is broken, Ryder said. Even if there is no greater betrayal beyond that, that may be enough to end it all.

Seeing everyone–Eyros, especially–has me feeling a little differently, Ryder, Grayson told him hesitantly. I think people did the best they could. But there’s so much shame in it. I don’t blame Natasha for wanting to forget it all. Maybe she convinced herself the fake story was true.

You were never so forgiving before, Ryder grunted. But then you had to forgive me so…

She is pack, Grayson answered softly. I don’t think it should be so easy to throw her away. Not that you made it sound easy–

No, I know. I will listen to her. I will see.

That’s more than I could hope for. Thank you, Ryder, Grayson said.

Ryder shook his huge head as he shifted their route a little to the east as he scented the foul stench of the swamp coming more from that direction. Obscuring their scent was going to be very necessary to lose Legion let alone Lawson or Natasha. So the quicker they got into the rotting vegetation the better.

I’m surprised that Lawson didn’t remember your scent, Grayson said as he banked to the left.

True, but this is a long time ago. And he would have no knowledge that I could possibly have gone back in time, Ryder said with a mental shrug. Though he always did say my smell reminded him of someone…

Someone? Who? Grayson asked.

Ryder frowned. It had been one of the tall tales–or so he’d thought–that Lawson had told after too much blood wine. He would be sprawled out on one of his overly large cushions, long legs stretched out towards the fire, his head in Natasha’s lap, and a bottle of blood wine in one hand while the firelight had lit up his features.

He claimed he fought a dragon in the Ever Dark once, Ryder remarked dryly.

A dragon?! Grayson sounded utterly amused and intrigued. There aren’t any dragons. There are some large, winged… things, but they aren’t dragons. Not really.

No, and it would hardly make sense for him to confuse my scent with a dragon’s. I assure you that it is one beast that I cannot turn into, Ryder assured him.

Well, damn. I wish there were dragon shifters, Grayson pouted.

In books and in our dreams, Ryder said.

There was another howl. It sounded surprisingly closer than it should have been. Ryder glanced back and realized that while his knowledge of Solace was spotty, Legion’s evidently wasn’t. Which would make sense as Legion likely camped out here often. They’d evidently surmised that they were going to the swamp, too.