You’re enjoying yourself, Grayson.All sweet and innocent over there!Balthazar chuckled.
The Eyros Vampire actually did laugh out loud, which made him seem a little fey.Was he listening to something someone said telepathically or was he simply amused at the death and destruction that Weryn was going to unleash?The Syrin Vampire narrowed her eyes slightly.
“What was the plan for tonight?”Ryder asked the Mirryr Vampire.
Ryder stood at the man’s feet, which since the Mirryr Vampire was tied down to the sarcophagus he couldn’t look at Ryder easily without lifting his head up.Cords of muscle stood out on the Mirryr’s neck as he craned his neck to track Ryder.While he might truly believe in his “cause” that didn’t mean he wasn’t afraid of what paying the price to keep it secret would be.
“Why are you asking me?You know I’ll never tell!”The Mirryr Vampire spit at Ryder.
Grayson “caught” the spit in mid-air with his mind.It glistened there, turning slightly before he sent it flying back at the Mirryr Vampire’s face where it splattered against his left cheek with a satisfying wet sound.
“Good show, Dani!”Balthazar lied, knowing it was him.
That was quite impressive, Grayson,Balthazar sent.
“That?That is nothing,” Dani laughed, her eyes not flickering to him once.“We Ashyr are able to pull people apart at a molecular level.”She drifted over towards the sarcophagus with the Mirryr Vampire on it.She stared down at him with cold eyes.“Can you imagine what that’s like?I’ve only ever done it to kill.But I think I couldprolongthe process. I could start with a hand…”
The Mirryr Vampire jerked when she drew two fingers down the top of his right bound hand.For a moment, Grayson remembered doing just that to an enemy.Shredding them at the molecular level.They turned into goo and splashed onto the ground.His stomach curdled as he thought of it.But, at the time, he had no problem with sending waves of that power out ahead of him and watching their enemies become a sea of blood.
“I’m not going to tell you anything no matter what you do!”The Mirryr Vampire hissed.“So if you’re going to take my hand, get on with it!”
Dani lifted her eyebrows.“So eager for pain?Maybe you think it will mean you’ll be destroyed quicker.But you will not.We will have our answers.And I will have my revenge.”
Balthazar, I want you to just touch the Mirryr’s mind,Grayson said.The barest of brushes.On my mark.Be prepared to get out of there immediately.I want to see what happens to the structure in his head when you do.
You’re sure about this?Balthazar asked.
No, but we have to understand how this thing works,Grayson admitted.Torturing and interrogating every single Sect member is too time consuming.I need my Spy back.
Spy?Oooh, that sounds so neat!Balthazar chuckled.
I’m the General, Weryn is the Soldier, Wyvern is the Scout, and you are the Spy,Grayson explained.
That sounds even more exciting now!Like we’re superheroes!Balthazar said.I’m ready when you are.
Tell Dani what we’re doing just in case we need to pretend it's her doing it,Grayson said.
“That boy over there,” the Mirryr Vampire said, indicating Grayson.
Grayson immediately widened his eyes as if scared at being noticed and looked to Ryder for comfort.His lips parted.He made them wet and sweet as if to say, “Please, Ryder, protect me!”
The look worked.It workedtoowell.He saw Ryder replaced with Weryn.It was half a moment.Half a second.Those silver eyes changed.Ryder’s smile changed.From a sardonic one to one made of knives.
“Don’t look at him.”Ryder snapped the Mirryr Vampire’s right ankle.Just broke the bones as easily as breathing.“Don’t eventhinkabout him.”
The Mirryr Vampire howled. Vampire bones were hard to break.And he would already be healing, but the pain could not be denied.
Good lord!Balthazar breathed.Ryder is…
Weryn.Be careful, Balthazar.We need to be careful with him,Grayson said.
You don’t mean the Mirryr Vampire, do you?
No, I mean Weryn.
“You–you’re going to turn him?Him?”the Mirryr Vampire gasped out, still looking at Grayson with eyes huge with pain and sweat pouring down his face.He still wore Ryder’s form, but he looked more like a Ryder mannequin than the real thing.“He’s like a fucking l-lamb.We’ll feast on him–AHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Ryder broke the other ankle. It reminded Grayson ofMisery, the Stephen King story where the fan broke the author’s ankles to keep him there to write a novel “correctly”.His gorge rose again.He felt a hand curl around his right wrist.It was Julian’s hand.The Vampire Prince’s face was devoid of emotion.But Grayson could feel the fine tremors running through him.
