Carrick blinked slowly. It was somehow pleasing to see such a solemn young man give such an unguarded smile. He paused for a moment, then spoke in a tone that was normally reserved for Hermes. "We Spartans were never known as scholars. But I remember the days after when the printing press was invented, 600 years ago. It was an incredible moment. I'm not sure the modern world can truly understand just how magical it seemed. Suddenly, the knowledge of hundreds of years could belong to anyone. Or anyone who could read and had money, at least. When I was mortal we learned poetry and songs by rote, not reading. But was when I saw my first printed book I fell utterly in love with the written word and have been hoarding texts ever since."
Carrick searched his never-terribly reliable memory for the name of Alcuin's former Master. He was sure that he had never known Delaunay, but there was something familiar about the name... what was the soubriquet that he had heard whispered. The Spymaster, was that it? He didn't know.
There was a sudden flash of a smile on Carrick's lips when Hermes' light-fingered tendencies were mentioned once more, only to vanish as quickly as did a blade of moonlight when clouds drifted across the sky.
Carrick's pale eyes flicked downward to the leather cuff, its darkness only serving to highlight the lovely paleness of Alcuin's skin. The boy's wrist seemed so delicate, the tracery of blue veins under the almost-transparent skin so tempting. His eyes darkened with hunger, and he allowed the very tips of his fangs to lengthen a little.
"McCall, an alpha wolf. Possessive creatures, aren't they?" He gave a secret little smile, thinking of his lover. Carrick's cool fingers caressed the faint tracery of veins at the slim wrist, then pushed the cuff as far back on the arm as he could, exposing more of the tender skin.
The vampire's gaze lifted to Alcuin's, his pupils widening. His knife-sharp fangs glinted in the moonlight. "So it's fortunate that I heard that you know how to keep secrets," he murmured. His fingers tightened on the slender wrist, lifting it slowly upwards and closer to his mouth.