Page 40 of Pining for the Prince
If he could blush his cheeks would be like red apples. “Erm… very… nice.”
“Nice?” She sat back in her chair and exchanged raised eyebrows with Ryol. “Hownice?”
Hyax buried his face in his hands. “Mother!”
“What? It’s important.”
“Suffice to say, I’d be more than happy to have him do it again.” He hoped that was enough as he didn’t want to explain that he’d been left with an erection that had taken several minutes of thinking unpleasant things to get rid of.
She raised an eyebrow. “Well, that clears up part of it.”
Hyax grabbed his elbow. “Now, if you’ve quite finished. I’m going to take Gwil to his room.”
“He’ll be in with you.”
“Hang on, do you mean you’re allowing us to share a room, but you’ve a problem with us getting married? Isn’t that a bit odd?” Gwil asked.
Ryol laughed. “Hardly. Hyax can fuck who he wants, that’s never been the issue. It’s your suitability for an extended attachment that’s been called into question.”
Gwil’s well-buried Victorian sensibilities made him splutter, but Hyax was pulling him away.
Talia called after him. “We have other visitors tonight. Have your guest remain in the room this evening, dinner will be sent up.”
The message was clear, keep your sex toy out of the way. Whatever Hyax had been thinking had not been the reality he’d witnessed. Gwil didn’t say anything as Hyax marched him away from his parents and up two flights of stairs and into a room that had an enormous four-poster bed.
“I think you better explain what’s going on,” he demanded as Hyax sank onto the end of the bed. “I get the feeling they’d prefer me in the dungeon rather than their son’s bedroom.”
“It wasn’tthatbad.”
“It was from where I was standing.” He sat next to Hyax. “What’s going on?”
“I would’ve thought it pretty obvious. I tried to make you a better-connected vampire than you are. I didn’t lie exactly but inferred several things, and they took it upon themselves to confirm them.”
He let himself fall back on the bed and stared up at the canopy that had been bewitched to mimic the night sky. “They’ve got a point though. Princes tend to marry people of their own social level. I’m surprised you weren’t promised to someone else already at birth, or at least optioned.”
“Arranged marriages in that way are a very old-fashioned idea, we ditched that tradition centuries ago. There’s the suitor’s list, but it’s still my decision, which is supposed to give an element of choice.” He laughed bitterly. “Besides, that’s part of the problem. Metra’s parents have sent through a formalpetition that I should be made to uphold the custom and take a partner from the list. Apparently, it wasn’t the first one.”
“Oh, Hyax. I’m sorry. At least you know now that he did try to do something.” A thought hit him like a brick and he felt a bit queasy. “Perhaps you should talk to him about what happened with his friend—if he wasn’t lying maybe you could have what you wanted.”
“We were good together. Part of it was knowing it wasn’t allowed, the risk of being caught was exciting. Even if I were to believe he wasn’t a cheating bastard, which I doubt, I can’t help but think there’d be something missing if we tried again.”
“Whatever happens, we should probably have our exit plan in place that doesn’t hand you to one of those fuckers on the list. But also, I don’t want to have to pretend to hate you when we split up.”
Hyax prodded him in the side. “I’m far too useful to you for that, eh?”
“You know it’s more than that. You’re my friend. My best friend, I don’t know what I’d do if I had to act otherwise.” His feelings for Hyax were complicated. He loved him on several levels, and he would do anything to make sure he kept him in his life.
Hyax lay down next to him. He wanted to give him a hug but he held back. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Gwil sat cross-legged on the bed watching Hyax get ready, changing into his formal evening wear, which had been made to fit him to perfection. He tried to will away his erection, the fact there was only one bed was not lost on him.
“This isn’t exactly the great welcome you alluded to. You’re off downstairs to play fairy prince and I’m being kept locked in a tower.”
Hyax rummaged around in a drawer to find a gold chain, which he fastened around his head. “I know, and I’m sorry. I didn’t think they’d be so difficult.”
“Maybe they were upset you weren’t as honest with them as they thought you should have been.”
