Page 5 of Bleeding for the Prince
Gwil wouldn’t want to go alone, but he would also know that Hyax wouldn’t leave him to do a consult where magic would be needed.
“I would suggest that until His Highness can confirm his availability, you should plan for it to just be me on Monday evening.” Gwil stood. “Now, it’s not far off sunrise, and I’m one for my beauty sleep.”
Howard got the hint and he stood and handed Gwil his card. “Those are my direct numbers. Contact me at your convenience. Thank you again for your willingness to assist. I look forward to welcoming you to Dante’s.”
Gwil escorted him out, and Hyax waited for his return. “What did you make of that?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Seems a bit bonkers,” Gwil said. “Are you going to be able to come with me on Monday?”
“Of course. I wanted to see what his reaction would be to me not being there. My first instincts were that getting me to Dante’s was a stunt of some kind.”
“Yeah, although even if his idea to drum up trade for his business is having a fae prince troll around, it seems a ridiculous way to get you through the door.”
“To be honest, a dodgy promo stunt is more likely than his shop being built on neutral ground—telling a magic user that’s a possibility is automatically intriguing. I’ve heard of odd pockets of neutral space in a built-up area, but nothing the size of a department store. None of it sounds right, and that alone has me curious.”
“It was as if he knew how to bait me using Goya as well. I know you think I’ve got a blind spot over Old Dogface, but I’m self-aware enough not to lead myself into danger over it.”
Gwil was right that Howard had been able to pinpoint their triggers. They should probably walk away, but they wouldn’t. “Let’s see what happens on Monday. If it’s still suspicious, then we can back out. But for now, how about we go to bed and continue what he interrupted?”
Gwil smirked and headed towards their bedroom. “Come on, Hyax. I can’t fuck myself.”
CHAPTER THREE
Gwil had always been a bit of a clothes horse. His budget hadn’t been able to keep up with his desires, so he’d avoided the sort of large department stores with designer outlets on every floor and personal shoppers on hand to help customers spend their money. He’d heard of Dante’s but hadn’t been, not wanting to rub shoulders with the snooty members of the public who would think him more qualified to be working there than a customer.
Hyax stepped out of the car that had been arranged once Hyax had confirmed his attendance, and Gwil suspected that if it had been just him, he’d have been expected to get there under his own steam. An orc doorman wearing a top hat greeted them as they approached and they entered an enormous beauty department, with counter after counter of cosmetics and treatments for every species. They were welcomed by a glamorous naiad whose leaves glittered like emeralds, and the patterns of bark were trimmed with gold.
“Your Highness, Mr Hilt, welcome to Dante’s,” she said. “Please follow me. We’ve a special reception area for our most important guests. Mr Moreton will join us there to give you anoverview of the store, and if there are any of the collections or services you’d like to prioritise, please just ask.”
The name Moreton struck a chord, but Gwil couldn’t remember where from. Judging by Hyax’s expression, he must have had a similar reaction, but it wasn’t an uncommon name and he’d had hundreds of clients over the years. They followed their hostess to a private seating area and were served chilled champagne, which Gwil was more than happy to accept, but Hyax declined.
“Not like you to turn down bubbles,” he said as they were left alone.
“They’ll be cheap bubbles, and one of us should keep a clear head.”
“It takes a lot more than a glass of champagne to have me on my back—my alcohol tolerance went through the roof when I was turned.”
Hyax smirked. “I know a fool-proof way to get you on your back, and it doesn’t involve shit wine.”
“I’m not that easy.”
“You are for me.”
Hyax wasn’t wrong, but Gwil didn’t have the chance to reply as they were joined by a man with shoulder-length straight black hair, a long pale face and a demeanour that oozed confidence. Gwil thought he might be a member of one of the Houses, but he couldn’t recall which one. Hyax, however, recognised him straight away. “Daniel? I thought I knew the name Moreton.”
Gwil wondered if this was someone Hyax had shagged before he’d met him. Hyax wasn’t usually so friendly with mere acquaintances but he didn’t want to come across as a possessive arsehole leaping to the wrong conclusion, because things were bad enough already with Hyax’s husband.
“Prince Hyax, I am honoured you remembered me.”
Daniel and Hyax shook hands. “I rarely forget someone with your pain threshold.”
Gwil spluttered, and Hyax laughed. “You didn’t get the chance to meet Daniel, Gwil. He was the vampire kind enough to volunteer to help with a little experiment I was working on with Alex and Ashley.”
Daniel must be the vampire who’d been used as a guinea pig for the transfiguration spell and potion they’d used during a recent case. Hyax had put his foot down and refused to let Gwil be the test subject for the magic that had later been used to change his appearance to go undercover. He wondered how much Daniel had been told, probably not a lot by the way Hyax had chosen his words.
He shook hands with Daniel. He had no reason but to be anything but grateful to the guy who’d taken his place as lab rat. “Nice to meet you.”
“You come highly recommended, Mr Hilt. My sire said you’ve conducted work for the Vampire Council.”
