Page 53 of Bleeding for the Prince
“Gwil and I are similarly well-suited,” Hyax said. “As marked by him being the Prince’s Beloved.”
“Maybe I should push to have Simon give me a special fae title?” Robin said, smirking.
“Maybe as a first wedding anniversary present. To make sure you’ve earned it,” Simon said, his tone teasing. “But did I hear correctly, it was a matter ofwhenGwil becomes your husband, notif?”
“Planning on bumping off your current husband?” Robin asked. “I’m sure it could be arranged.”
All of the vampires who had mentioned his potential split from Metra had jumped to the conclusion that Hyax would remove him permanently.
“I’d rather use the standard legal process. Less likely to cause trouble between the tribes as these things tend to come back to the perpetrator.”
“Divorce can take a while and be messy. Some of my clients learned the hard way by marrying people who were as narcissistic as they were.”
Hyax thought he could get used to having dinner as a couple. He had a mix of friends who would be willing, and it would be a nice way to bring Gwil further into the fold. Gwil relaxed as the meal went on, and by the end of dessert, when all three of the vampires had a chocolate fondant where the ooze was blood, he was happy and cracking jokes.
Simon was first to make their excuses. “It has been a pleasure, but I have plans with my father tomorrow that will need me fully rested.”
“Thank you for the company,” Hyax said. “I’m going to explore the library. I might be in touch about a riddle I’m trying to solve.”
“Consider my interest piqued. You know how to reach me.”
Robin and Simon left, and Hyax finished the last of his ambrosia. “I’d say that was a pleasant encounter.”
Gwil nodded. “It was good. I did wonder what Robin made of Simon bestowing him a fae title. I wouldn’t have thought he’d have cared, being the future Dark Viscount Whetford.”
“I imagine it boils down to how much he wants to keep Simon happy. His fae side is an important part of him. They had a vampire wedding and a fae bonding.”
“We should hit the library,” Gwil said, pushing away from the table. “Otherwise, I’m going to be tempted to have another of those martinis.”
“How about we have another round as a reward once we’re finished?”
Gwil smirked. “I thought we had other plans.”
Hyax growled under his breath. Gwil was so going to be on his back later.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Hyax wasn’t sure of the origins of the Jyndarin Society, but he’d been hearing about their library for decades, possibly longer and, as much as he’d been proud of Gwil attaining membership because he deserved it, the added benefits of what the society had to offer were not lost on him.
He loved a good library; he might have a reputation for enjoying his life to excess at times, and when he was younger, it was certainly justified, but that didn’t mean he had no desire to deepen his knowledge. He’d spent many happy hours in the palace’s library, but it couldn’t hold a candle to that of the Jyndarin Society. There were several rooms of shelf after shelf of books on a wide range of topics. Some of the volumes were several hundred years old and might have been the only copy left. Whatever tricks the librarians were using to preserve their stock were special.
Gwil was a few stacks down, as they had spread out to cover the various areas where interesting titles could be. He’d been surprised he hadn’t yet found a section dedicated to dragons, but the classification system was a little chaotic, almost as if leading the readers a merry dance was part of the fun. He was tinglingwith anticipation at what he might find as there wasn’t much information in the fae world on dragons.
“Hyax,” Gwil called. “I think I might have found a seam.”
He hurried over to Gwil. He was holding a book calledOf Tooth and Claw.“There’s quite a collection here. We might be a while.”
“I don’t suppose you can borrow books?”
“No idea. I can go ask if you want?”
“Yes, or as you said, we may need to camp out here.”
Gwil went off to find a librarian while Hyax flicked through a book calledThe Wyvern Way, Why Two Legs Are Better Than Four.Not a great piece of literature, and it appeared to be a first-person account of why dragons were bad and wyverns good. Howard Squire was rumoured to be a wyvern, and Hyax wondered if he’d been incredibly unlucky to buy a department store on top of one of his species’ nemesis or if there was a link that unbeknownst to him had pulled him towards the location.
Another book was more useful.The Dragon Lexicographygave an overview of dragon evolution and nesting cycles, and reading further, he learned that dragons had adapted to shifters as the humans began to become more prominent, and only the Rexes, the founders of the dragon families and their direct heirs, didn’t shift, and were now gone.
Gwil reappeared. “As long as what we want to borrow are not part of one of the protected collections, I can check out five books. They don’t want them passing through fae portals due to potential contamination, so we’ll need to get a cab home. And unless I request an extension, they’ll magically return to the library in three days.”
