Page 64 of Bleeding for the Prince
Chris nodded. “But I don’t want them disturbed. I’m happy to help you return one of their lost friends, not to give the fae access to new territory.”
Hyax hadn’t even given the possibility a thought. “I wasn’t planning to.”
“I just wanted to make sure you knew my position. I’d worked out where the entrance was and how to pass through, so I’m happy to direct and triangulate the spell so the portal opens in the right place, but I won’t share the coordinates.”
“I would think you could trust two fae princes,” Hyax said, a bit miffed at the connotation of Chris’s explanation.
Chris snorted. “Why? I don’t think being a prince makes you more trustworthy. Some might argue the contrary.”
He wasn’t used to being talked to in such a fashion. “I beg your pardon?”
“Hyax,” Simon said. “Chris doesn’t mean to be insulting. He’s speaking from a place most people couldn’t begin to understand.”
If that meant Chris hadn’t meant to be a rude twat, then he supposed he could turn the other cheek for now, and he thought Gwil would laugh his arse off when he told him. The trouble was they needed Chris, and Hyax would need to put aside his annoyance because throwing a fit would not help him reach his goal.
“At the moment, all I care about is moving a sleeping dragon.”
Chris stared at him. “You’re a bit odd too.”
“I don’t think you’re in any position to call someone else odd.”
“There’s a tinge about you that’s not standard issue for a shiny fae prince. You’re not like Simon, but you’re not a normalfae either.” Chris wrinkled his nose. “I met representatives of all the fae tribes at my trial, and none of them were like you.”
“You’re an astute fellow,” he drawled.
“I can’t place what it is…”
Simon smiled. “What if I were to tell you that Hyax’s partner is a vampire?”
Chris sucked his tongue, staring at Hyax, and then his eyes went wide. “Oh, I didn’t think that sort of thing happened anymore. Aren’t you fae a bit pure for that?”
Hyax couldn’t decide if that was meant to be an insult. “Purity is a rather relative term.”
“You lot don’t intermingle that much as far as I’ve seen, and I’m pretty sure what you must be doing would be considered necromancy in some circles.”
Chris didn’t sound as if he were accusing him as such, but Hyax did feel the need to defend himself. “Hardly. Gwil is a vampire, technically the undead, but it’s not like I’m reanimating a corpse.”
“Both you and Simon seem to have a thing for vampires. I’m not judging, Jack’s a siren, or part siren, and from what I can tell, they’ve a much worse rep than vampires.”
Simon cleared his throat. “Putting our spouses to one side, I sense we’re at an agreement in principle to work together.”
“I guess so. Although I don’t know how to move a dragon, well, not one that’s asleep. I assume if it were awake, I could just bop it on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper and shoo it along.”
Not a method Hyax was aware of. “The dragon is huge. I’ve made the assumption it’s a Rex because of its size; we’re going to need more than a newspaper.”
Chris shrugged. “As I said, dragons aren’t my area of expertise.”
“Do you have the spellbook with you?” Simon asked.
Hyax retrieved a book from the bag he’d brought with him. “You might know this one. Your father gave it to me.”
King James had been grateful for the role Hyax had played in bringing Simon home and had lent him several books from his personal collection. Simon laid the book on his lap and flicked through the pages, stopping at the same place Hyax had identified as a possible solution.
“When you told me about the dragon, this spell came to mind.” Simon tapped the page. “It’s for mass transference on a grand scale. But it needs a lot of energy and a potion with some exotic elements.”
“I see we are of a similar mind,” Hyax said. “But the potion’s contents are no worse than some of the others we’ve tried.”
Chris peered over Simon’s shoulder. He didn’t seem to have the same sense of propriety as most, or personal space. He scrunched his nose. “It’s a bit weird. But if you’re into that sort of thing, I’m not one to judge.”
