Page 66 of Bleeding for the Prince
“I thought the Heads of Hewel and Cartwright Houses were grateful for his service.”
“Of course they were, but saying thank you in such a way wouldn’t have crossed their minds. They wouldn’t have understood the need; they get whatever they want without having to ask.”
Hyax wasn’t about to be pulled into a game of pretending to support Solivatus. He’d accepted Solivatus would always be special to Gwil as his sire, but he didn’t have to like the fucker.
“Is there anything we need to arrange?” Hyax asked. “The potion will take a week or so to brew. It will sit for several days after the vampire blood is added. Then we’ll need to cast within twenty-four hours once it’s ready.”
“We should make sure we’re familiar with the spell.” Simon waved his hand over the book and made a copy of the page. It disintegrated almost immediately. Simon tutted. “Anti-piracy device. Should have known.”
“I don’t think it’s complicated from our side,” Chris said. “Hyax’s part is trickier; we just need to feed in our energy, and I need to do a bit of directional steering.”
Hyax thought the spell was a difficult one for all involved and was surprised to hear Chris be so blasé. “We can’t afford to get this wrong and the dragon wakes up.”
“I know. And I have an idea for some lavender sleep bombs that I reckon I can upscale to dragon strength and add a couple of bits to make them more dragon-potent.”
“What are they?” Simon asked.
“Jack can sometimes have trouble sleeping, so I created a tailored snooze set for him. Part of the set are my lavender bombs that slowly release a calming potion as someone sleeps. I’ve been thinking of selling them as they’ve been a great successwith those who’ve tried them, and I reckon I can make non-person-specific batches.”
Chris must be a competent brewer. “That sounds like a good idea. The dragon appears to be in the early stages of waking from hibernation. Anything we can do to keep it asleep will be welcome.”
“How long will you need to be ready with these bombs?” Simon asked.
“A day or two at most. If I start later today, I’ll be ready long before the main potion is finished.”
“Once you start the brewing, let me know,” Simon said. “I’ll liaise with Chris and we’ll move us a sleeping dragon.”
Hyax had been involved in a lot of bizarre things in his time. He’d worked on new incantations or potions, but he’d never thought he’d have ended up discussing dragon sleeping aides with an elf and vampire-fae. If he’d never gotten involved with Gwil, none of this would have happened, which would have been a crying shame, and he was more grateful than ever that he’d fallen for his cute bloodsucker.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“You’re clear on the plan?” Hyax asked.
Gwil nodded. Although he suspected there was more to come, as some of the details were a little light. “The three witches will move the dragon through a big shiny hole, after one of the witches has drunk a magic potion and another has dabbled in aromatherapy to make snoozy-time sleep bombs.”
“You’re being a prick calling us witches and you know it.”
“Sorry, open goal. But I’ve got the gist.”
“There are a couple of other points I need to cover.” Hyax bit his bottom lip and winced.
Gwil braced himself as that was never a good sign. “What sort of horrible thing am I going to have to do? I’m assuming it ain’t good.”
Hyax took his hand, and he thought it was going to be really bad. “It’s more what I have to let you do to me. And while I trust you, the idea leaves me a little discombobulated.”
“You should just tell me, because you’re creeping me out and making me feel like a Bond villain.” Hyax was fond of a good bout of hyperbole, and Gwil needed him to cut to the chase.
“The potion needs male vampire blood, but the vampire must have fed from the brewer, and then whoever takes the potion—which will be me, before you ask—has to let the vampire release inside them.”
Gwil took a moment to process what he’d been told. He’d mentioned feeding from Hyax as part of a traditional wedding night, and while he hadn’t raced to say yes, he hadn’t thought him so disgusted at the idea. “I assume it’s the blood sucking that’s the issue, and not me fucking you. I know you have more of a preference to top, but we do switch things up now and again.”
“Of course it’s not the sex,” Hyax snapped. “I’m trying to be serious here. This spell and related potion are the best and safest way to move a dragon that isn’t even really my problem. But I’ve been put in a position of having to do something I’m not sure how to deal with.”
“It’s hardly the first time that’s happened, and I think I’m within my rights to be a bit miffed that you appear to be so disgusted at something that’s a fundamental part of my existence.”
“For fuck’s sake. I don’t care that you drink other people’s blood, but you’ve told me yourself that you don’t fuck your food. And what else would I be if you were drinking my blood?”
Hyax seemed to be doing some impressive mental gymnastics. “Right, I promise I wouldn’t think of you as food. I’m also assuming that this isn’t a drink deep and drain situation, as you’ll still need to make the potion. We can do this in such a way that you might even enjoy it.”
