Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Don’t you think the artist has captured the soul of the dying manticore to perfection?”
He turned to see a beautiful woman dressed in more chiffon than he thought current fashion would deem appropriate.
Her eyes were wide and slightly glazed, and he guessed there might be some chemical component supporting her understanding of the artist’s works.
“I can’t say I’m much of an expert on manticore souls, but I don’t think I’d have gone in the puce direction.
I’d have thought burnt umber more fitting. ”
She rolled her eyes. “That is a very pedestrian way of thinking. You need to open your mind and stop living a mundane experience.”
Gwil didn’t get the chance to argue as she floated away. Not that anything he would say would sway her opinion of him as an ill-educated oik. Hyax came to stand at his side. “Who was that?”
“No idea. She liked the manticore,” he said, nodding in the thing’s direction.
“It’s a manticore?” Hyax said, squinting.
“Allegedly so, I’m not sure which bits are which, but you’re the art connoisseur, or at least that’s what I thought since you dragged me here.”
“Tonight is a friend’s opening night, and this is an exclusive gallery event. I wanted to be seen with my Prince’s Beloved. I didn’t drag you, you agreed to come.”
“You know I’m happy to be top-dollar arm candy, but I’m not what you’d call the target audience for this…” He gestured at the sculpture. “I’m more a David man myself.”
“Colour me surprised that you’d have an appreciation of the naked male form. We may need to broaden your horizons.”
“You weren’t complaining when you had me tied to your bed.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe your friend can explain it to me and I’d feel less of a muppet.”
“This isn’t Cassie’s work. Her medium is oils.
” Hyax slipped his arm around his waist, a possessive gesture Gwil had become more accustomed to of late.
Hyax seemingly wanted anyone who saw them to know where his true affections lay.
He wasn’t complaining, but he would need to adapt, as he’d never been in a situation where he’d been so important to someone that they felt the need to message their attachment so clearly.
Gwil let Hyax steer him into another room where six large canvases had been hung.
He was surprised by the size of them, their colours bold and vibrant, but he still had no clue what they were meant to be.
As far as he could tell, there was no discernible subject, but a mix of swirls and squiggles.
Pretty enough, but hardly earth-shattering.
“Perhaps the purple one would look good on the landing?” Hyax said.
“What? In our house?”
Hyax tutted. “Where else?”
“You can have that in your fairy castle, but not in Spitalfields. There’s not enough room, it’d look daft.”
“You’re a philistine.” Hyax jabbed him with his elbow. “No appreciation of something unique and beautiful.”
“Oh, you’re wrong about the second part. You’re unique and beautiful, and I appreciate you.”
Hyax smouldered, and Gwil was gathered close and kissed. “Keep saying things like that, Gwil, and I’m going to forget we’re in public.”
A soft cough from behind them made them step apart, and Gwil turned to see Metra scowling. As far as Gwil was aware, they’d not expected him to be in attendance tonight. “There’s such a thing as decorum.”
“What would you know about decorum?” Hyax said, matching Metra’s dark expression. “You have no right to interrupt me.”
“My husband kissing another individual while I’m present gives me the right.”
Hyax scoffed. “Gwil is the Prince’s Beloved; he has the right to my affection when we are together. You don’t get a say in it.”
Metra wasn’t backing down. “There are standards, and you agreed to the marriage, and there were certain stipulations.”
“I agreed to be civil when we are attending official engagements together. This is not one of those. So, you can kindly fuck yourself!”
Gwil moved to stand between them—fighting fairies weren’t as sexy as the porn industry would have people believe. “This will do no one any good.”
“I don’t need advice from my husband’s pet,” Metra snarled.
Gwil’s fangs descended. He’d tried to be nice, but Metra was a wanker and he needed knocking down a peg or two.
He stepped forward, but before he could do anything, Metra was pushed back with a ball of red light and he landed on his arse and skidded away.
“You will show Gwil respect, Metra. I will not have him spoken to in such a way.”
As angry as he was, Gwil knew this wasn’t the place to fight, be it with fists or magic. Metra had his own powers, but as far as Gwil knew, he was nowhere near the level of competency as Hyax.
Metra got to his feet.
For a moment, Gwil thought Metra might retaliate, but he muttered something and a fine mist encompassed them. “A privacy screen. I apologise for my words. But I wish to remind His Highness that we are both stuck in this situation, and we should not antagonise each other.”
“You started it,” Hyax said.
“No, you did with your actions,” Metra replied. “I should not have approached you with such hostility, but I reserve the right to be annoyed. We have agreements in place for public encounters.”
Gwil was surprised. Metra had apologised and was trying to be reasonable, but then they hadn’t deliberately meant to rub his nose in their affection, so there needed to be a middle ground. “We didn’t know you were here,” Gwil said.
“That is irrelevant,” Hyax said, his hackles up, and Gwil didn’t think snarling at each other like alley cats would help.
“No, it isn’t,” Metra said. “You should have at least checked if I was here. Cassie is a popular fae artist; you could have assumed I might have wanted to be here to support her work.”
“You have no say in what I do, and I don’t need to see who’s standing over my shoulder. If I want to kiss the man I love in public, I will, and I don’t give a shit whether you like it or not.”
Gwil didn’t think the argument was going to end without violence unless he stepped in.
He could see Metra’s point if they’d known he was here, but the idea they would have to be circumspect on the off-chance he might be present was utter bollocks.
Something would need to give, and they couldn’t come to blows every time they happened to meet in public.
He took Hyax’s hand, which he hoped he’d take as a sign to calm down and not overreact. “Look, how about we try and find a common ground since I don’t want to get caught in between two duelling fae every time we run into you without warning.”
“I’m only asking for the bare minimum of respect,” Metra insisted.
“Respect has to be earned,” Hyax snapped back.
“I’ve got a suggestion,” Gwil said. “You could both let the other know if you’re going to events like this.
I’m sure you’ve someone who could act as a social secretary for that sort of thing.
We don’t have to be all over each other if we know you’re there too, but if we just happen to be in the same club or restaurant, that’s tough.
You’re gonna have to deal with us being tactile. ”
Gwil was sure Hyax and his siblings had their social calendars managed by his mother’s team, and he thought either Hyax could engage someone specifically or could have the same team liaise with Metra’s equivalent.
If anything, it would lead to them seeing less of him as they’d be aware and could avoid each other.
“I could make my schedule available,” Metra said, although it sounded like it hurt to admit it.
Gwil glanced at Hyax, who wasn’t happy, and Gwil thought he might get a bit of an ear-bashing when they got home for playing mediator. “If it meant I didn’t have to be lectured for no good reason, I could acquiesce to this compromise. But there will be strict limitations around what is revealed.”
“Excellent,” Gwil said, surprised to get this agreement without bloodshed. “Then how about we head in separate directions?”
“Fine,” Metra said. The mist dissipated, and he opened a portal. “I look forward to our congenial co-existence.”
Metra left and Hyax rounded on Gwil. “Why did you do that?”
“Let’s go somewhere else to talk. I could take you to Bled.” He’d been looking for an opportunity to take Hyax somewhere rather than him being the usual tag-along.
“Very well. Do they allow fae portals?”
He wasn’t sure. “Why wouldn’t they?”
“Vampire club, not the sort of place they want crawling with uninvited magic users.” He frowned. “Is it live feeding?”
“I’ve only been once, and I didn’t see any.”
“You find out those two things and I’ll consider going, but until then, no.” Hyax had activated his arsehole mode. “I’m going to find my friend and then go home.”
There was no invitation to accompany him, and Gwil wasn’t in the mood to deal with Hyax when he was being a twat. “I’ll see you later then.”
Hyax stalked off. They didn’t argue much, and this was far more passive-aggressive than usual. Gwil was fucked if he was going to stand for it. They weren’t fucking children, and he was far too old for this shit. “Hyax!”
Hyax turned. “What?”
There were people about, and although they weren’t outright staring, there was a definite curiosity about whether they were about to make a scene. “You’ve no reason to be mad at me.”
“Just because I don’t want to go to a vampire club tonight doesn’t mean I’m mad.”
“Right.” He didn’t want to leave things like this. “How about you find your friend and we go home together?”
Hyax huffed, closed the distance and grabbed his hand. “I’m sorry. I’m being a wanker. Let me introduce you to Cassie.”
A little crowd had gathered around a beautiful fae; her hair was strawberry blonde, and she had a series of studs down the shell of each ear, which surprised him as all Hyax’s ear jewels were clips and he had said he’d never pierce them.
He guessed this must somehow mark her as rebellious by fae standards.