Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
G wil had sent a text to Penelope. He’d tried for casual, but she was too astute not to see through the vibe of just checking in he’d aimed for.
She replied she’d meet him at Bled. There’d been no argument or question, only a straight acceptance, which was another sign she knew he needed her for something more than a sibling chat.
He could do with a distraction from his fuckup with Hyax and spent the next hour or so fighting with correspondence, wondering if some of his clients were either unable to read or were being deliberately difficult when it came to settling their bills.
He took the Tube partly out of habit but mainly because he’d always liked people-watching, and thought being good at his job stemmed in some way from having an interest in others and taking the time to appreciate their differences.
A couple next to him were having an argument about the colour they were going to paint their kitchen—she was right, green was a terrible idea— and a young man opposite was pretending to play drums along to the music in his head.
Despite having been to Bled before and Robin Flint telling him he’d paid for his membership, he girded himself to be turned away as he gave the receptionist his name and she checked her iPad. “Welcome, Mr Hilt. If you present this at the bar, your tab will be settled under the Flint account.”
She gave him a black poker chip with a rune on its surface. “Thanks. Is Lady Lindon here yet?”
“Not yet, Mr Hilt. I can let her know you’re here when she arrives.”
He ambled into the main bar, trying to appear more at home than he felt.
Bled was much busier than the last time he’d been there, but it was later and a weekend.
There were many familiar faces from the elite parts of vampire society.
Or he should say, he recognised them, but he doubted they would register him on their radar.
He ordered the daily special at the bar, which turned out to be a Danish 33.
“Would you be interested in the live option later?” the barman asked after he’d seen his poker chip.
“This is only my second visit. How does live feeding work here?” Hyax would want assurances that he wouldn’t have to step over corpses if Gwil were to have a chance of getting him through the door.
“We ensure privacy for all our guests, so either an individual booth or a sharing area for friends, both are pre-bookable, but for our special members, such as yourself, we’ll always guarantee space to do so.”
Being linked to Robin had opened doors he never knew existed. “No live feeding in the open bar?”
“No, sir.”
Hyax would be pleased. “I don’t suppose you know whether fae portals would be allowed?”
The barman smiled. “If you wish to bring your partner as a guest, we can get that sorted for you. The membership team will just need Prince Hyax’s energy signature to get him added to the permit. I’d suggest you bring him the normal way first off, and then all would be sorted for future visits.”
He was surprised the barman had made the connection, but then with the cost of membership at a place like Bled, there would be an expectation to cater to every whim, which called for a certain amount of familiarity.
With no live feeding on general display and the option to access the club directly, he could see himself bringing Hyax here, possibly the following weekend if his schedule allowed it and if Hyax forgave him for being a knob.
He claimed a table, hoping that Penelope wouldn’t be too late, but knowing his sister, he might be here a while as she had the ability to be punctual, but the attitude not to bother.
“Gwil?”
He looked up to see Daniel Moreton. Daniel had mentioned he was a member, unsurprising with his connections and wealth. “Daniel, nice to see you.”
“Prince Hyax not with you?”
“Not tonight. I’m meeting my sister. When she bothers to turn up.” He wasn’t about to tell Daniel he’d gone running to Penelope after putting his foot in it with Hyax.
“Would you like to join me until Lady Lindon arrives?”
He didn’t want to interrupt Daniel’s evening, but he also didn’t want to be on his own for too long, sitting alone like a Billy No-mates. “I wouldn’t be disturbing you?”
“No, I’m here with Katherine, my fiancée.
She’d be happy to have someone to talk to apart from me.
I should mention that Solivatus sent me a message earlier.
It’s not something to discuss this evening as we have company, but I wanted to let you know I’d be more than happy to assist in whatever way I can. ”
“I’d appreciate your help. I’ve a lot of headway still to make in vampire society.”
Gwil hadn’t expected Solivatus to connect to Daniel so soon. Given how long vampires live, most things took their sweet time unless there was an urgency. He followed Daniel to his table.
Katherine was a striking woman, with long blonde hair and cheekbones sharp enough to cut a line. Gwil was sure he knew her from somewhere, but he couldn’t place her. “Have we met before?” he asked as he sat.
“I don’t think so. I know who you are, though. Gwilym Hilt—Prince’s Beloved, sired by Solivatus, and brother of the Dark Duchess of Lindon. One could say you’re somewhat of a celebrity, although maybe a reluctant one.”
Gwil laughed. “As I have said many times, I know important people, rather than me being important in my own right.”
“I think you’re doing yourself a great disservice,” Daniel said. “You came highly recommended as a private investigator and have a solid reputation, one that you’ve been building for a long time, even before your involvement with Prince Hyax.”
“It’s all relative, I suppose. But on the reverse side, there are several people who know me who I wish didn’t.”
“We all have those troubles. When you’re turned, you believe your afterlife will be a long hedonistic stretch of debauchery and pleasure. For some, it’s true, but for me, I got bored pretty quickly and needed something more to keep me occupied.”
Gwil would have liked the opportunity to have had the afterlife Daniel described, but he considered himself mis-sold from the beginning, and there were no refunds available.
“The closest I came to having the life of Riley was when I dated Hoffman, but even then, while money wasn’t an issue, I would have been curtailed some other way. ”
Katherine looked surprised. “Oliver Hoffman?”
“Yeah.”
Her eyes widened. “I have to ask, I know you’ve got a fae prince now, so a real upgrade, but why did you and Hoffman split?”
Most people who had known about him and Hoffman assumed it had been Oliver who’d dumped him, and he doubted people believed him when he told his version of events.
“Like Daniel, I got bored. I didn’t want to be a trophy partner and had been a police inspector before I was turned, and fancied doing something in the same vein.
Hoffman was married to his research, and any partner can’t compete with that for attention, so I decided I would prefer to do more with my afterlife. ”
“It all worked out in the end,” Daniel said, raising his glass in a toast. “Did you manage to find something for Prince Hyax? I hope Dante’s jewellery offerings inspired you.”
He hadn’t thought more about a gift for Hyax.
He’d been occupied by work and surprise etiquette lessons, but Daniel might be able to help with a recommendation for a designer.
Every time he saw Hyax wearing Metra’s bracelet, he’d had an urge to rip it off and melt it down for scrap.
“I’m still looking, but to be honest, I need to find someone who can help me.
You mentioned that you might have a contact. ”
“I know several. It depends on what you’re after, but Katherine used to work for one of the big design houses in Paris.”
“That was a long time ago,” she said with a fond smile in Daniel’s direction. “But I do still design the odd piece. If you have something in mind, I could do a sketch or two. And there are some amazing jewellery makers I could recommend.”
He hadn’t meant to put her on the spot, but he knew that Hyax would far prefer a piece of bespoke jewellery by a designer rather than something commonly available. “That’d be great. I’d pay, of course.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s a hobby, but I might drop your name.”
Name-dropping was a currency in vampire circles, and Gwil hadn’t been in a position before when his own name would be considered legal tender. Probably still more in the loose change than folding notes bracket, but he’d take the compliment.
Katherine fished around in her enormous handbag and pulled out a notebook and pencil. “Give me an idea of what you’re after—we can refine it later.”
The truth was he didn’t know. He’d not had the sort of relationship before where personal gifts of this fashion were exchanged.
Back when he was still human, he had intended to propose to Matilda, but that was a lifetime ago, and he didn’t fancy giving Hyax a single solitaire engagement ring as it wouldn’t send the message he wanted to convey and would likely be lobbed at his head.
He pulled open his shirt collar a bit wider to expose the platinum choker Hyax had given him.
“This was a gift from Hyax. Usually, the fae give their collar to their spouse, so you can understand the level of symbolism behind him giving it to me rather than Metra. I don’t have an equivalent, and I have to admit I’m struggling a bit with what to come up with. ”
Daniel sipped his blood. “Many vampires exchange wedding rings. Have you thought of that with custom bands?”
“In the future, I hope we’ll have a ceremony where we’ll exchange rings as a nod to my vampire ancestry. But for now, I want something unique, and a ring doesn’t help me achieve that.”
“What about a bracelet?” Katherine suggested.