Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“ Y ou’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.”
Hyax grimaced. “Gwil, I’m not sure that’s possible.”
“Trust me on this, Hyax. I won’t hurt you, and I can give you a high that no white powder can deliver.”
There was a reason people agreed to be part of a herd. Live stockers were paid well, but there was also the sexual thrill associated with a vampire bite, and many of his kind were more than happy to fuck and feed.
“It won’t hurt?” Hyax sounded uncertain.
“I wouldn’t have mentioned it as a possibility for our wedding night if there was a danger of me hurting you.” His fangs ached at the idea, and he had to fight to keep them sheathed.
Hyax still looked unsure. “I trust you.”
“I will take care of you. I promise.” Gwil kissed his knuckles. “You said there were a couple of things. What else is there?”
“There is another thing I’m not too happy about, but for a different reason. The potion I need to brew is rather potent, and could potentially render any lab unusable for a while after if they aren’t of the right containment level.”
“I take it Crofton Hall wasn’t up to the job.”
“The labs there aren’t qualified to the right level. They’d probably be okay, but we didn’t think the Dark Earl of Crofton would be willing, not when Simon knew of somewhere that would be up to scratch. We’d just need the permission of the owner.”
Gwil left the magic side of things, including potion brewing, to Hyax, so he hadn’t known there were different grades of lab. “Who owns it since it sounds like you don’t want to ask?”
“Solivatus.”
Gwil did his very best not to smirk, but he couldn’t stop himself. Hyax’s answering scowl spoke volumes. “I can ask him. He’s unlikely to say no, but I will need to give him a reason, but still try to respect our client confidentiality.”
“I’m sure you can tell him enough, without giving everything away. Simon would also vouch for us.”
“I’ll send him a message, but I can’t see there being a problem. I’m more concerned with DCI Dogface.”
He had to speak to Goya of Scotland Yard, and now Hyax had a proper plan and a timeline, he would have to go.
“Best get it over with.”
Gwil grabbed his jacket. “Yeah, I wonder how long the prick will make me wait to see him or one of his underlings if he’s not on duty?”
“I promise to make you feel good when you get home, no matter how long it takes.”
“That might be the only thing that gets me through.”
Gwil regularly filed reports with the police.
Some of his cases were in the grey space between the police and what a private detective could do, but this was different.
He used the journey over to New Scotland Yard in a cab to try to formulate the best way to speak to Goya because whichever way he spun it, the idea of a dragon under London sounded as if he’d been on the special drugs that made people have crazy dreams, and even crazier actions.
Predictably, he was told Goya was busy, but if he was willing to wait, he’d be with him as soon as possible.
By the letter of the law, he could have told the desk sergeant, but the prick wouldn’t have passed on the details and he’d have been subjected to a load of accusations of being off his head or wasting police time.
The waiting room was empty, and he got himself a coffee from the vending machine.
It tasted like shit, even worse than usual.
He’d come prepared with his laptop and the intention to power through case-related paperwork since he knew he’d be waiting a while, and he might as well get through his backlog.
He checked his emails, hot-spotting off his phone since the police weren’t about to give him the Wi-Fi code.
He’d received the lab results about Ms Wainley’s hamster, and there was residue from a chemical, which would have accounted for his possessed state.
Gwil had instructions to pass on about cleaning the cage and getting Ms Wainley to check what she was washing his water bottle in.
The door opened and Goya stood in the doorway. If he wasn’t a complete cunt, Gwil might have admitted Goya was attractive enough, tall and broad with a swagger. But since they barely remained civil in each other’s company, it was a moot point.
“Gwilym Hilt, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
He was surprised Goya had arrived to collect him rather than have Gwil escorted to his office. “I’ve something I need to tell you. Trust me, if I didn’t have to, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Come on then. I sense this isn’t a conversation to be had in the open.”
“Not without mass panic.”
Goya growled under his breath. “Always the over-dramatic arsehole.”
Gwil thought he’d regret those words once Gwil was done telling him the potential scaly time bomb that could go off underneath his city.
He’d been in Goya’s office more times than he cared to remember, and for a long time he wanted to rejoin the Metropolitan Police, having been an inspector before falling into the wrong side of a laudanum den in the 1840s and coming out the dead side with extra-pointy teeth.
He’d blamed Goya for not letting him back in; his drug habit not being expunged from his record had been cited as the reason why he wasn’t the right calibre for the force.
It turned out it hadn’t been Goya but Tobias Flume, a fucking big fang who was the original founder of the supernatural division, but had kept his involvement to only those who needed to know. Fucker.
“How’s life, or should I say death, treating you, Hilt? Enjoying being the side piece of a royal flower fairy?”
Goya was a condescending twat. “That’s Prince’s Beloved, as you know. And better than you by the looks of it. Still stuck in this dingy office. I’d have thought they’d have at least given you a nice doggie bed and bone as a nod to diversity and inclusion.”
“Once again, you prove why you’re not suited to the modern police force.”
“I’m relieved, as while I once thought it might be a nice idea to rejoin, the standards of the people they employ these days are shocking.”
“Then I’m sure you’ll want to be on your way as soon as possible. What do you want?”
“If I didn’t have to be here, I wouldn’t be, but I know one of the stipulations of my business permit means I have to report any large risk to life or property, and the case we’re investigating is both.”
Goya sat back in his chair. For all their bitching at each other, Goya knew he wasn’t one to take the piss. “You have my full attention.”
“I understand that you were also contacted by Howard Squire regarding strange incidents at his department store.”
“Yes, we were called to Dante’s. It’s an open case, but the leads didn’t go anywhere, and we told him we couldn’t do anything without evidence that something illegal had taken place. I take it you and Prince Hyax had more success.”
He wouldn’t offer up Copperpipe as his source because he wasn’t sure if he was registered or documented in any way. “We were exploring underneath the store, based on the information we received, and discovered a dragon.”
“Plenty of those around,” Goya said carefully. “There’s even a softball league that plays Thursday evenings in St James’s Park.”
Gwil took out his phone and slid it across the desk with one of the photos they’d taken. “Not this size.”
Goya stared at the screen. His eyes widened. “Fucking hell.”
“It’s asleep, but Hyax thinks the incidents are being caused by its magic bubbles that are a sign of it beginning to wake up.”
“If that wakes and decides to leave its lair, it’ll take out half the block.”
“Yeah, hence why I’m here.”
Gwil had never seen Goya lost for words. He had a sharp comeback or passive-aggressive comment for every occasion. He stared at the phone, flipping through the photos. “We are going to need to move it.”
Given Goya’s expression, he wasn’t going to take the piss and Gwil made a heroic effort to swallow his flippant comment. “Hyax has a plan. He’s working with Prince Simon and some other magical types. The idea will be to move it through a portal into a different realm.”
“You can’t just shove a dragon through a portal. What if it wakes up on the other side with munchies and decimates the people there?”
Goya had a valid point.
“We’ve been given intel that the non-shifting dragons didn’t go extinct, but removed themselves to a new homeland. One of the people helping has an idea where that is and will be able to direct as required.”
“We should get the warlocks involved,” Goya said, but didn’t sound too happy about the idea.
“I don’t think the fae or the elves would allow them to encroach on their realm. You know how territorial magical users get.”
Goya grimaced. “Yes, and we had a warlock do a sweep of Dante’s and they missed a bloody great dragon. That’s gotta sting. They’re a bunch of high and mighty arsewipes.”
“The WRC told Howard Squire they weren’t interested, so I think we can use that as an excuse to leave them out of this.”
Gwil decided not to say Hyax had also been none the wiser about there being a dragon lurking, as for once it didn’t look like Goya was going to argue. “So, I’m reporting the incidents, but I am also providing an overview of the removal strategy.”
“I want to be there.”
Gwil wasn’t even sure he was going to be present for the removal, let alone Goya. “I can speak to Hyax, but there may be containment issues and additional spells in place to help keep the dragon asleep. I’ve no idea how they might affect bystanders.”
“I’ll take the risk. If I find out you and the Prince’s pals go ahead without me, I’ll have your business permit revoked with no chance of you getting it back. Understood?”
“Perfectly.” Fucking twat.
“Now, I need all the details. And you’re not leaving until I’m satisfied.” Goya tapped something into the keyboard. “I’ve opened the report. Let’s get this over with.”
Gwil wanted to tell him to fuck off, but he’d end up with a stay in the cells for obstructing the police.
The sooner he got this out of the way, the sooner he could go.
With patience he didn’t think he owned, he explained the plan and answered Goya’s questions.
Now he had to go back to Hyax and tell him they were going to have to include DCI Dogface.
At least Hyax had promised him a blowjob when he got home.