Chapter 4
Alex gratefully received the cup of hibiscus tea Karl handed him. “Thanks. Are you ready to tackle the party Ben wants?”
“Better to get started now,” Karl said. “He’s insisting that he wants to hold the event within a month. I’m a demon, not a miracle worker.”
“Could have been worse, his first request was in two weeks. I don’t think he realises that with such short notice, there may be many who aren’t able to attend,” Alex said, more from hope than conviction.
“I keep an eye on the social calendar, as far as I can tell, there’s nothing that wouldn’t move to celebrate the engagement of a Dark Earl.
” Karl waved his hand, and a notebook appeared.
“However, the sooner we get the invites out, the better. We won’t have trouble with caterers, the live feeding is easily adaptable, and as I assume there’ll be no budget limitation, no one will turn down the option to be a supplier. ”
“Karl, I was hoping you could humour me a little.”
“What good will that do? At best, only five percent will turn down the invitation. And we will need to deal with a range of paranormal creatures. Ben’s a vampire, but Ashley is a warlock and a member of the Warlock Ruling Council.
We’ll have to invite the WRC and the Vampire council, plus the senior members of the Vampire Houses, and their named successors.
That’s the first hundred. Both have extensive lists of friends or important acquaintances who, if they weren’t invited, would consider it a slight.
It’ll be a delicate balance to get the list down to three hundred and not accidentally leave someone off who’ll get the hump. ”
Karl’s notebook was filling up with a list of names. Alex pointed at it. “Is that new?”
“It’s an enchanted AI tool, but it works properly and doesn’t make shit up. We’ll need to check it as it still hallucinates occasionally, but it’ll be a solid start.”
Demons were known for having some of the best tech, and there had been several examples of humans getting hold of it and making it worse. ChatGPT and iOS were the first that came to mind.
“What about entertainment?”
“Did you get any guidance on the style of the party? I’d steer on the side of sophisticated, not formal and see if we can get hold of a couple of the better London DJs or a popular singer who’d do a set.”
“I think that’s more what he’s got in mind. We’re certainly not talking string quartets and a waltz.”
“We should prepare ourselves for the bedrooms getting used. Quick cleaning spells or alarms on those we want kept out of bounds.”
Alex wrinkled his nose. “Am I allowed to zap any bare arses I see? I’m not going to be in the mood to deal with sexual fuckwittery.”
“Given the arse might belong to someone who could cause you grief, I wouldn’t recommend doing so.” Karl smirked. “We could inject a few rats with a poltergeist virus and let them loose to bite an offender.”
Alex laughed. He enjoyed working with Karl; their sense of humour meshed well. “Poor rats.”
He scanned the list on Karl’s notebook. Alex considered himself well abreast of the movers and shakers in the paranormal world, and there wasn’t anyone who stood out as not being the right sort to be there.
“Seems in order. Ben’s probably going to have a few we’re not aware of, but I can’t see anyone we could legitimately remove. ”
Karl shrugged. “The list will only grow, not shrink. I’m already working on making sure we can use various outside spaces.”
Alex used his own magic to create a potential menu for a mixed crowd, which wasn’t a sit-down banquet but would be classy enough to appease the elite of society, and did a rough calculation for additional blood stocks and live feeding.
“How much blood-sucking will actually go on?” he asked.
“While Ben is a vampire, he’s not marrying one. ”
“Ben might refrain for the evening, but I doubt he’ll expect his guests to. We’ll have to make sure the live feeding areas are clearly marked to prevent non-feeding guests from accidental exposure.”
Alex had been alive a long time, had seen the horrors of fighting military campaigns, endured extreme conditions on missions, and there were moments when he thought he should be doing more with his life than helping a pampered vampire pander to his entitled guests.
Then he remembered that life had been shit before, and he’d barely made it out alive, so all in all, he’d take a few whining poseurs over death.
“I think I’ll go and run through these with Ben. Then we’ll have more time to fix things when he inevitably changes his mind four times.”
Karl laughed. “You might as well brace yourself for it because there’s no way there won’t be multiple tweaks and additions right up until the end.”
Alex finished his tea. From recollection, Ben should be available.
The sun had set a couple of hours ago, and if he remembered Ben’s schedule correctly, he didn’t have plans until after midnight.
He’d surprised himself how quickly he’d adapted to being semi-nocturnal, but since his boss was a vampire, there was no good in keeping only daylight hours.
A quick location spell told him Ben was in his office, and he made his way through the hall using the secret passages as a shortcut, emerging into the corridor along from Ben’s office.
As he approached, he sensed Ben was not alone, but none of his wards had been triggered, which meant Ben’s visitor had to be one of the few he was on the no-track list. No matter how hard he argued with Ben over the security breach that it could cause, his boss had been adamant that certain people, mostly members of his House, were not to be monitored like common criminals.
As he approached, he could hear voices, and the door had not been closed. Ben’s guest was Robin Flint, the future Dark Viscount of his house, which explained why his wards hadn’t gone off.
“I’m hardly the right person to advise on how you should propose, Ben,” Robin said. “I didn’t get the luxury of choosing my husband.”
Alex knew that Robin was happily married, and while it had been arranged between his sire and his husband’s father, Robin hadn’t voiced his relationship with Prince Simon as anything but a blessing.
The way he spoke didn’t make it sound as if Robin was unhappy, but the phraseology didn’t sit right with Alex.
“No, but you did get yourself a pretty prince.”
Both Robin and Ben laughed. “I know how lucky I am. But Simon can be a little difficult over certain things.”
“Calling Dorian a thing is a bit of a low blow,” Ben said. “And you do need to be careful on that front. Your husband is not someone to upset.”
“Dorian is a client, and I’ve no interest in anyone else. It would be a nice show of faith if Simon could trust me.”
“Give him time. He’s young by fae standards, and you’re his only reference when it comes to any sort of relationship. All things considered, he’s more level-headed than many in his position would be.”
“I suppose so.”
“You’ve an extensive past, and that there is only one person who gives him pause should be something you take notice of, not dismiss.”
Alex wasn’t one to listen at doors. He knocked, thinking it still best to drop off the lists even if Ben did have company.
“Come,” Ben called.
“Apologies for the disruption, my lord. I didn’t realise Mr Flint was visiting.”
“I didn’t know he was coming either,” Ben said.
“I have the preliminary guest list for your celebratory event, and a menu for both vampire and other attendees.” He handed over several pieces of paper.
Ben had not entered the electronic communication age when it came to Crofton Hall business; he might be savvy about Instagram, but he treated email like it was holy water.
Ben grinned. There was something about the way a vampire’s prominent incisors made them look psychotic when they were just pleased. “You are a marvel. I don’t think there’s anything you couldn’t fix.”
Alex smiled tightly. “I do like to get ahead of anything, my lord. If I could ask you to review those lists, I can get started on the arrangements.”
Ben scanned the names and then handed the list to Robin. “What do you reckon? Should I add in a few of the better-known celebs?”
Alex hadn’t expected the second opinion, nor had he factored in Ben extending this to those outside his usual circle. “There are already over three hundred names, my lord.”
“I’m sure you and Karl could deal with a few more.”
Robin finished reading the list. “Are you looking for a smattering of A-listers? It might be a good opportunity for Simon to meet Dorian in a neutral place and see that he’s not a threat.”
Alex wondered how Robin had managed to become so successful with such ridiculous ideas. He turned to Ben, waiting for him to shoot down the suggestion.
“If you think it would help, I’d have no issue.”
“Erm…” Alex began. Neither Robin nor Ben had experience with long-term partners before Simon and Ashley, and it showed.
Alex had been married, had partners before his late husband, and he didn’t think this was a way to deal with a marital issue.
“I don’t mean to speak out of turn, but are you sure that would be sensible? ”
Robin frowned. “My husband is insecure about one of my clients. I think this is an excellent way to show him that how I interact with Dorian is not a matter to be concerned over.”
Alex sensed he wouldn’t be able to redirect Robin’s thought process, but he might be overthinking things.
Just because he’d pull the wings off a dragon if it were to overstep with his partner, maybe Prince Simon would be less inclined.
Or he could speak to Karl and see if there was a way to run interference.
“I would at least recommend discussing it with Prince Simon first, I’m sure he wouldn’t want to be surprised.”
Robin tutted. “I’m used to dealing with prickly customers in my line of work. You’ll see, it’ll all be amicable.”
Alex had seen in person how amicable a pissed-off fae could be, and he really hoped Robin knew what he was doing.
“Very good, sir.” He turned back to Ben. “I’ll leave those with you, and if you’re amenable, I’ll reserve some time in your calendar tomorrow to move on to the next steps.”
Ben’s affirmative reply was also a dismissal, and Alex left.
He sensed that the next few weeks would be testing his patience with all manner of last-minute changes and rework.
He took a moment to centre himself and decided he would find a quiet spot for a meditation practice. He would need to protect his peace.