Chapter 31

Simon sat up, this wasn't his bed at MacLove Castle. Where was Robin? He stared around the room, richly furnished with antique furniture, the window and the four-poster bed had extravagant drapes.

"Ah, you're awake."

A pretty fae stood in front of him at the end of the bed, tall and willowy and blond, he was the way fae were meant to look, not like him with his dark hair. Simon sort of recognised him, but he wasn't sure. "Who are you?"

"Prince Hyax of the Tasharick tribe."

"I… you were a guest at my wedding."

"Correct, and that answers one of my questions, you know who you are. Don't you?"

It seemed an odd question, but given he'd had no clue where he was, with a member of a fae tribe his wasn't on friendly terms with, Simon suspected it would be the first of many. "Prince Simon, heir to the throne of the Calanti, and Viscount of MacLove. Where am I and where's Robin?"

A prickling around his wrists made him glance down and he saw he had a cuff on either arm. He tried to spell them away but nothing happened, his magic wouldn't cooperate. "What the fuck are these?"

"This is not going to be an easy conversation. You're at Crofton Hall, you're safe but only because myself and Ashley have warded this room with a mix of spells so complex I don't think I could repeat it under pain of having my wings pulled off."

There was so much to unpack, and some of it quite basic. He needed to process, be logical and try to figure out what was going on. "Crofton Hall? As in Ben Redbourn, and Ashley his boyfriend and Senior Warlock?"

"Yes, we weren't sure which memories you would have retained. But I get the feeling you're probably missing some… What's the last thing you remember before you woke up?"

Another strange question and he had a devil of a time pinning down his thoughts. "I'd woken up after my wedding night." He smiled, unable not to at the memories of his and Robin's passionate endeavours. "I'd got dressed to go somewhere, but… I… must have gone back to bed. Then I woke up here."

He tried to refocus but he couldn't—the timeline didn't seem right. A flash of red hair caught his eye and he grabbed his ponytail. Why the fuck is my hair red?"

Hyax sat on the edge of the bed. "This is going to take some explaining but since you know who you are it's a good sign and I think you can cope with knowing."

"Knowing what? And why shouldn't I?"

"Your marriage was several weeks ago, not yesterday. You went to a house viewing and were kidnapped. We're still piecing all the details together but Robin and a few others got you back and you're being kept in this room to stop who took you from trying to take you again."

He wanted to call Hyax crazy but he knew deep down he was telling the truth. "Who took me?"

"The kidnappers we think were elves, but under contract and we've someone working on that angle, but you were found at a facility run by a Dr Ralph Mettle, who claimed to have helped you escape from a place where you were being ill-treated. You had no memory of who you were and Mettle put those cuffs in place to limit you using your magic."

"Why would he do that?" He didn't know a Ralph Mettle, had no memory of an abduction or being held somewhere. "And where's Robin?"

"Robin's resting. We had to remove you via an emergency portal and it messed with his vampire physiology, I will go get him as he'll want to see you now you're awake. But the person who took you was a lich."

He shuddered, lich were evil bastards. "He must've wanted my magic to use for himself."

"That's the hypothesis. A fae healer has done an examination, and found no evidence of physical or sexual assault, and that the only residual issue is your memory, which now seems limited to the period you were away."

That was some comfort, but not remembering a large chunk of time was still unsettling. "Do you think I'll regain my memories?"

"Possibly." Hyax tapped one of the cuffs. "We need to get these off first and see. Releasing your magic might be the answer."

He took a moment to examine them. "I think they're elf. I've read about how they can enhance metals to hold certain magic."

This couldn't be good, the elves were not afraid to dabble in the dark arts and he could almost taste the power that would have been needed for these, add in the capabilities of a lich and he wouldn't know how to start removing them.

"Yes, we came to the same conclusion, and think we might have a way to remove them but it involves a complicated potion that is currently under preparation and takes some time and constant supervision. The final ingredient would be elf blood and your blood."

"Elf blood? What will I need to promise to get that?"

"That's not the issue, Alex is Ben's secretary and an elf, he's also one of the brewers. He's ready to add his blood when needed."

He'd never heard of an elf being a vampire's secretary but that was the least of his worries. "One small mercy. Do I drink it?"

"No, submersion. You'll bathe in it, might need a prolonged exposure but we'll have to see. It might not be the most pleasant of experiences."

"No shit, it's got elf blood in it."

"Ashley said he can prepare a lotion to use afterwards… and Robin volunteered to apply it."

He laughed. "I don't know if he's a cheeky bastard, or I'd be annoyed if he didn't."

"There is one more thing, your father thinks the cuffs are also impeding your fangs from coming through."

"That makes sense, as without them I can't transition to my vampire-fae form, and so my magic is in perpetual flux, which would make it easier to siphon. Somehow the lich must've known."

He would have a lot to digest. Why someone would want to take him was pretty obvious, but the how was what gave him concern. His parents hadn't advertised what he would become, but he was not a complete secret, the same went for his father's nature. There must have been someone feeding the lich information, and the lich could afford to wait, pick his time and spring a trap.

Hyax stood. "I'll let Robin know you're awake. Are you hungry? You've been out a few days."

His stomach answered for him. "I guess that's a yes."

"I'll visit later, we can talk some more."

"Thank you, for everything. I won't forget this."

Hyax left, but he wasn't on his own for long as a demon materialised in front of him. He was dressed in a three-piece suit with shoes as shiny as his horns and carrying a tray. "Please don't be alarmed. I'm Lord Crofton's valet, Karl Vinter."

"You're a demon."

"Yes, level three. Now, I have for you some soup and a toasted cheese sandwich. And some blood, Italian 24—your healer suggested something light to start with."

Ben was one of Robin's best friends so he should have expected him to be a bit of a character, but having an elf as a secretary and a demon for a valet was beyond eccentric. "Thank you."

"If you need anything, just snap your fingers and call and I'll be right here."

He devoured the soup and sandwich and drank the blood in a few gulps, moving the tray away. Someone had left a book on the side, which he might have to resort to reading if he couldn't find anything better.

The door to the room flung open and Robin charged in. It was so good to see him. He might have thought it had just been yesterday when they'd last been together but somehow his body knew different. "Robin!"

Robin flung himself onto the bed and pulled Simon into his arms. "I thought I'd lost you."

They were still getting to know each other, and they'd only been together a short while before they married, but Simon loved him, and the idea they'd been torn apart filled him with a sadness that was washed away when Robin kissed him. His kiss was perfection, and his body responded—he wanted Robin, wanted him deep inside.

"I need you to remind me that I am yours."

Simon tugged at his shirt, for the first time it registered Robin was wearing a soft T-shirt and trousers, nothing like his preferred clothes.

"Fuck, I want to, I really do, but I'm still not up to giving you the pleasure you deserve." Robin buried his face in Simon's neck. "Oh you smell so good."

He pushed Robin back, enough so he could look at him properly. Hyax had mentioned that Robin had trouble with the portal. "Are you injured?"

"I got rather frazzled by Jack's portal, I'm all right. I just need a bit longer to be up to full strength."

Simon didn't think he was being as truthful as he should be. "Robin, you should not lie to your husband."

"I'm not. I promise. I was out for two days when we got you home, Ben filled me in with how they pumped me full with blood and several stabilizing spells and I'm almost better."

"Thank you for coming to get me."

"There was never an option I wouldn't. I had help, Gwil—Hyax's partner—came with me and he's also a vampire and was pretty messed up too."

He didn't remember any of it. "I hope he'll recover quickly."

"One thing was it stripped out the magic we'd used to disguise ourselves, we were planning a softer extraction but our hand was forced and we had to use an emergency portal."

He ran his fingers down the front of Robin's chest. He was disappointed Robin wouldn't make love to him. "So you're completely out of action?"

"My stamina is improving by the hour. I can't wait to worship you again."

Simon ran his thumb across Robin's bottom lip. "Are your mouth and hands lacking stamina too?"

"No, they're working just fine." He pressed a kiss to Simon's jaw. "But I don't want to do something that you're not ready for."

"The last thing I remember is it being the evening after our wedding night. I am more than ready for a repeat of that."

Robin smirked and it was one of the sexiest things Simon had ever seen. "Then who am I to deny my demanding prince?"

Simon's cock was hard now and he pressed his hips against Robin's thigh to labour the point. "I think it prudent to ensure everything is working. As my husband you have a duty of care."

"I have to admit, I am curious if your hair is red everywhere."

"There's only one way to find out," he said with a none-too-subtle thrust of his hips.

Robin treated him to a long lazy kiss and then tugged up his T-shirt. Simon gasped as Robin's wicked lips worked across his stomach and he lifted his arse to help Robin pull down his trousers and expose his cock.

"Seems like your hair is red everywhere, although more maroon than scarlet… and while I don't object, I must admit I miss your black hair."

"Me too. I hope it comes back." He hated that his hair was still red, a reminder he'd been taken he couldn't escape from

Robin nuzzled Simon's pubic hair. "I've missed other things more though."

For Simon it was a strange comment, but then Robin had endured their separation for several weeks whereas he hadn't. Robin took him into his mouth, and all Simon's worries were inconsequential as Robin set about pleasuring him with his oral talents. He might have been a virgin before Robin had got his hands on him, but he decided this couldn't just be his naivety that made Robin so good. He'd had friends moan about their partners giving poor head, and he had no complaints about Robin's skills.

He panted as Robin teased him with his tongue, and then he hummed and Simon couldn't hold back, he didn't even get the chance to warn Robin and let out a strangled cry as the force of his orgasm hit. Fuck, he didn't think this would ever get old.

Even though in theory he wasn't aware of their time apart, his body had missed the attention, and had been denied this pleasure for so long. Now he could have Robin when he wanted and once he was back up to full strength they would spend many happy hours fucking each other's brains out.

Robin chuckled as he pulled back and licked his lips.

"You've a different tang about you."

Simon winced. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologise, there was nothing wrong, but I think your magic adds an extra zing, that's all."

Robin lay next to him and rolled onto his back, and Simon took the opportunity to claim a prime spot, head resting on his chest. He could have purred as Robin carded his fingers through his hair. "Love you," he muttered into the soft material of Robin's T-shirt. "I know we were warned the bond might wane, and I've not transitioned yet, but I don't think it'll change how I feel about you."

"I feel the same. I wanted to tear the world apart to get you home. I love you, Simon. There's never been anyone who comes close to you, and I will do everything to keep you close."

He was tired and it was so good to be in Robin's arms. Once he got the cuffs off and his magic restored he was going to feed from Robin and come into his full strength. Then he would track down this Dr Ralph Mettle and make him pay in the most painful way possible.