Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

H yax didn't spend too many evenings at home. Between Gwil, other friends, and his reconnaissance duties, he usually had an excuse not to. It wasn't as if he disliked the fae realm, and he loved his family, but sometimes they could get a little claustrophobic.

He stretched out on a recliner on a terrace reserved solely for the family. There was a soiree for a retiring senior politician his mother was hosting as he'd been her private secretary at one point. His presence wasn't required and, if it had been, he'd have found an excuse to be elsewhere. But there was always something going on, whether an internal celebration or visitors from members of the other tribes. It was exhausting just keeping track of them all. The evening was perfect, warm and peaceful, or it was until Wavel joined him.

"Hello, little brother. I didn't think you were here this evening?" Wavel took the recliner next to him.

"I could say the same for you. Has Jezi sent you away?"

Wavel's wife was suffering early onset morning sickness and during one argument Hyax had witnessed, Wavel had been blamed for impregnating her in the first place.

"No, but she's asleep already. Baby number three is being difficult and she'll be lucky if she's not put on bed rest."

Hyax didn't like the sound of that. "Is everything all right?"

"Her doctors are being cautious. But as you know, she has never been the type to sit still for too long."

"I've never known a fae who could."

Wavel snorted. "Not in this family. Which begs the question—what are you doing here?"

"I do live here," he replied, although it was a fair question given his tendency to avoid being dragged into entertaining guests. "But I have a rare unplanned evening, and I fancied some peace and quiet. It's not an easy commodity to come by in London."

"Maybe for you, but I'm sure there are plenty who manage. But it's good you're home, there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"I'm all pointy ears…"

"You've been spending too long with your vampire friend. He's ruining your calibre of jokes."

Gwil was rubbing off on him in all the ways he wished he wasn't and none of the ways he wished he was. "You'll be relieved to know that I'm equally intrusive to him."

"You don't say? Something you're not telling me, Hyax? Got yourself a fang for a fucktoy?"

"There's a reason why you're my least favourite sibling. Now fuck off or tell me what you want to speak to me about."

Wavel gave him a knowing look, and Hyax thought he should not have been so vitriolic in his rebuttal as it would only make Wavel even more suspicious. "Since you ask so nicely. I might be imagining things, but I think there's something going on."

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific, Wavel."

"There's been three security council meetings, in the last two weeks. Mother has denied that there's anything going on and Father has insisted there's nothing to be worried over."

"Three meetings does sound excessive, unless there's a big event in the planning. But there's nothing I know of." Hyax thought Wavel was right to be concerned. "Saying there's nothing to worry about, doesn't mean something isn't going on. Perhaps they're changing the membership, it's not unheard of."

"I might be willing to accept that if I hadn't seen Goya, from the human realm's Metropolitan Police, being escorted in."

"What?" Goya was rumoured to be one part fae from a different faction to theirs, one part human, and the remaining undisclosed, but he wouldn't have any jurisdiction in the fae realm.

"Mother wasn't stupid enough to deny it, but didn't tell me what he'd come for. I heard there's been a series of raids in London—I can't help but think they're linked to Goya being here."

None of this made much sense. The fae were never reliant on others. "Since when did we use an outside police force to do our work?"

"It might be the other way around, he could've come here to ask for our help." Wavel didn't sound convinced.

"I suppose so. Have any of the other tribes' leaders been here?"

Wavel shook his head. "Not for special meetings—there was a visit of the Hydrai but that was the annual one."

If the other tribes had been called then he'd have been more worried but still Goya being here was not expected. "I would have thought she'd have told you if we were supporting the Met. She doesn't usually keep things like that from us."

"Especially considering the work you do to help the security council. Might be worth you asking her. It could put you in an awkward position." He bit his lip. "Maybe your friend Gwil might know something."

"He's harbouring a long-term dislike of Goya. Gwil believes it was Goya who blocked his return to the police after he was turned. While he might be right, it's more likely to do with the fact he was kicked out of the Met while he was still human. Organisations like that don't tend to have short memories."

"More of a reason for him to find out then, he'd have knowledge to hold over Goya."

Gwil could put out some feelers but he couldn't expect an unbiased account. "I'll see what he says. But I think I need to speak to Mother too."

"Good idea."

The stone on Wavel's bangle glowed green, he grimaced. "Better go."

"Jezi?"

"Yeah, I've got it programmed to alert me when she wants something. At least it's green—if it were red I'd be in trouble."

He waved his brother off and wondered about the best way to approach his mother. The soiree she was hosting shouldn't go on for much longer, and usually she was in a good mood after the shorter events.

Sure enough, guests were already leaving when he made his way to his mother's private sitting room, the place she went to decompress after spending time in her public persona. Hyax could understand that, there was always a certain expectation when a member of the royal family was on display. There was no room for any slip of the royal mask.

A servant had brought him one of his favourite cocktails, and he was flipping through the online catalogue of a new fashion collection he knew Gwil would hate, when his mother arrived, as stunning as ever in her finery and blonde hair woven with jewels, he knew he was lucky to have inherited her looks.

"Oh, Hyax, darling. I wasn't expecting to see you in here."

He stood and kissed her on the cheek. He flapped his wings, which was something he missed when in the human realm, as they weren't visible, even to other fae. "It's a flying visit."

"Then how can I help you?" she asked as they sat.

Hyax waited for the servant who had arrived to deliver his mother her mint tea to leave. "I've been hearing rumours. So I thought I would come straight to you rather than add to the rumblings."

"I see." She took a sip of her tea and stared at him over the rim of her cup, nothing given away by her cool blue gaze. "What have you heard?"

"That Goya has been here."

"He might have been making a personal visit."

Hyax snorted. "Indeed he may have been, but since he's the head of the Paranormal Division of the Metropolitan Police I somehow doubt it. What are we helping him with?"

He'd decided that was a better tack than asking if they were helping them, as that suggested a weakness his mother wouldn't care to admit to.

The way her shoulders stiffened, and the slight vibration to her wings made him think he wasn't going to get a straight answer. "All I can say is it is a delicate situation. I am not at liberty to give details, but rest assured there is no need for concern."

"Is it anything to do with the recent raids?" he pressed. "I'm not asking to be nosey, but I don't want to be caught somewhere conducting business for the Crown and be put in a compromising position."

"You are not likely to be in the sort of establishment that would be raided. Your security would step in if needed."

His security monitored him through a magic link he'd adapted to prevent them from seeing too much, and they knew better than to interrupt unless he summoned them. He hadn't needed them yet. "I get myself out of most situations. It wasn't out of concern for my safety, more our reputation as a family and our tribe."

"You haven't given me any reason to believe that would be an issue during the duties you perform."

"What about outside of my duties?"

She placed her cup on the side. "You do have an eclectic set of friends. I can't imagine any of your siblings having a vampire as a business partner."

"We work well together, our skill sets complement each other." He bristled. "You've never objected before, in fact you've always been quick to praise our successes."

Gwil's vampire nature hadn't been welcomed, but instead on the whole ignored, and he knew it had little to do with Gwil himself.

"I'm not objecting now. Merely commenting that you have never had worries about your eternal associations, so I find it difficult to give credence to them now."

"That is different."

"I am speaking to you now as your queen and not your mother. This matter is not for discussion. If at a time that changes you will be informed. Understood?"

"Yes, Mother."

There would be no point arguing with her. But if she thought this would make him less inquisitive, she really didn't know him at all. For now he would see if he could use other means to find out, although not Gwil yet. They had the Flume job to do and any mention of Goya would only ruin Gwil's concentration.