Chapter 15

Ben drummed his fingers on the railing, scanning the mass of bodies on the dance floor trying to find someone to grab his interest. It had been five days since his night of passion with Ashley and, despite both of them being convinced it was what was needed to deal with their unexplainable attraction, it appeared to have done the opposite for Ben. He sipped his martini and even the sight of a beautiful set of twins writhing in time to the music failed to stir him.

“Whatever is wrong with you?” Isaac asked. “You look like someone’s threatened to baptise you with holy water.”

“The whole point of you coming tonight was to take your mind off the investigation, but here you are moping,” Robin said, tutting.

“I’m not worried about the investigation, I accepted your invitation to take my mind off Ashley Niven.” There were several other parts of his anatomy that needed distracting but that was neither here nor there.

Isaac raised an eyebrow. “Now that is interesting. Pray tell, Benjamin, what has the esteemed Mr Niven done to rile you if it’s not to do with the exercise he’s conducting at Crofton Hall.”

He shouldn’t have come if he didn’t want to talk about it, but after a night of mind-blowing sex with Ashley he found the idea of taking another to his bed unappealing. “There was an incident, a magical mishap so to speak, and the residual charms seemed to make us attracted to each other.”

“Oh,” said Robin, his smirk far too smug. “He is a pretty fellow. I bet you’ve been enjoying dealing with that little problem in the best possible way.”

“Not exactly.”

“Is that the issue?” Isaac pressed. “That you haven’t fucked? I’m sure you just need to turn up the charm a notch and he’ll be bending over a sofa for you in no time.”

He’d come this far, he might as well tell them the truth, and they might be able to help. “We tried that, it was rather… wonderful. Trouble is it didn’t work, and I’m desperate for another round.”

“What? You’re already slept with him and the compulsion is still there?” Robin asked, sounding as confused as Ben felt.

“Yes. If anything it’s worse. I can honestly say I’ve never been with someone so compatible, and I didn’t even have a nibble after.” His fangs had descended but he’d reminded himself that Ashley wasn’t a snack.

Isaac almost choked on his drink. “Bloody hell. Look, I’m sure it’s just a matter of shagging someone else. There’s plenty of pretty blokes, or ladies, out there. Take your pick.”

“That’s the problem, I’ve been staring at the dancefloor for nearly half an hour and I don’t want any of them. I’m not even bothered to feed.”

“You’re not trying, that’s all.” Isaac pointed to a young man with shiny blond hair and jeans tight enough to leave nothing to the imagination. “Go dance with him. That’s Garth, he’s fucking incredible in the sack. He’ll see you right.”

Garth was a lovely specimen, and possibly had a bit of fae DNA in his genes given the grace with which he was dancing. On previous nights he’d have already dragged him into a dark corner but tonight he had no desire to do so. “I can’t.”

“Nonsense. It’s like riding a bike, you just have to get back on. And I’m telling you he’s a peach of a mount with an amazing go-faster chassis.”

If it were that simple he’d have solved this days ago, there were plenty of opportunities to wet his tail closer to home than coming into London. “You’re clearly interested in him, don’t let me stand in your way.”

“I’m not the one panting after a warlock... you need his talents more than me tonight.”

Robin jostled Isaac with his elbow. “Isaac, isn’t that Clarissa over there?”

“Fuck. I’m going to the back room, she’s still labouring under the notion that I’m going to turn her.”

Isaac disappeared and Robin squeezed his shoulder, Ben realising that the goth girl Robin had pointed to wasn’t Isaac’s most recent hanger-on. “Thanks.”

“Come on. Let’s find somewhere quieter.”

He wasn’t sure he wanted another pep talk but followed Robin to their booth. This wasn’t one of his favourite clubs in the city but Isaac was part-owner so he felt he should show willing and had agreed to come along.

“It’s not like you to fixate on someone,” Robin said, sliding a glass of blood across the table. “I can’t remember a time you were so morose. Even in the days after you were turned.”

“And therein lies the rub. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, and I don’t think it’s solely due to the sex. I like his intelligence, his humour when I’ve been fortunate to hear it and not be the target, and his personality. It’s as if we were destined to get along… he’s even a decent potion brewer.”

“It does sound rather damning.”

“As I said, I tried to pick someone else up for mindless sex but I’m not in the mood. All I can think about is Ashley and what I’d like to do to him.”

“I’m not going to try to persuade you to shag about to forget him. It won’t work.”

Ben had expected Robin to try to set him up with one of the countless wannabe movie stars, or actual movie stars, that flocked to him. There was something about the way he said it that made Ben think there was a story he hadn’t heard, and that was another surprise because he didn’t think there was much about Robin he wasn’t aware of.

“Sounds like the voice of experience.”

“Yes, well, I’ve never talked about it because I think most people would think me mad for feeling the way I do after so long.”

“Want to tell me what happened?”

Robin stared at his drink. “He turned up at Atlas, that was the superclub I had in the 1970s. He was captivating, I couldn’t tear my gaze from him nor him me and then I blinked and he was gone, then he reappeared via a fae portal at my side.” Robin closed his eyes and Ben guessed Robin was reliving a memory. When he opened them again he seemed to come back to himself. “We talked and flirted, and then he kissed me and it was as if the Earth stopped spinning. I got the sense he wasn’t meant to be there and before I knew it he was gone. I’ve never wanted someone so much, and I thought I would shake it off but I couldn’t.”

“Who was he?”

“He said he was called Yerial. Said he was a member of one the fae royal households, but not which one.”

“Fae royalty?”

“I think more bodyguard, not a family member.” Robin smiled sadly. “I tried every connection I had to find him, and nothing, not a whisper and I still monitor fae activity—just in case. So if you think there’s more to it with Ashley than a desire to fuck him then you should explore the option.”

Robin had always drifted happily from one fuck to another, a few had stuck over the years, Dorian Marsten being the most obvious, but even the dragon shifter movie star couldn’t hold Robin’s attention for more than a few days at a time, and it made sense now.

“I think it’s more than sex. No, I know it is, and I don’t even know why I’m fighting it.”

“If he’s your Eternal, Ben, don’t let him go. I’d give everything I have to find Yerial again and, if I do find him, there’s not a force in this or any universe that will make me let him go. And that includes the contract with the MacLoves.”

“It must have been one hell of a kiss.”

Robin’s smile was genuine and warm. “It was. I’ve kissed a lot of people, fucked even more, and I have never experienced that intensity of connection with anyone else. Don’t risk losing that with Ashley.”

“He might not be my Eternal... I’m not convinced those really exist, but I do think he could be someone incredibly important.” His fantasies had gone beyond sex and into more mundane parts of his life, he’d even had a daydream of them working to develop potions together.

“I was always quite dismissive of the concept until I met Yerial.”

Ben finished his martini. “My problem is both myself and Ashley have been adamant that nothing else should occur.”

“Do you think he doesn’t feel the same way?”

Based on the series of flustered brief encounters they’d had over the last few days, he was sure Ashley felt the same, they were both stubborn, and one of them would need to make the first move. “I think it will be a matter of getting him to admit it. I’m not going to leave my happiness to chance—I need to find a way to approach this and for it not to come across as if it’s just about sex.”

“Is there some sort of peace offering you could give, a symbol of dropping the animosity and moving to a new phase in your understanding? You can’t go from nothing to love’s next young dream without a stepping stone in the right direction.”

There was something Ashley wanted that he’d deliberately kept out of his reach. “I was feeling unhelpful and belligerent that I had these two warlocks in my home so I deliberately had Alex set up a spell box I refused to open. I think that will be my opening gambit.”

Robin held up his glass in a toast. “Go get him, Ben. I’d say life’s too short to miss out on taking a chance, but in our case that’s not exactly applicable.”

Ben leftRobin and returned to Crofton Hall, his car ride home full of pensive thoughts and plans. Ashley wasn’t a night owl, or at least hadn’t come across as the type to burn the midnight oil, but it wasn’t too long before sunrise so he might be lucky not to have to wait too long for Ashley to rise.

Once back, he headed for his private office and collected the spell box, his intent to give it to Ashley before breakfast. But first he was going to switch out the current contents with another book, something truly precious, the manuscript of his next release. Then if Ashley put the clues together, he should come to the right conclusions about Ben’s involvement in the manuscript and he might have a better disposition towards him as a fellow highly competent brewer. He didn’t really have a decent alternative, since the point of spell boxes was to protect something important or precious, and Ashley had thought he was hiding proof that would give the investigation the break he needed. The manuscript in not quite its final state was one of the most important things in his possession, he just hoped Ashley didn’t think he was taking the piss.

He didn’t have long before sunrise, and he would prefer to retreat after seeing Ashley, and daytime was a perfect excuse. From the intel they’d been gathering about their visitor’s habits Ashley was an early riser. He opened the spell box and switched the copy of Potions of the Gods: A Step-by-Step Guide for Mortals for the copy of the manuscript of A Third Eye for Cauldron Gazing Alex had made for him to send to his publisher, which he had received back with comments. He closed it and tapped the corner twice to activate the timer to unlock in twenty minutes. With a double click of his thumb and finger he summoned Karl.

“My lord?” Karl asked as he materialised.

“Can you tell if Ashley is awake?”

Karl checked his watch. “He has been the last few mornings. Give me a moment and I can confirm.”

Karl looked to be staring into the middle distance but he’d seen him perform this trick before, and it was akin to an out-of-body experience, and bloody useful when checking if he’d missed something off the shopping list when running errands for Mrs Weather.

“Mr Niven is awake, showered and dressed. Should I prepare him an early breakfast tray?”

“No, I… er… wanted to pop something in to him.”

Karl managed to contain his smirk. “The spell box, my lord?”

“Yes. Actually, Karl, I’m thinking of courting Mr Niven. I’ve updated the content with A Third Eye for Cauldron Gazing.”

“Alex did say he thought there was more to what was going on.”

“Did he now?”

Karl cleared his throat. “He is a bit of an incurable romantic, I had thought he was overreaching but it appears he knew best.”

“I see.” Ben suspected his staff would talk about him, and he’d never given them a reason to think he had any desire for a long-term romantic interest, so it would be only natural this would have been a choice topic of conversation.

“If there is anything we can do to help, we will of course be at your service.”

He was hoping that if he made the first move it might be enough without having to set up an elaborate scheme—his afterlife was complicated enough at the moment. “Very grateful, but not necessary.”

Not wanting to explain himself further, Ben snatched up the spell box and headed towards Ashley’s room, walking a little faster than normal, although he’d deny it to anyone who saw him. He almost talked himself out of the idea as he stood outside Ashley’s door, but he was many things, however a coward wasn’t one of them.

He knocked and waited. Possibly the longest thirty seconds of his existence passed before Ashley answered. Ben had to take a step back otherwise he’d have dropped the box and barrelled Ashley onto his bed.

“Ben?” Ashley said, his voice croaked. “Is there something wrong?”

He held out the spell box for Ashley to take. “As a sign that I wish to fully cooperate and to provide full transparency, I’m giving you this.”

Ashley took the box. “Is it unlocked?”

“It will be… in about five minutes.”

He couldn’t be present when Ashley opened it, he was having enough trouble controlling himself and he’d decided Ashley had to make the next move of his own volition, so Ben could be certain what was happening wasn’t one-sided.

“Thank you. I’ll examine the contents and get back to you.”

“There’s nothing in there relating to the investigation. I set the spell box up to throw you off-kilter and I’m sorry. That was not appropriate.”

Ashley looked flustered. “You’re apologising?”

“Yes.” He bounced on the balls of his feet. “On that note, it’s time for me to retire for the day.”

Ashley bit his lip, clearly conflicted. Before he could say anything Ben fled. A few hours of sleep was what he needed. The time would allow Ashley to come to whatever conclusion he made of the box’s contents and then figure out what to do next.