Opal hadn’t been too thrilled to hear about Claris’ change of plans for the evening. She’d whined he’d just finished a hunt and that he deserved a break from pirate business. Then he mentioned the found mer and that got her less angry about the subject. Of course, her anger completely vanished and was replaced with amazing joy when he told her that he wasn’t going alone. She didn’t think twice on dragging Claris to the second floor of Pearlie’s to help him get ready.

“AH! Oh my gosh, that is great! I mean, you’re both headed into dangerous territory, but you’ll get to see him in action. I bet he fights like a Sin Hunter.” Opal mentioned as she combed Claris’ hair, which she had helped dye black with powder and magic ink.

“We won’t go there looking for a fight, we’re gathering intel.” Claris mentioned as he put on some make-up to hide his moles. The two dots beneath his left eye and the one on the corner of his mouth would give him away if he’d met anyone in the crowds.

“Grounded Claris? I thought that was Larissa’s job.” Opal giggled, finishing up styling Claris hair.

He was wearing an all-black suit, no tie and a black shirt underneath. He looked at himself in a long mirror while fixing his sleeves. His amethyst eyes were the only thing left that could give him away.

“You should go for dark blue, it’ll give you the full alpha vibe you need.” Opal said as she sat from a turned over chair, her arms resting on the chair’s back.

“Dark blue it is,” He sighed. “Oh Earthland magic, hear my request. I ask for an illusion, for my eyes to fool others into seeing them a different color.”

Some people were really poetic about their spellcasting, Claris wasn’t one of them. The prince felt mana crawling into him, burning his eyes slightly. He closed them as a reflex and when he opened them, the amethyst in his irises had turned a royal blue. They hurt a little, but that was due to the magic.

“There, I have no idea who the fuck you are.” The wererabbit checked him out, nodding in approval.

“Opal, language.” Claris reminded her.

The girl laughed and went over to the window to see if Evan had arrived.

“Oh boy! He’s here! I’ll bring him up.” She squirmed before jolting downstairs.

Claris sighed again, feeling a little nervous. He’d gone out on hunts with one of his crushes before, that’s how they’d figured they were fully compatible.

What if I mess up and he gets hurt? Claris crossed his arms, biting his lower lip as he started having an episode. Or if he and I just don’t do well fighting together? Will he still like me? Will I still like him?

“And here’s my room!” Opal entered the room with Evan, interrupting Claris’ line of thought. “…You were freaking out, weren’t you? Because that’s the face of a man I know was freaking out.”

“No! Psshh, I’m fine.” Claris lied. Opal rolled her eyes and walked over towards the prince.

“What do you think?” The wererabbit asked the captain.

Evan eyed Claris from top to bottom. He lolled his head sideways and clicked his tongue.

“That’s a good job, I wouldn’t be able to recognize you if it weren’t for your voice.” Evan said. The man carried with him a bag, which he set down on the floor before walking closer to Claris. “Still handsome.”

Okay, huge puppy. Stop making my heart race. Claris thought, lowering his gaze and smiling to himself.

“We should get him in his slave get-up.” Opal interrupted. She was digging the whole sexual tension in the air but these two had something to do first.

“Slave?” Evan raised an eyebrow at the statement, Claris trying to look at anywhere but him as he figured out how to explain the “brilliant” plan Opal had suggested.

“Opal suggested I could bring my…” He couldn’t say it, usually it wouldn’t be a problem. BUT HE REALLY WANTED EVAN TO LIKE HIM.

“You can be his sex slave, those are real popular amongst the rich mafia bosses around these parts. You get to dress good, wear a chain and be an excuse for Claris to ask for a private place.” Opal explained as she saw Claris gag. The wererabbit raised a collar and the chain it had attached to it. “I keep some slave chains in case Claris ever needed to infiltrate a slave trade ring as a slave. You’ll wear these on your neck, and you’ll have to act super absent minded. Normally, big guys like you are kept sedated.”

“Should I ask how she knows so much or…?” Evan asked staring at Opal impressed.

“She wants to be the first land werebreed on the Sin Hunters.” Claris explained. “She’s done her research well.”

“And now, you should get into your sexiest, most formal clothes.” Opal answered placing the collar in a paper bag. “We’ll wait downstairs! C’mon, Claris… unless you want to see him undress?”

“I-I…” The prince turned red as he stared at Evan.

“I agree with Opal the sex slave idea will work. No need to feel bad about it, if that’s why you’re looking so nervous.” Evan assured the prince, giving him a soft smile afterwards.

“I’ll see you downstairs.” Claris nodded and walked away from Opal’s room, giving Evan one last glimpse before closing the door.

Claris felt like the silliest idiot in the world. His first date in three years had turned into a hunt and his date had taken the role of a sex slave.

I can’t believe instead of simply getting to know each other we’re jumping straight to adventuring together. Claris couldn’t sit down, like Opal had done. He found himself pacing about, sinking further into his freak out mode.

“You do realize he came back after all the crazy stuff you guys did today, right?” Opal said out loud, half yanking him out of his storm of thoughts. “You’re overthinking too much, he likes you.”

“He wants to find the people who did this to the guy they saved the other day. Maybe I’m just a means to an end now.” Claris whispered, Opal could hear him clear as day though.

“Stop being a dumbass, look at that.” Opal gave Claris a huge smile and looked in the direction of Pearlie’s entrance.

Evan stood there wearing a dark blue suit, his white shirt popped open and his hair combed back. Claris gulped hard at the sight, feeling his stomach churn with butterflies.

“Is this sexy enough?” Evan asked walking closer to the frozen Claris and the grinning Opal.

“Leave the jacket open,” Opal mentioned, trying her hardest to hold back an excited laugh. “Claris, I’ll hand this to you and I wish you both the best of luck.”

Opal handed the prince the paper bag with the collar on it and returned to close up Pearlie’s.

“I know it’s weird we’re doing this after knowing each other for no more than a day—”

“I’ll stop you right there, Your Highness.” Evan raised his hand and let it hang close to Claris’ face for a while in hesitation before finally cupping the others chin. “Today’s been great, unconventional, but I’ve loved it so far.”

In the time it had taken Claris to talk to Larissa about his plans, get his things from his hotel and head over to Pearlie’s, Evan had had his time back at the Tiamat where he got the next two days off his work. Ashura had asked him to work on Nemo’s case with Claris, and to please get closer to him because it was obvious to her Evan liked the prince a lot. Evan talked to her about how he was concerned that maybe their first date wasn’t normal. Ashura laughed in his face, a lot, excessively so, before she asked him if he wanted to keep seeing Claris.

“Let’s go add to it.”

Claris’ heart skipped beats, entire cycles. His body had gotten hot, he was barely keeping it together. Any more of this and he’d start oozing pheromones and he couldn’t go to No Man’s Land like that, not when there might be werebreeds that could smell him.

“Claris?” Evan was scared he’d said too much, or just been too direct about it. The prince had frozen up, very different to how he’d been acting since he met him.

“Ack, I loved today too. I really was freaking out about it being too crazy…” Claris finally breathed out, relief washing over him as well. “Okay, let’s go spy on some pirates.”

Evan stroke Claris’ cheek with his thumb before retracting his hand and placing them both in his pockets. Claris huffed, bit his lower lip trying unsuccessfully to hold back a smile, and grabbed one of Evan’s hands, pulling it out of his pocket.

“We’ve already held hands today, so might as well?” Claris explained.

“I agree.” Evan replied, holding tight to Claris’ hand.