Chapter 14 #2
Alex unlocked the door to Dorian’s temporary room. “How bad was the smell?” Ashley asked.
“Nothing too bad. Dragon breath isn’t overly noxious.”
“I wasn’t thinking about that end. I’ve worked with enough dried dragon dung for potions to know it isn’t pleasant.”
“That’s been dealt with. He was a little embarrassed, quite sweet really.”
Ashley raised an eyebrow. “Sweet?”
“Yes, in the sense he wasn’t the complete arrogant twat I was expecting from him being an actor. All relative.”
He ignored Ashley’s laugh as they entered and found Dorian awake but curled up in his nest listening to a podcast on the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Another surprise. “Ah, Dorian, I hope we’re not disturbing you.”
“Depends on what you’re planning to do to me.”
“I want to assure you that you are not in any danger while you’re in this house,” Ashley said. “We intend to return you to your correct state.”
Alex hadn’t seen a dragon look confused before, or that was what he thought the expression was. “Really? I’m pretty sure there’s at least a couple of people who’d like to exact vengeance on me.”
“We’re not two of them, neither is Chris.
And I think once Prince Simon has calmed down and heard the full story, he’ll be less inclined to want to skin you alive.
” Ashley smirked. “To be honest, Dorian, we don’t know yet how to fix you, and to the likes of myself, that’s far more interesting than killing you. ”
“That sounds like I’m going to be some experiment.”
“Yes, but at least you’ll be an alive one.” Ashley smiled, and Alex thought he was trying to be reassuring but came across as more creepy than calming. “Now, let’s see if we can make your stay more pleasant and get you out of this room.”
“Where will you move me to?” He sounded apprehensive, and Alex didn’t blame him.
“I’ll clear a couple of rooms and temporarily move the walls to make you more comfortable. But you can have full use of the grounds, and you can use the lake to bathe. I’ve a couple of nice spells that’ll keep the waters warm and clean around you.”
“I’m not exactly built for the halls of a manor house.”
“We had thought to portal where you needed to go, but that would take a lot of energy and mean you’d be limited to moving only when you had an escort, and that wouldn’t be fair,” Alex explained.
Not to mention, he had enough to do without having to constantly babysit Dorian.
“Instead, we’re going to set up a distortion spell, which would mean things will adapt around you. ”
“And you trust me to be loose in Crofton Hall?”
“Within reason. Our security protocols are pretty fierce, so any hint of trouble and you’ll be subdued.” Karl would also be setting up a sky net just in case the silly bugger thought to fly off, but he didn’t think Dorian would take the risk.
Ashley was still wearing his warlock robes, and he pushed the sleeves up to his elbows. “Let’s get on with it. I’ve a smoking hot vampire waiting for me in bed, so as you can imagine, I’ve better things to be doing.”
Alex chuckled. “Here’s me just wanting a nap.”
Dorian shrank back into his blanket nest. He’d never seen a nervous dragon, but mostly he’d interacted with them in their human form; still, there was something very strange about seeing a scared two-ton lizard.
“This isn’t going to hurt,” Alex assured him. “It will take a couple of hours to stick. How about I come back then and escort you outside?”
Dorian nodded. “Okay. I trust you.”
Ashley rolled his eyes. “Excellent. If the big scaredy dragon is ready, I can begin.”
There were times when Ashley was as much of a prick as Ben, while Alex could understand Ashley would rather be banging his fiancé, Dorian wasn’t acting; he was genuinely scared. Alex had been in situations where he’d feared for his life, and a bit of empathy would have gone a long way.
Ashley muttered several strings of words in a language Alex thought might be Bulgarian, but he wouldn’t bet his wings on it, and a golden haze settled over Dorian.
He giggled, which was a series of throaty grumbles, his ears wiggled, and puffs of smoke escaped his nostrils.
Magic affected people differently, and dragon’s scales were a protection against more than physical threats, but he hadn’t expected Ashley’s spell to have such a pleasant sensation.
He liked watching other magic users work.
Everyone had an energy signature, and Ashley was impressive and powerful.
Once upon a time, Ashley, or the elf equivalent of him, would have been his ideal man, but these days, the crackle of strong magic was no longer a sexual allure.
He wasn’t sure if he would ever have that pull again, and a small part of him was saddened by the realisation.
Now was not the time for moping; he had a dragon to deal with.
“That’ll need to sit for a couple of hours,” Ashley said. “Alex can add a tag to the spell to tweak it so he can control some of the distortions in case there’s something that’s stubborn and refuses to budge.”
Dorian cocked his head to one side. “Things can be stubborn?”
“In this house, anything can happen. Crofton Hall can be a bit temperamental,” Alex said fondly. “And some of the residents equally so. I’ll set an alarm you can trigger in case you get stuck.”
“Oh, god, what if I damage something that’s priceless? Ben will kill me.”
“The hall will protect her treasures. I’m more worried you’ll lose some scales if you get wedged somewhere.”
Ashley yawned. “I’m sure you can sort that, Alex. I’m off to find Ben. If he’s asleep, I’ll kill him.”
“I think you’ll find he’s already dead.”
Ashley laughed as he left. “Good point, that doesn’t mean I can’t make him suffer still.”
Dorian was staring at him now that they were alone. Dragon’s stares were always intense, but there was something more here. “Is everything all right?” Alex asked.
“I’m wondering what’s in it for you. People don’t do nice things for others without a reason.”
Alex shrugged. “Surely you have people doing nice things for you all the time.”
“I do, but there’s always something behind it. Some want an introduction to Robin or a studio exec, some just want to say they fucked a movie star, but there’s always an ulterior motive.”
Alex thought that Dorian’s must be a lonely existence, and it began to make more sense why he would try to cling to Robin. They’d been lovers, and while Robin didn’t seem to have practised monogamy before Simon, maybe for Dorian it had been more than casual shagging.
“I’ve had people help me without expecting anything in return. Their kindness changed my view on many things, including doing the same for others. My boss has told me to help you, but if I had objected, he would have respected my decision.”
Dorian curled back up in his blankets. “It’s still odd.”
“I’ve been called worse.” He did a cursory check of the room; everything looked in order. “Get some rest, and I’ll be back in a couple of hours, and we’ll see how well the spell is working.”
Alex left Dorian, heading to his rooms. Karl was collecting Dorian’s possessions from the hotel, but that was more to find the cologne the warlock had created, and Alex thought Dorian might want some of his other things from home.
He wouldn’t need clothes, not until they’d fixed his problem and temporary solutions could be found, but maybe he had a few personal effects that might make time more bearable while at the hall.
He’d ask later, for now, Alex would have a shower and then grab a couple of hours’ sleep.