Chapter 22
Hugging dragons hadn’t been on his plan for the year, and even if it had been, he wouldn’t have expected to enjoy it so much.
Dorian had been easy to talk to, and he’d found himself being more open with him far sooner than anyone else in recent years.
Dragons were known for being close-knit and familial, and he felt as if Dorian was treating him more as a friend than a keeper.
He wasn’t going to dwell on how he’d enjoyed being wrapped in Dorian’s wings and how safe he’d felt, which wasn’t an emotion he gave ownership of to other people.
They were in the middle of a waiting game.
Ben had promised to speak to Robin, but he’d not heard anything.
At least Trevir had sent through his samples, and Chris and Jack had been busy investigating whether they could be useful.
For now, he was keeping Dorian company, and that seemed to be his main role.
He entered one of the potion outbuildings to work on the lotion he’d offered to brew.
Dorian had given him the recipe, which had been in his family for generations; if he’d been an elf, that would have been the equivalent of a marriage proposal.
He noticed a cauldron steeping on the side. A note saying Do Not Touch. Ask Chris was all the explanation he needed for now. It could either be something to do with Dorian’s plight or one of Chris’s skin care ranges he was developing. He’d find out later.
The potion outhouses were some of the best facilities he’d worked in, and that was due to Ben’s own potions-making hobby, which was not the average pastime of a vampire earl.
He collected the equipment and the ingredients he needed from the supply cabinet and lost himself in the mundanity of chopping roots and dicing the leaves.
There was something satisfying about brewing simple formulations.
He liked a challenge from time to time, but this gave him a chance not to think too much.
He added the ingredients to his cauldron over a low heat, not having a method to work from, but knowing how the individual components would combine meant he didn’t need one.
One final stir, and the lotion could sit for a while.
The door flung open. Chris barrelled in, stopping as he saw Alex. “What are you doing in here?”
“I was making a lotion for Dorian. Some of his scales are a bit dry.”
Chris stared into his cauldron. “Oh, nice. Can I have the recipe?”
“No, it’s not mine to share.”
Chris raised an eyebrow. “He shared this with you? That’s lovely. I’m so glad you two are getting along. I sense a lot of hurt and loneliness from Dorian, it makes sense you pair would be drawn together.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, y’know, you’ve the whole brooding hidden past thing going on.”
Alex snorted. “I do not. You really have to stop thinking everything is about true love and romance.”
Chris rolled his eyes. “You’re in denial, Alex. But you’ll see.”
“Are you in here for a reason?” he asked, not willing to continue the conversation in this vein.
“I’ve come to check on my Dorian potion, and it’s not one to make his poorly-worly scales less sore.”
For someone who was supposed to be a light elf, Chris could also be a prick. “Do you think you’re onto something?”
“That’s what I’m here to see. It’s been steeping for a few hours, and if it’s got potential, then we’ll be ready to try it on Dorian.”
Chris went over to his cauldron and lifted the lid. Alex followed. “What are you looking for?”
“I used one of the samples Trevir sent to create a base, then scorched that using the cologne potion mixed with a couple of Dorian’s scales, and after that had settled, I filtered it through a spell I used to scalp a necromancer.”
Alex understood the first two steps, but the last one, he had no clue. “An interesting spell choice.”
“It’s sort of like a cleaving charm but with more oomph and a side of heresy. Seemed logical to me.”
Chris’s logic could be a bit counterintuitive, but he’d been around a long time, his magical powers were off the scale, and he tended not to do things out of spite, so Alex didn’t think he was in a position to argue.
“Did it work?”
Chris stirred the contents of the cauldron and peered at the surface. “Does that look like it’s got a red and gold sheen to you?”
Alex stared at the liquid; he had no doubt. “Yes, is that a good sign?”
“I do believe it is. Let’s get a bottle and go and see Dorian.”
Alex raced over to the equipment cupboard. “Normal glass or siliconized?”
“Normal.”
He grabbed two sterilised bottles and brought them back to Chris, who carefully decanted the contents of the potion between them. The liquid was off-white, but the sheen was still obvious, even through the glass. “Always good to have a spare,” Chris said, sounding happy with himself.
“How confident are you that it will work?” Alex asked as they walked about the hall.
“Fifty-fifty. But it’s a start, and only by trying can we tweak the parameters.”
He’d dealt with worse probabilities, and he thought Dorian would be pleased that they had made enough progress to have something to try.
They entered Dorian’s rooms to find him reclining in his nest, listening to opera, but not one Alex recognised. Alex had been surprised at Dorian’s taste in music, but he had no reason to assume he would like anything in particular.
“Dorian,” Alex called.
Dorian hadn’t noticed them and was startled as he realised he was no longer alone. “Alex? Chris? What are you doing here? Come for a visit?”
Chris held up one of the bottles. “I’ve something for you to try. I can’t promise it’ll do anything, but it’s worth a shot.”
Dorian moved forward and stared at the bottle. “Do I want to know what’s in it?”
“Nothing nasty. I promise no eye of newt or toad spleen. It might not taste nice, but then I didn’t make it to be a pre-dinner drink.”
“All right, you’re gonna have to pour it into my mouth. I don’t have the dexterity with my talons to handle a bottle.”
He opened his mouth, exposing a collection of teeth that wouldn’t be out of place on the banks of the Nile. Chris quickly removed the lid and popped the potion straight down Dorian’s gullet.
Dorian sat back on his haunches, his tail wrapped around his front legs, reminding Alex of an overlarge, red, scaly cat.
“Is it supposed to do something?” Dorian asked.
“You’ve no reaction whatever? Not a tingle or even indigestion?” Chris asked. He had a terrible poker face, looking as though he were disappointed.
“No, I didn’t even taste it go down.”
“Maybe we should use the second bottle,” Alex suggested. Dorian’s size might be a factor, and it could be as simple as he hadn’t taken enough yet for it to have an effect.
“It’s worth a go,” Chris said.
Dorian leant forward, although Alex thought he was more reluctant than before. Chris administered the second. This time, Dorian made a gagging noise. “That tasted like damp mushrooms.”
“While not the response I was expecting, at least it was something,” Chris said, wrinkling his nose. “I’m not sure why it would have tasted that way.”
“Could be a byproduct of one of the reactions,” Alex suggested. “I’ve seen similar happen, and it might help isolate why this version didn’t work.”
Chris pouted. “Maybe we just need more time.”
Dorian belched so hard that the paintings rattled, and he released a cloud of mushroom-scented smoke.
“I don’t think it’s going to do anything more than make me stink.
You need to get me some antacids real quick, because if you think the burps are bad, you don’t want to smell what comes out the other end. ”
Alex summoned a lump of calcium carbonate. “Will this do the job?”
“Maybe… chuck it in.” Dorian opened his mouth, and Alex lobbed in the white rock. A series of satisfying crunches followed by more smoke that wasn’t noxious. “I’d say that did the trick.”
“I’m going back to my cauldron,” Chris said. “I will not be beaten.”
Chris strode out, and Alex watched him go. “He can be quite stubborn. If I were you, I’d be grateful for the trait. He’ll take it personally that he’s not been able to fix you already and will throw himself into the quest.”
“Helping a dragon isn’t usually part of the quest. Most think we’re the ones stealing all the princesses.”
Alex laughed. “Well, you’re hardly a fair maiden yourself.”
Dorian sniggered. “I haven’t been a maiden for a long time, but I’m fairly dashing in human form.”
“Thousands of Dorian Marsten fans would say you were more than dashing.”
Dorian leant in and nudged him with his snout. “Could I count you amongst them?”
He laughed. “You don’t need me pandering to your ego.”
Dorian nudged him again. “Aww, Alex, you know how to crush a guy.”
“Maybe a bit of tough love will do you well.”
Dorian sniggered and blew a smoke ring. “I’m not averse to being tied down and being handled a little rough, but you’ll need to buy me dinner first.”
Alex spluttered, and Dorian returned to his nest, chuckling. The thought of a human Dorian on his knees, begging, burst through his subconscious. Alex had to beat down his libido.
“I… er… I have other duties to attend to. I’ll be back later.”
Dorian waved his tail. “Thanks for everything, Alex.”
Alex did not run; he might have walked a bit faster, but he told himself he was already behind on his to-do list, and he couldn’t waste any more of the day on cheeky dragons. Even if they were part scorching hot movie star.