Brewing Bad Ch. 108-109

Ch. 108 - Alone with the Dragoness

“Actually, before we go back to your room for a drink, I need to stop by the Prince’s study,” Lucas said, grasping at straws. 

“A drink?” she laughed. “My dear boy, we’ll be doing a lot more than drinking…” 

She might have protested in a way that almost made him blush, but she didn’t actually stop him. Instead of going back to her chambers immediately, they stopped by the corner where the Prince was currently holding court. He gave Skylara a heartfelt and cordial goodbye but barely even gave Lucas a second glance. 

After that, they stopped by the man’s study. It had guards placed on it, but they didn’t even challenge the Duchess. They might not know who she really was, but it was clear that they’d been given orders that she was not to be fucked with, and Lucas retrieved his things without issue.

She could probably kill me right here, and both of these guys would pretend they hadn’t seen a thing, he thought to himself. That’s real power right there. 

Soon enough, though, he was walking down the nearly deserted halls on the noblewoman’s arm, desperately trying to find a way out of this. There wasn’t, though, one step at a time; he was being dragged to his fate, and the fact that he had to do it while wearing a smile was all the crueler. 

Skylara’s guestroom was much grander than any room he’d ever slept in, but he didn’t have the chance to admire it. As soon as the door closed, she was onto him, pressing him against the now-closed door with a strength that was barely human and definitely not ladylike. It took a force of will not to push her off him or to wrinkle his face in disgust as her unnaturally long tongue forced its way into his mouth. 

After waiting a few seconds so he didn’t seem like he was rejecting her, he pushed back against her, broke the kiss, and said, “Easy there, my lady, don’t you like it when a man takes charge.”

“I’ve waited all night to taste you,” she smiled, completely ignoring the way he pushed against her as she withdrew his vial from where she’d tucked it away earlier. “Perhaps when I have tasted your fine potion, that will calm me down and make me more… biddable.”

She sat down on the bed and did exactly that. In a single motion, she downed ten doses of the strongest Blue that Lucas had ever made. He flinched at the very sight of it, but all she did was lay back on the bed and arch her back as she squirmed in pleasure. 

“Mmmmhhh…” she moaned theatrically. “You truly are a master of alchemy. Why not show me what other skills you have.”

Thinking fast, he said, “Actually, if you kiss me with that much Blue on your lips, I’m liable to end up in a coma. I think before you get laid, you need a chaser.”

“A what? Oh. Very well,” she sighed, waving absentmindedly at the liquor cabinet. “But add a few drops more of your potion to the stuff. I wish to experience true bliss this evening, and I am only part way to where I would like to be… Heaven is so close, but yet, so far away…”

As he found a nice dark bottle of red and uncorked it, she leaned forward theatrically, making it impossible not to look down at her cleavage. “You are not very handsome for a man,” she said bluntly, “But there’s something wonderfully twisted about you, Mister Blue. I certainly hope you don’t disappoint me tonight.”

“Disappoint? Me? Never.” he joked as he filled two goblets of wine, and then retrieved two more vials of blue from his case. “I barely know the meaning of the word.”

How can I disappoint you when I’m not even going to fuck you, he added silently. 

He made a big show about making it look like he was adding a single drop of the stuff to his own glass, but really, that fell on the lacquered wood just behind the metal chalice. The rest of both vials ended up in her cup, though, and even after she took a sip to cleanse her pallet, he waited for as long as he could to kiss her. 

What he’d said before hadn’t been a lie. He was basically trying to dose her with elephant tranquilizers at this point, which meant that even the smallest exposure would fuck him up bad. 

So, he did everything to delay that he could. When she reached for him to kiss him, he skillfully slipped behind her and kissed her neck instead, “growling, sorry, I’m not going to be able to do anything else until I see these big beautiful tits of yours. They’ve been driving me crazy all night.”

To make his point, he reached around and mauled them with both hands. She was a large woman, and each one of her massive breasts was bigger than his hands, though, so the effect was limited. Still, she groaned at that, and he busily got to work undoing her corset one lace at a time. 

While he wanted to take his time with this, appearing to go slow would give the dragoness the initiative once more, which was the last thing he wanted. She could very easily pin him down and take whatever she wanted from him. So, while he waited to see if he’d dosed her hard enough to make her pass out, all he could do was appear eager. 

He pulled her hair, complimented her figure, and, most importantly, helped her out of her dress one layer at a time. She kept trying to kiss him, but time and again he refused. Sometimes, he did this by pulling away just long enough to have a drink from his own chalice, and other times, he simply found another part of her body to kiss. That part wasn’t hard. She was a voluptuous woman, and one could very easily drown in all the tits and ass she was packing. Most men he knew would have traded places with him in an instant. 

For Lucas, though, any enthusiasm he had about slowly stripping the beauty and making her feel like the center of the world was fake and forced, at least at first. She would have seen right through him in an instant if she’d been sober. The dragoness was far from that now, though. She was lost in her own drug-addled ecstasy, and the only thing she wanted now was sex. 

After a while, though, it was hard not to give in. Was it the booze? Was it a contact high, or was he just horny as hell? Lucas didn’t know. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d gotten laid on Earth, let alone on this new world. 

“Ssso, what comes next, now that a big, ssstrong man like you isss in charge,” she whispered, almost managing to sound submissive for once.

“Well, you got a taste of Blue. How about a taste of something else you rarely get to try?” he asked. 

“Mmmmm, and what’sss that?” she sighed as he stood up.

She’d expected him to take off his pants then, and he could see the disappointment in her eyes. If she was sober, she might have pounced on him then and had her way with him, but as it was, she just lay there puzzled as he went to the window and retrieved a sash. 

Once he had that, he pushed her down on the bed and started to tie her hands to the headboard. “You know I could tear right through thisss…” she murmured playfully. “I could tear right through you…”

“But wouldn’t it be more fun to pretend that you couldn’t,” he teased, “A woman like you is always in charge. I’ll bet sometimes you just want to let go.” 

“Mmmm…” she moaned. “What a delightful idea, Lucasss. Now take me… overpower me and take me…”

He would have been lying if he’d said that some part of him wasn’t tempted to do exactly that in that moment. Skylara was a monster, but he’d long since drunk enough for her to be pretty, and in this moment, when she was almost vulnerable, part of him wanted to give it a try. 

Still, he forced her down ruthlessly and continued to seduce her with words and touches while he continued to feed her drug-tainted wine. While the kisses no longer disgusted him like they had at the beginning of the night, each one was still a betrayal that he felt in his soul.

“Pity you humansss live for sssuch a ssshort time,” she slurred, “Or elssse I’d keep you forever and ever my darling Missster Blue…”

As they went, her words became more and more slurred and less and less sensible. Toward the end, she was begging him to fuck her, but he resisted, telling her soon half a dozen ways. It was only when she’d finished her cup of wine that contained nearly twenty doses of blue, combined with the ten doses she’d had at the start that she finally slipped into unconsciousness.

In that quiet moment, he mentally did the math. Thirty doses of Blue would have been enough to get fifty or sixty men as high as a kite and enough to kill half that many stone dead, and the number was only that small for existing addicts. It would be triple that for people like him that didn’t touch the stuff. 

Really, it was probably enough to stop my heart almost a hundred times over, Lucas realized. That poison could kill me a hundred times over, but it was only just enough to make her pass out…

As the seconds ticked by, he wondered if he should try to make her OD for real. He had another 20 vials in the case he’d brought. That certainly would be enough. It might even be the right thing to do, but in the end, he couldn’t make himself do it. 

Maybe if he’d been ordered to, or if she was an imminent danger to the kingdom, he would have considered it. Right now, though, her only danger was inspiring the faintest desire to cheat on his girl, and he cursed himself for that more than he blamed the woman who had been doing her very best to tempt him.

Lucas didn’t say a word as his thoughts churned. Instead, he watched the chest of the half-naked woman rise and fall peacefully and considered everything. He didn’t even dare to sigh in relief that she had finally passed out. 

Skylara’s allowed to be a horny maneater if that’s her thing, he reminded himself. It was her nature. She was literally a monster. 

He held himself to a much higher standard, and the idea that he’d wanted to fuck her, even a little by the end of all of this, was unacceptable. Danaria deserves better, he told himself. 

He just waited a few minutes to make sure she was sleeping soundly, then he loosened her bonds, messed up the bedding a little more, and covered her nudity with a sheet. 

She was not likely to remember very much from the moment her high started. She’d only remember that they were going to have sex, not if they’d actually had it or not. So, the room would have to tell the tale and make her believe that they had. The more she believed that she’d had her way with him, the more likely she was not to kill him in the morning. 

After that, he took a little extra time to hang her panties from one bedpost and her bra and corset from another to make the scene that much wilder. Once all that was done, he silently gathered his things and dressed, determined to make it seem like he’d never been here at all. 

It was only when that was done that he realized the place looked too sterile now. So, just before he blew out the remaining candles, he spilled the remains of their bottle of wine across the other side of the very expensive bedding before fleeing the bedroom with nothing but guilt and a serious case of blue balls. 

“Maybe if I marry Danaria, this bitch will keep her claws to herself,” he whispered to himself as he walked down the deserted halls in search of a servant who could tell him where he could steal a few hours of sleep until dawn.

No, better not, he decided. You tell Skylara there’s another woman in your life, and she’ll rip her to pieces in front of you just to make a point. 

Ch. 109 - The Morning After

The morning that followed was an ugly one for Lucas. Not only could he hardly bear to look at himself in the mirror even after a bath, but part way through brunch, Skylara showed up in the crowded dining room. Worse, after looking at the Prince’s high table, she actually chose to sit at the smaller round one in a nearby corner where he and Heisenburgle were dining. 

From the determined way she strode toward him, Lucas feared that she’d figured out his ruse and come to rip his head off. It was only after she sat down and started playing footsie with him under the table that he realized the truth was far worse than that. She’d completely fallen for it and seemed to be in the mood to go another round or six. 

Though she only made polite conversation during the meal, those fears were confirmed as the assembled member of the aristocracy slowly made their way to court for the morning audiences. That was when she pulled him into a corner and pinned him to the wall with a kiss so forceful that escape was impossible. 

“I must confess my memories of last night are less than clear, Mister Blue,” she murmured.”But the things you did to me… the way I feel today… We simply must do this again sometime.”

“I-I’m glad you enjoyed your evening,” he said, resisting the urge to slap her, but only because he wanted to live. “Right now isn’t—”

“Well, aren’t you a horny one,” she teased, misreading what he was trying to say completely as she all but shoved his face into her cleavage. “Of course, we can’t skip court to fuck like little bunny rabbits. People would talk!”

Still, she seemed taken with the idea, and Lucas quickly interjected before she could decide that was what she wanted. “Well, sadly, I will be leaving soon. I have vital, time-sensitive experiments I must get back to if you want me to continue to make breakthroughs in—”

“Time-sensitive?” she asked skeptically. “What could possibly be time-sensitive about what you’re working on?”

“How familiar are you with Alchemy?” he asked, suddenly unsure of himself. She hadn’t spoken from arrogance there but from indignation, which meant that she’d probably seen his bald-faced lie for exactly what it was. 

“I’ve read scores of those dusty old tomes,” she said, “But they got me no closer to my goals, so I abandoned them an age ago.”

“Well, then you know about the elemental balances required in Alchemy,” he continued, desperately trying to figure out how he could turn his earlier lie into a truth. 

“Naturally,” she answered confidently. 

“Well, I’ve gone as far down the elemental road as I can to optimize this recipe,” he lied, “So I’m trying to recreate it during different phases of the moon and times of the year to see if that has any effect. Certain constellations seem to—”

“Oh, of course,” she said, brightening immediately. “How wonderfully inventive. The elves love the moon. I have no doubt that such heavenly bodies play some part in the mysterious recipe we both seek. ”

After that, she released him from her iron grip and treated him more like a colleague than a plaything. Skylara might be infatuated with Lucas, but she was utterly in love with the drugs he made for her. While she seemed to have no issues with forcing herself on him whenever she was in the mood, the idea that it might slow down his research was enough to make her pull well away. 

After that, they went to the court together, and she promised that she would call on him next time rather than demand his presence. She even assured him that it was okay to decline her invitations if his experiments were at some crucial moment. “As much as I will be… disappointed, I will allow you the chance to make it up to me another day…” she purred, taking him by the arm as they walked down the richly appointed hallways. 

Heisenburgle did believe him, of course. They didn’t have a chance to chat until lunch, but even then, he found the claims outlandish. “That’s preposterous!” the gnome exclaimed, drawing a few looks before he toned his voice back down. “The Red Lady does not take no for an answer. Everyone knows this.”

“Yeah,” Lucas agreed, thinking about last night. “Trust me. I know that much, but she really did say it. On my life, she did.”

“Well, that’s something I’ll let you explain to the Prince before we depart,” Heisenburgle continued. “I think he is pleased, so it should be nothing more than a conversation, but you never can tell…”

Lucas thanked his lucky stars. Even the idea of an unhappy Prince wasn’t enough to phase him. Even an outraged Prince would be better than spending another three hours standing around listening to men of good breeding argue about ancient land rights and crown-granted monopolies like they had this morning. Lucas never wanted to attend court again, not in another dozen lifetimes. If those angels really wanted to punish me for everything I’ve done, they could just make me king for a life, he thought with a smirk. Being a drug kingpin is nearly as bad already!

He didn’t really feel like a drug lord, but he supposed that was still what he was. He’d wiped out two rival gangs, held the toughest gang in the city on retainer, and made allegiances with the crown to secure his revenues. Those were all gangland things. Still, these days, he felt like a researcher more than anything, and truthfully, that was all he wanted to get back to. That and making his hot sauce. He was sick of meetings with the Prince and dragon booty calls, but he hardly had a say in either outcome. 

When they arrived at the Prince’s study, he was already finished eating, and he had a number of books and notes strewn across his desk. He didn’t even look up at them as they approached before he said, “I trust you enjoyed your evening with our guest of honor? She certainly seems taken with you.”

“I, uh, yeah, something like that,” Lucas agreed, not really sure what to say. He started to explain what he’d told Heisenburgle earlier, but Prince stopped him with a single raised finger.

“I am not here to discuss your romantic interludes with the kingdom’s biggest threat and benefactor,” the Prince answered dismissively. “Keep her happy, and you may do whatever you like. I am here to discuss the assassination attempt that nearly claimed your life.”

“Oh? Did you catch the guy?” Lucas asked. 

“Catch the guy?” The Prince looked up at him, baffled. “One does not have to catch a mage in this kingdom. I sent a letter to the archmage of his guild. Then Archmage Dolizsol summoned his junior, who gave a full accounting of the facts and apologized for taking work outside the guild's remit. That is what happened.”

“So he just apologized, and everything is okay now?” Lucas asked skeptically, quickly adding a “Your Highness” when he saw the gnome shift uncomfortably.”

“Sometimes mages take jobs without letting the guild know. This is strictly against their charter and a terrible idea for a variety of reasons, yet sometimes young mages do it anyway. If it was a simple case, like making an illicit wand or scroll, the apology would cost him less, but an unsanctioned hit against an asset of the crown…” the Prince let the word linger, making it clear where he saw Lucas if he didn’t have any doubts. “In this case, his apology will cost him the entirety of his fee, substantial recompense, and the little finger of his left hand. Neither he nor any of his peers are likely to make a similar mistake again, for a long time.”

“What about the men that hired him?” Lucas asked, mollified. It wasn’t quite the death penalty the guy probably deserved, but it was certainly in the realm of reasonable, and he imagined that the crown was loath to give up a valuable mage for something as petty as his life. 

“That is what we are here to discuss,” the Prince answered. “I’d like your input before I render that judgment since the man is someone close to you.”

“What? The fucking Whisperers did this?” Lucas exploded. The outburst drew a sharp look from Heisenburgle, but he didn’t care. “Those motherfuckers…”

“Closer,” the Prince said, watching Lucas’ reaction. He seemed to get some satisfaction as his face showed the pieces clicking into place, one at a time. “He actually planted a volatile mixture in your luggage. That was part of the reason that the mage guild let their young journeyman off so easily. He only cast a simple ignite spell on an alchemical bomb that was supposed to disable your carriage, not destroy it.”

Lucas wanted to make a joke about letting off easy, but he couldn't; he was still coping with the fact that fucking Aden had tried to get him killed. Before he could respond to that, though, Heisenburgle piped up and said, “Do we know who created the potions of volatility? Does the mage? When I find out who made such a thing to damage my research, I’ll—”

The gnome seemed about ready to explode, but even so, the Prince calmed him down with a dismissive gesture. “That angle is still being researched and not pertinent at the moment. I wish to decide what we should do to Adin for now. He should be punished, but not too publicly. I have no wish to draw the ire of Lord Torvin for publicly shaming his son-in-law. Not when other things that you need not be privy to are at a delicate stage.”

So mages can be publicly shamed and tortured, but nobility gets off easy, huh? Lucas thought to himself. Even shitty little viscounts like Adin.

Truthfully, he wanted to kill the man himself, like right now, himself. He hadn’t felt like this since the time he’d slit someone’s throat last year, and the idea of being told he couldn’t when Adin was probably still somewhere in the palace was infuriating. 

The Prince seemed to read a good portion of this from his expression and said, “To be clear, You cannot kill, maim, or shame him, but you are still very much the wronged party here, Lucas, and it is important to me and your productivity that this matter is resolved in a manner that satisfies you. So, I’m asking you, what is the worst thing we could do to him, to make him pay for his crimes.”

“Sending him back to the dungeon where I found his ass is out, huh?” he asked as his mind raced through answers. Lucas had already been pissed at the man for the revelations about the way he’d tried to pimp Danaria and the way he was skimming from the operation, but trying to murder him really only had one possible response, and that was something he wasn’t allowed to do. 

“Cold turkey,” Lucas said finally after thinking about it for a moment. 

“Excuse me?” the Prince asked. “Does the man have a food allergy? I should—”

“Make him quit cold turkey. It’s an expression from where I’m from,” Lucas continued. “Send him out in the country for his own good. Tell him he has to rehabilitate from his crippling habit, and then let him spend a few weeks suffering as the blue comes out of his system one drop at a time.”

If I’m lucky, that will kill him all on its own, he thought to himself. Though his peers in this world understood the concept of drugs and addiction, he doubted they understood the concept of physical dependency or the idea that simply quitting something like heroin could kill you. He didn’t know if that was the way Blue worked, but right now, he certainly hoped it did. 

“A fine punishment,” the Prince said, “But wouldn’t that release your hold on him and allow him to get up to other mischief in the future?”

“It would,” Lucas agreed, “But it would increase your hold on the Torvins by equal amounts. After they see how much the Viscount suffers while going through withdrawal, I very much doubt they will disobey you again in anything that might affect their access to Blue.”

The Prince considered that and then nodded. “A fine choice,” he agreed. 

“But I want to be the one to tell him,” Lucas said before the Prince could drift on to another topic. “And I have one other, uhmmm, request, if I might, Your Highness.”