Burn the Witch

High on Potions

My mind floated for a while. My thoughts were scattered. I felt numb, and for a second, I didn't know where I was or what happened. Then everything came crashing back, and I let out an agonized scream.

I vaguely heard the door of the shop crashing open. Through slit eyes, I saw Alex entering the room. He looked around frantically until he saw me collapsed near the window.

"Avery! What happened?"

Alex crouched in front of me, then looked at the discarded bowl on the floor spilling a dark substance.

"Never mind. Don't answer that. I know what happened," Alex said, then he sighed and stood up. He reached for several bottles and herbs and started working on them.

"LaCrosse? Is everything alright?" The question came from a voice I didn't recognize.

"None of your business! I'll personally deliver the order," Alex shouted back, then I heard the door towards the shop close with a bang.

Alex approached me once again and helped me to a sitting position.

"Take this. It will help with the pain. I need to give you another potion for the wounds before I can move you," Alex said, then he placed a dropper in my mouth.

The liquid tasted sweet, and almost immediately, the pain lessened. My mind floated again, and everything seemed much brighter but hazy, like walking through clouds, but the light completely penetrated them.

Alex flicked his hand towards the room, then moved to the table again and grabbed another set of ingredients. I saw the other chairs and tables moving then the room somehow turned alive.

The scorch marks from the explosion vanished, and the wilted leaves of the plants became vibrant once again. The discarded bowl magically righted itself, and the black substance spilling from it disappeared. I didn't realize how much the blast wrecked the workstation, but the evidence of that misshapen was erased, turning back the room to what it was before as if nothing happened.

All the while, my mind was spinning and doing lap dances inside my head.

Alex walked towards me while carrying a small bottle of potion. He tipped my face up and placed it in my mouth.

"You have to drink this one. Don't spill anything," he said, then poured the contents of the bottle.

It tasted bitter, unlike the first one, and I immediately gagged. Alex hushed me and pinched my nose shut while securing the bottle in my mouth. I had no choice but to swallow, or else I won't be able to breathe.

Afterward, he stood up and looked down at me, his arms crossed on his chest.

"We will have to wait for it to take effect, then I'll bring you to a bed," he said.

I swiped my mouth with the sleeves of my blouse, feeling no pain at all despite moving my wounded arm.

"I didn't know you were into choking. Do you like breath play too?" I asked him.

Alex frowned.

"Silence."

"I shouldn't be surprised, given how much you spank me."

Alex huffed, then picked me up, bridal-style, and began walking towards the door on the far side of the room. I can feel the blood gushing from some of the cuts, although there's no pain. I might've pissed him off, and he just decided to carry me even if the potion hadn't worked fully yet.

Alex swiveled his head, and the door opened on its own. He gently placed me on top of a bed and then retrieved another set of ingredients from the workstation.

The room looked basic. There was only one bed placed in the corner, a bedside table next to it. There's a small dresser with a mirror across the bed, and a medium-sized table and a chair placed against the opposite wall. Everything was made of wood and was in brown and cream color tones.

Alex came back and he started setting up the potions on the table.

"I consent," I blurted out.

"What?"

"Whatever you're planning to do, I'm down for it."

Alex gaped at me and looked down at the empty dropper he used earlier.

"Was the dosage too much?" He asked seemingly to himself.

"There will never be too much of you."

Alex simply sighed.

"That is the lamest pickup line I ever have the misfortune of hearing."

He slowly peeled the outer layer of a leaf and started grinding it using a mortar and a pestle. Then, he placed it inside a bottle together with a thick blue liquid and shook it. His face was of complete focus and concentration, and I couldn't help but be mesmerized by how his fingers handled the herbs. This was Alex in his element, and I'm now only seeing the true potion-maker at play.

"Your hands look beautiful. I bet they can do amazing things," I said to Alex.

"Oh, yes, they can. You can't even imagine."

"And you look hot."

Alex smirked at me, a playful glint in his eyes.

"I shall always remind you that you say that to me for the rest of your employment. I'll never let you leave it down, Miss Swann."

I giggled. "You called me by my surname! You always call me by just human before."

"How do you want me to call you, then?"

"Avery. I want you to call me by my first name. Can I call you Alex?"

Alex simply smiled and continued mixing the other potions. After a while, he grabbed the chair and approached the bed. He sat, then dipped a sponge in one of the potions he made and started gently applying it to my wounds.

"Do I need to get naked? For those hard-to-reach places?"

Alex raised an eyebrow at me.

"Do you want to get naked?"

"Yes," I answered resolutely. Alex chuckled and continued applying the potion.

"So damn honest. Why not be like this every time? You always let me push you around, never once complaining."

"Believe me, there were numerous times I wanted to spank you myself for a change. Do you swing that way?"

Alex shook his head, but the smirk stayed on his face.

"Sorry, darling. There can only be one sub in this relationship."

I huffed and let the silence linger as Alex continued his ministrations. I stared at his face, his long white lashes framed his eyes. His skin was so pale, I could almost see some of the veins. His hair, which was immaculately styled in the morning, was a little bit disheveled now, but no less regal. His lips were a stark contrast, looking so pinkish-red and plump that makes me wanna bite them.

If I ask him to, will he kiss me?

For some reason, a different question popped out of my mouth.

"If I turned into a worm, would you still hire me as your apprentice?" I asked, my eyes becoming teary and my lips pouting. Alex just gave me a blank look.

"Do you know? There is a potion that can turn you into a worm. Would you like to find out?"

I gasped, horrified. "You would not!"

"You are the one who asked the question."

"Fine, you can turn me. But I don't want to be a worm. I want to be a mermaid."

"How can you work for me if you cannot even walk on land?"

"Just place a tank in the workstation. I'll be fine."

"You cannot even prepare a simple potion on two legs, and you want me to have you do it with fins."

"Well, flash news, I mix potions with hands, not fins, and mermaids have hands!"

"Alright, this is getting ridiculous."

Alex stood up and grabbed another potion. He tipped my face up again and placed it in my mouth, similar to how he gave me the first one.

I tried to move away from him, but his grip on my chin was unrelenting.

"You can't just drug me!"

"I already did. Besides, did you not say that you consent to whatever I will do to you on this bed? And you even wanted to get naked," Alex said, still poised to pour the potion into my mouth.

"I have my priorities."

Alex sighed and said, "Lights out for you, Avery."

With that, he poured the potion into my mouth, and for the second time today, darkness swallowed me.