Chapter 710: Rough morning for the hero

Cass ached all over. He felt like he’d been run over not by one truck, not by two trucks, but by a fleet of trucks that had places to be.

He groaned, his neck aching. This was almost as bad as he’d felt after his first heat. He felt beaten up, and he knew that he had no one else to blame but himself.

He opened his eyes, the mural on the ceiling greeting him as he squinted. Even opening his eyes too much seemed to hurt him. He was in a terrible condition, which only meant that there was one thing on the horizon. Cass shuddered. The demons who had helped create him were laughing at him, amused that healing magic didn’t work on him and thus he had to suffer with the putrid tonic.

He didn’t even have Sam to bring it to him on that little tray of his. Fuck.

Cass let out a breath, and that turned into a groan as even his lungs ached. God, what the fuck had he decided to do yesterday? Two days ago? He had no idea how long he’d been out, but given how his muscles were screaming and his head throbbing, it couldn’t have been too long of a time.

He also wouldn’t be alone in the room if it had been too long. He had a feeling that Eddie, Lucy and Giddy wouldn’t allow for that.

Cass was adjusting to the pain in his body, trying to figure out how he was going to get up, or even adjust himself in the bed, when the door opened. From the gentle way that it was opened, Cass assumed it was one of the aides, Sage or Ember.

Instead, it was Lucy. His long black hair was draped over his shoulder in a braid, a pretty gem at the bottom tied into his hair. He was carrying the very same tray that Sam usually brought with him when he was going to feed him the tonic, glass cup and all.

Lucy wasn’t wearing the same billowy shirt that he normally wore, and instead he was wearing a tighter shirt that cupped his pecs beautifully, with elaborate embroidery along the edge. It was a black shirt base, with gold embroidery and orange gems that looked like they matched Lucy’s eyes. His pants remained the same, black tight leather that left very little to the imagination.

When he looked up and caught Cass’ gaze, his whole face lit up.

"Good morning, sweetness. How are you feeling?" Lucy asked. Cass coughed and then let out a deep groan as the cough made his whole body scream.

"Like death." Cass admitted, his voice raspy. He would have flushed if he thought it would make a difference, but Lucy was the dragon who had kept up with him, pushing him, trying to tame him, and where had that gotten him?

Bound to the bed and having to drink that damn tonic.

Lucy chuckled, his orange eyes bright as he came in, closing the door behind him. He came over to the side of the bed and gently placed the tray down on the bedside table.

"Mm. I would imagine so. Eddie and Giddy aren’t fairing much better. Eddie at least is in your office getting some work done, while Giddy went to go bathe in some rejuvenating waters and pray to the gods. He seems to think he hurt you, and while I have been firm that he hasn’t, he seems to think he needs to repent." Cass rolled his eyes, thankful that that didn’t hurt him.

"Seriously? But I told him that it was fine." Cass rasped, and Lucy chuckled.

"So you were fully aware of what you were asking of us?" Lucy asked and Cass felt his face warm.

"Well, not fully, but I can’t exactly say it was the same as the last few times." Cass muttered. Lucy smiled at Cass, a knowing look in his eyes. Cass didn’t like the way that he was looking at him. It was with such open affection that it made Cass a little uncomfortable. He couldn’t escape, either. He couldn’t even move.

"Mm, I see. Well, we can discuss your actions later. For now, let’s get you in a better state, hmm? Oh, before I give you this, I’ll go get the tub started." Lucy turned, waved a finger and the bathroom door opened before Cass swore he heard the sound of running water. He smiled at Cass before he turned to the powder. "Sam showed me how to do this a couple of times, so forgive me if it takes a moment." Lucy muttered, picking up the small metal tin that he’d saved Cass from being poisoned with before.

When he opened it, he sniffed, before nodding and then grabbing the spoon on the tray. Cass watched him work to scoop, drop and stir the powder into the water next to him. Cass frowned deeply at the liquid. Great. The tonic. The sewage water that he’d managed to avoid for this long.

Even Lucy didn’t look that thrilled that he was giving this to him, but he looked resigned as well. Cass wanted to fight it, wanted to even run away, but he also knew that if he was going to get out of this bed in one piece without complaint, he was going to have to drink that damn tonic.

"I’ll be an adult about it." Cass rasped. Lucy, who had looked serious until Cass spoke, smiled and chuckled.

"I appreciate that. I don’t like having to force you to do anything at this point. In fact, my hearts are aching even making this." Lucy said, tapping the side of the glass with his finger. Cass gulped, then winced when even that hurt.

God, had he thought he would have gotten out of this without pain? Where had he thought he could get off just doing whatever the hell he wanted? He had thought that his actions wouldn’t come back and haunt him?

"Let’s do this." Cass muttered. "I can’t move." Cass told him. Lucy snorted.

"I am aware. I’ll use magic to shift you into an upright position. It will still be uncomfortable, but less than if I actually touched and moved you." Lucy told him. Cass watched him, waiting as he waved a finger and Cass felt his body shift. He was right to warn him that it was going to hurt him still, but it wasn’t as bad as he thought.

Then again, everything wouldn’t be as bad as drinking the damn tonic.

As soon as the glass touched his lips and the grim look on Lucy’s face filled his vision, it was a damn struggle. The taste had been muted in his mind for his own safety, and Cass choked on the liquid. Lucy only stopped forcing him when he worried that he wouldn’t be able to breathe before forcing him to continue drinking the liquid.

Cass coughed, groaning, bile rising up in his throat even as the liquid kept pouring down his throat. Why was it hot? Why was it cold? Why was it so damn putrid no matter what?

Cass closed his eyes, hoping that that would make it easier, but it didn’t.

Cass was gasping, coughing feeling like he’d just ran a mile by the time that the glass was finished. Lucy put it to the side, gently lowering Cass back to the bed and wiping his mouth. His concern was evident, his orange eyes soft and warm.

"Feeling better?" He asked and Cass just shook his head. Ugh, fucking awful. Lucy sighed, glancing around the room before he waved a hand and the blankets moved off of Cass. When Cass glanced down he was surprised to find that his emaciated, Victorian child body was back. He wasn’t the seductive, wearing his wife’s clothing Cass anymore.

He needed a nightcap and a dressing gown once more.

"I changed?" Cass rasped as Lucy slid his arms under Cass’ body and picked him up carefully. He was naked, but at this point, that didn’t really matter. Lucy had been all over Cass, especially during that last heat.

Cass flushed at some of the things he’d asked the man to do to him.

"Almost immediately after your final transformation." Lucy confirmed. "Your demon form is complete, and thankfully you are back to your usual self. It’s a bit worrying, but at least now we know that when we feed you in the future it’ll go to this form and not the other." Cass stared at the side profile of Lucy’s face as he moved them towards the bathroom.

"How are you so certain?" Cass rasped, interested. Lucy turned his head down and smiled at Cass.

"Well, because I hope that’s the case. After all, I don’t want all my effort to get you healthy to be in vain." Lucy grumbled. "After all, having you hobble around like a damn tree isn’t what I want. You may be part fairy, but that doesn’t mean you need to become the trees. That’s for the bad guys." Lucy said.

Cass felt his lips curl up slightly as he carried him further into the bathroom. He placed Cass in the new tub even as it filled, the warm water lapping at Cass’ toes.

It really had not taken them that long to force Cass to drink the tonic. It had felt like an hour, but given how low the water was in this bath, that couldn’t be the case.

"Am I not attractive as a tree?" Cass asked jokingly. Lucy gave him a hard look.

"I prefer you healthy, Cass, but I like you no matter your condition. There was a benefit to you having a nice, thick ass, but that’s a small detail." Lucy told him. Cass felt his face warm as Lucy moved over to the shelf to select a soap or oil for Cass. Cass watched him, the water filling the tub slowly and Cass found himself relaxing slowly.

His body was tingling. The tonic was working, even if it hadn’t felt like this before. The tonic seemed to need to heal a lot of him, and Cass was a little embarrassed thinking about that. Recalling what he’d done, who he’d been during the last heat was...embarrassing to say the least.

Realising that he’d let the demonic side of himself take over was also a harder pill to swallow. He couldn’t believe that he’d found out so much about himself, like how he absorbed the cum, but it explained how there was never any left.

Cass sighed, his head leaning back against the cool tile.

"You alright?" Lucy asked, coming over to drop a few scented oils into the water.

"Just filled with embarrassment and regret." Cass muttered. Lucy chuckled.

"If it makes you feel better, I don’t consider you two the same being. I consider them Cass, of course, but while they were using your mouth, thoughts, and body to do what they wanted, my sweet Cass wouldn’t be that unhinged." Lucy said seriously, but there was a playful smile in his eyes. "I’m sure the others feel the same way as well. Eddie and Giddy aren’t even mad that you fully seduced them and used them." Cass paled.

"Oh fuck." Cass whispered and Lucy let out a loud laugh.

"I said they aren’t mad. You didn’t know you could do that, did you?" Cass shook his head, his neck feeling better already.

"I had no clue." Cass admitted and Lucy shrugged. He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss against Cass’ forehead.

"Then trust them when they tell you they aren’t mad. I’m not even mad that you tried to do the same, either. It’s amusing that you, as a demon, thought for even a second we would fight against you to give you what you wanted. You silly fairy." Lucy teased. Cass wanted the water level to rise so that he could bury his face in it and hide.