The Dragon Next Door

“Bless me, Seraphina, I need your Special Butter Roll. I think I have fallen in love!”

Evelyn said happily, skipping toward Seraphina’s counter.

The little bakery was already warm from the ovens, filling the room with the sweet smell of butter and freshly baked dough. Seraphina tilted her head slightly, squinting at Evelyn.

“Oh, heavens, who is this unlucky soul, Evelyn?” she asked, raising her head back to normal.

“Your neighbor. He is the one.” Evelyn placed a hand on the counter and stretched her neck toward Seraphina.

Seraphina used one flour-dusted finger to push her back.

“Who let you out of the water?”

“Myself! The butter roll, please. I’ll add an extra five gold coins to the normal price. Thirteen coins, just for you.”

“I am not giving you my butter roll to charm someone, especially my neighbor. For heaven’s sake, I don’t remember having any likable neighbors. Who are you talking about?”

“How do you live in a neighborhood and know absolutely nobody?” Evelyn put her hands on her waist.

“I know everybody, Evelyn... the old ones, kind of.”

“That’s the thing. There is a new neighbor! He’s been around for the past few days, about a week now. Oh my... he is handsome, tall, with shoulders as wide as a wall. You need to see his face. He is a Greek god without a statue.”

Seraphina’s face remained utterly bored as Evelyn ranted about the new neighbor.

“And?”

Seraphina leaned forward against the counter.

“He is a damn dragon!” Evelyn swooned, twirling around in excitement. “Though none of the villagers have seen his full form, rumor has it he is a dragon.”

She leaned closer.

“A real dragon.”

“Okay.” Seraphina nodded. “I don’t care. I’m all about business. Twenty coins.”

Evelyn frowned. “That’s cheating! A butter roll is clearly eight coins. I gave you thirteen already!”

“You’re using it for illegal purposes, so yes, it is more expensive.”

“I’m giving fifteen.”

“Nineteen.”

“Seventeen.”

“Eighteen.”

“You are a cheat. Deal.”

Seraphina rolled her eyes and turned toward her mixer.

“For the extra coins, how about I add a little extra thingy?”

A sly smile appeared on her face, immediately mirrored by Evelyn.

Evelyn nodded quickly, rubbing her hands together. Seraphina laughed softly and continued mixing her dough. She scooped out a portion and added the periodic love essence to the extra batch.

The warm scent of butter and sugar filled the little shop.

Ting!

The bell above the door rang.

A massive frame completely blocked out the early morning sunlight as someone stepped inside, causing Seraphina to look up from her workstation.

He walked in, his black hair falling all the way to his waist.

Evelyn gasped.

A second gasp followed right after.

Seraphina’s.

He inhaled sharply, blinking his long lashes as he walked toward the counter.

Seraphina swallowed hard.

“Hi... wel... welcome to my... bakery. How may I help you? Sorry... um, what do you want?”

He looked at her for several seconds before answering.

“I need a chocolate and lavender cake.”

Seraphina’s face contorted, her brows furrowing deeply.

“Oh, my god,” a voice whispered.

Both pairs of eyes turned toward Evelyn.

Her eyes were filled with tears as she openly swooned at the man standing just inches away.

“Him?” Seraphina mouthed.

Evelyn nodded rapidly.

“Oh, nice catch,” Seraphina mouthed back.

A heavier blush crept onto Evelyn’s face.

“Hello?”

The deep voice interrupted them again.

Seraphina turned back. His voice was commanding her attention more than she wanted to admit.

“Sorry, um... if I may ask, what exactly are you?”

“How does that affect my order, Miss?”

His voice came out grumpier than Seraphina would have liked.

“Because a fucking dragon isn’t supposed to mix lavender and fucking chocolate! Do you know what lavender and chocolate do to a dragon?”

“I will come pick up my cake by twelve. Cover it with whipped cream, add a few nuts to the cream and cheese. I don’t want a perfect smooth covering.”

He turned and made for the door.

Then he stopped.

He walked back, dropped a small leather bag on the counter, and finally left.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. You fell for a handsome, bad one, Evelyn,” Seraphina muttered under her breath.

Evelyn was still staring at the closed door, tears in her eyes.

“You fool!” Seraphina shouted, snapping her out of her daze.

“You chased him away!” Evelyn cried.

“You really should get back to the water. He is a very grumpy fellow. Though handsome, I reject him for you.”

Seraphina folded her arms across her chest.

“I accept him for me! I will change him!”

“Yeah, you really are a fool. How did you even become a water guardian?”

Seraphina returned to her baking, placing the prepared dough into the oven.

“Because I’m worth it! My butter roll, please.”

“Sit down, away from my sight. It will be done in five minutes.”

“Can you make it three?” Evelyn asked, flapping her lashes repeatedly.

“No.”

Seraphina didn’t even bother looking at her.

“What actually happens to dragons when they eat chocolate and lavender cake?”

Seraphina sprang upright at the question.

“Solid question. Your crush wants to spike his... thingy level.”

Evelyn stared at her as though she had grown two heads.

“What thingy?”

Seraphina slammed her palm into her face.

She squinted at Evelyn as though her expression alone could pass the message without her having to speak.

“I really don’t understand!” Evelyn said calmly.

“Ugh! It increases their sexual drive, makes them last much longer,” Seraphina explained, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening.

“Oh... my god. Dragons are already powerful mythical beings in that aspect! How am I supposed to survive this? I’m just a mermaid!” Evelyn wailed.

“Thank God you know you are just a mermaid! Those legs... oh, how I wish I could take them away from you. You misuse them a whole fucking lot.”

Evelyn rolled her eyes.

“Your rolls are baked. Come take them. Help me count the coins he dropped. Remove only a hundred coins and keep the rest in the bag. I’ll return them alongside the cake.”

Evelyn nodded.

She grabbed the bag from the counter, poured the coins onto the table, and began counting them carefully.

“Hey, Sera, these coins are in excess by eighty-four coins! That’s a lot. And there’s one weird-looking coin... I’m keeping that one.”

Seraphina looked up from behind the counter, her face dusted with flour.

“Hold on, hold on. A weird-looking coin? Let me see it.”

She stepped out from behind the counter, shutting the oven door behind her. She stretched out her hand toward Evelyn.

Evelyn ducked away.

“No way I’m giving you this coin! You’re just going to return it to him!”

“Just let me see it. I can leave it for you if it pleases you that much.”

Evelyn tilted her head, studying Seraphina as though trying to decide whether she was lying.

“Okay.”

She handed the coin over.

Seraphina took a close look.

A full black dragon was drawn on each side, dominating the entire surface of the coin. Right in the middle, a crown and a heart were delicately engraved into the metal.

“Hmm...” Seraphina stroked her chin thoughtfully. “This really seems like an official dragon thingy.”

She slipped the coin into her palm.

“I’m keeping it.”

Evelyn rushed at her.

Seraphina took off running.

Both of them began sprinting around the little bakery, dodging display tables and nearly knocking over a tray of freshly baked rolls.

“I thought you said I could keep it!”

“I never promised you that!”

“You can’t go back on your word! That’s the very first gift my love has given me!”

Seraphina suddenly came to a halt, breathing heavily.

Evelyn followed close behind, trying to stop before she bumped into her.

Crash!

Too late.

They both went sprawling across the floor.

Chairs tumbled everywhere. One landed directly over Seraphina’s face, while another crashed onto Evelyn’s stomach.

A pitcher of water sitting on a nearby table tipped over.

Its contents dumped directly onto Evelyn.

“What the hell...”

Seraphina murmured from beneath the chair, staring in shock.

Evelyn’s human legs were gone.

In their place was a shimmering mermaid tail, fully exposed beneath the fallen chair.

The front door opened.

A tall figure walked in.

His dark eyes scanned the messy room until they found the two women sprawled across the floor.

One had a shimmering tail.

The other had a chair resting on her face.

He blinked slowly.

His expression gave away nothing.

“I made a mistake, actually.”

His eyes moved briefly toward Evelyn’s tail.

“I don’t want a lavender-chocolate cake. Make it a chocolate cake with fresh strawberries instead. The white coating remains the same.”

He turned around and casually walked back out.

The two ladies slowly turned to look at each other.