by Crystal Dawn
They finished eating but now he was more withdrawn. That was alright because she didn’t like to talk all the time. Sometimes, it was nice just to have a companionable silence and relax with another person with you. Most humans disliked that but the people here were different. They didn’t mind it so much.
“That was delicious. Maybe I will show up in your kitchen.” He chuckled which made her laugh too.
“I’d best get back to work. Those in the kitchen will be trying to keep up with the demand.”
“You took care of me that should count for something.” He observed.
“It isn’t enough when I’m in charge.”
He should understand considering his position or at least she thought that way. They were alike in many ways except her kingdom was on a smaller scale. She ruled the kitchen and only had a handful of employees to manage. When she thought of things that way, it was easy to feel bad for Erak. Things were hard for him and she’d not made them any easier. Still, wasn’t she entitled to a choice?
Once she got to the kitchen, everything was crazy as it was lunch time and most of them took lunch at the same time. She filled in wherever she was needed, cooking, making sandwiches, doing dishes, ringing up orders, and finally fixing plates. Everyone in the kitchen worked hard for two hours. Many of the people at the castle took long lunches. It made the busy time stretch out, but made it possible for them to feed everyone.
Her cafeteria was small and it helped that she bought some things already cooked like desserts. Her sister and a few of the ladies that wanted some spending money supplied the extra she needed and she couldn’t get by without it. As soon as the last customer left, they all collapsed in a corner in chairs at the table they used for breaks.
“Gods, that was tough.” Lucia admitted.
“Business has picked up. We’re getting people from town now too.” She admitted.
“If it picks up anymore, how will we handle it?” Lushia asked.
“I may have to cook somethings at night and bring them in with me in the morning.” She observed.
“You already work all the time.”
“True, but more employees will only help if they cook during off times. No one wants to work at night and it’s hard to find someone trustworthy.” She explained.
“You do know this is a big castle and there’s room next door that’s used for storage and empty most of the time?” Lucia asked.
“What?”
“Oh yes. And someone with the king’s ear might get use of that wasted space. Not only could you add to the kitchen, but there’s enough to add to this ridiculously tiny dining area.”
How had she not known about that? Why had Erak not mentioned it? This could change everything once she had the time to remodel. It was hard to imagine a kitchen here that didn’t make cooks bump shoulders or elbows as they worked. Now she knew that was possible. The problem was how to get Erak to agree without getting closer to him or giving something personal or valuable away.
It was as I she had summoned him. He was dressed much like her kitchen help. “Erak? What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see how things go in the kitchen. Never having cooked or cleaned, I don’t really understand what you do in here.” He explained.
The thought of Erak up to his elbows in dough was quite sexy to her. “You want to learn to cook?”
“If you have the patience to teach me.”
“That would be my pleasure. Let’s wash our hands and clean all the way up as far as you can past your elbows.” She cleaned hers next to him at the large sink. “My first rule is to keep clean and wash your hands often. Hair needs to be restrained in some fashion. Even short hair needs to be netted or capped. We always wear a clean apron when we start the day. Our second concern is safety. Work slowly, but steadily. When people rush, they can get hurt.”
Not everyone listened and often she had to repeat herself, but Erak paid close attention to every word she said.
“What do we do now?” Erak asked.
“A good place to start will be working with dough. It’s fun and we can make a large number of dishes with it. Leftover dough can be used for bread or even desserts. I was planning to make pizza soon. You being here makes it ideal.”
They went through the ingredients of the basic pizza crust. Erak seemed to enjoy kneading the dough and fixing it in the pan. It had been a real surprise to have Erak in the kitchen. He was completely different in her domain than he was in his own. Up to his elbows in dough with a dash of flour on the tip of his nose, he was unbelievably sexy. They hadn’t had sex, not yet. The two of them had kissed, even heavy necking, but actual sex hadn’t happened because she was scared that it would mean more here.
They made a lot of huge pizzas most of them meat since dragons were after all predators. Some dough was left over and she made sticks with it. Half were dipped in garlic sauce the other half in sugar with cinnamon.
“I’ll admit that was harder than I expected it to be. You’re telling me that’s an easy dish? It was fun, I’ll admit it.”
“It’s often something mother’s make with their kids when they start teaching them to cook.” She admitted.
“I can’t wait to taste some of it.”
“We can make a salad to eat first. The garlic bread sticks will also be out sooner.”
She showed him how to fix a salad and they each made their own. “This tastes better since I made it myself.” He admitted.
“It’s really good. What you think is the pizza tasting better is the satisfaction of a job well done and a pizza with all your favorite ingredients which may not be the ones someone else might have selected.”
“I think you might be right. All this meat with mushrooms and a bunch of cheese is for a dragon. Anyone else might go for more vegetables.” He admitted.
Customers began to come in but Erak’s help had gotten her ahead. He was so big and strong, lifting the heavy items was a breeze for him. None of her employees were dragons. They were mates that hadn’t changed or other nondragons living in their area filling needed positions. So far everyone was loving the pizza and they were getting slammed with customers. It was because they knew items were only available until they were sold out.
That might not be a problem today because they had made a lot of pizza. Still, dragons ate a lot. She enjoyed her pizza even though it made her think of home. Her baby sister was the thing she missed the most. Thinking about her made her sigh.
“What wrong, Tomi?” Erak asked.
“The pizza makes me think of home.” She admitted.
“Shouldn’t you be happy? It’s one thing less to miss.”
“Have you ever been away from home for long?”
A guarded look came over his face. “Yes, but I was too busy to miss home overly much.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Are you ready for dessert?”
Now Erak looked interested. “Are we talking about food or something else?” His voice was husky and undeniably sexy.
“Food of course.” She tried to act nonchalant, but her face felt hot.
“Now that I’ve worked with you for a day, it’s your turn to work with me and see what a king does.” He demanded in his kingly voice.
“It was only part of a day and I’ll admit you did well. I would be glad to spend part of a day at your job, but I don’t have the helpers you do.”
His mouth started to open and he slammed it shut. “What if I find you some help? Would you come then?”
“Certainly.” She didn’t see any way he would find acceptable help when she hadn’t been able to.
Once they’d eaten their cinnamon sticks, he left and she got back to her work. It seemed like it was never done. Eventually, she was done for the day. She’d cooked up a lot of extra food and put it up and now her back was killing her. Becoming a dragon would ease those aches and pains as well as allow her to lift the heavy pans without a problem, but she refused to consider it just to make her life easier
.
Yes, Erak was gorgeous. He was also smart, sexy, kind, and easy to get along with. When she said things that way, even she wondered what was wrong with her. She slipped out the back way going down the stairs. Hopefully she’d not missed the last bus that went by her house. The walk was doable, but damn she was just so tired.
“Tomi? What are you still doing here?” A voice came to her in the dark. Maybe not so dark for a dragon.
“Garulto? What are you doing here?”
“I work here.” He answered clearly amused. “What are you doing here so late?”
“Missing my bus I’m sure.”
“That’s no problem. I can give you a ride home. Just follow me back to the roof.” He instructed.
“How’s mom doing?”
“Irritated that she never sees you unless she comes here.” He replied.
Glad that he didn’t mention how her mom always ended up helping her, she ignored the comment. “Mom won’t mind you dropping me off, will she?”
“No, she’ll be mad if I don’t.” Garulto admitted.
She didn’t understand their relationship because they were like a young newly married couple. None of her sisters, or she for that matter, resented it. They were all glad their mom had found a second chance at love.
Once on the roof, the soldiers stood straighter as soon as they saw her step-father. “Need help, General?” One of them asked.
“If you don’t mind.” He replied.
As if they would admit it if they did. He changed and they pulled out a step stool to help her reach his back pulling it away when she did. They were in the air in seconds. She had to admit she loved flying although she rarely got the opportunity. Life was a funny thing. Her career was rewarding, but her personal life was confusing.
Eventually, Erak would push her to make a decision one way or the other. She heard whispers often that said he needed a mate. Could she stand to see him in the arms of another? The fact that even the thought of it hurt told her she shouldn’t make him wait much longer. That the thought of spending much of her time with him was a pleasant thought should say enough.
Garulto landed and she slid off his back easily. “Thank you and tell mother I said hi.” He took off into the darkening sky as she hurried into her house.
It was time to get ready for bed and it was sad that sleep was the only activity she had besides work. Soon, maybe she would overcome her fear and make the final decision. It wasn’t like she didn’t already know what it would be.
Chapter 2
Helping Out
It had been fun cooking with his future mate. The food had turned out tastier that ever. Now he wanted her at his work helping him. Admittedly, she had a harder time finding help than he did. He’d have to find the help for her so she could be queen for a day to see how his job was and what he did.
“Jary?”
“Yes, my king?”
“I need some help of an unusual nature.”
“Of course I’ll help if I can.” Jary looked interested.
“You know where I was earlier?”
“In the kitchen, Sire.”
“Yes, I was in the kitchen cooking with my future queen. Now I have a problem.”
“I can’t imagine what problem you might have.” Jary said cautiously.
“I spend half a day or so working with her, but now I want her with me for half a day.”
“How is that a problem?” Jary looked confused.
“She can’t seem to find enough help in her kitchen. The only ones that apply are nondragon folks. Some are good, but she doesn’t have enough helpers to leave for half a day.”
“So you wish me to find her some kitchen help?”
“Yes. I need her to get some help so she can have some spare time. Two people at least because my lady is a hard worker and a good cook.”
“She is indeed a good cook. I often eat lunch there. I will look around and see what I can find.” Jary committed.
“Thank you. I’m aware it is above and beyond, but I know no one else to ask.”
Jary was the best. He would find her some helpers and make his female’s life easier. If the help was permanent, she would have free time to spend with him. This was something he should have done way back when. Now their relationship could move forward as it should have long ago. Tomi was so beautiful, he couldn’t wait for them to mate.
His assistant left to do what he could. There was a knock on the door.
“My king.”
“Garulto. Come in and shut the door.”
“There is more word of concerning activity.” His general said once the door was closed.
“Where?” He asked.
“In the areas we barely patrol. I suggest we start using the females that wish to go on patrol. They are a large resource we can no longer ignore.” Garulto admitted.
“What if they are hurt?”
“It’s possible, but we’ve had few guards injured and we can send them to the safer places leaving male guards available for the more dangerous ones.”
“What if they complain that they’re being babied?”
“They will be trainees. Of course they’ll have easier routes than experienced guards.” He pointed out.
“You’ve thought this through well.”
“I have. My concern is high since we’ve had some indication of traitorous activities. We need to get on it right away.” Garulto insisted.
He sighed heavily. Making these tough decisions was what a king did. Even though they still didn’t have an equal number of males and females, there was hope someday they might get there. Not only did Earth have plenty of females, but it looked like there might be females that converted to dragon and female babies from those matings.
None of this was something he or most of his kind understood, they just accepted that it was so. They also accepted that their females needed to be safeguarded. That was why this decision was such a hard one. Females on patrol were at risk no matter where they went. Some areas had less risk and while it was where they would go, they still might be harmed.
The castle was the safest place to patrol, but also the one that needed the best security. None of the females had experience so they couldn’t patrol here. It was a headache and one of the unpopular decisions he would have to make.
“Begin training some females and we’ll see how they do.”
“Yes, Sire.” Garulto replied before he bowed and left.
Part of the problem was their territory, not just on this world but others exceeded what they had personnel to cover. Dori’s prison program had helped them provide for needed services that weren’t being covered appropriately, but now they needed soldiers. Maybe Garulto should discuss it with his mate. Aw, hell. Maybe he had and that was where the suggestion to use more females had come from.
He didn’t mind females working, really he didn’t. At least not if they wanted to. But he didn’t want them in dangerous jobs where they could be hurt. Patrolling was dangerous especially in the distant areas. In those places he hated having anyone, male or female patrol. It wasn’t just the rebels, there were also wild animals some of which ran in packs. Even dragons could be taken down under certain circumstances.
It was getting late, but how could he rest with so much on his mind? He hoped Tomi was safe at home getting some rest. Most of his guards were home except for the few that guarded the castle at night. It was quiet now with an occasional footstep echoing in the hall. Too tired to make any big decisions, he needed to get to his rooms where he could rest.
Maybe someday in the near future he’d be excited about coming to his rooms to see his mate. His mind was on Tomi as he wandered down the hall going in the right direction through habit. Slipping into his room, he unbuttoned his shirt letting it slide off his shoulders. Bending over, his boots had to be untied and loosened so they could be jerked off. He stretched his toes in relief.
His pants and underwear slid off easily and he left them laying in a pile as he made his w
ay to his bathroom. A quick shower and he was ready to settle down for the night. Tomorrow was a new day with better solutions headed his way, he hoped.
Getting up early, he hurried to bathroom to throw some water on his face to wake him up so he’d be ready for his day. It seemed he and his staff were always busy regardless of his plans. At least the food was good for breakfast. It was always good now that he used the cafeteria because it served all three meals, for him at least. How his female managed, he wasn’t really sure. She was his female, even if she argued it.
Tomi was everything to him even if she didn’t realize it yet. He dreamed of her every night and thought of her all day long. No other would ever do, even though several others tried to get his interest. Because of good manners, he couldn’t ignore them, but he was coolly polite. How they thought that reflected his interest, he couldn’t say. If his mate would just give in, the others would go away.
Now that breakfast was done, he sat on his throne. He’d never been a formal guy, his dad had hated the formality of the throne too, but he’d loved the battle too much. That’s where he’d died and his mother had followed not long after. Dragons could live long lives, but they could die of wounds at any age. The kingdom had mourned them, but none so much as he, their son. Forced to take the throne far too soon and an orphan although he was fully grown. Thinking of them always brought a tear to his eyes.
“Your highness?”
“Jary, come in. Tell me you have good news?”
Jary grinned. “I do have good news. I found an older widow looking for a job and a teenager. They are related and will work well together. Both are splendid cooks and can do many dishes we’ve not been getting.”
“How will you handle this?”
“I simply sent them to your lady. She’s been looking for cooks and having the worst luck. I believe it will all work out.” Jary observed.
He practically rubbed his hands as he hoped his plan would come together. A taste of the job a queen did might give her some insight into what he did every day. Not that he wanted to scare her off, somehow he felt she’d be good at it. It was clear from the job she did in the kitchen that she was a leader.