#13 The Dragon King and his Werewolf Princess
Chapter 17 River

I was 18-years-old. An 18-year-old innocent little flower whose only corruption came from her two older brothers who, let’s face it, weren’t that corrupt either considering they were saving themselves for their mates. I was innocent.

And yet, the look that man gave me when I had syrup on my lip was enough to make me want to get naked and lay on top of him right here in this kitchen. It was unfathomable and I needed to get a grip. Lavender needed to get a grip and quit whispering dirty thoughts into my mind.

Lavender was not innocent. She had lived a lot of different lives before me and she knew exactly what she was missing out on by me refusing to mate.

“River?”

Sweet, Mary, Mother of…..it should be illegal to say my name like that.

“Hm?” I glanced up at him, carefully guarding my expression.

“Are you okay?” He asked as he cleaned up the dishes.

“Oh, yeah.” I cringed as my voice cracked.

Calix raised an eyebrow at me and smirked, his devilish lips turning up into a crooked smile. His face didn’t do it often, but when it did….have mercy.

“You can make me waffles next time.” He teased.

“Maybe you can teach me how to make pancakes next.” I said and he chuckled,

“I don’t know if you’re ready for that. Pancakes involve a spatula.” He said,

“What’s a spatula?” I asked and his eyes went wide, “I’m kidding!” I burst into laughter at his face.

“Phew, good.” He released a sigh of relief and laughed with me.

“I don’t know if I’m going to be hungry for Chef Heidi’s breakfast, now.” I said, making conversation.

“Oh, speaking of that, I wanted to ask, how was dinner last night?” He asked, pausing as he cleaned off the plates in the sink.

“It was good, really good, actually,” I said, thinking back to the delicious bounty of food delivered to my room last night, “I felt bad that I couldn’t eat it all.”

“Don’t worry, nothing gets wasted here. What doesn’t get consumed goes to the orphanage in the Royal City,” Calix explained, “And we make extra food fresh for them, too.”

“There’s an orphanage? Are there that many homeless children?” I asked, my eyes pinching together in concern.

“No, there aren’t many. It’s a small house, no more than a dozen children. But, it only takes one accident to orphan a child, one parent dies and so does the other. That’s the way the matebond works for us.” Calix said, going back to his work.

He rinsed off the soapy dishes and sat them on a towel to dry.

“How come you don’t just use the dishwasher?” I asked absentmindedly.

“I am washing the dishes.” Calix said, looking at me like I was blind.

I pinched my eyes together, standing up and walking around the kitchen. I saw the oven, stove, coffee maker, and a microwave.

“Wait, do you not have dishwashers?”

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“I’m starting to think that, that word means something different to you….” Calix said with a weird look.

“It’s a machine that washes dishes for you.” I explained, laughing at his clueless face.

“Oh, that sounds….”

“Helpful?” I offered.

“Lazy.” He replied.

“Oh, well, yes, it’s that, too.” I shrugged.

“What’s going on in here?” A deep voice said, making me jump out of my skin.

I spun around and shrank away at the figure before me. I recognized him as Magnor, the High Captain. Calix looked at me strangely, walking away from the sink to move a little closer to me.

“Are you okay?” He asked me gently.

I looked around him and at the younger version of Calix. I knew he was probably not that much younger and was still likely decades older than me, but he still looked like a baby compared to Calix with his soft features and big doe eyes.

“Fine.” I mumbled.

Calix looked between Magnor and I.

“Did he do something?” Calix’s voice turned deadly as he turned his glare on Magnor.

“Woah, I didn’t do anything.” Magnor shook his head quickly, holding his hands up in surrender.

“River?” Calix said my name sternly.

“I’m fine. I’m going to take a shower.” I snapped, keeping my eyes on the floor as I stormed past Calix and Magnor.

I practically ran out of the kitchen and down the hall, hoping and praying that I didn’t see anyone on the way to my guest room. I slammed the door shut and leaned against it, breathing heavily.

Magnor was the only face I recognized from the Tower, I hadn’t seen any of the other guards who held me captive. Calix was down there once, but that was to let me go. I still didn’t trust him, but something about Magnor’s face triggered me.

I dove into the bathroom and cranked up the hot water. I arranged the new soap and shampoo I got from the market and stepped inside the tiled shower. It had a rainfall shower head coming from the center of the ceiling along with another shower head coming out of the front wall. The doors were made of glass, the walls a white subway tile, and the floor a sparkly blue tile.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back as I bathed in the warm water. I was lost in the sound of the shower when I heard the door to the bathroom open. Opening my eyes, I screamed and jumped backwards at the presence of someone else in the bathroom with me.

“Woah, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s just me. It’s just Vix.” Vix spoke quickly, trying to calm me down.

“What are you doing here?” I yelled, attempting to cover myself.

“Cal was worried about you, he wanted me to check to make sure that you were okay. When you didn’t answer the door, I got worried.” Vix didn’t so much as bat an eye at my nakedness.

“Could you….” I made a twirling motion with my hand and Vix laughed before turning around, “I’m fine.”

“Cal and Mag don’t seem to think so. Mag thinks you’re afraid of him and Cal is ready to kill him for whatever he did to make you afraid of him.” Vix said with her back to me.

I released a heavy sigh.

“Did Mag do something, River?” Vix asked in a serious voice.

“No, not really. It’s just….I relate him to being in that cell. He was down there when I was, he told me that the King was coming. When Calix showed up, he took me away, so I’m not triggered by him, but Magnor ... .I can’t explain it.” I mumbled.

“Oh, Goddess, River. I didn’t even think about that. I’m so sorry,” Vix sounded sad, “Can I at least tell Calix something so he doesn’t kill Mag? And Mag so he doesn’t kill himself thinking you’re afraid of him?”

“Yes, you can tell them everything. It’s silly really, that’s why I didn’t say anything in the kitchen.” I whispered.

“It’s not silly, it’s completely understandable, River. What you went through…..it’s unimaginable and it should never have happened,” Vix said sympathetically, “But, if I may say, Mag was only following Cal’s orders. If you want to be pissed at anyone, be pissed at him.”

I couldn’t help but snort in response.

“You’re telling me to be pissed at my mate and your King?” I asked humorlessly.

I saw Vix’s shoulders go up and down.

“At least be pissed at the right person. You two have a lot of shit to work through, so mindswell start now and with this,” Vix said, “Oh, and Grier is standing outside you bedroom door and refusing to ever leave your side again becuase, and I quote, ‘when I do, everyone else fucks it up and makes her cry’.”

With that, Vix left the bathroom.

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