Read Bound to the Dragon King for Free Online

was.” I take the clothes from her gratefully.
    “You can use my shower.” She points at the wooden door at the end of the hallway. “Georgia wants to talk downstairs as soon as you’re ready.” She smiles a little worriedly at me but thankfully doesn’t ask any questions.
    “Thanks Ruby,” I say trying not to make eye contact. I’m not sure I can keep it together and I don’t want to start crying again.
    The shower feels amazing. The hot water makes my skin turn pink and I breathe in a lung full of steam. Dirt swirls around my toes and down the drain. I wish the whole day could get washed away too. Thinking of Asher again makes my heart ache with longing. How could I run away from the one I love so easily? I wonder how he feels about me now.
    I grab a bottle of something pink and shimmery, hoping for a hair potion. I open the top and find the shower filled with pink bubbles in the shape of different types of flowers. Popping a translucent blossom releases the smell of the flower itself. I giggle and pop more of them, delighting in the scent of roses, geraniums, lilies, and jasmine. Grabbing the next bottle I notice that they are actually labeled. Stupid me, of course they are. Any witch worth her wand labels the potions she makes. The one in my hand is some sort of exfoliant. I put it back and find the hair potion. The spell tingles pleasantly against my scalp. I hear the sound of music wafting from somewhere in the house, reminding me that Georgia and Ruby are waiting for me.
    I hurriedly finish up my shower and dry off with a warm fluffy towel. Ruby’s clothes fit me a little more snugly than I normally wear. I take a quick peak at myself in the mirror and I’m surprised at what I find. My typically frizzy red hair is soft and wavy and my skin glows with warmth instead of the pale sickly look I normally see when I look in the mirror. The clothes are snug but they accentuate parts of me that I usually try to cover up. I wonder what Ash would say if he could see me now? He probably wouldn’t say anything and I’m guessing we’d be rolling around in a pile of gold or sand somewhere.
    A spicy aroma pulls me through the halls towards the kitchen. Dried herbs hang from the ceiling, casting shadows onto the beautiful wood floors. The house is a true reflection of its owner. It’s cozy and lovingly lived in. A wall of jars filled with all kinds of oddities for potions and spells draws my attention. Georgia has everything from rose petals to crushed hens beak. A cauldron sits in the hearth waiting to be filled. They always told us that a witch’s heart is in her kitchen, but I never believed it until now.
    “Would you like some tea Melinda?” Georgia asks, coming out of a small door with a handful of jars and packets. I steal a glance into a well-stocked pantry before she closes it behind her. The kettle whistles loudly and she bustles over to turn off the heat.
    “Sure,” I reply. “Can I help you?”
    “Of course dear,” she says and hands me a couple of jars filled with dried leaves. “It’s better that way. Do you know how to mix a potion?”
    “I thought we were just making tea,” I mumble tentatively.
    “Ah, well a finely brewed tea can itself be a potion if you mix it properly.” She smirks at me before continuing. “I have no doubt that you have some gaps in your education. Ruby was pretty far behind when she came to live with me. Not your fault of course. Once you realized that you couldn’t perform the basics of witchcraft, everything else likely fell behind as well. ” She hands me a pinch of a black powder. “Throw it in the kettle now, make sure you get it all in.”
    I watch her add bits and pinches of all the jars she brought out of the pantry. She hands me the last jar. “Now the hard part is adding this last one at just the right moment.” I open the jar and look inside at the white flowers within. “Crystallized yarrow,” she says. “Pull off one of those petals and throw it