EPISODE 40

Baking cookies was an interesting process. Well, it was a straightforward process for me. The ovens preheated themselves to the correct temperature, and all I needed to do was place the cookies on a baking sheet. Then, of course, put them in the oven.

I pulled the peanut butter cookies out, along with some of the chocolate chip, and decided I'd bake two batches. The first came out perfectly and I set the pan on the island carefully, so as not to burn myself. Indigo crawled across the pan without a problem. The cookie dough had gotten her out of her hot mug of water. I couldn't wait to show her the bathtub, though I wondered if I could get it hot enough for her. Maybe we could get a hot tub on the roof. One of those that used salt water... I'd need to ask the cat about that later.

I slid the second pan into the oven, this time peanut butter, and the oven door snapped shut once my hands were free.

"These need to cool a second," I said, looking at the chocolate chip cookies. Yet, Indigo was gone from the pan. The cookie she had poked had one side of it that was pushed in, but she wasn't there. "Indigo? Where are you?" I didn't see her on the island or any of the countertops, so I headed toward the front of the store.

The hair on the back of my neck rose, and I stepped back into the kitchen. I had the feeling I shouldn't go that way, but I didn't know why. Shaking my head, I moved back toward the oven to peek at the cookies through the glass.

Green eyes locked with mine from inside the oven as I turned on the light. "Indigo!" I yanked on the door and she kept sitting there on the center of the pan, watching a peanut butter cookie get baked. "You shouldn't be in the oven..."

I didn't want to pull the pan out and knock her into one of the baking cookies, and she didn't look distressed. "Are you okay?"

Indigo chirped twice.

I shut the door and watched the timer on the front of the stone. My anxiety rose, but I tried to ignore it. She was a dragon, an oven at 350 shouldn't do anything to her. I let out a sigh, there was no way the bathtub could be hot enough for her.

Finally, the timer dinged, and I used an oven mitt to pull the pan out. It was heavier with her on it, but not so bad I couldn’t handle it. She only weighed little. She chirped several times, but I didn't have a clue what she was saying.

"I hope you had a good time watching them bake, but you worried me. I couldn't find you." She chirped once, a long note, and I took that as an apology. "It's okay, I need to remember you’re different from me. I wouldn't be safe in the oven like you were."

Indigo tilted her head, looking at her claws, then at me, before nodding. She glanced at the chocolate chip cookies.

"Those are ready to eat now."

Before my sentence was complete, she scrambled across the counter toward the cookie she had pushed out of shape before.

I giggled and grabbed one from the pan. Slightly crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. They were perfect. I finished the cookie in two more bites, then grabbed one of the peanut butter. They were better than perfect. I hummed in pleasure as Indigo made a sound I hadn't heard before. She glared at the peanut butter cookie she had taken a bite out of, then looked at the one in my hand like it was evil.

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"You don't like peanut butter?" I asked.

Her single chirp was telling.

"That's okay, more for me, though we shouldn't get stuffed on cookies. It isn't even lunchtime yet." My eyes flickered to the front of the store, and that feeling from before returned. The cat was up to something, and whatever it was, I didn't want any part of it.

#

The fake John had changed shape over the course of the last twenty-four hours. He no longer looked like the delivery guy. Instead, he had scales covering his body under the human clothes he wore, along with talons on his hands. No tail, but bright red eyes that focused on the book in the distance. His claws dug into the wall as he tried to get to the book.

I wasn’t stupid enough to have it be the actual book. It only felt like it. Even so, it was confirmation. The demon wanted the book.

They shouldn't even know it existed. The Bookseller always kept moving, ever since he’d left my home. He never stayed in one place long, and no one could feel it outside his basket. Yet, they knew it was here, and for the second time in my memory, I was worried about someone else. I needed to reach out to the Bookseller and see if he was okay.

The frigid book was being drained of energy as time went on, but the process was slow and the book had a lot of power. At this rate, it would take hundreds of years, if not longer. I needed to speed up the consumption of the book and the creature imprisoned inside. To do that, I had to speak to Sable.

The image of the book vanished along with its sense of presence.

The demon roared before he tumbled over, encased in stone. He would be consumed first, and much more quickly.

#

I don't know how he did it, but I squealed with joy. Sitting in the rooftop garden was a wooden hot tub. It seemed like cedar and had several new plants situated around it. I set the book and drink down by the edge and dashed back toward my room to put on a bathing suit. Indigo clutched to my shoulder in panic as I took off.

"You are going to have so much fun!" I said, setting her on the top of her cat tree. "That was full of nice, hot water."

She chirped in reply.

"Not like the oven, or the mug, but warm for me, and you'll have plenty of room to swim around." I paused, looking at the dragon. "What are your thoughts on audiobooks?" This afternoon was going to be amazing.

By the time we made it back out to the steaming hot tub, I had downloaded several books onto my phone to play while we soaked. I slowly slid into the water, moaning as the heat soaked into my muscles. This was heaven. Indigo stayed on my shoulder, staring at the amount of water like it would bite.

I sat down in one corner and held up my hand, which she climbed onto. Then, I slowly lowered her into the water. Hopefully she could swim, since I wasn't sure how to teach the little one how to do that. Maybe I could show her videos of a dog swimming. It turned out my worries were misplaced as she bobbled on top and then started paddling with her paws. Her wings stayed close to her body, and her tail steered. It only took a few minutes before she was zooming around the giant tub without fear.

"I told you so..."

She chirped back twice.

I chuckled as I dried my hand before hitting play on the first book. It was a children's tale about a magical cupboard and traveling to a magical land. As soon as the voice started talking, Indigo's head rose and she glanced around for the source.

"It's an audiobook, it’s reading the book to both of us."

Happy chirps came from the dragon, who flipped over on her back and floated on top of the water.

It was then that I noticed the cat jump up on the ledge, watching us with amusement.