Becoming a Goddess (The Dragon God’s Wife Book 1)

Gods and monsters, and everything in between. And in the middle of that mess stood a handsome immortal. He opened his arms to me and his smile warmed my heart. A whispered word floated from his elegant lips.

“Anna.”

I blushed. He was calling my name.

“Anna? Anna!”

My head snapped backward and my imagination-clouded eyes cleared. The dingy room came back into focus and I found myself seated in my office chair. My desk and I were stuffed into a small dreary cubicle of grays and off-whites. The only benefit was the location. I was too far from the boss’ prying eyes to catch his attention.

However, I did have the attention of one very irritated coworker. She sported a long brown ponytail and a very deep frown on her face. “Snap out of it, Anna!” she hissed at me. “Even the boss makes the rounds now and then, and you know how the squealer is.”

I sighed. I knew only too well as I partially turned my chair to look at the generic company calendar that was pinned to the gray wall. “I know. That seminar on worker responsibilities is tomorrow.”

My coworker put her elbows on my desk and lay her hands in her cupped palms. She studied the calendar and wrinkled her nose. “That’s just not fair. They shouldn’t be able to make you work on a Saturday.”

“It’s either that or I have to take it after work and that won’t fit into my schedule,” I pointed out. “Besides, they are paying me for it.”

“Well, how about you have fun tonight to make up for tomorrow?” she suggested as she tugged on my sleeve. “We could go to that new club and meet some cute guys.”

“I’m busy.”

She rolled her eyes. “Come on, just skip it this once, okay? I mean, you go there every Friday. Couldn’t they give you one night off?”

I smiled at her and shook my head. “I couldn’t do that to them, especially after I promised I’d be there today.”

She sighed and dropped her hand. “It’s really that important that you cook and clean for them?”

I shrugged. “It makes me feel like I’m giving back. I was raised there, after all.”

My friend set a hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. “One day you’re going to make some guy very happy.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Probably not anytime soon unless an unmarried man comes to adopt someone.”

“Fat chance of that,” my coworker mused as she straightened. She still gripped my shoulder and some of her humor faded. “Alright, I give you permission to abandon me to the wilds of stag dating, but you have to promise me you won’t go through that creepy place.”

I cocked my head to one side to look at her. “It’s not creepy. It’s just an empty lot.”

“Yeah, but there’s something creepy about a lot that’s never had anything on it,” she countered. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “The rest of that area has buildings except that. It’s just not right.”

“What are you doing over there?” a voice shouted.

My friend’s face turned white. “Gotta go. And remember your promise!” She scooted away to the wilds of the cubicle jungle.

“It’s just a lot. . .” I murmured as I returned to my work. A long strand of hair tickled my nose and I brushed it out of my face. “Gotta get it cut. . .” I muttered as I studied my reflection on the screen of my computer.

A young woman with neck-length mousy brown hair stared back at me with equally mousy brown eyes. My face with thin but not narrow and the rest of me was built pretty much the same. And I was short. Frustratingly short. I was five foot three at best, and those were on my good days. I slouched on my bad days.

“Not exactly marriage material. . .” I murmured.

“Why are you talking, Miss Roberts?” The sharp voice startled me and I whipped my head up. The sharp face of my supervisor glared at me from the opening of my cubicle. “Do you have that report done that I asked you for yesterday?”

I managed a tense smile. “Not yet. I’m just working on it.”

She scoffed. “That isn’t what I saw. If you know what’s good for you you’ll focus on your work and leave the fraternizing for the weekends.”

I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from spitting out what I truly wanted to say. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“See that you do,” she snapped as she lifted her nose and looked down her beak at me. “And I expect it on my desk before you leave.”

I didn’t look up from my computer screen. “Of course. I’ll definitely have it done before I leave.”

She strolled off to harass one of my coworkers. I settled my fingers atop the keys and sighed. “Where’s that Prince Charming when I need him?”

I shook off those thoughts. No sense in wishing for a dream to come true. I had to make things happen. That’s how the world worked.

I got back to work but my daydreaming meant I was late getting in the report. By the time I stepped out night had begun to fall. The shadows stretched long and deep over everything as I wrapped my scarf tightly around my neck and began my journey through the concrete wilderness. The streets were busy with traffic and pedestrians as everyone tried their best to beat everyone home or to the bars.

I turned off the well-worn paths and into the back residential areas. These had seen better days, what with their crumbling facades of brick and mortar. Only the imperiousness of their four floors gave a hint of their lost grandeur. Many of the windows were broken and replaced by the ever-economical plywood while others were completely neglected, allowing vagrants the opportunity for a nice free rest.

My steps took me past a rusted chainlink fence, and through the diamond designs, I glimpsed the empty lot of my friend’s warning. I slowed to a stop and stared at the abandoned property, forgotten by everyone, even the litterbugs. There were no cots or blankets strewn about the place, and what trash tried to get inside was blocked by the tall fence. A loose spot in the far corner of the fence ahead of where I stood tempted me. That was my usual entrance inside when I dared take the shortcut. It saved me two whole blocks of walking.

My friend’s pleading words echoed in my head. I sighed and continued onward past the loose links. In my distraction, I didn’t see the faint white light that emanated from beneath the ground.

My footsteps took me down that long block and to my destination. The journey’s end was a square building some three floors high and a hundred feet wide. A tall stoop denoted its origins as coming from the late nineteenth century when the fog of industry blanketed much of the city. The windows were old but clean and the bricks chipped but washed. Even the stoop had been swept of leaves and picked clean of trash. A single word had been built into the bricks above the door: Orphanage.

Many of the lights were on as I walked up those worn steps. I paused at the top and half-turned to look at the street. All was quiet and empty. Nobody would be coming today.

The front door burst open and a half dozen small bodies threw themselves at me. I didn’t stand a chance as they latched onto me, tugging my person in every direction. They were children and ranged in age from three to six. Their faces were clean but their hand-me-down clothes were patched in several places.

“You’re here! You’re here!” several of them crowed.

“What took you so long, Anna?” another scolded me.

I laughed and grasped two of the hands that so lovingly held me. “I’m not that late.”

“Miss Wynn has been looking out the window for you to come for a really, really, really long time!” another chimed in.

“Not too long,” a kindly voice spoke up and a woman just shy of fifty stepped out onto the stoop. She wore a plain blouse and faded jeans, and her graying hair was tucked into a tight bun behind her head. “Now all of you inside and don’t drag poor Anna with you.”

“We were only trying to help her inside,” one of the children moped as she shuffled past Miss Wynn.

Miss Wynn laughed and patted her on the head. “I’m sure she can handle the door herself but she’d be glad to have you greet her any time.” The girl’s face brightened and she nodded before disappearing inside. Miss Wynn turned her attention to me and clasped her hands in front of her. “Thank you for coming. They do really appreciate it.”

I grinned as she led me inside. “It’s no problem and I’m sure they’ll show their appreciation when they eat all my brownies before bedtime.”

“Brownies!” The cry came from every nook and cranny of the small foyer. Children rushed out of the woodwork, sprinting out of the wings and down the stairs.

“Easy! No running or you won’t get any brownies!” Miss Wynn warned them.

“You know what to do, troops!” I shouted. The kids scuttled into a line in front of me and gave me crooked but sincere salutes. I walked up and down the line inspecting them. “Dirty hands, dirty face, clean, clean-” I stopped in front of a short boy of five who bowed his head and crossed my arms over my chest. “Jasper, what are you hiding?”

Jasper lifted his face and revealed a large cut on his cheek. “The cat got me.”

I knelt on one knee so we were at eye level. “Did you pull the cat’s tail again?” He bobbed his head. “You know he doesn’t like that.”

“But I was just trying to catch him to brush him,” he whimpered.

I set a hand on his head and ruffled his hair. “The cat doesn’t understand that. That’s why you have to be gentle. Now how about some brownies?”

“Yeah!” the kids shouted.

“After you all clean up,” I added as I stood. Those with dirty digits and faces scurried off to obey.

Miss Wynn smiled at me. “I’ll leave you to it then. Good luck.”

I laughed. “I’ll need as much as I can get.”