The Dragons' Bathhouse: A Reverse Harem Enemies-to-Lovers Soulmate Romance

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Disclaimer: This is a published book already on Amazon under my name. This book will stay online unless I get flagged for copyright.  <3 You can read the full story on Patreon/Amazon patreon.com/tinyeyecat

Warning!

This book is intended for adults only. There are parts of this story which contain scenes of explicit content that may make some readers uncomfortable. My characters are mature adults above the age of 21 and this book should not be interpreted as the author's advocation for (somewhat) non-consensual sexual activity. 

THERE ARE PARTS OF THIS STORY THAT IN OTHER SCENARIOS AND WITH OTHER PEOPLE COULD BE SEEN AS SEXUAL HARASSMENT. CONSENT IS KEY! 

Eden

Eden was late.

She didn't mean to oversleep or let the dust of a dream spirit carry her into la-la land. But despite the cries of the roosters at dawn, and the screams of a chimaera at midday, she'd only woken up when the sky had darkened; the light in her shared living space had flickered on; and the overhead lamp flashed her with a beam of hot, sweltering yellow light. She rose to beads of sweat dripping down her neck. Her eyes cloudy with sleep, and her mind fresh with a dream of the Sahara Desert.

The desert of all damn things.

Golden sand; camels sleepily padding across the horizon; huge prickly cactuses in the middle of hills of gold; and the blinding sun that burned her skin with its unrestrained brutality. It was fitting that she had woken up to the sight of that same shade of yellow. She ran to the washroom, desperate to escape the warm soup that made up the air of the shared room; sweat drenching her hair and soaking her pyjamas.

Goddamn it, she cursed vehemently in her head.

Usually, the cold tiled floor of the bathroom made her wince and grumble about the lack of heating. Why did she have to sit her bare ass on those damn rings of ice? She would complain as she peed, a foul expression on her face. But this time it had been a relief to let the coolness slip into her bones.

And then Eden got too cold, and she scampered out of the toilet, shivering as she went, only to stop on seeing the time. The clock stared back at her ominously, its hands moving slowly. She had blinked, then blinked again, rubbing her eyes as she wondered what was wrong with her.

Was that the minute hand or the second hand? Did one read the numbers behind the hands or before the hands? She snorted, pinching herself. It couldn't be 6:30 PM. Right? It should be 5 PM. Or at least, 5:30 PM. Eden rubbed her eyes one more time, then she stared at the clock.

She was late for work.

Goddamn it, Eden! She had screamed to herself in her mind as she raced to change. Eden fumbled with the sash, sliding it around her arms to secure the thick fabric in place. She didn't like her uniform. A pure white robe with yellow ginkgo leaf prints and thick, billowy sleeves.

It was beautifully made with well-detailed embroidery, as expected of the spider spirits. Eden had been impressed by how realistic the leaves looked when she had first received the uniform. They looked so real that she swore they would drift out of the robe and onto the floor.

Sure, it was pretty, and it made the staff look extra professional in the traditional outfits. And Eden didn't look half as bad herself. The fabric clung to her waist and gave the false impression that she had a perfect hourglass figure, emphasizing on her curves in all the right ways. Plus, it came with a set of pants that they could wear beneath the stretchy tapered skirt.

Who didn't like dresses that included magical build in pants?

It would have been great as a dress one wore to a fancy restaurant with one's boyfriend. Or maybe a daily outfit for ladies that sat prettily in their teahouses and drank out of dainty little glass cups. It was nice because even when the skirt rode up her thighs, shifty eyes could not catch a glimpse of her underwear because of the pants.