The Alpha And The Baker

“Uh, that certainly wasn’t an orthodox way for our competition to go,” the announcer said in a rough voice. “But let’s finish it off strong. Would the judges like to announce their winner?” “Oh, I got this! I got this!” It was the one male judge who replied enthusiastically, bounding away from the paramedics to…

As for me, I calmly began to put together the batter. Already I could see the fairies doing incredibly complex things. One looked like they were making a choux batter, one was making a sugar sculpture with magic and a heated pipe like she was blowing molten glass, and yet another had several bowls floating…

And unlike the other judges, I didn’t limit myself to one bite, and neither did the fairies. It seemed like their appetite for power and money were second only to their appetite for sweets. No wonder they were so good at making them if they liked them so much. All in all, it took nearly…

“I will, I just-” He started coughing, and a different fairy knelt next to the kid and waved their hand over the kid’s face. “Sleep, young one. Dream of happy things and pleasant memories.” The kid’s eyelids stopped fluttering, but almost as soon as he did, another groan sounded from the bleachers. And then a…

When I reached my kitchenette, I put a little more hurry into my movements, no longer having to appear so incredibly calm and collected. Part of me was still in shock that my plan had actually worked out. I’d known from the beginning I could be risking my life off secondhand information, but even if…

The woman’s smirk fell, and I was beginning to wonder if they were finally thinking of me as a threat or just a human who was in way over her head. Either was fine with me, but the second one would certainly serve me better. “Very well. Read all you please as we begin preparations.”…

I was immediately relieved at how quickly Sal agreed. He could have argued or tried to find a way to save his own skin, but no, it seemed like he was just as dedicated to protecting his own people as I was to time. “Castiel, you can’t do this,” Aunt Letitia objected. “It’s a bake-off.…

Did… did she plan this? “So,” she continued, head held high. “Like I said, I challenge you. All of you.” Holy shit!c3DM Felicia One Hell of a Throw Down I was terrified on the inside, but I refused to let any of that come to the surface as I stared down the strange group of…

“That’s simple, we, the contestants will judge. I’m sure that I can trust your word to be completely impartial.” “Of course. We fairies do not need to rely on trickery to win.” Historically, that was very false, but I wasn’t about to call them out to their face. “We accept your terms.” “Fantastic,” I said,…

“And the winner of the custard round is team nine with their truly incredible flan!” Shit. Not surprising, but still a punch to the gut. We now only had a one-round lead, and it was time for cakes. “What if my sweet cream has curdled?” Auntie Letitia muttered as she wrung her hands beside me.…