Dragon Battling (Torch Lake Shifters Book 10) Read online

  Dragon Battling

  Torch Lake Shifters, Book 10

  By Sloane Meyers

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Similarities to actual people or events are entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 by Sloane Meyers. All rights reserved.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Thank You For Reading!

  More Books by Sloane Meyers

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  On the outside, Vicki Newson appeared perfectly calm. But on the inside, she was becoming a full blown tornado. She tapped her foot impatiently as the man in her flower shop looked over the bouquets at the front of the store for at least the dozenth time. He asked her a constant stream of questions about which arrangement she thought would be most likely to make his girlfriend accept his apology for the fact that he’d lied to her. Vicki tried to smile and be helpful. This was her business, after all, and her job was to make her customers happy. But she didn’t like liars, and she also didn’t like people who came in two minutes before closing time and then spent thirty minutes trying to pick the right damn flowers.

  Vicki glanced up at the television on the wall, which was playing the local afternoon newscast from Torch Lake Today. She watched this show every afternoon when her shop closed at five, which was perfect timing since the newscast started at five. She had turned the volume down now out of respect for her customer, but she was about to turn it back up in hopes he’d get the hint.

  Vicki frowned, slightly ashamed of her poor attitude. There had been a time when she would have gladly kept the shop open late to help a customer. Times hadn’t been easy when she first started building this shop. Everyone had still been recovering from the war, and luxuries like fresh flowers hadn’t been on most people’s radars. After a while, though, life had settled back into a normal routine, as it always did. Vicki’s little business had grown and grown until it was the most popular little flower shop in Torch Lake.

  And now she found that she didn’t enjoy it quite as much as she thought she would. She loved the flowers, yes. And she considered arranging her precious blooms into bouquets to be an art form of sorts. But she had grown weary of the dating scene in Torch Lake—the scene she herself never took part in, but that all of her clients were obsessed with. The man in her store wasn’t exactly an outlier. There were always guys in here thinking that the right bouquet would cover over a multitude of asshole moves on their part. Or that a woman who clearly wasn’t interested in them could be won over by a dozen roses.

  She wanted to scream at all of them that flowers weren’t a substitute for being a decent human being to your partner, or that flowers should be a beautiful accent in a relationship, not a cheesy tool to make a girl fall head over heels for you.

  Vicki would never say any of this, of course. She knew many girls appreciated the “cheesy tools” her bouquets served as. And what had she expected when she opened a flower shop?

  More than this, she thought as the man once again began asking her whether the deluxe farmhouse bouquet or the supreme city blooms better served his purposes. She answered him on autopilot, since he’d already asked the same question twice.

  What she would really love to do was special events flowers for weddings and the big wizard banquets. But that was a hard market to break into, and even though her shop was popular, another shop across town had beaten her to the special events market when the city of Torch Lake was first getting started. The guy who owned the shop was even more of an asshole than the guys who came into Vicki’s shop to try to cover up cheating with a bouquet, but it didn’t matter. The other shop owner was good at what he did, and knew how to pretend to his clients that he was the charming sort of man they wanted in charge of their big events. Vicki frowned. Maybe she needed to work on her charm a little. She was nice enough, sure, but no one had ever accused her of being charming.

  Just be grateful for what you have. At least you get to spend the whole day making bouquets, even if you do have to deal with the city’s sleaze balls now and then.

  The man finally settled on the deluxe farmhouse bouquet, and Vicki breathed a silent sigh of relief. She was going to close up shop and go to the Winking Wizard. She needed a pint, and she needed to drink it somewhere unpretentious. Her favorite laidback bar was calling to her.

  The man paid and left, seeming to be in a hurry now that he had chosen his flowers. Vicki locked the door behind him and flipped the sign in the front window to “Closed.”

  “Finally,” she said aloud to the empty shop. She turned the volume on the television up and then went to her cash register to begin closing out for the day. The shop had been relatively quiet today, so she should be able to finish up here quickly. She could already taste the Charmed Star ale she was planning to order when she got to the Winking Wizard. That thought lifted her spirits, and she began to whistle as she half listened to the news.

  “And finally, we will end our broadcast tonight as we always do, with a report on the activity of the Dark Warriors.”

  Vicki looked up, grabbed the remote, and turned the volume up a little. This was the part of the broadcast she never wanted to miss. Like most wizards and shifters, the idea of a group of dark wizards and evil shifters gave her chills. After the horrors of the last dark war, which had ended only a few years ago, Vicki worried constantly that history was going to repeat itself. She knew the Torch Lake High Council took threats of evil and dark magic seriously, but it was still hard to stay calm. News of the Dark Warriors grew more worrisome every day. The group seemed to be spread out in decentralized clusters, which made them hard to track. It wasn’t clear whether keeping themselves so widespread was a strategic move by the Dark Warriors, or just the way things were among the group. In fact, much of what the Dark Warriors did was a mystery. They would launch series of big attacks for weeks at a time, and then disappear for months. One never knew what to expect, and that frightened Vicki. She had a feeling that war was brewing.

  “The news today is mostly good,” the news anchor was saying cheerily. “There have been no reports of any Dark Warrior activity today. Our allies in Falcon Cross also report that a small outlying faction of Dark Warriors near that city was found and destroyed in a surprise attack this morning.”

  Vicki let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. They were safe, for another day at least. But then the news anchor’s face turned grave, and he continued in a somber tone.

  “There have, however, been some concerning reports from some southern California clans.”

  Vicki’s ears perked up.

  “A mysterious virus has been sweeping through a few of those clans, and the doctors there think it may be a manmade virus. This would not be the first time in the history of wizards and shifters that an attempt was made to do battle using a virus, so High Councils everywhere are on high alert. The virus appears to affect only wizards and shifters, not full humans, but can be lethal. Several members of these clans have died already, and the authorities there are recommending that everyone take extreme precautions to protect themselves, including wearing a face mask when out in publi
c and staying home as much as possible. The disease appears to be highly contagious. We’ll keep you updated as we get more information on this developing story. Until then, this has been your weekday afternoon edition of Torch Lake Today, the premiere news broadcast in the city of Torch Lake. Have a good evening, and thanks for joining us.”

  The familiar end-of-broadcast music started to play, and Vicki hit the power button on the remote to turn the TV off. She frowned as she stared out the front window of her shop at the crowds passing by.

  Was it really possible that there was a deadly virus out there thanks to the Dark Warriors? It seemed a little farfetched. The Dark Warriors were so disorganized. Sure, they could band together and launch attacks now and then, but developing a virus would take a lot more than banding together on a whim. They would need experts, and some sort of scientific lab, wouldn’t they?

  Vicki shrugged at the now black TV. She appreciated the High Councils’ vigilance, but this seemed like an ordinary virus—which hopefully would not make its way from southern California all the way to Torch Lake in northern Oregon. There wasn’t a lot of inter-clan travel these days, so Vicki wasn’t too worried. As long as this was just a normal virus, and not a biological weapon, Torch Lake wasn’t likely to be at risk.

  She finished up her closing duties quickly, and then left the shop to head to the Winking Wizard. She felt badly for the clans dealing with the virus, of course. But she couldn’t live her life freaking out over every little thing, right? She would do her part to be a good citizen and remain vigilant against the forces of darkness, but there wasn’t much she could do about a faraway virus, especially a virus that she doubted was as sinister as the newscast had made it out to be. With a spring in her step she got into her car and headed to the bar. It was time to relax.

  Or so she thought.

  Chapter Two

  The only word to accurately describe the atmosphere in the Winking Wizard when Vicki arrived was “chaotic.” She’d seen this place busy before. She’d come here when it was standing room only. But it wasn’t just the amount of people here tonight that contributed to the chaos. It was the way they were all acting.

  Many of the wizards and shifters in the bar had heard the brief news report about the virus. Those who hadn’t heard it firsthand had quickly been brought up to speed on the story, and from the sound of the rumors swirling in the air, the story had been embellished quite a bit. Vicki’s eyes widened when she heard someone say that the Torch Lake High Council was considering putting the whole town on lockdown. Not only was that impractical, it also didn’t sound like something the High Council here would do unless the situation was truly dire. And the situation hadn’t seemed dire. At least, not yet. Not if the news report was accurate, anyway.

  Vicki rolled her eyes and fought her way toward the bar, hoping that it wouldn’t take too long to get a beer. She thought about turning around and heading home—this wasn’t the relaxed atmosphere she’d been hoping for. But she did have a strong craving for a Charmed Star ale, and those weren’t sold in stores. She’d have to buy one here. So she pushed on, telling herself she’d get one drink, and if things hadn’t calmed down after that she’d head home and settle for a six-pack of something she could find in the supermarket. It took her several minutes to reach the bar, and she didn’t have any hope of finding a seat. Every barstool was full, and standing wizards and shifters had managed to squeeze into all of the spaces between the barstools. Getting a bartender’s attention wasn’t going to be easy.

  But then, just as she fought her way toward the edge of the bar, the bear shifter in the barstool next to her suddenly stood.

  “I’m out of here. This place is nuts!” he said to his friend.

  “Agreed,” the friend said. He also looked like a bear shifter. “Let’s try one of the bars on Blumen Street. The beer isn’t as good there, but at least they’ll be less crowded than this zoo.” The two of them slapped some cash on the table and disappeared into the crowd.

  Quick as lightning, Vicki slipped into one of the empty barstools. She could hardly believe her luck. Next to her, a tall, muscular man claimed the other seat. She glanced at him, and when she caught his eyes, he chuckled.

  “Looks like it’s my lucky night. I get a place to sit and that seat just so happens to be next to a lovely lady.”

  Vicki couldn’t help rolling her eyes at him. It was exactly the kind of cheesy pickup line she hated, but somehow it didn’t bother her that much coming from him. Perhaps because he didn’t seem to be all that serious about hitting on her. His eyes were sparkling with mischief, and he was already raising a hand to flag down a bartender. Vicki glanced at the hand and noticed there was no magic ring on it, which meant this guy was a shifter, not a wizard. She could have guessed that without even looking for a magic ring. The man was huge, with sculpted biceps as was typical of shifter men. It was hard to tell when he was sitting, but he looked tall, even for a shifter. Perhaps he was one of the larger bear varieties?

  “Grizzly?” she asked him.

  “Huh?” he was partially distracted by trying to flag down the bartender.

  “Are you a grizzly shifter?” she clarified.

  He gave her a lopsided grin. “Nope. I get that a lot though. I guess because I’m so tall.”

  He caught the bartender’s eye then, and the man smiled and walked over.

  “Hey buddy,” the bartender said. “It’s crazy in here tonight, isn’t it? The usual?”

  “For me, yes,” the mystery shifter replied. Then he looked at Vicki. “And a drink for the lady on my tab as well. What would you like?”

  Vicki shook her head. “Oh, no. You really don’t have to get me a drink. I can get my own just fine.”

  “Don’t be rude,” the bartender said to her with a wink. “When a man as handsome as Mitch here offers to buy you a drink, you shouldn’t say no.”

  Vicki started to protest again, but then she shrugged. One drink wouldn’t hurt. She didn’t care who paid for it, she just wanted a beer, now. “Fine. A Charmed Star ale.”

  The bartender nodded and went to get their drinks, but Mitch laughed.

  “You wizard gals are all the same. Always going for the Charmed Stars.”

  Vicki crossed her arms. “I don’t come to this bar to be judged for my drink choices. If I wanted to be judged I’d go to one of the downtown bars.”

  Mitch laughed. “Fair enough, fair enough. Are you going to tell me your name, since you know mine now?”

  “Are you going to tell me what kind of shifter you are?”

  “First your name. Then I’ll tell you what I am.”

  “Fine. I’m Vicki.”

  “And I’m a dragon.”

  Vicki’s mouth dropped. She hadn’t meant to gape, but she hadn’t expected that at all. Dragons were relatively rare, and all the dragon shifters that came to the Winking Wizard liked to hang out at their own table. Mitch laughed and reached over to push Vicki’s chin up with his finger, closing her wide-open mouth.

  “Close your mouth, Vicki. Something might get in.”

  Thankfully, the bartender set their drinks down at that moment, giving Vicki a valid excuse to look away from Mitch. Vicki’s Charmed Star ale was a purple, smoking beer, and she usually loved to watch as the smoke plumes curled up from it. Today, though, all she could concentrate on was how red her cheeks felt.

  “Never met a dragon before?” Mitch asked, his eyes still twinkling.

  “I have. It’s just that…I thought you guys all sat at your table. I never expected one of you up here.”

  Mitch threw back his head and laughed. “Oh come on. You make it sound like we’re so uppity. We do mix with the crowd now and then. Especially on days like today when it’s so crowded that we can’t get a server to our table.”

  Vicki picked up her beer and took a sip. The smooth purple liquid tasted so good, and the magical brew immediately started calming her nerves. She turned to shrug in Mitch’s direction. “Fair enough, I guess. Are y
ou heading back to your table now that you’ve got your beer?”

  He shook his head and laughed. “No. Now that I got a seat next to a pretty girl, I’m going to sit here and keep buying her drinks as long as she’ll let me.”

  Vicki rolled her eyes. “Then I should warn you ahead of time that I’m allergic to cheesy romantic come-ons.”

  “Good. Then you can buy me a drink.”

  Vicki stared at his deadpan expression, and then laughed. “You’re a feisty one. I like that. Most guys grovel when they’re interested in a girl and she pushes them away.”

  “Dragons don’t grovel. At least not this one.”

  Vicki raised an eyebrow. “You seem pretty pleased with yourself.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be? I’m awesome.” His eyes glittered mischievously, and Vicki laughed.

  “You’re just trying to get a rise out of me.”

  “Maybe. It seems it’s not going to work though. You’re a tough nut to crack. So tell me, Vicki who drinks girly beer but hates cheesy romance, what do you do for a living?”

  “I own a flower shop.”

  Mitch looked surprised. “A flower shop? As in, you sell bouquets of flowers?”

  “Yes, I sell bouquets of flowers.”

  “You do realize this means that you basically own an emporium of cheesy romance?”

  “Yup.” Vicki didn’t explain further. She didn’t want to get into all the reasons she hated dealing with clients who were looking for a cheap way to impress a girl or cover over being an asshole. She’d come here to escape work, not discuss it.

  Mitch seemed to take the hint that she was ready to be done with the subject, because he didn’t press further. “Alright, Vicki who drinks girly beer but hates cheesy romance and yet owns a flower shop. You do you. Cheers.”

  He held up his beer and she clinked her mug with his. “Cheers,” she replied. She wondered if he was going to wander back to his usual table with his dragon buddies now, and the thought disappointed her a bit. She was surprised to find that she was enjoying talking with him, so she was glad when he leaned back in his barstool and seemed to settle in a bit.