Dragon Misbehaving (Torch Lake Shifters Book 11) Page 3

  Krystal resisted the urge to tell Hugh that he better trust them, then, if they decided to bring in armies from the outside. But again, she decided to let it go. There would be time to discuss that if and when the High Council made that decision.

  “Besides,” Hugh continued as he picked up his burger again. “My social life is much better here. I’ve got a lot of good dragon shifter friends, and the women in Torch Lake are all beautiful. Especially the one sitting across from me.”

  Hugh winked at Krystal, and she rolled her eyes at his cheesy comment. But she couldn’t quite keep the blush from creeping onto her face. Being near him did funny things to her heart.

  “Anyway, enough about me,” he said. “Tell me about you. How did you end up in Torch Lake? And what do you do when you’re not busy harassing people about bringing extra armies in?”

  Krystal smiled. “It’s not harassing. It’s informing.”

  Hugh only raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, so she continued. “I ended up here like most people after the last war: lost everything when my clan was wiped out, ended up as a refugee in another clan, and came here when the Torch Lake High Council started recruiting people to move here. It seemed like a good spot to start over.”

  “It’s the best spot to start over, in my opinion. Plenty of jobs, and a friendly, diverse population.”

  Krystal nodded. “Yeah. I got a job as a vet tech the day after I moved here.”

  Hugh seemed impressed by this. “No shit. You’re a vet tech?”

  “I am now. I had no experience in the field when I came to Torch Lake. My background was actually in the insurance industry, which bored me to tears. When I moved here, the city was still small, and the veterinarian I work for was the only vet in town. She was desperate for help, so she agreed to take me on as an apprentice and train me. Best job I’ve ever had. I love it.”

  “That’s cool. And not at all what I expected of you.”

  Krystal laughed. “What did you expect?”

  “I dunno. Some sort of political lobbying job.”

  “Nah. That’s just something I do in my spare time. I’m concerned about the safety of the city and I want to be a responsible citizen and do something about it. I know we don’t agree on the armies, but surely we both agree on the importance of keeping the city safe.”

  “Of course. I think it’s admirable to be a responsible citizen. Only…”

  Hugh let his voice trail off, and Krystal found herself on edge as she waited for him to continue. Something about the tone of his voice warmed her all over. Her heart had inexplicably started pounding again, and she blushed with embarrassment as she wondered if it was possible for him to hear it. Why did he affect her like this?

  “Only what?” she prompted, desperate to know what thoughts were behind those mischievous eyes of his.

  “Only,” he said, his voice husky as he leaned across the table toward her. “I don’t feel like being responsible right now.”

  His face stopped two inches from her own, and her whole body felt like it was on fire. She saw flecks of green in his blue eyes, and marveled at how beautiful they were. She’d never seen eyes that were so multicolored like that. The green against the deep blue reminded her of sea turtles swimming in the ocean. She’d seen that once, a lifetime ago when she still did things like taking vacations with friends. That had been before this horrible war, and the other horrible war before it. She wondered if she would ever take vacations again. Then she wondered if she might someday take a vacation with Hugh. The thought startled her, and embarrassed her a bit. What was she doing, daydreaming about vacationing with a man she barely knew?

  She started to pull back, but those eyes drew her in. He grabbed her arm, and she felt fire shooting from his fingertips. The burger restaurant was loud and busy, and the hum of conversation buzzed all around her. But in here, there was only him. There were only those deep blue eyes with beautiful green streaks.

  “Let’s not be responsible,” he said. And then, he leaned forward a few more inches and put his lips on hers.

  She was too startled to resist, or to worry about the fact that they were in the middle of a busy restaurant where anyone could see them. What if some of her fellow War Council volunteers saw her? Did they know that Hugh was against bringing in more armies? Would they be angry with her for kissing the “enemy?” In that moment, Krystal didn’t care. All she cared about was the fact that Hugh’s lips on her lips felt better than anything she’d ever felt before. She closed her eyes and drank in his wonderful warmth.

  His hand reached up and caressed her cheek, and she felt fire there, too. It felt as though his hands were fire, and anywhere he touched her, he set her aflame. Krystal had never experienced anything like this before, and she never wanted the moment to end.

  All too soon, though, he pulled back. The world around Krystal slowly came back into focus and the din of the restaurant once again felt loud in her ears. The magic of the kiss was over, and Krystal found herself feeling both sad and relieved. Sad because she could have lost herself in the sensation of Hugh forever. Relieved because she questioned the wisdom of getting involved with a man who was so opposed to her views on the war—not to mention so involved in the war itself. He joked about facing death every day, but in reality it wasn’t so funny. Did she really want a boyfriend who might be lost to a battle at any moment?

  Krystal looked down at what was left of her burger. She was being a bit ridiculous, anyway. It was getting ahead of herself to think about Hugh as her boyfriend. He had only kissed her, and only a casual kiss at that. It had only lasted a few seconds, although Krystal was already thinking those had been some of the most wonderful seconds of her life.

  “Do you think you might be willing to give me a chance at a second date?” Hugh asked, breaking in to Krystal’s confused thoughts. She looked up at him in a panic. What was she supposed to say? Part of her wanted to say yes. And part of her thought it was better to stick to her original plan of not getting involved with him. Instead of answering him directly, she evaded the question.

  “Why are you so interested in dating me? All you know about me is that I harass citizens, and disagree with you on how to conduct this war.”

  He raised a finger and shook it at her playfully. “Not true. I know that you work as a vet tech, which means you like animals. That speaks well for you right there. And I know that when you feel passionately about something, you work hard to support that cause. Even if I don’t agree with your cause, I admire someone with convictions.”

  Krystal smiled despite her best efforts to keep a stoic look on her face. She was pleased that he had said he admired her.

  “Besides, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in Torch Lake. And, like I said, there are quite a few beautiful women here. What guy wouldn’t want to take you out and show you off?”

  “Is that all you want? To show me off?”

  Hugh grinned. “We can start with showing you off and go from there. Who knows where the date will lead us?”

  Krystal rolled her eyes, but still hesitated. “Maybe I don’t want to be shown off.”

  Hugh gave her puppy dog eyes. “Please? You can spend the whole night trying to convince me that I’m wrong about the extra armies. Even though I know I’m right.”

  Krystal laughed. “Okay, okay. Fine. I’ll go on one more date with you. But no promises for a third date.”

  Hugh let out a whoop so loud that a couple walking by their table gave him a startled look. Krystal was embarrassed, but Hugh didn’t even seem to notice.

  “Are you free tonight?” he asked.

  “Uh…” Krystal hadn’t expected the date to take place so soon.

  “Come on. You can’t be that busy. You’re done with your presentation, after all. You must want to celebrate that. We can get drinks somewhere. Anywhere. Your choice.”

  Krystal sighed. She might as well go tonight if she was going to go. It was true that she didn’t have anything going on. Her presentation
was done, so all there was left to do was worry about whether the High Council would listen to her argument. And besides, the sooner she went on this date, the less time she’d have to spend dreading it.

  “Okay. Drinks tonight. But you choose the place. I don’t go out drinking much, so I don’t know many bars in Torch Lake.”

  “Then I know just the place for you. My favorite pub, the Winking Wizard. There’s a drink there called the Charmed Star Ale that all the ladies love.”

  Krystal raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh? And how many ladies have you taken there for a Charmed Star Ale?” She tried to keep her voice light, but she did feel a little pang of jealousy at the thought of Hugh with another woman.

  Why am I thinking like that? I am in so much trouble.

  But Hugh only laughed. “Not many. But all my dragon buddies are already paired off with women, and their gals are obsessed with the drinks. You’ll see why tonight.”

  Krystal smiled, feeling giddy in a way she hadn’t since she was a teenager. She could almost forget about the war entirely when she was laughing and joking with Hugh. Maybe that’s why she felt so drawn to him. It was nice to have a distraction from all the more serious matters pressing on her mind at the moment.

  “Alright. I’ll see you at the Winking Wizard tonight, then. And we’ll see what’s so special about this Charmed Star Ale.”

  As Hugh smiled over at her, Krystal couldn’t decide whether she’d just made the best or worst decision of her life. There was only one way to find out: head to the Winking Wizard and see how the night played out.

  Chapter Five

  “Okay, are you ready for this?” Hugh asked, grinning over at Krystal. She sat on the barstool next to him, looking effortlessly sexy in a simple black dress. The dress cut off just above her knees, and Hugh was having a hard time not staring at the curves of her calves. Acting like a gentleman was important to him, though, so he did his best to keep his eyes on her face.

  “I really don’t understand what the big deal is about this beer. Does it really taste that amazing?”

  Hugh winked. “Wait and see.” He flagged down the bartender and ordered a Dragon’s Breath Lager for himself and a Charmed Star Ale for Krystal. About a minute later, the bartender showed up with the Lager and with a smoking, purple beer.

  “What in the world?” Krystal asked.

  “Told you it was cool. Apparently it’s some secret magic spell that’s guarded like an old family secret. The guy who makes these beers has become rich off of them.”

  “Yeah, it looks cool. But does it taste good? Usually a magic spell with smoke would ruin the taste.”

  “Try it.”

  Krystal shrugged, and raised the mug to her lips. Hugh couldn’t keep his eyes off her soft lips, and the way they parted on the glass. He wanted nothing more than to kiss those lips again. Before the end of the night, he would. He hadn’t been so taken with a woman for quite some time. It was horrible timing to start dating, with the war ramping up. But the heart wanted what it wanted, after all. He couldn’t resist Krystal.

  “Wow. That’s actually really good.”

  “Told you so!”

  She shrugged sheepishly. “I know you did, but I’m really surprised. It’s a nice fruity beer. The taste is amazing. Not at all what you’d expect from something that’s smoking.”

  “See. I know a thing or two.”

  “Maybe two. Probably not more than that.”

  Hugh threw his head back and laughed. “That’s all you’ll admit to, huh? Well, let me tell you, before the war I used to—”

  He never got to finish his sentence. The lights went out in the bar in an instant, and for one dark, confused moment, everyone froze in silence. And then, the shrieking started.

  “Not again!” Hugh said. He felt rage rising up within him. Had the Dark Warriors really managed to get past the guards again? This was ridiculous. Hugh reached over for Krystal’s hand at the exact moment that she shouted out “Magicae lucis.”

  A light beam shot out from her magic ring. All across the bar, other wizards were speaking out light spells as well, and Hugh got a view of what was going on. Dark Warrior wizards had zoomed into the bar on broomsticks and were casting attack spells at random. Dark Warrior shifters, mostly bears and wolves, were running through the bar and attacking anyone who got in their paths. Hugh jumped onto the bar and pulled Krystal up behind him.

  “Get under the bar and stay there until these guys are gone,” Hugh yelled, pushing her underneath the bar top next to a rack of glassware. Krystal’s eyes shone wide and frightened in the light from her magic ring.

  “And turn off that light. I want you as well-hidden as possible.”

  Krystal obeyed without question, quietly whispering the words to cancel out her light spell. Hugh hopped back over the bar top and began to shift into dragon form. Across the room, other Torch Lake shifters were morphing into animal form as well, and many of the wizards were starting to yell out attack spells. Surprisingly, Hugh was the only dragon in the room. Usually, there were several dragons at the Winking Wizard on any given night. But on this sleepy Monday night, it was only Hugh.

  Hugh wasn’t worried. He would fight these bastards off himself if he had to. And even though there were no other dragons, it’s not like he was alone. There were plenty of Torch Lake shifters and wizards rising to the challenge all around him. Not only that, but Hugh could hear the war sirens going off in the distance. Someone, probably the bartender, had alerted the authorities to the invasion. Military backup would be here soon.

  Hugh let out a roar as his body finished its transformation into dragon form. He spotted an enemy wizard flying not too far from him, and let loose a stream of fire in his direction. The wizard screamed in pain as he came tumbling to the ground.

  “Oh, shit!” Another Dark Warrior yelled out. “There’s a dragon in here!”

  Damn straight there is, Hugh thought as he torched another enemy wizard. You fools don’t know who you’re messing with.

  The smoke alarms in the room had started to go off thanks to all the smoke from Hugh’s fire-breathing. The noise only added to the din as wizards yelled out attack spells, shifters roared, and frightened citizens screamed. Hugh burned with anger. He was going to have a talk with the High Council whenever this attack was over. The City Guard was either doing a horrible job, or there was someone on the guard who had turned into a traitor and was letting the Dark Warriors by.

  That’s exactly why we don’t need to add outside armies. We’ve got enough traitors and spies to deal with as it is.

  Hugh continued swinging his giant dragon head back and forth, taking out as many Dark Warriors as possible with his fire. He never strayed far from the bar, though. He wanted to make sure Krystal was safe. She was well-hidden in the darkness, but he didn’t want to take any chances. Hugh felt an overwhelming protective instinct take over him any time he thought of Krystal. He’d only known her a few days, but he was already ready to fight to the death for her. Any Dark Warrior who tried to get near her was going to be a Dead Warrior in a matter of seconds.

  The fire alarm, screaming, and battle noise continued another few minutes, and then, almost as suddenly as it started, it stopped.

  “Come on!” one of the dark wizards yelled. “She’s not here. We’re wasting our time and losing men for no reason. Let’s go.”

  “Copy that,” another dark wizard yelled back. “Retreat! Retreat!”

  Almost before Hugh could realize what was happening, the Dark Wizards and shifters had fled from the bar. The lights came back on almost instantly, illuminating some very confused faces.

  “They’re gone?” a bear shifter asked after morphing quickly back to human form. “Just like that?”

  “Looks like we scared them off,” a wizard shouted out. This was followed by loud whooping all around. The bartender began pouring complimentary beers for everyone, but people insisted on paying him, anyway. Within minutes, his tip jar was overflowing. The mood in the
Winking Wizard felt like it did after the hometown team had won a big broomstick ball game. Everyone was high on life and living it up. Half the people in the bar were naked, since they were shifters who’d lost their clothes when shifting to fight the enemy. But no one seemed to notice or care.

  Hugh himself had shifted back to human form and was also naked. But his mood was anything but jovial. He hopped over the bar to find Krystal, who was still sitting back there, trembling in fright.

  “Come on,” he said, offering her his hand. “It’s all over now. They’re gone. Let me get you another Charmed Star Ale.”

  “I…uh…if you don’t mind I think I kind of just want to go home,” Krystal said.

  Hugh nodded. Truth be told, he was glad that she wanted to leave. He would have loved to spend more time with her, of course. But she was probably safer in her own home than here. The Dark Warriors kept attacking public spaces, and that trend was likely to continue. A private home was safest.

  “Let me see if the bartender has some clothes I can borrow, and I’ll take you home.”

  Krystal nodded, and Hugh went to talk to the bartender, which wasn’t easy since the man was so busy filling drink orders. But finally Hugh figured out that the man had some gym clothes in the back that he didn’t mind loaning out. Dressed in gym shorts and a t-shirt, Hugh headed for the bar’s exit, taking Krystal along with him.

  She was silent on the drive home, as was he. His thoughts were on the attack, and on how the Dark Warriors kept getting past the guards. He also kept thinking about their sudden, strange retreat from the Winking Wizard. They had yelled out something about “She’s not here,” which meant they were looking for someone specific. But who? And why? Hugh thought about all the women he knew that might cast spells to harm the Dark Warriors. The most obvious choices were Sunny and Abby, his friends’ lifemates who practiced ancient magic. Those two could do some seriously powerful spells. But were Sunny and Abby really a big enough threat to the Dark Warriors for them to risk so many soldiers in not one but two attacks within the span of a day? Hugh didn’t think so. Something was strange here. He wondered if the Torch Lake military had been able to get any information out of the wizard he’d captured earlier in the day. Perhaps, if that wizard could be convinced to talk, this would all make much more sense.