Councilor Morgan’s face was set in a grim line, though, and the weariness in his eyes gave Mitch pause. Something was indeed very wrong.
“I’m assuming you all heard the newscast on Torch Lake Today last night, discussing the possibility of biological warfare.”
“You mean the virus, right?” Jake asked. Jake was another one of the dragon shifters in town, and one of Mitch’s best friends. Right now, he was sitting directly across the table from Mitch at the long conference table, and Mitch did not like the look on his face one bit. Jake had never looked this distressed before. He must already know something Mitch didn’t.
“Yes, the virus,” Councilor Morgan said. He rubbed his forehead with his fingers before continuing, his voice sounding tired and hollow. “I don’t know where the journalists over at Torch Lake Today got their information on the virus, but I wish they had waited to announce it on the news. Now everyone is an uproar and demanding action from the High Council. We weren’t quite ready to act, but our hand is being forced at this point. So is the hand of the Dark Warriors.”
“What do you mean?” asked Kurt, another of the dragon shifters.
Councilor Morgan smiled wearily at Kurt. “I suppose I’m not making much sense, am I? You’ll have to forgive me. It’s been a long night, and I can’t seem to find my energy this morning.”
Mitch suddenly felt guilty for spending all night last night making love to Vicki. He’d been off having a wild night, while Torch Lake had apparently been in danger. He’d had no way of knowing, but he still felt guilty. He felt his cheeks redden, and he hoped no one happened to be looking at him right then. He focused his gaze intently on Councilor Morgan as the old man continued speaking.
“You see, we have been aware of this virus for quite some time. We heard of a few outlying cases on the east coast—cases that were too random and spread out to attract the interest of any news crews. But we have eyes and ears everywhere, watching out for anything that might pose even the remotest of threats. When one of our wizards out in the field reported there was a strange virus that seems to kill only shifters and wizards, we went on high alert. As most of you know, history tells us that when these types of viruses show up, they are usually created as a means of biological warfare.”
“But the Dark Warriors can’t possibly have the means to create a virus like that,” Kurt said. “They’d need resources. A lab, scientists, test subjects.”
“We don’t know the details of how they did it, but they apparently do have a lab, and scientists. They recruited some biologists to their cause, it seems. And they’ve been testing the virus, slowly. We think they may also have a cure or a vaccine of some sort. They’ve been trying to test the cure before releasing the virus, so that they can keep themselves safe when an inevitable epidemic takes root.”
Mitch frowned. “So what’s going on in Southern California? It sounds like an epidemic has already taken root.”
Councilor Morgan nodded. “I’ve been reviewing intelligence on the matter all night, along with Councilor Isviar. We now believe that the epidemic in Southern California was an accident.”
“An accident?” Mitch choked out.
“Yes. Somehow, someone infected with the virus as a test subject got away from the Dark Warriors. That person came into contact with people from his clan, not knowing he’d been infected with anything. He only thought he’d been captured by the enemy, and had managed to get away.”
“But when he got away, he inadvertently brought a death sentence to his whole clan.” Mitch was starting to understand.
“Exactly,” Councilor Morgan said sadly. “The High Councils in southern California, what’s left of them, anyway, have moved to try to keep the virus from spreading. They aren’t letting anyone leave their cities, but it might be too late. There’s no way of knowing if anyone carrying the infection left before the quarantine took effect.”
Mitch swallowed back the uneasiness that was rising in his throat. He’d known, of course, that the Torch Lake High Council would take any threats of a virus seriously. But he hadn’t expected to discover that the virus was already known and feared. This was much worse than he’d thought. If the virus became widespread, and no one except the Dark Warriors had the cure, then the good shifters and wizards would start dying off and all that would be left was darkness.
Mitch’s thoughts immediately went to Vicki. He felt a tightness in the pit of his stomach, and it felt as though a fire was beginning to burn within him. He knew immediately what was happening. He was sensing a threat to his lifemate, and because of that, he was going into high alert.
The lifemate bond, he thought in wonder. He’d heard so much about this phenomenon. He’d been told hundreds of stories over the years about how a shifter would know when his lifemate was in danger, even if there were oceans between the two of them. Now, he was experiencing it for himself.
And he was struggling not to feel helpless.
“What are we going to do?” Jake was asking.
Councilor Morgan sighed for what must have been the hundredth time that morning. “The first thing we’re doing is quarantining the city. No one gets in.”
“No one?” Jake asked, his eyes widening. “But what about Torch Lake citizens who are off on vacation or other business right now? You’re going to keep them from their homes?”
Councilor Morgan nodded. “I don’t relish the idea. But this is for the greater good. We have no idea right now where the virus might have spread to, and all we can do at the moment is hope that the virus isn’t already here. If we let in even one person who is infected, it could kill off the entire city. We can’t take that chance.
Mitch knew this was true, but he felt as gutted by the news as Jake did. There were Torch Lake citizens who were going to be left out in the cold because of this. He couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to hear that there was a deadly virus on the loose, and that you couldn’t get to the safety of your own home and clan. The very thought of it was heartbreaking.
“The second thing we’re going to do,” Councilor Morgan said, “Is to organize some search teams to go after the Dark Warriors for the cure. Because we’ve been mapping their activities as much as possible, we know where many of their camps are. We’re hopeful that it won’t take long to find the camp where the cure is. Assuming, of course, that a cure does exist. But we have reason to believe that it does.”
“We have to believe that it does,” Councilor Isviar said. “It’s our only hope. Besides, the Dark Warriors wouldn’t release a deadly virus into the world if they didn’t have a way to protect themselves.”
“Well, they wouldn’t release it on purpose, anyway,” Jake said. “It sounds like they’ve already lost control of the virus, since it’s sweeping across southern California.”
“Yes, well, that brings me to my next point,” Councilor Morgan said. “If the virus is from the Dark Warriors, and they do have a cure, they are probably going to move quickly to get the virus to spread. Now that its existence is known, they realize good shifters and wizards will be working around the clock to find the cure. They’ll want to wipe out as many of us as they can as quickly as they can.”
Mitch felt the horror in his heart growing. “That’s what you meant when you said their hand was being forced.”
“Yes. If they don’t act now, they might not get a chance to. So they’re going to act.”
The room fell silent as Councilor Morgan let his words hang in the air, but the somber expressions on everyone’s faces spoke volumes. This situation did, indeed, warrant an S.O.S. This might be the most serious threat Torch Lake had ever faced. It might be the most serious threat any shifter or wizard alive now had ever faced.
And Mitch couldn’t believe it was coming so soon after he’d discovered the love of his life. “So where do I sign up for one of the search teams?” he asked, breaking the silence.
Councilor Morgan gave him a grateful smile. “I appreciate your willingness to help, Mitch. Our military
commanders are setting up the teams right now, and they’ll be in contact soon. They are going to give all of the dragon shifters a job, I’m sure of that.”
“How long is it going to take to get things going?” Mitch asked. He knew how slowly bureaucracy could move sometimes. He didn’t want to sit around, waiting and doing nothing, while the military commanders tried to figure out how to organize things. He wanted to take action, now. He wanted to chase down the Dark Warriors and get the cure from them before the plague had a chance to infiltrate Torch Lake and threaten everyone he loved. Especially now that the group of people he loved included Vicki. He would not sit by and lose her, not when he had just found her.
Councilor Morgan seemed to understand his frustration. “Trust me, Mitch: the military commanders are working as quickly as possible. They understand the urgency of the situation. But we need to make sure that we have our plan of attack carefully planned out. We might only get one chance at attacking the Dark Warriors and getting the cure. And we don’t want to risk exposing our soldiers to the virus when we don’t have the cure in our possession yet. Caution is paramount here.”
Mitch nodded, but he knew the strain he felt on the inside was showing on his face. The faces of the other dragon shifters looked strained as well. Almost all of them had lifemates, too. They must be worried about their lifemates, as well as the safety of the entire city. Mitch wasn’t the type to panic, but he could feel his heart pounding from the urgency of the situation. He hoped Councilor Morgan was right, and that the Commanders did understand the urgency of the situation.
Councilor Morgan dismissed the meeting, then, telling them all to stay alert and keep an eye on their phones. He was hoping to have search teams heading out by evening-fall tonight. Mitch knew he’d be staring at his phone all day, willing it to ring or buzz. The Dark Warriors were fools if they thought they were going to get away with this.
The rest of the dragon shifters huddled outside of the conference room after the meeting, discussing the mysterious virus and what they thought the best way to capture the cure might be. Mitch usually loved a good debate with his dragon friends, but right now all he could think about was Vicki. He wanted to go to her and warn her to be careful. He would have loved to convince her to stay home and away from other people until the cure had been captured, but he had a feeling she wasn’t the type of person who would be receptive to that idea. She had a business to run, and she wasn’t going to close it down so she could go cower at home in fear. Still, maybe he could convince her to wear one of those protective face masks, or to not go anywhere else in public except her shop.
He knew she was annoyed with him right now, and he wasn’t sure she was going to want to listen to anything he had to say. But he had to try.
Her life might depend on it.
Chapter Six
Vicki had picked the wrong day to oversleep. From the moment she walked into the shop this morning, the phone had not stopped ringing, and the bell above the front door was clanging at regular intervals as well. She had fielded so many requests for bouquets that she was about to have to start turning people away.
“This is nuts!” she said under her breath as she hung up the phone on yet another call. The bell above the door jingled again, and she sighed. She would take one more request, and then that was it. She was only one person, and she could only physically make so many bouquets. Vicki had never wished so badly that she had hired some sort of assistant or part-time help. The store had been successful, but never steadily busy enough to warrant hiring an employee. Today, she could have used an army of employees.
She looked up to greet the customer who had just walked in, but when she saw who it was, the smile froze on her face.
“You,” she said, her tone icy. “What are you doing here?”
Mitch gave her a small smile and shrug. “I had to come see you.”
The shop was actually empty of customers at the moment, which was a good thing since Vicki was liable to lose her temper at any moment. She did not have time to deal with Mitch and his romantic fantasies right now. Maybe most girls would have been flattered at receiving so much attention from a dragon, but Vicki wasn’t most girls. She only wanted to be left alone to tend to her very busy day. It didn’t help that her heart was betraying her and doing excited flip-flops in her chest at the sight of Mitch. Yes, he was gorgeous, and she was undeniably attracted to him. But just because he was physically perfect didn’t mean she wanted a relationship with him. She didn’t want a relationship with anyone, and she had made that perfectly clear to him last night. So what was the problem? Jeez, and they said girls were the complicated ones.
Before Vicki could formulate a reply, the shop’s phone rang again.
“Vicki’s Flowers,” she answered it, still glaring at Mitch. He waited patiently while she took the call.
“No I’m sorry,” she said when the caller asked if he could get a bouquet of flowers delivered to St. Merlin’s Hospital. “I’m all booked up for the next two days. You might try Snapdragon Flowers across town.”
Vicki couldn’t believe she was sending business to her arch nemesis, but there was no way she could take on another customer right now. Better to turn away business than to take on an order you knew you couldn’t fulfill. When the disappointed caller had hung up, Vicki turned to address Mitch.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m pretty busy right now. I don’t have time to deal with a lovesick puppy.”
Mitch looked hurt for a moment, then his eyes flashed with anger. “I’m not a lovesick puppy. I’m a dragon, and no matter how attracted I am to you, I won’t be disrespected like that.”
The sudden authority in his voice was actually quite a turn-on, and Vicki felt her heart betray her with another flip-flop. She was careful not to let the expression on her face change, though. She didn’t want to give him the slightest reason to keep pursuing her.
“Well, then. Why are you here? If you want to order flowers, I’ll have to direct you to the shop across town. I can’t take on another single order right now.”
Mitch looked surprised. “I thought you said last night that you hated the shop across town.”
The phone rang again, and Vicki jumped, then decided to ignore it. She was going to have to start letting it go to voicemail, or she was never going to get anything done today. And she had a lot of bouquets to make.
“I’m not a fan of Snapdragon Flowers, no. But his is the only other flower shop in town, and I’ve been suddenly overwhelmed with so many requests for bouquets that I couldn’t possibly keep up.”
Mitch frowned. “Huh. Sudden rush of lovers needing to apologize?”
Vicki couldn’t help a sheepish smile. She’d complained more than she should have last night about the assholes who came in here to buy “I’m Sorry” bouquets. But today’s orders weren’t from boyfriends who had messed up.
“No, there must be some bug going around, because it’s all been requests for get well bouquets,” Vicki said. “In fact, I’ve had so many requests for delivery to the local hospitals that I’m probably going to make two big trips to the two main hospitals later this afternoon. I don’t think I’ve ever made deliveries to the hospital before, but I have so many orders that it just makes sense. No need for everyone to come pick up their bouquets individually.”
Vicki was already starting to walk toward her shop’s front door to turn the sign around to closed. She’d never thought she would actually be turning away business, and she cursed herself for being too cheap to hire an assistant. But as she walked past Mitch, he grabbed her arm. Instantly, she stiffened and tried to pull away, but his grip was strong.
“Wait, what?” he asked, his voice suddenly very serious. “You can’t make deliveries to the hospital.”
Vicki tried to pull away again, but he wasn’t letting her go. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Yes, I can. I can run my business however I want, thank you very much.”
To her surprise, Mitch let her arm go suddenly, then,
and started walking toward the front door. For a moment, she thought she had finally managed to piss him off and that he was going to leave. But instead of opening the door, he locked it and flipped the sign to closed. When he looked back at her, his face had gone pale.
“When did these orders for get well bouquets start?”
Vicki shrugged. “This morning sometime. I already had a bunch of voicemails asking me for flowers when I opened the shop.”
“Vicki, listen to me—”
Vicki rolled her eyes, but that didn’t slow Mitch down much.
“I know you’re angry at me for what I said this morning about having feelings for you, but please just hear me out. I just came from a High Council meeting where I learned that the virus reported on the news last night is real. It’s believed to be the work of the Dark Warriors after all, and the High Council thinks it might already be too late to stop its spread. They’re in the process of putting the whole city of Torch Lake into quarantine mode, but if the hospitals are filling up I’m worried that it might already be too late.”
Vicki’s heart started beating faster as the sickening realization of what was happening set in, and she felt suddenly lightheaded. For a moment, she could only stare at Mitch, trying to process what he was telling her. “You think the virus is already in Torch Lake?”
Dragon Battling (Torch Lake Shifters Book 10) Page 4