Dragon conjurer 10, p.1
Dragon Conjurer 10, page 1
Would you like to see chapters of my books before they come out? Do you want to see cover art sketches and vote on which poses should make it to final production? Would you like to see even sexier versions of my covers? Would you like to get my audiobooks at a deep discount?
Of course you would! Join my Patreon here to get all these awesome benefits (or search for my name on Patreon.com).
You can also join my Facebook group right here. Then you’ll know when my books come out before anyone else.
Chapter 1
I stretched out in the luxurious bed AMIE had given me at their London estate location and groaned. Judging by the soft yellow light that flowed into my room around the heavy curtains, it was a pleasant and quiet morning in England’s capital city.
My team and I had defeated the Hecatoncheires two nights ago, and we’d spent all of yesterday lounging around the estate and doing a whole lot of absolutely nothing. It’d felt so fucking good to have an entire day off, and today my ladies and I planned on having a day date in the great city of London.
I smiled to myself and flung the thick blankets aside. I was really looking forward to enjoying a day out with my lovers, even if their main goal was to check out all the shopping the city had to offer. I was just excited to spend some quality time with them.
We hadn’t gotten any more information about the Great Scaled One, where He was, or even what He was since we’d killed the Hecatoncheires, and I didn’t expect we’d be getting any today, either. I knew the information would come eventually, and I intended to enjoy every second until then.
I walked into my private bathroom and took a steaming hot shower, and then I got dressed in my nicest dark-wash jeans, a simple dark blue V-neck shirt, and my black jacket. I jammed my feet into my boots and fumbled twice from excitement as I tried to tie the laces. I felt a little nervous like I was going on my first date. There was a distinctive butterflies-in-my-stomach sensation, and I chuckled to myself.
“You’re acting like you haven’t had incredible sex with all of them,” I scolded myself as I checked my hair in the mirror.
I guessed my reaction was because this was the first time we were adding Lia into the group, and I was really excited for Steffi, Nala, and Elisabeth to have some quality time with her. Ronin and Lia had gotten some good quality sexy time back at RMA already.
I shoved those arousing thoughts away as I strode over to my door, and I walked out to the hallway and saw that Elisabeth and Steffi were both ready and waiting for me.
“Good morning, beautiful ladies,” I murmured as I walked over to them.
I wrapped my hands around their waists and pulled them both in for a passionate kiss. They both looked a little bit flushed and breathy when I was done, and I smirked to myself.
“How did you two sleep last night?” I asked.
“Very well, thank you,” Elisabeth hummed. “The beds here are like heaven.”
“They are super comfy,” Steffi agreed. “And even after doing fuck-all yesterday, I was still so tired.”
“Yes,” Elisabeth agreed. “We all greatly needed a full day of rest, and a good night’s sleep.”
“Good morning!” Nala said in a sing-song voice as she bounced into the hallway to join us. “How did everyone sleep?”
Before we could answer, Ronin and Lia’s doors opened, and they stepped out into the hall with us.
“Dobroye utro,” Lia greeted us. “It is a lovely day.”
“It is,” Nala agreed with a bright smile. “How did you two sleep?”
“Very well,” Ronin answered. “I was very tired.”
“Da.” Lia nodded. “What is the American saying? I believe it is, ‘I slept like a rock.’ Is that correct?”
“Yeah,” Steffi giggled. “You can also sleep like a log.”
“Or a baby,” Nala added helpfully.
“Should we get going?” Elisabeth asked. “There is a lovely little cafe that Michel told me about. I thought we could go there for breakfast.”
“Sounds good to me,” Nala said. “I could use some java.”
“Nick would surely point out that it’s too late for breakfast,” Ronin teased. “I believe he would say it is time for brunch.”
“You’re right about that,” I chuckled.
We’d slept in a bit this morning, and it was heading closer to lunch time than a traditional breakfast hour. I was glad we’d all gotten the chance to catch up on our sleep, though.
We started to walk down the hall and toward the main entrance hall of the massive English estate.
“It was so nice of Mr. Thomas to allow us the use of one of the estate’s town cars for our date.” Steffi grinned, and there was an eager bounce in her steps.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “He said he was going to provide us with a driver, too, so we don’t have to try and figure out how to get around the city.”
“Oh, that’s awesome,” Nala murmured.
“I am glad,” Elisabeth said. “I do not know the city very well, and it will be nice to be able to relax and allow someone else to navigate.”
Mr. Thomas’ pretty brunette assistant was waiting for us by the estate’s front doors. Ms. Young’s hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and she held a clipboard in her hands.
A narrow man in a well-tailored black suit and a generous splash of freckles across his cheeks stood beside her. Thick red curls popped up all over his head, and he had a red push broom mustache and friendly blue eyes. He waited patiently and held a black driver’s cap in his hands.
“Good morning, everyone,” Ms. Young greeted us. “I hope you slept well.”
“Yes, we did,” I confirmed. “Thank you.”
“This is your driver for the day,” Ms. Young said as she gestured to the man beside her. “Mr. Walsh knows the city like the back of his hand, and he can take you anywhere you may desire.”
“We’re ginna ‘ave a good day, I think,” Mr. Walsh said in a thick Scottish accent. “Where kin I take ye first?”
We all looked at Elisabeth, and she blushed slightly at the sudden attention.
“Erm,” my French girlfriend cleared her throat. “My cousin recommended the Bloomsbury Coffee House.”
“Aye, excellent choice.” Mr. Walsh smiled and jammed his black cap over his bright red curls. “I know exactly where ‘tis.”
“Enjoy your day,” Ms. Young said before she scurried off toward Mr. Thomas’ office.
“My cousin said the cafe can be hard to locate,” Elisabeth said, “because it is a basement-level shop.”
“Aye, that’s true, miss.” Walsh nodded. “But I know right where it’s at. No worries, ye’ll not be lost on my watch.”
We walked down the estate’s front steps, and there was a shiny black town car waiting for us on the long gravel driveway. It wasn’t quite as long as a full limousine, but I could tell it definitely had enough room for the six of us even before Walsh opened the rear door.
The seats were made of plush black leather, and they wrapped around the sides of the car like a limo. It was the nicest vehicle I’d ever been inside of, even nicer than the fancy car that I’d first laid eyes on Dr. Hastings in. There were drink holders for each seat and a string of soft white LEDs built into the ceiling.
We sat down, and I found myself nestled between Steffi and Lia.
AMIE’s driver closed the door behind us and then scooted around to the front. He climbed into what I always thought of as the passenger side, and I remembered that in England people drove on the left side of the road. I was again thankful to Mr. Thomas for providing us with a driver. I didn’t like the idea of driving on the wrong side of the road all day.
“Are ye all ready?” Mr. Walsh asked as he glanced at us in his rear-view mirror.
“I believe so,” Elisabeth said, and her voice was bright with excitement.
“Off to Bloomsbury we go!” Walsh grinned and started the car’s engine.
“He’s very sweet,” Steffi whispered softly to Nala beside her.
Nala nodded in agreement and smiled.
The happiness and relaxed mood of my five girlfriends pushed any other emotions clear out of the morning air, and I enjoyed the sensation of going on a London adventure with them.
I listened to the idle chatter in the car as Mr. Walsh perfectly navigated us through the busy London streets. The fancy car’s windows were tinted, but I couldn’t help but notice the damage all around the city. There was torn-up shrubbery all over the place, and several windows were boarded up. I started to look more closely, and I even spotted a set of four long claw marks on the corner of one shop.
The broken windows, damaged structures, and even the ruined landscaping could all be explained away by the extratropical cyclone the Tyler sisters had created for us, but those claw marks would be a bit suspicious. I made a mental note to let Mr. Thomas know about them the next time I saw him.
Nala must have caught me looking out the window, because she turned around and followed my gaze.
“Wow,” she hummed. “There’s a lot of damage throughout the city.”
I just nodded and turned back to Steffi, Ronin, and Elisabeth’s discussion of the fashionable shops in downtown London.
A short time later, our driver pulled to a stop and turned around with a satisfied smile on his freckled face.
“Yer destination awaits ye,” Mr. Walsh announced, and he pointed out the window at a break in the wrought-iron fence. “You’ll find the cafe just down those steps.”
“Wonderful,” Ronin said. “Thank you , Mr. Walsh.”
“Can we get you anything?” I asked the friendly Scot.
“No, that’s very kind of ye.” Walsh shook his head. “But I’ll take care of meself. Ye enjoy yer breakfast, and I’ll be waiting here for ye when yer done.”
We stepped out of the car and onto the sidewalk, and then we filed down the smooth cement steps to a small walkout basement door. There was a large white sign above the glass door that read “Bloomsbury Coffee House” in a fun typewriter-style font. I held the door open as my ladies walked inside.
The first thing I noticed about the coffee house was the incredible smell. I was immediately surrounded by the scents of rich black coffee, crispy bacon, melting butter, and freshly baking pastries and baked goods.
There was an older couple seated at one small table in the corner by the window and a set of three businessmen on the other side of the coffee house, but all the other tables were empty.
“Where should we sit?” I asked.
“This looks good,” Lia suggested.
My Russian girlfriend pointed at a long rectangular table in the middle of the cafe. There were eight wooden chairs around the table, and a menu standing in the center.
“I think it is the only table where we will all fit comfortably,” Elisabeth giggled.
We sat down around the table and had a look around the quaint coffee house.
A long counter filled up the soft blue wall to the left of the front door and windows. There was a large chalkboard that listed all the different coffees the cafe offered, and below this, I saw a display case with fresh oranges and slices of delicious-looking breads for sale. Stacks of clean white plates and bowls were piled up behind the counter, and a pretty girl with big blonde curls smiled at us.
“I’ll be right with you,” the blonde girl called. She looked to be college-aged and had a pen tucked behind her left ear.
I pulled the menu out of the little stand and started to peruse our options.
“Oh, good,” I said. “They serve brunch until 11:30.”
“Then we are just in time.” Ronin smiled. “What is everybody thinking of having for brunch?”
We discussed the various options on the menu, and we all decided that bacon and sausages were a requirement of life.
The pretty blonde girl came over and introduced herself as Ginny before she took our orders.
Ronin was curious about the very English-sounding baked beans that came with the Full English Breakfast option, but Lia was not feeling as adventurous. The blonde Dragon Conjurer went with a less risky choice of fried eggs and sausage with a side of whole wheat toast.
Steffi ordered her eggs scrambled with cheese and a side of thick-cut bacon. Nala decided on the potato cakes with lightly scrambled eggs. Elisabeth ordered the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on a bagel, and I went with the Bumper Breakfast. It was the biggest meal on the menu, and it came with two eggs, two sausages, two pieces of bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans, and potato cakes.
“I figured I should go with the full experience,” I chuckled as my ladies stared at me. “Besides, Nick would be proud of my massive selection of food.”
“You make a good point,” Nala laughed.
“Did you guys see him at all this morning?” I asked Steffi and Elisabeth.
“I did not.” Elisabeth shook her head.
“I ran into Nick briefly just before you came out of your room, El,” Steffi said. “I asked him what he was doing with his day. He said he was going to video chat with Zahra as much as possible.”
“I think he misses her very much,” Ronin murmured.
“I do, too,” I agreed.
“Yeah.” Steffi nodded. “He had a huge stash of food, so I think he was planning on hiding out in front of his laptop all day.”
“I bet they leave the call up even when one of them goes to bed for the night,” Nala snickered. “So they can watch each other sleep.”
“That is sort of sweet.” Lia grinned. “In a slightly creepy way.”
“That’s Nick and Zahra for you,” Steffi laughed.
“They’re totally in love,” Nala mused.
“I know what that is like,” Ronin giggled as she gave me a shy smile.
“Hot brekky comin’ through!” Ginny called as she carried a huge black tray toward our table. She balanced the tray on her shoulder and announced each plate as she placed them in front of us. “Alright, Bumper Breakfast, Full English, eggies and bacon, eggies and sausage, Tattie Scones, and the Smoked Salmon. Is there anything else I can get for you?”
“No.” Steffi grinned. “Thank you, this all looks incredible.”
“Enjoy.” Ginny smiled and walked back behind the counter.
The food was incredible. The bacon was crisp, and the sausage was flavorful. The eggs were cooked to perfection, and even the beans were delicious, though I still felt a little weird about eating beans for breakfast. Our conversation died away as we dug into our brunch, and the businessmen behind us started to speak a bit more loudly as their conversation grew heated.
“All I’m saying, is,” one of the men said. “There’s no bloody way was all that damage done by a storm.”
“I agree with ya, mate,” another man said. “Those buildings have stood for decades, and what? All of a sudden a little rainstorm brought them down? Nah, I don’t believe it for a second.”
“You really think the Prime Minister would lie to us?” the third man asked. “What would be the point? Why make up a bloody cyclone? And besides, we know there was a storm… all that wind and thunder? I didn’t just imagine the pounding rain on my roof two nights ago.”
Steffi’s eyes went wide, and we all glanced at each other. I raised my eyebrows at my ladies and tilted my head slightly toward the men.
“I don’t know,” the first guy said. “Maybe they’re trying to cover something up.”
“Like what?” the third man asked, and his voice was thick with skepticism. “Aliens again, is it, James?”
“I don’t know, Connor,” the first man said. “All I know is that there was way too much damage for a bloody cyclone to have caused it. I live in that neighborhood, remember? If that was the center of the storm, then it was suspiciously lacking in rain and wind.”
“It was pretty wild at my place,” the second guy piped up. “I thought Mrs. McCurdle downstairs was going to be washed away with all that rain.”
“Yeah, and you live way out past Kensington.” The first guy jabbed a finger at the second man. “You’re just making my point for me. If things were so bad, then why isn’t there all this damage way out there, too?”
“Well…” the second man hesitated. “I don’t know.”
“Exactly, Peter,” James said smugly. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Ginny walked over then to refill their coffee cups, and she propped a hand on her hips as she gazed down at the three guys.
“What conspiracy theory is James goin’ on about today, boys?” Ginny asked.
“He thinks there’s something being covered up about the storm the other night,” Connor said.
“And what exactly is it supposed to be covering up?” Ginny asked as she topped off their cups. “Aliens again, is it?”
“Hey,” James said with an indignant tone. “That crop circle was real, alright? I saw it with my own eyes, I did.”
“Sure, sure,” Ginny laughed. “So the storm wasn’t aliens, then?”
“No.” James shook his head. “It was something… big. I mean, those buildings looked like they’d been knocked down like bloody dominos. Wind and rain just can’t do that.”
“What you have is an overactive imagination,” Ginny scoffed.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Peter sighed. “Thanks for putting up with his nonsense, Gin.”
“Hey, you guys are my best tippers.” Ginny shrugged. “You can go on from open till close about whatever theories you want, so long as you keep paying for my flat like you do.”
“Oh, bugger,” Connor grumbled. “Come on, we’ve got to get back to the office. That meeting starts in five minutes.”
“Shite.” James rummaged in his pocket and pressed a few colorful bills into Ginny’s hand, and then the three guys jogged out of the coffee house and up the stairs without another word.
“Can I get anything else for you folks?” Ginny called to us as she began to clear away the businessmen’s table.
