The Drunken Dragon: Petunia's Peculiar Particulars Part 3

The Drunken Dragon

Copyright © 2016 Jolie Byrne

All rights reserved.

This ebook or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Dedication: This story is for Shawnya and her daughter Kimberlyn, who came close to losing each other. It is also in loving memory of my aunt, who left this world too soon.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Acknowledgments: JD Franx, Kristy Carey, and Marialena Macnamey, my ever constant and ever-amazing beta readers, who stuck with me through five drafts of this story. You guys really knocked it out of the park with your excellent feedback. Thanks for helping me become the writer this story needed me to be. My husband and daughter, my alpha readers, who loved Elvis from the moment I told them my story concept and who encouraged and supported me at every turn. Thanks also to Casa Cielo Editing, whom I love dearly, for their patience and just all-around awesomeness. To the fans of this series, both old and new, thank you so much for your support. I could not write these stories without you. Most of all, to my awesome son, who thinks that what I do is incredibly cool and believes that I should keep doing it, every day, forever. And last but not least, to Elvis Jones, for waking me up at the crack of three in the morning and insisting that it was time for his story to be told.

There was a guy in the room. Elvis could hear him breathing, smell the scent of his deodorant, and aftershave. Elvis let out a groan. He was definitely awake, and worse than that, he was sober. The voices of the other dragons were loud in his mind. They all hated him, and being drunk was the only way Elvis had to drown them out. He rolled over and tried to concentrate on shutting out the noise in his mind when something crunched under his left hip. That was when Elvis realized that he wasn't at home in bed. He opened one eye and looked down on a uniformed police officer who was staring at him with his mouth hanging open. Elvis lifted a hand and saw an exquisitely formed claw where a hand should have been. When his vision cleared, he saw that he was in an alley.

Elvis groaned.

The cop backed away slowly. His hand went to his gun.

"I'm sorry, officer. I guess I lost control of my ability to shift while I was sleeping. That happens sometimes. I'm going to move so I can see you better." Elvis had encountered cops while he was in compromising positions before. He knew what to do, but he didn't like having to be so careful. It was more challenging this time for some reason.

The officer took another couple of steps back. "You're... you're a..." he stammered.

Elvis bobbed his great head once, "You can say it. I'm a dragon." He began to concentrate on shapeshifting.

"You're really for real," the cop was so stunned that he was tripping over his own feet as he backed up.

When the shift finished, Elvis adjusted his glasses, so they sat straight on his face. "That was probably a shock. I bet you came out here for a smoke break. Look, can you tell me where I am? I need to get out of here and find a drink. I could really use a drink." In fact, Elvis couldn't remember the last time he'd been quite this sober or when his throat had been quite this dry.

The cop finally recovered from the shock. "Circle Center Station. You should clear the area, but you better be sure you're not gonna turn into that monster again. Kids are heading into the monument with their class."