by Zoe Chant
Ash nodded in acknowledgement. “Then we must work quickly. Hugh?”
The white-haired man elbowed his way to the front of the group. Dai plastered himself against a wall, doing his best to give Hugh space in the tiny room.
“My name’s Hugh Argent. I’m a medic.” Hugh crouched next to the bed. He lifted a hand, not quite touching the old man. “I’m going to try to help you. Is that all right?”
Mr. Jones twitched, his mouth working as though trying to find words. He managed a convulsive nod.
Hugh seemed to brace himself. He touched the old man’s lined forehead.
Mr. Jones didn’t react, but a spasm ran down Hugh’s arm. He sucked in a sharp breath, the line of his shoulders tightening.
“Are you okay?” Dai asked.
“Fine,” Hugh snapped, though his jaw was tight with pain. “Shut up and let me work.”
Whatever he did wasn’t visible…but Mr. Jones suddenly gasped. His drooping eyelid flew open. He sat up with a great, convulsive jerk, knocking Hugh back.
Dai lunged to catch the medic. From Hugh’s outraged glare, he might as well have taken a swing at him.
“Sorry.” Dai let go, holding up his hands in apology. “Just trying to help.”
Hugh sniffed, straightening his shirt cuffs with the air of a startled cat licking its fur. “Next time, don’t. I can take care of myself.”
“And other people, apparently.” Chase stared over the medic’s shoulder, his expression astonished. “How-?”
“Now is not the time for questions,” Ash interrupted in firm tones. He was next to Mr. Jones, one hand on the elderly man’s shoulder as he tried to get out of bed. “Mr. Jones, please calm yourself. There is no need for alarm.”
Mr. Jones shoved Ash’s hand aside. “Minnie!”
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, pushing himself to his feet. He swayed, but his eyes blazed with fierce determination. He looked around at them all, proud and dignified even in bare feet and a stained nightshirt.
“Take me to Minnie,” Mr. Jones said, voice firm. “Take me to my wife.”
8
Dai grinned, watching Minnie leap into her mate’s arms. “Now that’s what I call a happy ending.”
Mr. Jones hugged the cat, cradling her in his thin arms. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you alone, I wanted to come, but I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t make anyone understand…oh, Minnie, my Minnie!”
The cat purred. Her outline stretched, shimmering…and then there was a woman in Mr. Jones arms.
A very naked woman.
Dai cleared his throat, hurrying forward. Shifters were generally casual about nudity, but it was far too cold for an old lady to be standing around without a stitch of clothing.
“Uh, ma’am?” He tugged off his jacket, settling it around her shoulders. “This will keep the wind off until we can get you inside.”
Minnie only had eyes for her mate. She was still purring, a hoarse, throaty rumble in her human throat.
“Minnie says thank you,” Mr. Jones said. “She has Alzheimer’s. She often forgets how to talk out loud. Or even how to turn human.”
“That’s why your neighbor just thought your wife was away on a trip, right?” Chase asked. “You had to have an excuse for why she wasn’t around a lot.”
“I didn’t know what else to do.” Mr. Jones’s arms tightened around his mate as though he would never let go again. “Minnie couldn’t remember enough to tell me how to contact any shifters who might have been able to help. And even if I’d had a way to get in touch…Minnie didn’t want me to tell anyone. She thought the shifter authorities might insist on locking her up somewhere far away from ordinary humans, since she can’t control her shifting. We were both afraid someone would take her away from me.”
“That will not happen.” Ash turned to Lyla. “Mr. Jones is still frail after his stroke, and will require support and care. I understand that this facility is intended for shifters only, but—”
“Shifters and their mates,” Lyla interrupted. The practical woman’s eyes were suspiciously bright. “Of course they can both stay here. We have a special charity fund for cases like this, where senior shifters have fallen on hard times. They’ll never be separated again.”
“Thank you,” said Minnie suddenly. Her voice was hoarse, rasping. Joy shone in her eyes. “Thank you.”
Something flickered across Ash’s face. It was so fast that Dai wasn’t sure whether he’d just imagined it…but he could have sworn it was a smile.
“You are very welcome.” The Commander reverted to his usual crisp, businesslike tones. “Ms. Marshal, I have some paperwork that requires your signature. Then we can leave you in peace.”
“I’d like a last word with the happy couple,” Griff interjected. “Pass on some contact details, a shifter I know who works in the legal profession. Michael can help get Mr. Jones’s will set up, to stop any mistake like this happening again.”
“An excellent idea.” Ash looked at Lyla, who nodded assent. “If you would come with me, Ms. Marshal? The relevant forms are in our vehicle.”
Dai hung back with Chase and Hugh as the others headed off. The pegasus shifter gave him a wicked grin. “Some first day on the job, huh?”
“Fires are going to seem positively dull after this,” Dai said ruefully. “Still, this is exactly why I joined the service.”
Hugh gave him a skeptical look. “To reunite star-crossed lovers?”
Dai smiled. “To help people.”
“So, are you going to join our happy team?” Chase asked Hugh.
Hugh scowled at Chase. “That was a private conversation.”
Chase shrugged, looking unrepentant. “No such thing as a private conversation inside a crowded fire truck. So, are you?”
Hugh folded his arms. “I said I’d think about it.”
Dai had also overheard Ash murmuring to Hugh on the drive back to the retirement home. He would never have commented on it, though.
“You really should. We could do with someone with your talents.” Chase cocked his head to one side, regarding Hugh with bright-eyed curiosity. “What are you, anyway?”
“Raised to have good manners,” Hugh snapped. “Unlike some people, apparently.”
“Come on, don’t be shy,” Chase wheedled. “I mean, I’ve known shifters who could heal, but not like you. Give us a hint. Bird, mammal, or reptile? Four legs? Wings? Bigger than a breadbox?”
Dai elbowed Chase. “Drop it,” he muttered.
“But-” Chase started.
Dai elbowed him again, harder. “If he wanted us to know his animal, he’d tell us. Take a hint, Chase. Or I’ll tell the Commander the truth about that ‘mysterious’ flood in the fire station during our training.”
Chase pouted, but desisted. “Fine, fine. I have to go work on our public relations now anyway. We’ll talk about this later. Over drinks! The Full Moon, eight o’clock tonight, okay? See you there!”
Without waiting for a response, he headed towards a group of senior ladies. Dai winced, recognizing them as the ones who’d been wolf-whistling the squad earlier. They seemed very happy to see Chase again.
“Sorry about him,” Dai said, turning back to Hugh. “He means well. He’s just very…very Chase.”
“So I gathered,” Hugh replied dryly. He eyed Dai for a second, with an odd expression—not quite friendly, but a good deal less guarded than before. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
Hugh shoved his hands into his pockets. “For not asking.”
“I know better than to annoy someone who might be in a position to save my life someday,” Dai said with a wry smile. “I hope you do join the team. I think you’d fit in.”
“I’ll think about it,” Hugh said again…and this time, it sounded like he actually meant it.
Griff and Ash rejoined them after a few minutes. The Fire Commander was as expressionless as always, but there was a broad, warm grin on Griff’s face.
“Time to depart, gentlemen.” Ash beckoned to Chase, calling him back over too. “Our work here is complete.”
Dai glanced back at Mr. Jones and Minnie. The mated couple were looking into each other’s eyes, communicating in the wordless way of two people who had become one over many, many years. They seemed to glow, backlit by the setting sun.
Dai sighed. Chase glanced at him, head cocking.
“What’s wrong?” his friend asked. “Aren’t you glad for them?”
“Of course I am,” Dai replied. “It’s just…I wish I had that.”
One of Griff’s eyebrows quirked. “First day on the job, and you’re dreaming about retirement already?”
“No.” Dai gestured at the couple. “I mean that. My true mate.”
Silence met his statement. Looking round, Dai saw the same expression on every face…a perfect mirror to the yearning, wistful feeling in his own chest.
“Yes,” Ash said at last, softly. “We all do.”
The firefighters find their own true mates in the Fire & Rescue Shifters series - complete and ready to binge now!
Click here to get Fire & Rescue Shifters Collection 1 (box set of books 1-3) on Amazon
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Read Firefighters already? Check out Wildfire Crew (featuring Alpha Team’s grown-up kids) or Tithed to the Fae (set in the same world) for more hilarious, magical shifter romance!
A note from Zoe Chant
Thank you for reading this story! If you enjoyed it, I’d really appreciate it if you’d leave a review on Amazon.
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The cover of First Mission was designed by Augusta Scarlett
Also by Zoe Chant
Fire & Rescue Shifters
Firefighter Dragon
Firefighter Pegasus
Firefighter Griffin
Firefighter Sea Dragon
The Master Shark’s Mate
Firefighter Unicorn
Firefighter Phoenix
Fire & Rescue Shifters: Collection 1 (Books 1-3)
Fire & Rescue Shifters: Collection 2 (Books 4-7)
Fire & Rescue Shifters: Wildfire Crew
Wildfire Griffin
Wildfire Unicorn
Wildfire Sea Dragon
Wildfire Pegasus
Wildfire Hellhound
Wildfire Phoenix (coming soon!)
Wildfire Shifters: Collection 1 (Books 1-3)
Fire & Rescue Shifters: Friends and Family
The Sea Dragon’s Lion (coming soon!)
Coyote in the Sea (coming soon!)
Shifter Bites
(standalone short reads, not a series!)
Cute But Prickly
Fire & Rescue Shifters: First Mission
Fae Mates
(set in the same world as Fire & Rescue Shifters)
Tithed to the Fae
… and many more!
All books are standalone romances, each focusing on a new couple. However,
characters from previous books reappear in later stories, so reading in series order is recommended for maximum enjoyment!