by R K Close
Cole seemed to relax slowly, and so did Seth. I knew we were all strung tight and thin from losing Henry. And maybe, like me, they blamed themselves. His death hit us all hard.
“I have to be honest with you, Seth. I don’t know if I buy her story. It could be a trick. Watch yourself, all right? She’s not like other women, and we are at a huge disadvantage by not knowing anything about them,” I said.
He nodded and reached his hand out to Cole. Cole hesitated for only a second, then grasped Seth’s hand and pulled him in for a hug.
“Did she say how many were in her family?” I asked, Seth.
“Yeah, she said there’s eight total, including Lorenzo. She called it a coven. I asked her what a coven was, and she said it was like a family but not,” Seth said.
“Eight vampires? What are we going to do? We can’t handle eight. We don’t even know if we can handle one,” Cole complained.
“Either we figure it out, or we leave,” I said, and they grew quiet.
“I’m going to check on Jessica. I don’t like that we saw so many vampires and not one of them was Lorenzo,” I said.
“You falling for Jessica, big brother?” Seth said, sounding truly curious.
I looked between the two of them, both waiting for my reply. “It’s something. It’s like I can’t get her out of my head. I’m even dreaming about her,” I confessed. This was not a comfortable conversation to have, even with the two people I was closest to. “There may be something to that fated mate idea, Seth. I’m just not certain how to handle it,” I said.
Cole clasped my shoulder and squeezed. “It had to happen eventually. How’s she feel about you?” he asked. I laughed.
“What does it matter? It’s not like I can do anything about it,” I said, shrugging his hand off.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Seth asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“How can any of us have an intimate relationship with the secrets we keep? That’s not the sort of skeleton you can let out of the closet.” I ran my hands through my hair, thinking again that I needed a haircut. “Hi, I’m Liam. I turn into a wolf. Want to go to dinner?” I said, sarcastically.
“A big bad-ass alpha wolf,” Seth corrected.
We shared a laugh, but it was gone quickly.
“I never gave it that much thought, but I think if you meet someone special enough to marry, we’d tell them, right?” Cole offered.
“That’s my take, anyway,” Seth agreed.
“We can’t risk that every time we like someone,” I said, looking at them like they spoke a strange language.
“Yeah, only when you think it’s the right woman,” Seth said. “Did you really think we have to be alone for the rest of our lives?”
I thought about this for a moment. It just didn’t add up. Or maybe I didn’t know I could trust another person with a secret that could potentially impact all three of us. I didn’t answer him.
“Well, I haven’t met the right gal yet, but I think there must be one who can handle my wit and charm,” Seth said, smoothing his hair back in a James Dean impression.
“Same. I don’t want to be stuck with only you two clowns for the rest of my life. I mean, you’re cute and all, but...” joked Cole.
“I didn’t know that you felt this way. I’ve been so focused on keeping a low profile—” I said.
“We know. It’s been obvious the way you only date women who are passing through town or on vacation. Did you think you were sneaky about it?” Seth said, laughing.
I huffed. “I guess not,” I said, shaking my head. “I didn’t really know that’s what I was doing,” I said. But Seth was right, I realized. How had he been so observant about me, but I’d been clueless?
“Go check on your girl,” Cole urged.
“She’s not my girl. And don’t forget she’s a reporter. Wouldn’t we make a great story?” I asked, in a warning tone. This was the main reason I’d tried to stay away from Jessica Parker. Maybe if I had, she wouldn’t be in danger.
21
A pain in my neck woke me just as the sun was rising. My muscles ached from sitting in the same position too long. When I left Seth and Cole the night before, I drove over to Jessica’s to make sure she was safe.
Daisy’s car was in the driveway, so I figured she was staying close to Jessica as well. I was glad Jessica had a friend like that. My plan was to leave before she knew that I was there, but as with the best of intentions, that didn’t happen.
Jessica, holding a cup of coffee, was watching me from her living room window. I started the engine and let it idle for a minute while I watched her. We didn’t wave or acknowledge each other, but somehow I felt close to her. I knew that thought was crazy.
Pulling my eyes from hers, I slowly pulled away from the curb and drove home for a shower and some real sleep. Hopefully, she didn’t decide to file a restraining order on me.
I DREAMED OF JESSICA and the forest again. But this time we were merely us, running through the woods. It was playful and secretive. Then the day suddenly turned to night, and I couldn’t find her.
I searched and called her name in vain for what seemed like a long time, and then I saw a light. Following the glow, I came to a clearing that I recognized. A tall bonfire blazed, and there were people standing around its flames.
I was back on the farm where I grew up. The same field where I dreamed about killing Alistair Wilson, the pack leader. But Alistair wasn’t here now, and neither were his pack. These were vampires—eight in all.
The four females and four males stood, watching me approach. Movement caught my eye and I saw Jessica as she moved from behind Lorenzo. She said my name, but he grabbed her and held her close. I could feel my wolf coming alive. It wanted to tear into Lorenzo until he was no more than pieces.
He laughed, and I could see his white fangs flash like diamonds reflecting the fire. I began to run, but it was as if with each step I took, they grew further away. Jessica’s frightened face tore at my heart as I tried in vain to reach her.
And then, keeping his eyes on me, Lorenzo bit into the soft, creamy flesh of her neck. Bright red blood began to run down her chest from his mouth. I roared my fury.
I WOKE TO A DARK GRAY sky that matched my mood. The dream would haunt me for a long time to come. It felt all too familiar. It was after four in the afternoon. I’d slept the day away. I made myself a cup of strong coffee and went outside to sit in a folding chair to drink it.
The same feelings of helplessness I’d felt eight years ago were returning. I was at a turning point. The situation with the vampires moving into our town meant trouble that could result in exposing us for what we were and worse.
There were many reasons to leave. We could protect our pack, keep our secret safe—survival.
Then the reasons to stay began with Jessica and ended with the community we’d become a part of. In many ways, they were like our family. From Zoey, Daisy, and Fred, the auto mechanic who let Seth live above his garage and use his equipment, to Henry, who had always had a table ready and a smile.
Then there was Bell, who owned the bakery, and regularly sent an extra box of pastries to the station with Cole. The list went on and on. I’d taken all our friends for granted until now when I considered leaving them behind. Who would protect them if we left?
And if we couldn’t make it work here, would we ever find a home?
COLE, SETH AND I WERE still off shift for another day. I’d made a decision about one issue in my life but didn’t know if anything would come of it. I planned to talk to Jessica and see where we stood. Maybe she wasn’t interested in dating a blue-colored firefighter. She had some lofty goals from what she’d mentioned. Seth always accused me of overthinking. Perhaps that was what I was doing now.
Would dating Jessica mean that I had to confess everything? I didn’t know, but she’d made it clear she didn’t care for secrets, and she was intuitive enough to have figured out that I had some.
I stopped by Seth�
�s apartment so he could change my spark plugs while I waited. It wasn’t like I couldn’t do them myself, but he had unlimited use of all the equipment at Fred’s Auto Shop, making it a no-brainer. Besides, Seth loved to tinker with anything with an engine. It was a hobby for him. This was my contribution to his personal happiness.
The sun had set, and I was anxious to make sure Jessica was safe, and possibly start that conversation with her. That is if I could get her away from Daisy. That woman was better than a guard dog. So far I hadn’t been arrested as a stalker, which was a good sign.
My phone buzzed, and I fished it out of my pocket. A second later Seth’s phone began to sound as well. He wiped his hands on a greasy towel and picked it up.
I looked at Seth at the same moment he glanced up at me. We’d received the same fire alert. Last year the department had added a program where off-duty firefighters could respond to large-scale emergencies if they chose. This was the first real alert we’d had since the program was implemented.
Details about the emergency were included with the text message. We were to text a number one to respond, or number two to decline with no explanation necessary.
I nodded to Seth, and we both hit one to respond. A large-scale fire had broken out in one of the oldest dorms on the college campus. The buildings had been retrofitted to meet most of the newer building code requirements for fire safety, but not every detail of the current codes could be satisfied with the older architectures.
This fire must have been severe for extra firefighters to be called in. Seth closed the hood of my truck and got in. “I’d just finished anyway. Let’s roll.”
We could see the flames from Wilson Hall as we drove down the main drag in town, on our way to the fire station to grab our gear. Cole pulled up in his Jeep just as we arrived. It took us less than a minute to put on our turnouts and find some extra Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus or SCBA, as it was referred to. Once we had our fire turnouts on, we loaded the extra SCBA’s into the bed of my truck and headed for the campus.
Since this was Homecoming week, the campus was even more packed than usual with families, and graduates returning to the small town and filling up all the lodging. I honked the horn to get bystanders to move out of the way so we could get as close as possible.
When they realized we were firefighters, they moved over to let us get past. A sheriff’s deputy started to stop us, but when he approached the truck and saw who we were, he motioned for us to pass. I parked fifty yards from the engine, and we piled out of the truck.
I found the captain in charge and let him know we were on scene.
“We’ve got three students who aren’t accounted for. One lives upstairs on the west wing, and the other two have dorms on the lower level. Until we know differently, they’re all believed to be in Wilson Hall when the fire broke out,” Captain Murphy yelled, over the noise.
“Why isn’t the fire contained?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Sprinkler system was turned off, and the nearest hydrant was vandalized to the point we can’t access it. We’ve had to pull lines from other hydrants that aren’t as convenient,” he said.
Arson. I looked at Wilson Hall, the roof almost completely engulfed in flames, and wondered if anyone could possibly survive that.
“Where do you want us, Captain?” I asked.
“You three pull a line and do a sweep of the lower level to find those students,” Captain Murphy ordered.
I turned to Cole and Seth. “Seth, you and Cole, start a line. We’ll enter around back,” I said.
After Seth and Cole had pulled a water line, we met at the back of the dorm. We reached a rear entrance that looked like a maintenance entrance, but it was locked. I felt the door for heat. Finding it cool to the touch, I stepped back and nodded to Seth. He stepped forward, and with one mighty kick, the door crashed inward. Thick dark black smoke spilled from the doorway..
Visibility was impossible. Seth led with the hose. I put my hand on Seth’s shoulder and Cole did the same on my shoulder. We stayed together this way, slowly moving around objects and basically feeling our way into the building by touch alone. Since we were working blind, the hose line was our way out when the time came. Our turnouts and SCBA tanks and masks kept us from inhaling smoke.
So far we’d not encountered any flames, just smoke. If there had been flames where we’d been, our turnouts would have protected us from the intense heat.
We were familiar with most of the dorms and buildings on campus, which helped me determine when we’d reached the residents’ hallway for the lower level.
By luck or fate, we found a person unmoving and unresponsive inside the first room. I ordered Seth and Cole to follow the hose line and get the victim out of the building while I searched for the other. It was against protocol for me to work alone, but I had some advantages that ordinary humans didn’t.
The dorm room was small, and it didn’t take long to search. I moved slowly down the hall to the next room. I began the search by working my way around the edges of the room and furniture with one hand and reaching out and away with the other.
My outstretched hand connected with something, and I stopped to investigate. It was another victim. With some effort, I managed to grab ahold of them under the arms and began to pull the person out by memory and occasionally having to stop and feel my way before dragging them along. I no longer had the hose line to follow, which slowed my progress even more.
The timbers groaned loudly just before a portion of the upper level gave way and crashed down in front of me. I covered the victim’s head as best as I could to prevent debris from injuring them—if they were even alive. There was no way of knowing until we made it out.
A large piece of debris now blocked our original exit route. I pulled the victim into another dorm room that I hoped was not destroyed by the collapse. Once inside, I left the victim for a moment to assess the wall that would get us past the collapsed floor and closer to the exit.
I said a quick prayer of thanks when I realized the wall was made of plasterboard and lumber. I could bust my way through that, but brick would have taken me too long. Without the advantage of my enhanced strength, we wouldn’t have a chance.
It was circumstances such as this where firefighters lost their lives while trying to save others. That was not happening tonight. I began to punch the wall again and again until boards splintered, and drywall exploded. Once there was a hole big enough, I pulled the victim over to the opening, stepped through, then reached in and pulled them after me.
I thought I saw some light through the smoke and moved toward it. Two firefighters, who turned out to be Seth and Cole, helped me pull the victim out of the building while I collapsed on the grass to catch my breath.
Dragging a body through a building where you’re working blind and wearing over forty-five extra pounds of gear is strenuous work, even for a shifter..
Paramedics placed the victim on a gurney and hustled them away. Seth and Cole found their way back to me and helped me up from the grass. I pulled off my SCBA, they had already removed theirs.
“What about the third one?” I asked breathlessly.
“They showed up. They’d been out drinking when they heard about the fire,” Cole said. We walked back to the staging area to get some water and rest a bit. The fire was still being worked, but they were getting it under control.
Someone handed me a water bottle, and I chugged it. I pulled off my gloves and wiped the sweat from my forehead that kept running into my eyes. That’s when I spotted the KUTV news van. A quick scan of the scene and I located Jessica and Daisy getting ready to report. Maybe I’d get a moment to talk to her, after all.
Then I remembered how dirty and sweaty I was and thought better of it. We still had work to do here.
The captain walked up and looked us over. “I want all three of you checked out by the medics at the rehab tent,” he ordered.
“We’re fine, just catching our breath,” I said, trying to d
ecline.
“This is not a request, Captain McKenzie. You boys know the drill. Besides, this is the first time we’ve implemented this backup program. I’ll have hell to pay if they read my report and learn I didn’t follow protocol,” the captain said, ignoring my resistance. “Don’t worry, we’ve got this wrapped up. You did good work.” He nodded toward the rehab tent and then walked away.
22
Jessica
A fire was news. A massive blaze in one of the original and oldest dorms on the college campus was big news. Having just overheard a conversation between a couple of paramedics,discussing how the fire was suspected to be arson, made this the Flagstaff story of the year. Excluding the possibility that a vampire may be killing tourist and locals, that is.
If I presented a story on the vampire theory, I’d be laughed out of a career. I was beginning to wonder if that would be such a bad thing.
Daisy and I had just arrived on campus and were busy setting up the shoot. I was preparing to go live before Brenda Jeffrey could steal yet another story. The tables had turned when I snagged the story about the murders before she did. I planned to keep that momentum going.
Daisy had the lights on me, so I had to pretend I wasn’t totally blind. More than once I’d tripped over cords and other objects after she would cut the lights.
“Hold up. Something’s wrong with the camera. I think it’s a loose cable. I’ve got another one in the van,” Daisy said.
I put my hand up to shield my eyes, but she was just a shadow as she disappeared around the back of the van. The campus was packed with people, and the police were busy keeping bystanders at a safe distance from the active fire and out of the way of the firefighters.
I wondered if I’d see Liam and his brothers. I’d planned to look for him after we filmed this clip, but I didn’t think they were working tonight. Still blinded by the lights, I turned to watch the fire behind me, while I waited for Daisy to return.