Blaze: A Firefighter Romance

by Lisa Lace

  I wondered if she would think my idea was stupid. I ignored a tiny tab of guilt that I was betraying my true love by striving for happiness with Quinn. But I reminded myself that I had committed to this year. I was going to do it properly. What happened after our divorce would be a different story.

  "Are you sure you want to do that?" She stopped folding, forgetting the shirt in her lap.

  "I do, Quinn. I want this to work. I like you, and we have chemistry. I want us to be happy together."

  "Well then," she said, her eyes shining. "When do we start?"

  "What do you think of this one?" I asked. I turned in the space of the living room and caught a faint scent of fish.

  Quinn wrinkled her delicate nose and shrugged.

  "No? I have one more on my list. The realtor is supposed to meet us here in twenty minutes."

  "Okay," she said, but she didn't look hopeful the way she had at the beginning of the day.

  When we got there, her eyes lit up immediately, and we smiled at each other. It was perfect. I had known it before we walked in. As we followed the realtor on the tour, I held Quinn's hand. I kept getting flashes of us in this place in the future.

  Quinn making supper at the counter in the kitchen. Me working in the office. Us curled up on the couch watching a movie. Quinn having a vision on the floor in the bathroom. Me carrying her over my shoulder to the bedroom. Us making love on the table in the dining room.

  I glanced at Quinn. Her face was a delicate pink color again. I wondered if she was getting the visions at the same time I was.

  I thanked the realtor and asked if we could have a few moments in private to discuss the place. When he shut the door, I turned to Quinn.

  "Well?"

  "I love it. And you do too, don't you? I can tell now."

  "I do. I think it's perfect."

  "Well, and there's the possibilities." She trailed off, biting her lip and dropping her gaze.

  "The visions?" I waggled my eyebrows, and she grinned.

  "That last one was intense."

  "Yes, it was," I said.

  "Does that mean we're going to live here? Are all those things going to happen?"

  "That's usually what it means. But what specifically did you see?"

  She listed off all the things I had seen in my mind, blushing bright red again when she told me about making love on the dining room table.

  "Rooms must be christened, after all," I said.

  She laughed, putting her hand to her crimson face.

  I stopped short all of a sudden as I came to a realization.

  "What is it, Airik?" she said, studying me.

  "Did you have those visions as we were walking through the rooms?"

  She nodded.

  "It almost seems as if we had them simultaneously. That's unusual to say the least. I've never heard of people having simultaneous visions before."

  "What does it mean?"

  "I don't know, Quinn. I don't know." I gazed at her a moment longer before pushing the thoughts aside and changing the subject back to the apartment.

  "Are we taking this place?"

  She nodded happily.

  "Sweet. I'll have someone clean it, and we can stay here tonight."

  "Tonight?"

  "Why not? It will be like camping. I'll take care of all the paperwork. Watch for a message from me to sign it. I'm putting it in both of our names." I started walking out the door. I was going to let the realtor know of our decision but stopped when I saw the look on her face. She looked surprised and gratified that both our names would be on the lease.

  "We're married, Quinn."

  "I know. But I don't know what that means."

  I walked over and put my hands on her shoulders. "I don't know exactly either. To me, it means that we're partners. Equal partners. Lovers. Friends. Who knows what the future will bring?"

  She nodded.

  "Okay. Partners, lovers, friends, and...who knows."

  "That's right. Watch for my message."

  "I'll catch a car back to the hotel and get the rest of my stuff packed up."

  After I had talked to the realtor, we went outside together. When I glanced at her, she was frowning.

  "What is it?" I asked.

  "It's just…" She glanced at me and changed what she was going to say, smiling falsely. I could tell something was wrong. "It's nothing."

  "Tell me," I said insistently.

  "It's just that I thought I saw that guy from the hotel again. I don't know if you read your research report, but he's a member of the Sons of the Heavenly Father."

  " Why didn't you tell me before? They're the ones who tried to kidnap you, right?"

  She nodded.

  "And he's on my planet following you around?"

  "It seems that way," she said. Her face looked calm, but I could sense fear coming off her in waves.

  "You need to be careful. I'm going to alert the police about him. You shouldn't go out without me, okay?"

  "Okay," she said in a small voice.

  "Don't worry. The police will apprehend him. If he even so much as looked the wrong way when he crossed the street, and it's on his record, they'll have him deported." I kissed her and held her face in my hands. "As your husband, it's my job to keep you safe, Quinn. And I'm going to do it."

  She didn't look reassured.

  We took a car together back to the hotel. I made sure she was safe in the room before heading back out to find someone to clean our new apartment...and install a security system.

  That night, Quinn and I sat on the floor against the wall, the remains of our meal beside us.

  "Do you really think I should apply to the Training Institute?" Quinn said, glancing up at me.

  I picked up my glass of wine and took a drink. "If I were still a Recruiter, I would be advising you to apply as soon as possible."

  "I've never done anything like this before. Having my ability out in the open like that for everyone to see makes me uncomfortable, Airik."

  "I know. But that's thinking from your past life. You have to let it go. It's different here."

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You're right. I'm going to have a new life here. It's what I wanted. It's more than what I wanted. I think I should apply too."

  "That's awesome," I said, passing her a computer that sat beside me. She took it, puzzled.

  "What do you want me to do with this?"

  "Turn it on to start."

  It opened to the application I was using to learn English.

  "We'll close this," I said, swiping it away.

  She looked at me strangely. I didn't want her to ask me about my English lessons. My accent was too terrible right now to show anyone. Maybe in a few months, when I knew more and my accent improved.

  I brought up the application for the Training Institute.

  "I didn't mean immediately. Do you want me to apply right now?"

  "There's no time like the present," I said. "It won't take long. I can help you with any parts you don't understand."

  She looked worried. "Airik, if I do this, I need to do it on my own. Not because you're a bigwig in the Precog Division."

  "I know. I'm not going to interfere. I can just make the process easier for you."

  She looked down at the computer, then back up to me. "Okay, then."

  We filled out the application, and she submitted it. Then she turned off the computer and handed it back to me.

  "Phew," she said. "I can't believe it was that easy."

  "You did it." I smiled.

  "Yup. No turning back now."

  "Would you want to?"

  "Not yet. I'll let you know after I get rejected."

  "Now you're being silly," I said, leaning in to kiss her. "Koccoran needs your visions."

  She giggled into my lips, which made me want her more. Soon we got carried away again. When we finished and lay on the floor side by side, I gave a sigh of contentment.

  "This room's christened, I suppo
se. Only six more to go."

  She laughed out loud and slapped my shoulder.

  I remembered my time with Sornalee and couldn't believe I had spent a year and a half with her. That had been forgettable.

  This was how a relationship was supposed to be.

  QUINN

  My life had changed a lot in only a few days. Not long ago, I hid in my father's apartment. I only ventured out on errands in the evenings when I would not be conspicuous. I felt like I was a prisoner in jail and forced to hide who I was.

  I still missed my dad terribly, but it wasn't as bad as it was at the beginning. My life here on Koccoran was good, mostly because of Airik.

  He was a Precog just like me. The thought still blew me away. Some considered my abilities a gift here. I could change the future. If I did well in my training, I might be one of the ones that saved people from an early, unnecessary death.

  Me. A savior.

  After all the years of dying inside every time I knew I couldn't save anyone, I would have the opportunity to help the people in my visions. It filled me with hope and happiness. I couldn't wait to get started once I got accepted into the training program.

  Airik said that they took everyone in initially. There were evaluations during the first week to decide who would continue. I was nervous having Airik so involved in the application process, but he couldn't help it. A lot of husband and wife teams worked together. I hoped it would be okay.

  I felt anxious, and I went to get the mail, just to have something to do. I went down a hall and took an elevator to the lobby. I went into a small room that had the mailboxes, unlocking ours, removing the envelopes and relocking the box. When I turned around to go out, the man from the Sons of the Heavenly Father blocked the doorway.

  My heart started to pound. I looked around frantically for a way out, but there was no escape. "Leave me alone," I said.

  He grinned. I noticed that he had a tooth missing in the front.

  "I don't think so, witch," he said. He wasn't moving towards me, but he wasn't leaving either.

  "I'm not a witch. I'm just an ordinary person. Haven't you noticed many people here can do the same things I do?"

  "I've noticed, all right. A planet full of freaks," he said, then spat on the floor. I looked at the gob of spittle in disgust.

  "What do you want?" I asked, needing to get something out of this guy. Maybe if I kept him talking, he would start to see me as a person.

  "I want to see you burn," he said. "Once you're dead, I can get off this alien planet and go back home."

  Maybe not. I needed to start bluffing. Maybe I could extract some useful information from him. I wondered if he was working alone and if he would be stupid enough to tell me. It was worth a shot to see what I could find out.

  "Where's your partner? You don't think you can take me down by yourself, do you? Didn't you hear about the last guys that attacked me?"

  He shuffled nervously. His eyes shifted back and forth.

  "We work alone." He seemed to be telling the truth. I was hardly trained in lie detection, so I didn't know if I should believe him.

  "The ones who attacked me before weren't working alone," I pointed out.

  "They weren't assassins," he said. I noticed he was trying to move his hands together. When he did, he crossed his fingers. I remembered the people who had egged me earlier had done the same thing. Maybe they thought making a cross with their fingers would protect them from me.

  "Do you think that you can do something to me?" I said incredulously, trying to look more confident than I felt.

  He took a step back. These guys were frightened of me! That's when I realized that I held all the power. I lifted my hands.

  "Don't," he said. He looked terrified.

  I took a step toward him, and he turned and ran. I followed him and watched as he jumped into a car and escaped.

  That's when I knew that I had changed since I got here. The old me would have allowed herself to be bullied. I walked back upstairs feeling better than I had in a long time.

  Airik came home from work at five o'clock. We were in our new apartment. It was still empty. Airik's apartment was small. We needed to get furniture and other random things. But I loved it. His apartment would never have been ours the way this place was. I appreciated that he had thought of me.

  As he walked through the door, I ran and hugged him. When he wasn't home, the days seemed long.

  "Hi," he said, smiling and kissing me.

  "Hi."

  "Did you get the mail? Or maybe there wasn't any?" He pulled off his coat and hung it up. There was one envelope from the mail room - they still used paper for some things here. I hadn't thought to look at it. All my thoughts centered on the assassin. I pulled out the single envelope and read the name on it.

  "It's for me?" I frowned.

  "Just open it, Quinn."

  I tore open the letter and read it. I stared at him.

  "What's wrong?" he asked.

  "Nothing's wrong. I got in."

  "Quinn, that's awesome. Aren't you happy?"

  "A little bit." I smiled. "I'm also shocked and scared."

  "You're a natural. You're going to do fine."

  I certainly hoped so, but I had more important things to think about right now, as my life was in danger. I put the letter down. I had to tell him right away.

  "Airik."

  He looked up and frowned, sensing something unusual was going on. "What happened?"

  "The man from the Sons of the Heavenly Father. He trapped me in the mail room."

  "Quinn! I told you not to go out alone." He looked distressed and came to me, looking me over. "Are you all right?"

  "I'm all right, Airik. Calm down. He didn't do anything. I chased him away."

  "I think you'd better tell me the whole story." He sat down suddenly on the couch.

  I explained what had happened before, and how I got so hot I burned my attackers. I told him how I had used the threat to scare away the assassin.

  "You turned your thoughts into heat?"

  "That's weird, right? Have you heard of anyone being able to do that before?"

  "In fairy tales? All the time." Great. Now I was a character from a children's story.

  "You say he was afraid?"

  "Definitely."

  "That's good. It will certainly work in our favor."

  When he talked like that, I felt like I wasn't alone.

  "I'm going to check with a contact I have with the police and see if they can deport him." He talked for a few minutes with his friend. "They opened the investigation, but there was no real cause for deportation. He's never been charged with a crime."

  "Damn," I said. I knew he'd be back, no matter how scared he was.

  "He'll be charged with something now."

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "Harassment, Quinn. We have strict laws here. You're not allowed to go around threatening people. We'll be pressing charges immediately. Are you ready to go?"

  "I'm ready," I said, a little in awe of my husband. He was someone to fear. It was a dangerous side of him I hadn't seen before.

  Chapter Nine

  AIRIK

  "Eye luv yoo," I said under my breath in English as I walked down the hall. "How ar yoo too day?"

  My digital tutor corrected my pronunciation. I repeated the words, then went on to the next phrase.

  "Eye am feen…" The tutor corrected me again. "Eye am fine. Tank yoo."

  I sighed. Language study was involved. I tried to commit to memory once again that a 't' and an 'h' together made the sound 'th'.

  I wanted to surprise Quinn in a couple of months by being able to speak a little bit of English. It was a slow process. The language was very different from Standard and my mother tongue.

  But I would get it. I was determined.

  "Eye luv yoo. Fine, tank… thank… yoo."

  QUINN

  "How did your day go?" Airik asked. I was making dinner when he walked into the
kitchen.

  I beamed at him.

  "It was amazing. We worked on opening ourselves to the visions, and I had one. Nobody died in it. I still haven't figured out how to separate my personal emotions from the vision."

  My instructor's name was Rob. When he wasn't teaching, he led ground teams to rescue potential victims from their future demise. He was teaching my class techniques to protect ourselves from being devastated by our visions. There were ways to put distance between ourselves and what we saw.

  "I can help you practice that if you want. I'm the master."

  I looked at him and felt hurt creep into my heart. "Yeah, I bet you are."

  I looked down at the bread I was piling with meat, vegetables, and cheese.

  "What's that supposed to mean?" he said, sounding disgruntled.

  I looked up. He had a sour expression on his face. I stayed silent a moment longer but decided to be honest with him. We were supposed to be open with each other, weren't we? Since I had told him about being a psychic, I hadn't kept anything from him.

  "I've noticed that you are good at protecting yourself and keeping your distance from people."

  He looked mystified.

  "You know, not getting close." I turned and stuck a sheet filled with sandwiches into the oven to melt the cheese.

  "Not getting close to people in general or not getting close to you?"

  "Yes," I said. "You don't let me in. You don't tell me what's wrong when you have a bad day. Remember that Precog you had? The one where you couldn't sleep for a week afterward? You never even told me..."

  "That's classified, Quinn. I couldn't discuss it with you."

  "You didn't let me finish. What I was going to say was that you never told me how you felt or what you were going through. You pushed me away like I was an annoyance. I thought I was your wife. I'm supposed to help you with your problems."

  He stared at me strangely. "I don't need any help."

  That was the most hurtful thing he could have said to me. I blinked, trying to breathe through the pain in my chest. He didn't need any help. I knew what he meant. He didn't need me.