Flame (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 4)

by Ophelia Sexton

  "Scary?" Thor finished. "Yeah, I can imagine. But everything will be okay. I promise. I have a couple of connections in law enforcement who have dealt with this sort of thing before."

  "Okay," Amanda said. "But what should I do if Baldwin wants to know where you are?"

  At Cassie's silent urging, Thor handed the phone back.

  "You tell him that I got mad about his thugs showing up at the hotel this morning, and I called you up to yell at you and break off the friendship," Cassie suggested.

  "Are you?" Amanda asked in a stricken voice. "Uh, mad at me?"

  "Of course not," Cassie said firmly. "I've met Baldwin, remember? I know exactly what kind of creep he is."

  "Okay," Amanda said. "But I'm still so, so sorry about this."

  "I'm the one who should be apologizing," Cassie said firmly. "After all, the only reason that Baldwin is harassing y'all is because of me."

  "Hey, you two, stop it," Thor commanded, pitching his voice so that Amanda could hear him too. "The only person you get to blame for all this is Edward Baldwin."

  "Works for me," Cassie said.

  "Me, too," Amanda said, after a moment. "What a jerk!"

  "So text me your sister's info as soon as you hang up," Cassie ordered. "And your Mom's info, too, if you're worried about Baldwin doing something to her."

  "She lives in New York City, so I think she'll be okay," Amanda said. "But Jessie and Rob live in Austin."

  Way too close to the New Braunfels Pride's home territory, Cassie thought.

  Amanda took a deep breath. "Thanks so much for trying to help, Cassie. And for not being mad at me."

  "And thank you for offering me a place to stay when I really needed one," Cassie told her. "I'm sorry about all the trouble I dragged along with me."

  A couple of minutes after she had finished her call, her phone buzzed with an incoming message. She glanced at it and saw that Amanda had forwarded her sister Jessie's contact info.

  She glanced questioningly at Thor. "So who are your law enforcement contacts? Is your memory coming back?"

  "Not yet." Reaching into the pocket of his loose sweatpants, he pulled out his wallet. Unfolding it, he extracted the business card that Sergeant Howard had given them before departing. "But I do know at least one shifter in law enforcement, and I'm betting he's got contacts in other departments. Maybe even Austin. And if that doesn't work…"

  He winced and rubbed his forehead. Then his eyes widened. "I just remembered something!"

  That was great news, and Cassie hoped it meant that his amnesia was finally resolving.

  "Bill Jacobsen," Thor said triumphantly. "He's the sheriff in Bearpaw Ridge. And he's a wolf shifter. I remember him saying that he and the other law enforcement shifters do a lot of networking. If Sergeant Howard can't help us, I'll call Sheriff Jacobsen and ask him."

  * * *

  They finished eating quickly after that.

  Jubilant at his first clear flash of pre-accident memory, Thor strained to see what else he could remember. But nothing happened except for an incipient headache.

  Cassie seemed oddly subdued during their meal. Maybe it was the aftereffect of Amanda's call, but Thor caught her studying him when she thought he wasn't looking.

  He noticed the faint line drawn between her dark golden brows, as if something were troubling her.

  Once they were back in the privacy of Cassie's Subaru, Thor borrowed her phone and called the number on the business card that Sergeant Howard had left him. He didn't think this was the kind of business a shifter could conduct in a public space like the diner.

  The friendly female dispatcher who answered the phone put him through to Howard's desk immediately.

  "Mr. Swanson," Howard greeted him. "I just finished booking your guys, and I'm writing up the report now. How may I help you?"

  Thor gave a quick summary of Amanda's call. "…so I was wondering if you knew anyone in the Austin PD who might be able to protect Cassie's sister and family."

  Howard sighed heavily. "I don't know of any shifters working for Austin PD, but I do know a couple of cougar shifters at the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office. I could give you their contact info. They might be able to help you. If they can't, call me back, and I'll see what I can dig up among my other contacts. There should be a few shifters working for the Texas Rangers or FBI…"

  "Thanks," Thor said. "But I've got one other contact I can try—Sheriff Bill Jacobsen up in Bearpaw Ridge. If that doesn't pan out, I'll definitely be in touch."

  "Good luck, son. And we'll make sure that Mr. Katzenberg and Mr. Tigredientes don't make any more trouble for you."

  After thanking Howard for his help, Thor disconnected.

  "At least we know that Baldwin's two goons aren't going to be chasing us down any time soon," Cassie said hopefully.

  "Yeah, that's a step in the right direction," Thor agreed. "Let me try Sheriff Jacobsen next."

  His returned memory didn't include any phone numbers, so he used Directory Assistance to put him through to the Bearpaw Ridge Police Department.

  The sheriff answered his phone on the second ring. "This is Bill Jacobsen."

  "Hi, Sheriff Jacobsen," Thor said. "This is Thor Swanson."

  "Thor!" Jacobsen's voice changed from crisply professional to warmly friendly. "Long time no hear from! I saw the news about your parachuting accident. How are you doing?"

  "I’m on the mend," Thor assured him. "I talked to Mom yesterday, and I'm headed home for a visit while I finish recuperating. But that's not why I'm calling. I've got a friend with a big shifter problem in Texas, and she could really use your help. Do you know any shifters working in Austin-area law enforcement?"

  "Yeah, I've got a few contacts. At least two of the Austin pack members work for the Austin PD, and a couple more work for the fire department," Jacobsen said, to Thor's relief.

  He glanced sideways to the driver's seat and saw Cassie's rigid posture relax slightly.

  "What's this about, Thor?" Jacobsen asked.

  Once again, Thor told his story of the morning's events and what Amanda had said about Baldwin's men threatening her sister's family.

  "Those fucking cats," Jacobsen growled when Thor finished speaking. "They're nothing but trouble!"

  Thor blinked, startled by Jacobsen's vehement response. When had the sheriff encountered sabertooth shifters?

  Before he could ask, Jacobsen continued. "You remember all the problems they caused up here a couple of years ago? I can't believe that those idiots haven't already outed us all! I keep hoping that they'll all kill each other off and stop making trouble for rest of us shifters. We'll all be better off when those assholes finally go extinct."

  Out of the corner of his eyes, Thor saw Cassie withdraw. Her shoulders hunched and her head bowed, as if she were trying to disappear into the corner of the driver's seat. He felt a surge of protectiveness towards her.

  "C'mon, they can't all be that bad," he said to Jacobsen. "Not all of them."

  Jacobsen just snorted. "Yeah, right…you'd already taken that job in Denver when Philippe Bertrand and his gang showed up in town. But I'm sure you must have heard about what happened then."

  Actually, Thor couldn't remember anything at all about sabertooth shifters in Bearpaw Ridge, but he didn't think admitting that to the sheriff was going to do any good.

  Instead he said, "So do you think you'll be able to help protect Jessica Albertson and her family from Edward Baldwin and the, uh—?"

  He looked at Cassie inquiringly.

  She shot him a quick glance, then looked down again. "New Braunfels Pride," she whispered.

  "—New Braunfels Pride?" Thor finished.

  "Yeah, of course," Jacobsen said. "I'll get on the horn right away, and we'll get them squared away."

  "Thank you, Sheriff," Thor said with real gratitude.

  The sheriff chuckled. "Nice to know you haven't forgotten us hometown folks now that you're living in the big city!"

  His tone was jo
king, but his words once again made Thor wonder if something had happened to make him move two states away from his family's ranch.

  When Thor had signed off after a few more pleasantries, he turned to Cassie with a smile. "I think your friend Amanda and her family will be okay now. When Sheriff Jacobsen says he'll do something, he always follows through."

  Cassie nodded, but she still looked upset.

  "Hey, are you okay?" Thor asked. "I'm sorry about that stuff that the sheriff said about sabertooths—"

  She shook her head. "It's nothing I haven't heard before. Other shifters hate us because we do so much fighting. Everyone's trying to climb the ladder and become First in their pride."

  Her gaze met his at last, and he saw pain in her eyes. A surge of fierce protectiveness swept through him.

  "What's going to happen when we arrive in Bearpaw Ridge and the other shifters there realize what I am?" She shook her head. "Maybe I should just drop you off—"

  "No way!" Thor snapped. "You're mine…" Cassie's eyes widened, and he hastily amended "—my guest, I mean. My friend. If anyone even looks at you funny, I'll—

  "But I don't want to make trouble for you with your family and friends," Cassie interrupted.

  He bristled, and she put her hand on his left shoulder. As always, her touch felt exciting and soothing at the same time.

  "Your sheriff friend was right," she continued. "Most sabertooth cats are pretty awful. I never felt at home in the pride, because no one really wanted to be friends. Instead, the pride members allied themselves with whomever they thought could help them get ahead. They'd constantly backstab each other, and, well, it was all pretty horrible."

  So much pain in her voice, he thought.

  "I'm sorry," Thor said and reached up to cover her hand with his own.

  "Amanda was my first real friend," Cassie continued. "It took me a while after we met before I realized that she didn't want anything from me and that the reason she hung around me was because she liked me, not because she thought I could help her get ahead in some way." She gazed earnestly at Thor. "That's why I don't want to mess things up with your friends and family back home."

  "Cassie," Thor said firmly. "After everything you've done for me, I won't stand for anyone being rude to you." His fingers tightened around hers. Now for the hard part.

  He took a deep breath. "And I was wondering…would you mind staying around for—" Always.

  No, can't say that. It's too soon. "—a while?"

  She let out a shaky chuckle that was more breath than laugh. "Sure. If you're sure it'll be okay. It's not like I have anywhere else to go right now."

  Thor relaxed against the back of his seat. "Good. Now that everything's settled, why don't we hit the road?"

  Cassie obediently withdrew her hand from his shoulder, leaving him feeling bereft of her touch. As she reached to slide her key into the ignition, she paused.

  "Thor, I've been meaning to ask you all morning…do you know what's happening? With us, I mean." He saw her tanned cheek darken with a blush. "I've, uh, been feeling this connection ever since we met, and that sleeping thing last night…well, that was just weird! Weird but nice," she amended hastily. "It's just, well, nothing like this has ever happened to me before."

  And there it was, the conversation that he'd hoped to avoid having with her for a while longer.

  At least she's feeling it too, Thor thought. That would make things a little easier. Or so he hoped.

  "So what do you know about fated mates?" he asked, cautiously.

  Chapter 12 – Fated Mates

  "Fated mates?" Cassie's voice rose in incredulity. And yet, something in her soul reacted to his words, a deep reverberation that moved through flesh and bone like the deep toll of a bell. "Like in the fairy tales that my mom used to read to me?" She shook her head as her inner cat stirred. "That kind of thing doesn't really happen outside of stories, does it?"

  She expected Thor to laugh and tell her that he was just joking.

  Instead, he looked at her with a serious expression in his piercing hazel eyes.

  "You know, I used to think it was just a story too. But then it happened to my older brothers…or at least all three of them swear it did, and none of them are what you might call 'woo-woo' types." Thor smiled now. "Dane's the ranch manager, Mark's a lawyer, for crying out loud, and Evan's a scientist. Not a starry-eyed hippie in the bunch…except when it comes to their mates."

  Cassie stared at him. "You remember them? Your brothers? Were you able to do that before breakfast?"

  Thor's eyes widened. "Hell, you're right, Cassie!"

  He closed his eyes, a dark sweep of lashes brushing his skin, and frowned a little as if trying to force his memories to cooperate.

  When he spoke again, his voice held a note of wonder. "I—remember Dane teaching me how to drive the fire truck back home. And Mark's movie nights at his place—he's got an amazing home theater."

  His eyes popped open, and he gave Cassie an open and joyful smile that took her breath away. "I remember my family! Not everything, but a helluva lot more than I did before!"

  "I'm glad for you. And really relieved," Cassie said, returning his smile.

  She couldn't help herself. Thor's sudden happiness radiated from him like sunlight, warm and nourishing.

  The moment lengthened between them.

  Then Thor spoke again. "So, yeah, fated mates. It's a real thing, and after last night and this morning—" Cassie saw him swallow. His expression turned hungry. "I'm thinking that maybe the connection that we're both feeling is something…real."

  Cassie's cat-half sat up eagerly at his words. Yes. Ours.

  But Cassie was still reluctant to admit he was right.

  In her life, she had taught herself not to want anything too badly, because as far back as she could remember, whenever she cared deeply about something, it was taken away from her.

  That's what happened when you were a sabertooth shifter who couldn't win a duel to save your life. The victor claimed the spoils.

  "Even if you're right," she said, choosing her words carefully. "How can we possibly be mates? We belong to completely different lineages! I don't know how it works with bears, but cross-lineage matings are totally taboo for sabertooth shifters. Gotta preserve our dwindling genetic stock, don't you know?" she added bitterly.

  Thor shrugged. "My brothers' mates are all Ordinaries. How's that for polluting shifter genetic stock?" He looked at her curiously. "Do you think it's taboo to take a mate outside your lineage?"

  She shook her head. "All the different lineages are genetically compatible, and we can have healthy children with Ordinaries, too. That tells me the taboo is cultural, not scientific." She gave a self-conscious huff. "I'm interested in this stuff. That's why I was hoping to get a doctorate in cellular biology, with an eye to seeing whether my lineage might be preserved in a different way than how it's currently being done."

  "So you're willing to at least consider becoming my mate?" Thor asked, his tone so neutral that she knew her answer was very important to him.

  She felt herself teetering on the brink of an irrevocable decision. Her cat was pushing her eagerly forward, but she wondered what would happen if moving forward actually meant plunging into an abyss.

  And yet she couldn't imagine leaving Thor. Couldn't imagine returning to her old, solitary life on the run from Baldwin and his cronies.

  "If we did this, if we actually did become mates, I could never go home again to my pride," she said. "And from what your sheriff was saying, the shifters in Bearpaw Ridge won't be too welcoming, either."

  Great, Cassie. You managed to avoid giving him either a No or a Yes. She was being a coward again, and she knew it.

  Thor studied her with his intense gaze. "Maybe that's true. But it seems that you're already barred from returning to your pride, and honestly, I don't really give a shit what the folks in Bearpaw Ridge think. I haven't remembered anything significant yet, but I keep wondering if there's a rea
son, other than my job, that I moved away and am living in Denver."

  He was right, of course. As far as the pride went, she couldn't do anything to make things worse for herself.

  Cassie bit her lip. Maybe it's time to stop worrying what Daddy might think and just do something that will make me happy.

  As if reading her mind, Thor reached out to stroke her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Forget about all that stuff for a minute. What do you want, Cassie? And what is your inner cat telling you?"

  Now it was her turn to swallow hard. The light touch of his knuckles felt like a brand against her cheek, and her cat wanted to lean into his hand and rub herself against him.

  What harm could it do? He was right. She'd separated from the pride on the night that she ran away from Baldwin's house.

  Since then, she had missed her dad a lot, but she had known that she could never return to Texas while Baldwin was still alive and still the Pride First.

  Her mother had died a few years ago. She had been a geologist working for a big oil company when the small helicopter she'd been taking from Lagos to a remote test drilling site had crashed somewhere over the Gulf of Guinea.

  Mom's shocking death had drawn Cassie and her dad closer together…at least until she left for university, and he began trying to arrange a mating for her.

  Thor was waiting calmly for her answer. She liked that about him and the fact that he actually listened to her.

  I want you. I want you more than I've ever wanted any other man, shifter or Ordinary. I want you enough to trust that you won't treat me like Baldwin did.

  But of course Thor wouldn't. He'd already proven that at the hotel this morning, before they had been so rudely interrupted. She already knew that sex with him would be amazing.

  Common sense told her that they should part ways here, before their mating bond was sealed—if that's what this strange connection really was.

  It is, her cat said, rising up inside Cassie's soul. He is our mate.

  He can't be, Cassie protested automatically. But how she wished he was!

  Ours, her cat said again. Claim him…or I'll do it for us.

  A sensation of pins and needles moved in a wave over Cassie's skin, sharp and stinging. It was a warning, though Cassie hadn't shifted involuntarily since the second grade.