Firefighter Phoenix

by Zoe Chant

  But there was a new hurt in his heart now. And ache of the binding was as nothing compared to it.

  He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. As a child, he’d adjusted to the cage of pain that contained the ravenous force consuming his soul. He was a man now, stronger, more disciplined. He could adjust to this new torment.

  He would have to.

  “Will you do one thing for me?” he asked, opening his eyes again to meet Corbin’s impassive ones. “Can you find her? To explain things to her. And to help her. If she has been struck with this sickness as well, if she feels this pain, she will need your aid as much as I do.”

  “Oh, I shall find her,” the warlock said, his jaw tightening. “But I cannot bring her here, Blaze. You know why.”

  “Yes.” Blaze bowed his head. He forced himself to say the words out loud, no matter how the inferno within him raged and howled. “I must never see her again.”

  Chapter 5

  Ash knew that he shouldn’t be here.

  He sat in the high-backed restaurant booth, pretending to study a menu. In reality, most of his concentration was focused on very lightly singeing the minds of the people around him.

  It was an art he’d perfected decades ago, during the darkest years. Just the barest brush of his flame, carefully sending a single thread of short-term memory up in smoke, and people’s eyes skipped straight over him. He wasn’t invisible; they still saw him. They just instantly forgot that they had.

  There was only one person’s mind he didn’t touch. He’d sworn that he never would.

  Not ever again.

  Nonetheless, Rose was oblivious to his presence. He could only see the back of her head, over the wall of the booth ahead. If he’d been anyone else, she would have sensed him watching her—but he knew her empathic abilities didn’t work on him.

  That was his fault too.

  She stirred, and he tensed, ready to duck behind his menu—but she only tipped her head back, laughing at something her companion had just said. Her spiraling curls bounced with the motion, floating in a black halo around her head. He hadn’t seen her wear her hair in anything other than a plain, practical bun for years.

  She’d quite literally let her hair down.

  Ash stared at his menu, and concentrated very hard on not incinerating it.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man opposite Rose laugh too, white teeth gleaming in an charming, roguish grin. Even Ash had to admit that he was dismayingly handsome. Although he must have been in his mid-forties, his artfully-tousled hair was thick and dark, without a hint of gray. He sat with the spread-legged, relaxed confidence of a man who knew he looked good, and wanted women to notice too.

  Rose was certainly noticing. Ash didn’t need to be able to see her face; he could read her body language. Her tilted head, the way she kept toying with her hair…she was attracted to the man.

  Ash clenched his hand around a fork, so hard that his fingernails bit into his own palm. He was not Rose’s mate. Why shouldn’t she smile and flirt? She deserved to find someone who could make her happy.

  If he was truly her friend, he would leave her to enjoy her date in peace.

  He stayed.

  “You did not,” Rose was saying. No—giggling. When was the last time he’d heard her voice ripple with girlish laughter like that?

  “I most certainly did.” Her date leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing sculpted muscles emphasized by black tribal tattoos. “Looked him in the eye, laid down my cards, and picked up the keys to his Lexus. I thought the old man was going to have a stroke on the spot.”

  “But you didn’t really keep the car, did you?” Rose sounded half-appalled, half-tickled. “I mean, he clearly shouldn’t have gambled it.”

  “It’s in the car park out front now.” The man’s voice dropped to a low, intimate purr. He ran one finger over the back of Rose’s hand. “Beautiful things belong with guys who’ll treat them properly.”

  “Sir? Um, sir?”

  In his distraction, he’d slipped up and allowed a waitress to become aware of him. She’d frozen next to his booth, her gaze riveted on his hand.

  Ash glanced down. His fork had melted into a white-hot puddle of steel, gleaming against his weathered skin.

  “I am not quite ready to order.” He flicked away the molten metal, hiding it under his menu. “Would you be so kind as to bring me another fork? This one appears to have…malfunctioned.”

  “Right away, sir,” the waitress said faintly.

  He was going to leave her a very large tip.

  Rose’s date was still leaning forward, his hand covering hers. “Tell you what. How about we quit this joint and go have some real fun? I’ll take you for a drive.”

  “Oh.” To Ash’s relief, Rose drew her hand back. “But we’re having a lovely evening here. And we’ve both been drinking. This wine’s nearly gone.”

  “Nah, I’m still fine. I’ve hardly had any.”

  This was true. The man had barely touched his drink. It also hadn’t escaped Ash’s notice that he had been quietly topping up Rose’s glass at every opportunity.

  “Come on, you know you want to.” The man winked at her. “You may have described yourself as ‘mature’ in your profile, but I think there’s a secret part of you that’s still wild and carefree.”

  “Oh, no.” Rose toyed with her wineglass, her head lowering. “Maybe in my youth, but that was a long time ago. I’m afraid that if that’s what you’re looking for, you won’t find it in me.”

  “Maybe I can see you better than you see yourself,” her date murmured. He reached out, this time drawing a finger seductively down her bare arm. “Forget being grown-up and responsible for one evening, Rose. Live a little.”

  Ash concentrated on his breathing. He lifted his hands away from the table, before the linen could burst into flame.

  “I…have to pop to the ladies’ room.” Rose stood up abruptly. “Excuse me for a moment. I’ll be right back.”

  Ash froze, caught between hiding under the table and leaping to his own feet. He was sitting barely six feet from her. If she turned her head, she’d see him, right there in plain sight. She’d be utterly furious.

  But at least she’d know that he was there.

  Turn your head, part of him willed, despite his better judgment. Look at me. See me.

  But she was deaf to his mental plea. She never looked around as she headed for the bathroom.

  Left behind, her date slouched back against the back of his seat. He scratched his crotch absently, then took out his phone. His eyes scanned the room—skipping straight over Ash—as he dialed.

  “Hey,” the man said into his phone. His voice was pitched low, but to Ash’s shifter-sharp hearing he might as well have been yelling into a megaphone. “It’s me. Listen, I have to push back delivery.”

  A pause, then, “Nah, no problems.” An unpleasant smirk spread across the man’s face. “Just picked up a hot piece of ass.”

  Ash clenched his jaw.

  “Pussy so wet she’s practically on my dick already,” the man said, unaware of how close he’d come to making headlines as a mysterious and tragic case of spontaneous human combustion. He lowered his voice even further, eying the nearest waitress cautiously. “Promise, the stuff is all safe. It’s in my car now. I’ll just be an hour or two later than planned, okay?”

  Ash’s instincts pricked up at the man’s furtive air. He hesitated, wrestling with his conscience…but only briefly.

  Closing his eyes, he opened himself to the man’s soul.

  His most feared power was the ability to burn thoughts and memories. What few people ever realized was that meant he could see them as well. He couldn’t skip at will through someone’s head like surfing TV channels, but he could examine their mind and weigh their very nature. See the way experience knitted together to form patterns of personality. And then, if he chose, he could alter them with flame.

  He only
did that in direst need. It was one thing to quietly remove his own image from people’s surface thoughts, and quite another to transfigure someone’s entire personality. He generally tried to avoid even looking into other souls. He valued his own privacy too highly to casually breach that of others.

  He didn’t do it casually now. Even so, part of him whispered that he was just allowing his own feelings to override his ethics. But if there was the slightest chance that Rose’s date might not be all he seemed…

  Ash reached out, sinking into the man’s mind.

  And what he found there…

  Opening his eyes again, Ash exhaled, slowly. When he could trust himself, he slid out from the booth.

  Pausing only to leave a twenty for the waitress, he left.

  In the safety of the bathroom, Rose stared down at her phone. She bit her lip, wondering if she was being over-dramatic. Mack had been coming on a little strong, but perhaps that was her fault.

  She had been laughing at his outrageous stories. Too loudly, too enthusiastically, to cover her awkwardness. And he must have caught her staring at his sculpted forearms with their swirling black tattoos, and the breadth of his shoulders under his well-tailored shirt. No doubt he thought she was checking him out.

  She had been checking him out. Looking at his undeniably attractive physique, the sort of body any straight woman should desire…and wondering why he left her utterly cold.

  A handsome, charming man was flirting with her, and she didn’t feel even the slightest flicker of interest.

  She knew that he was interested in her. The hungry anticipation and sharp-edged lust she kept sensing from him was unmistakable.

  The intensity of it made her uneasy. She couldn’t shake the feeling that his dark-tinged, predatory anticipation could easily turn to anger. Especially when she told him no…

  She was probably being silly. She hadn’t dated anyone since…well, ever. She wasn’t used to being looked at with desire. Perhaps Mack’s emotions were perfectly normal.

  Not our mate, hissed her swan again.

  It had said the same thing about Ash, of course. But not in the same way. Her swan’s rejection of him had always been tinged with strange, wistful regret. He’d never made her inner animal nervous.

  Not like Mack did.

  Rose found her thumb hovering over Ash’s name in her contact list.

  “Now I am being ridiculous,” she muttered to her reflection in the mirror. She could hardly ask the Phoenix Eternal to call her so that she’d have an excuse to get away from an uncomfortable date. He was probably on duty at the fire station, anyway.

  Shaking her head, she dropped her phone back into her bag. She was a grown woman. She faced down drunk alpha shifters on a regular basis. She could handle one ordinary man, no matter how much of a dangerous vibe he gave off.

  She’d finish her meal and wine, politely thank Mack for a lovely evening, and head home.

  At least, that was the plan until she heard the scream.

  Dashing out of the bathroom, she was confronted by a scene of confusion. Mack was on his feet, fists clenched. Shock and anger boiled off him, so strong Rose could almost see it clouding the air around him. A waiter barred his path, holding up his hands in a pacifying manner.

  “Sir, you really can’t go out there,” the waiter was saying. He was doing a good job at maintaining a professionally calm expression, but Rose could sense the panic bubbling behind his face. “It’s not safe—”

  “Out of my way!” Mack shoved the smaller man aside.

  “What’s going on?” Rose asked, but Mack was already bolting for the door. Ignoring the waiter’s garbled protest, she followed on his heels.

  The instant she stepped outside, the breeze blew a cloud of smoke into her face.

  “My car!” Mack howled in agony.

  Coughing, Rose blinked to clear her streaming eyes. She was no expert on cars, but she guessed that the bright red convertible parked in front of the restaurant was Mack’s treasured Lexus.

  She also guessed that it wasn’t usually on fire.

  Thick black smoke poured from the windows with the stench of burning leather. The car alarm gave a last valiant, strangled shriek, and died.

  Mack charged for the car, as though he thought he could beat out the flames with his bare hands. Rose pelted after him, barely managing to catch his arm before he hurled himself into the blaze. She dug in her heels, hauling him back with all her shifter strength.

  “Don’t go near it!” she shouted over the roar of the fire. With her free hand, she dug in her purse. “It could explode any minute! I’ll call the fire department—”

  The wail of a siren cut her off.

  “Goodness,” Rose said as a fire truck screamed around the corner. “That was fast.”

  The appliance pulled up in front of the restaurant. Even before it had fully come to a stop, the doors were swinging open. Two firefighters in full turnout gear piled out.

  With a start, Rose recognized Dai and Griff. They didn’t seem to notice her in return, completely focused on the job at hand.

  She’d never seen Alpha Team at work before. Moving in perfect synchronization, the two shifters threw open a side compartment on the truck, hauling out lengths of hose. Dai hefted the nozzle, while Griff took up the slack behind him. The two firefighters ran toward the burning car…and stopped.

  “Don’t just stand there!” Mack yelled at them. “Save my car!”

  Griff and Dai’s heads turned, but not in Mack’s direction. They both looked around as if searching for something.

  “The fire is right there, you morons! Get it under control!”

  “Oh, that fire’s already under control,” said Chase’s distinctive Irish brogue.

  The firefighter had dismounted from the driver’s seat and come up to them. Like his colleagues, he was dressed in heavy fire-resistant gear, reflective bands on his sleeves luminous in the swirling lights of the fire engine. For once, there wasn’t even a trace of a grin on his face. It was strange to see the pegasus shifter so focused and serious.

  “Is there something wrong?” Rose asked him in concern. “Should we run?”

  “No, everyone’s perfectly safe,” Chase said absently, still studying the burning car with narrowed eyes. “It’s just an unusual situation. We’re not sure if we should put it out.”

  “What kind of cowards are you?” Mack spluttered. With a jerk, he broke free of Rose’s grasp. “My taxes pay your damn salaries! I don’t care if you burn to death, get in there and do your job!”

  Before Rose could stop him, he took a swing at the firefighter. Without even looking, Chase caught Mack’s fist in his hand. Mack yelped as Chase’s fingers tightened.

  “Please calm down. I’d hate to have to break your arm. The paperwork would be a nightmare.” Still holding onto Mack’s fist, he glanced at Rose, and waved his free hand in casual greeting. “Evening, Rose. We knew you had a hot date tonight, but we didn’t think it would be this hot.”

  “Neither did I.” Rose anxiously kept an eye on the burning vehicle. Despite the thick smoke, the fire actually didn’t seem to be that bad. “Mack, calm down. I think it looks worse than it is. Maybe someone threw a cigarette through the window out of jealousy or something. See, it’s just the passenger seat that’s actually on fire.”

  She’d thought that the observation would reassure him. Instead, he went stark white.

  “Th-the passenger seat?” he stuttered.

  “Good news!” Chase announced brightly, as a police car pulled into view round the corner. “We just got the go-ahead to proceed. Don’t worry, we’ll have it doused in no time.”

  “No!” Mack yelped. “Let it burn!”

  Rose blinked at him. “What?”

  Griff had already crowbarred open the door of the car, allowing Dai to spray the seat with some kind of white foam. The crackling flames died away quickly, revealing scorched, crumbling leather.

  “Make them stop!” Mack tried to pull hims
elf out of Chase’s grip as Dai prodded cautiously at the wreckage of the seat. “That’s my property, he can’t just poke around in there!”

  “We have to check for hotspots,” Chase said. Rose sensed a distinct, wicked sense of glee behind his too-innocent expression. “Very thoroughly. Our Commander’s orders.”

  “Ash is here?” Rose said in surprise.

  Looking past Chase, Rose’s heart give an odd little skip. Ash was there, though she hadn’t noticed him getting out of the fire truck. He was in profile to her, back to the still-smoking vehicle, talking to a couple of police officers. Unlike the other firefighters, he wasn’t wearing protective gear—just his usual gray duty uniform.

  Mack let out a strangled moan as he too noticed the watching cops. “Oh fu—”

  “Officers?” Dai called, pulling something out of the smoldering seat. It looked like a plastic-wrapped white brick. “I think you might want to take a look at this…”

  The wave of guilt and terror from Mack made Rose physically take a step away from him. “That’s not mine,” he babbled, desperately trying to jerk away from Chase. “I have no idea what it is. Someone else must have put it there.”

  “Then you won’t mind telling the nice police officers all about it,” Chase said, his eyes glittering dangerously. “Come on. I believe there are some people who would like to have a chat with you…”

  “What?” Rose said, but Chase was already frog-marching Mack off in the direction of the police car. From the expressions on the faces of the waiting officers, Rose didn’t think she’d get any answers from that direction.

  Giving the smoking, foam-encrusted wreckage of Mack’s car a wide berth, she hurried over to Ash. He stood a little to one side, watching calmly, his hands clasped behind his back.

  “Ash, what’s going on?” Rose demanded.

  Ash turned his head to look at her. Rose’s breath caught.

  Even though he was facing away from the burning car, flames reflected in the dark depths of his eyes.

  Just for a moment. Ash blinked, and when his eyes reopened they were as cool and remote as always.