Never Dare a Dragon

by Ashlyn Chase

  “That’s incredible.”

  Kristine was saddened slightly. “Yes, he really is a nice person down deep. I guess his sister had chronic fatigue syndrome, and doctors didn’t believe her until she fainted at their feet.”

  “So he’s seen this before.”

  “Oh yes, and he wants her to get all the help she needs. I feel a little guilty knowing she doesn’t need any.”

  “Don’t be. She does need help. It would be a miracle if she doesn’t have PTSD. Unless you want to tell your captain she was abducted and you spent your days off negotiating with kidnappers—”

  “No. Of course not. I know she needs this, if for no other reason than to get some peace of mind and a little sleep.”

  After a brief hesitation, Jayce added, “Hey, since you’re taking the commuter rail, you can get off right in Back Bay. That’s just blocks from the B and B. Much closer than South Station. I’m on duty now, and the B and B is not that far from the fire station, so I can be there as soon you get in and carry your things.”

  Kristine laughed. “Are you forgetting what we really are? We’re strong enough to carry half of our apartment across town. If we’re only a few blocks from the B and B and you’re on duty, just point us in the right direction and give us the address. We can find our own way. It might help if you call your friends at the B and B and tell them to expect us. Do you think they’ll have room?”

  “From what I understand, they only advertise at the paranormal club next door, so they almost always have vacancies. They don’t want humans mixed in with their paranormal guests. I’ll explain the situation to them, and I’m sure they’ll hold one or two rooms.”

  “Don’t let them go to any extra trouble. We can stay at a hotel for a night or two. But my mother is very anxious to speak to these paranormals, especially the dragon.”

  “Why don’t I call you back as soon as I’ve talked to them?”

  “I can’t wait to see you,” she said, almost shyly.

  “Same here.”

  “When do you get off the rotation?”

  “We’re here until tomorrow at 6 a.m. I’ll bring breakfast.”

  “But doesn’t B and B stand for ‘bed and breakfast’?”

  “Oh yeah.” He laughed. “I’m an idiot.”

  “No, you’re not. It’s just good to know you aren’t perfect.” Even though you seem perfect for me.

  “I’m sure Rory and Amber will take good care of you until tomorrow. I’ll let Amber tell you what sort of paranormal she is. It’s a great story. A little too complicated for me to explain, but she’s a really good person and will welcome you with open arms.”

  After a brief pause, he whispered, “I love you.”

  Kristine said, “I love you too.” And from a distance Amy called, “I love you too.”

  Jayce chuckled.

  Kristine was just about to hang up when she heard the tones ring out on the other side of the phone.

  “Gotta go,” Jayce said, and the call disconnected.

  * * *

  The fire was along Charlestown’s waterfront. Trucks rolled out, with Jayce and Drake in the back of Ladder 9. Jayce didn’t recognize the address they’d been given. It could’ve been anything from a brand-new high-rise waterfront condo to one of the remaining warehouses. He just knew it wasn’t the naval shipyard. The Navy took care of its own.

  The firefighters spotted plumes of smoke before they arrived. The fire appeared to be near the docks…probably one of the old warehouses. The brick building was only four stories high, but as they pulled up, Jayce saw smoke pouring out of some broken windows on the second and third floors. Flames shot out of the first-floor windows.

  As soon as the firefighters jumped out of the truck, they began grabbing their gear, anticipating Captain Madigan’s shouted orders. The ladder truck’s aerial was being raised, and all the firefighters who were planning to go in were putting on their air masks and tugging on their gloves.

  Drake was directed to the roof with the big K12 saw, along with another two firefighters. Jayce and two others were told to check the upper floors while staying in constant communication. They needed to locate the seat of the fire and relate their findings over the radio.

  “I can check four, and you guys check two. We’ll meet on three.” Jayce charged up two floors and was on the top story before the other two finished the lower level. He moved lightning-fast across the large expanse, smoke filling the area so quickly and so densely that even with his superior vision he was having a hard time seeing much more than his hand in front of his face. He picked his way along the floor. Having not found signs of any fire yet, he turned a corner and moved along in that direction until he had to turn again. He kept picking his way across the long warehouse floor, which was filled with large boxes. Shelving was about the only differentiation. The windows were high, and as a result barely any light reached him.

  The air was getting hotter, and he knew he must be getting closer to the area of the fire, but he still didn’t see any flames. The smoke may have been coming up through grates or the stairwell, but there was so much of it. He kept going, hoping there wasn’t any fire on this top floor yet.

  Jayce listened for the captain’s voice over the radio. At last, the captain asked, “Fierro, have you got anything?”

  “No, Captain. Just a lot of smoke.”

  Captain Madigan barked the same question to the other two firefighters. One of them on the third floor, Walters, had found flames. He was approximating his location at fifty yards in, but Jayce knew that with smoke clouding everything, it was difficult to precisely calculate where you were in a building. The heat grew more intense as Jayce crept forward, zigzagging his way through the various paths created by stacked boxes and shelving.

  If he didn’t find fire soon, he would guess that perhaps there had been a smoke bomb—or several—set off to cover the area and perhaps give the fire a chance to burn whatever evidence might be there. He had seen this once before in an arson case. It was a bitch to find anything when all you saw was smoke.

  But since Walters found something Jayce decided he would backtrack and go help his buddy.

  He bumped into the end wall of the building—how the hell had he gotten so turned around? Thankfully there was no fire on his floor, but the smoke was, if anything, worse than before. Then he spotted the vents and the floor grates that allowed smoke in from below. Smoke was pouring out of the grate near him. At least he knew where he was now.

  It was time to lend his buddy a hand. He lifted the radio to his mouth. “Walters, are you on the third floor?”

  The radio crackled. “Yes, third floor. Flames spreading fast here.”

  “Second floor too, Fierro,” a firefighter named Harmon added. “It looks like it started on two and spread up to the third floor.”

  “Fourth floor is secure. For now.” Jayce said. “I’m working my way back to the stairs, and I’ll meet you on the second floor, Harmon.”

  The captain called out, “No, Fierro. I’m sending hoses to the second floor. You go to the third floor with Walters. The workers are accounted for, but you may find a visitor. They think someone made a delivery on the third without signing in.”

  “You got it, Captain.” Jayce rushed across the floor, thinking he was retracing his steps. Suddenly he was bumping into another wall. Shit. Where did that come from?

  One of the worst mistakes a firefighter could make was getting turned around in a building full of smoke. As he realized he had made that mistake and was in very real danger of not being able to find his way out, he thought about Kristine. What if she and her mother arrived to find no one waiting for them? What would she think? He doubted her first thought would be that he had been reduced to ash and reincarnated. Then he would have to spend the next several weeks in phoenix form until he reached maturity so he could shift into his adult body. Fuck.
If he shifted tomorrow, he’d be an infant and unable to tell anybody anything.

  He stuck close to the wall and moved in the direction he thought would lead him back to the stairs. But after a couple of minutes, when he came to the adjoining wall, he realized to his horror he had gone further into the building and not toward the entrance at all.

  “Goddamn it!” As much as he didn’t want to admit he had made a mistake, he knew he should let his fellow firefighters know he wasn’t coming—at least not as quickly as he would have liked to. He hoped they wouldn’t panic and try to find him. They were mortal and would be putting their own lives in danger.

  He bumbled his way along the other wall, seriously not knowing which way he was going. He figured he must be against the long wall. If he just moved away from the short one, then he would be heading back the way he had come. Thick smoke surrounding him made it impossible to see anything. The floor had heated to a point where he imagined it wouldn’t be much longer before it reached its flashpoint.

  He moved faster and hugged the wall, hoping he would find an opening quickly.

  “Fierro, where are you?” It was Harmon speaking.

  Jayce should have joined him by now. As much as Jayce hated to do it, he had to tell the truth. “I got turned around. I’m finding my way out against the long wall.”

  He heard the captain swear.

  “Is there fire where you’re at, or is it just smoke, Fierro?”

  “Just heat and smoke, Captain,” he said. “Don’t send anyone. I’m almost out.”

  “How do you know? Can you see something? Is there light coming through?”

  Jayce wished he could have said yes. He desperately wanted to get out of there on his own. “Almost out, Captain.”

  As Jayce rushed along the wall, he tripped over something and skidded into a pile of boxes—apparently some had fallen and not been picked up. Or whoever had set the fire may have left them scattered as a booby trap for unsuspecting firefighters. He’d heard of sick individuals doing things like that.

  He pushed himself to his feet, felt around for the wall, and realized he had lost his bearings—again. After falling ass over teakettle, he didn’t know in which direction he popped up. Now he was surrounded by smoke he couldn’t see through, so he moved a few feet in each direction, feeling for the wall. Nothing. Back to center. A few more steps in another direction again led to nothing. He came back to the center, moved a few feet in another direction, and pawed at the air. He couldn’t believe this calamity. Just when he thought it couldn’t get worse, his low air alarm began chirping. Its warning told him he had five minutes—ten at the most—to breathe. Shit, shit, shit.

  Jayce heard voices and turned toward those. Apparently the captain had sent someone after him even though he had asked him not to. He was never so happy to be second-guessed.

  “Fierro! Where are you?” Drake called out from somewhere nearby.

  “Stay where you are,” he yelled. “I can hear you. I’m coming toward you.”

  “Well, hurry up. We’ve got a bitch of a fire on our hands, and we need you.”

  Jayce felt bad enough without being told he was part of the problem. He charged toward the voice, tripped again, and yelled, “Jesus Christ.”

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah. I just feel like an idiot. Thank God it’s you. I was afraid they sent someone…” He almost said the word mortal. That would’ve been hard to explain.

  “Yeah, I know. Come toward my voice. And watch your feet this time, Grace.”

  Jayce laughed, even in the midst of his frustration and anger at himself. He slid his foot ahead a few feet and then pulled the other one up to meet it. In this way, Jayce sort of skated his way across the floor toward Drake’s voice.

  “I can see you.”

  Jayce squinted through the smoke and saw a dark shape a few feet ahead. “Yeah, I see you too. Almost there.”

  When he reached out, Drake grabbed his arm and dragged him in the right direction. “I’ve got ya, buddy.”

  Jayce let out a deep breath, never more grateful to hear those words.

  Drake led him another dozen or so feet to the stairwell. “I’ve got him, Captain.”

  “Thank God. Get him out of there before he runs out of air. You all right, Fierro?”

  “Yeah, Captain. I’m fine. Just got turned around when I tripped over something. Not a body—just boxes. We’ll go and help Harmon now.”

  “No, Fierro, you’re coming to me. Cameron can help Harmon.”

  Crap.

  * * *

  When Kristine and her mother arrived at the Back Bay train station, they heard their names being called from a distance. A handsome man was heading toward them. It wasn’t Jayce or any of his brothers. Curious, Kristine and Amy headed toward the stranger who knew their names. When they reached each other, the guy introduced himself.

  “I’m Rory, owner of the B and B where you’ll be stayin’,” Rory said with an Irish accent.

  Kristine stuck out her right hand. “Hi, my name is Kristine Scott. This is my mother, Amy.”

  They all shook hands and exchanged pleasantries before he reached for the two heavy bags. They tried to stop him.

  “You don’t have to carry our stuff. We’re plenty strong and can do it ourselves,” Kristine said.

  “Oh, I have no doubt of that. But how would it look if I strolled beside two ladies carryin’ heavy luggage?” As they walked, he chatted away. “I’ve heard good things about you, Kristine. And this is your mother? She looks young enough to be your sister.”

  Amy tittered.

  Kristine rolled her eyes. “Don’t encourage her. You know what we are. Right?”

  “Yes, Jayce told me. He thought you’d want us to know. Still, your mother doesn’t look a day over thirty,” Rory continued. “Our kind is lucky. I’m about a thousand years old meself.”

  Amy smiled. “I’m not far behind you then.”

  His brows lifted. “Really? And where might you be from?”

  “Originally? Scotland. I was born there. Kristine is much younger, however. She was born in New York.”

  “Ah,” he said. “Much younger, then.” Rory continued. “I couldn’t be more excited to meet another dragon clan! Me friend Drake can’t wait to meet you as well.”

  “Is he a dragon?” Amy asked.

  “I’m supposed to let guests reveal themselves if they choose to—and I should let you know…we have a strict policy not to reveal our paranormal status to humans. But Drake isn’t a guest. He’s a member of the club next door and one of our resident firefighters, like yourself, Kristine.”

  “We’ll be excited to meet him too,” Amy said. “Is he single?”

  “Ma!”

  She giggled. “It never hurts to ask…”

  “Alas, he is not,” Rory said. “His wife’s name is Bliss, and the couple couldn’t be more blissful.”

  “A pity,” Amy said. “Oh! Not about their happiness. I only wish I could find the same.”

  The two New York dragons followed Rory through the beautiful neighborhood called Back Bay. When they arrived at Beacon Street and took a left, Amy asked, “Is this the street you live on?”

  Rory gave them a gleaming grin. “It is indeed.”

  “It’s gorgeous!” Amy exclaimed.

  Kristine had to agree. It seemed as if the Boston paranormals were doing quite well.

  Soon they arrived at a magnificent brownstone. It was more of a light gray, but Kristine knew the term actually referred to any building of similar style, the common denominator being a front stoop.

  As Rory ascended the stairs, Amy halted, caught her breath, and placed a hand over heart. “I’m gobsmacked. This is one of the most beautiful city homes I’ve ever seen.”

  Rory paused and gazed up at his home lovingly. “She is indeed. I won’
t pretend to be humble and say, ‘Aw, it’s nothin’,’ because, truly, it’s a privilege to live here. Me sister and I restored the building to its original elegance. It was a labor of love that lasted about a year.”

  They no sooner had entered the beautiful home than Kristine’s phone rang.

  “Jayce! We’re here!”

  “Did Rory show up?”

  “He arrived on schedule. We’re at the B and B now.”

  Rory smiled at Amy. “Let me give you the tour. Kristine can catch up with us after her phone call.”

  Perfect. She wanted a little privacy to talk to her lover.

  “I can’t wait to see you!” Jayce said. “I’m getting off a little early. Can I take you out to dinner?”

  “I’d like that.” Then she lowered her voice. “Unless you want dessert first.”

  “Would I!” He laughed. “I can’t wait.”

  Rory and Amy chuckled. Damn. I thought they were preoccupied.

  As soon as Kristine and Jayce said their good-byes—or see-you-laters, as it were—she found the others. “I’d like to rest up a bit before Jayce arrives.”

  “Of course, luv. I’m sorry for tarryin’. It’s just that we Irish love our stories and long introductions. But let’s get you settled and feelin’ right at home.” He called up the stairs, “Amber?”

  Home? Kristine didn’t know where home was anymore. They couldn’t go back to their apartment in New York. They’d have to move, and to be safe they should return only when they were sure the apartment was no longer being watched and they had a new place to go to.

  Moving would be a nightmare. Amy had already complained about leaving so many of her special things behind—like her Tony award—even though she knew it was imperative to get out of New York as quickly as possible.

  She’d definitely be going back for it, no matter how dangerous the situation was.

  Chapter 10

  Jayce found the B and B easily. It was right next door to the building that housed the paranormal club his father and brother had told him about. He jogged up the stairs and rang the bell.