by Zoe Chant
Buck and Ash hadn’t gotten far. In a matter of moments, Callum folded his wings, leading them all down to Buck’s car. It lay skewed at a drunken angle off the side of the road, both front doors flung open.
Ash crouched over a collapsed figure, hands working rhythmically. Wystan flung himself off Rory’s back before the griffin had even landed. Without missing a beat, the paramedic took over the CPR.
Blaise shifted back to human, though she couldn’t stop flames from flickering around her hands. “What happened, Dad?”
“He said he needed a moment.” Ash’s face was nearly as gray as Buck’s. “I thought he meant to look back at the mountain. Then he collapsed.”
Edith’s hands twisted in fear. “What’s wrong with him, Wystan?”
“Massive heart failure,” Wystan said tersely, his hands still working Buck’s chest. “Can’t tell what kind.”
“Callum, get one of the unicorn healers,” Blaise said. The pegasus shifter nodded and took off again. “Joe, call 911. And Zephyr, too. He should be here.”
“Did Buck mention anything about his health to you?” Rory asked Blaise in a low voice.
“No, but I should have guessed something was up when he took voluntary retirement.” Blaise clenched her fists in helpless fury, flames dancing over her knuckles. “Damn it, Buck! Wystan?”
The unicorn shifter shook his head, his mouth grim. “I’m losing him.”
A rush of displaced air blew over them, and Blaise’s heart lifted—but it was only Fenrir, stepping out of nowhere. The hellhound’s burning eyes widened as he saw Buck.
*Man-Alpha’s scent is fading,* Fenrir’s telepathic voice growled in all their minds. *Hurry, Icehorse!*
“I’m not a healer!” Sweat sheened Wystan’s face. “I can’t save him!”
“No, but you can.” Blaise rounded on Fenrir in sudden inspiration. “Bite him, Fenrir!”
Edith caught her breath. “You mean, make him a hellhound?”
“If he’s a shifter, maybe his body will be able to heal itself.” Violet flames licked up Blaise’s arms. “It’s got to be worth a shot.”
Seren shook her head. “He will not thank us for saving his life in such a fashion.”
“I don’t give a fuck what he thinks about it,” Blaise snapped. “Pissed off is better than dead. Bite him, Fenrir! That’s an order from your alpha!”
Fenrir’s ears flattened, but took Buck’s limp arm between his massive jaws. As gently as he could, the hellhound bit down.
Buck convulsed. Both Fenrir and Wystan jerked away as Buck’s entire body spasmed as though electrocuted. He sucked in a great rush of air, back arching—and went still.
Blaise held her breath, willing Buck’s chest to rise again.
It didn’t. He lay utterly motionless, without a trace of life.
“I don’t think—” Wystan started.
With a deafening thunderclap, a blinding burst of light wiped out the world. Blaise was knocked flat on her ass by a shockwave of heated air.
“Ow,” Joe said, into the ringing silence, sounding groggy. “Blaise, why is your mate throwing lightning bolts at us again?”
“Um.” Edith’s voice was very faint. “I don’t think that was Zephyr.”
Blaise managed to lift her head off the ground. She squinted into the dazzling light.
From the center of a circle of scorched earth, something staggered to its paws. For a moment, Blaise thought it was Fenrir—but he was off to one side, sprawled in a dazed heap.
This hellhound was the dark gray of a storm cloud. The light came from its fur, as though it was lit from within by crackling energy. It opened its eyes, and they were the same electric white as the Thunderbird’s.
With a ripple of light, the creature’s wings unfolded.
As they all stared, the winged hellhound looked down at its own paws. It lifted them, one at a time, then turned round in a circle, as though trying to inspect its own tail. The angular patterns on its wings brightened.
Another thunderclap made Blaise cover her face. When she could see again, Buck stood there, himself once more. The lightning faded from his eyes, revealing pure, utter outrage.
“Oh, you motherfuckers,” Buck said, and fainted.
Buck will return in Cub Camp Stormwolf
- the start of a brand-new series!
Make sure you don’t miss it (and also get access to exclusive free short stories and special deals) by joining my mailing list:
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Have you read the first Fire & Rescue Shifters series, starring Ash and the firefighters of Alpha Team?
Fire & Rescue Shifters: Collection 1 (Books 1-3)
A note from Zoe Chant
Thank you for reading Wildfire Phoenix! If you enjoyed it, would you leave a review on Amazon? It really helps me out!
I always love to hear from readers - you can email me at [email protected], or find me on Facebook.
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The cover of Wildfire Phoenix was designed by the talented Augusta Scarlett (isn’t it pretty?)
Also by Zoe Chant
All these books are set in the same world, and feature cameos and cross-over characters.
Fire & Rescue Shifters
Firefighter Dragon
Firefighter Pegasus
Firefighter Griffin
Firefighter Sea Dragon
The Master Shark’s Mate
Firefighter Unicorn
Firefighter Phoenix
Fire & Rescue Shifters: Collection 1 (Books 1-3)
Fire & Rescue Shifters: Collection 2 (Books 4-7)
Fire & Rescue Shifters: Friends and Family
The Sea Dragon’s Lion
Coyote in the Sea
Short stories
Fire & Rescue Shifters: First Mission
Fire & Rescue Shifters: Wildfire Crew
Wildfire Griffin
Wildfire Unicorn
Wildfire Sea Dragon
Wildfire Pegasus
Wildfire Hellhound
Wildfire Phoenix
Fae Mates
Tithed to the Fae
I also have many more series set in different worlds! See the complete list at www.zoechant.com
Fire & Rescue Shifters recommended reading order
This list gives my recommended order for reading the books set in the Fire & Rescue Shifters world. It is only intended as a guide!
Note that this is NOT a purely chronological order, as Coyote in the Sea is set in between Firefighter Phoenix and Wildfire Griffin. However, Coyote contains substantial spoilers for Wildfire Sea Dragon, so is best read after that book.
Fire & Rescue Shifters: First Mission
Firefighter Dragon
Firefighter Pegasus
Firefighter Griffin
Firefighter Sea Dragon
The Sea Dragon’s Lion
The Master Shark’s Mate
Firefighter Unicorn
Firefighter Phoenix
Wildfire Griffin
Wildfire Unicorn
Wildfire Sea Dragon
Coyote in the Sea
Wildfire Pegasus
Wildfire Hellhound
Wildfire Phoenix
Tithed to the Fae