Bear The Fire (Firebear Brides 4) by Anya Nowlan Page A
Authors: Anya Nowlan
Tags: Fiction, Suspense, Romance, Contemporary, Paranormal, Adult, supernatural, firefighter, Erotic, Interracial, Brothers, Bachelor, BBW, Shifter, werebear, Violence, Mate, Protection, Idaho, second chances, Forever Love, Single Woman, coffee shop, dark past, Mail-Order Bride, Firebear Brides, One Year, Scheming Relatives, Shifter Grove, Family Homestead, Uncle's Will
Ads: Link
watched the scorched earth coming closer and closer, he was surprised to find that the usual relief and excitement he felt weren’t nearly as strong as he would have liked. Any other time, his heart would be beating out of his chest with expectation, knowing that he was going to get to fight one of nature’s greatest beasts tooth and nail, especially now that he was alone. But all he could think about was going home safe to Kali.
Gritting his teeth, Rhodes touched down, luckily avoiding any trees in his path. Muscle memory took over, his hands grabbing up the fabric of the parachute before his legs were even securely under him. Speed, Range, Payload, danced in his head, the smokejumper mantra.
But even as he ran toward the fire, the heat already sweltering, Kali’s face was the main thing on his mind.
CHAPTER NINE
Kali
Kali was out of the house before the phone call was really over. It only took one mention of the words “danger,” “Rhodes,” and “out of his mind” before Kali knew that things were bad and Rhodes was on one of his streaks of masochistic self-destruction again.
She’d grabbed the keys after learning from Abigail where the fire was supposed to be and ran for the first truck she could find, praying that there was a map in the glove compartment. Thank her lucky stars, these Idaho firebears had already learned not to trust Google Maps in an area with no cell reception and little to no roads, so she was driving down some bumpy outback stretch before anyone had blinked an eye.
You’re not doing this to me, Kali thought, her jaw set hard.
Her plan was very loosely constructed. She was no firefighter, obviously, and she had no intention of putting herself in real danger. But she knew that Rhodes was definitely flying in head first, not caring about the consequences, and letting his darkness eat him from the inside out. And the only one who could stop it was her.
How the hell did I get myself into this, she thought with equal parts annoyance and worry as she spotted the soft tendrils of smoke deep in the forest.
It seemed like nothing from where she was, but the tone of Ragnar’s voice as he spoke to Abigail on the phone, telling her to get Old Bell ready for a major fire, had told Kali enough about the severity of the situation. And Rhodes was in there alone, trying to work out his anger. She’d seen the way he was when he stormed out of the house. He was a liability to himself.
I can’t lose him again.
The thought materialized sharply as she reached as far to the end of the road that she could drive to. It kicked the wind out of her for a second. When she’d come to Idaho, she’d assured herself that it was only because she owed Ragnar for covering her ass, as well as Rhodes’s. That it had nothing to do with how desperately she missed Rhodes and how every day without him had been shittier than the worst one with him.
But now, knowing that he was putting himself in danger without thinking clearly, she knew she’d been lying to herself all along. She needed him. And she needed Rhodes to understand that needing her was fine, too. They’d get through everything and anything as long as they stuck together.
Kali was mildly surprised to find another truck parked there already, but she didn’t recognize it. Shrugging, she left Ragnar’s truck next to it and clambered out, grabbing her phone and the map on the way. She wasn’t exactly dressed to barge into a wilderness fire—just jeans, a top, and some sneakers—but it would have to do. With the map held firmly in her hands, she rushed into the forest, trying to keep her directions straight as she moved toward the smoke and the slowly growing crackling of flame.
The fire was bent around a river looping through the foothills of a high mountain. She was on the other side of that river in relative safety, following it upstream toward higher ground. Running, she kept stumbling over roots and mounds of fresh earth, all crinkling
Gritting his teeth, Rhodes touched down, luckily avoiding any trees in his path. Muscle memory took over, his hands grabbing up the fabric of the parachute before his legs were even securely under him. Speed, Range, Payload, danced in his head, the smokejumper mantra.
But even as he ran toward the fire, the heat already sweltering, Kali’s face was the main thing on his mind.
CHAPTER NINE
Kali
Kali was out of the house before the phone call was really over. It only took one mention of the words “danger,” “Rhodes,” and “out of his mind” before Kali knew that things were bad and Rhodes was on one of his streaks of masochistic self-destruction again.
She’d grabbed the keys after learning from Abigail where the fire was supposed to be and ran for the first truck she could find, praying that there was a map in the glove compartment. Thank her lucky stars, these Idaho firebears had already learned not to trust Google Maps in an area with no cell reception and little to no roads, so she was driving down some bumpy outback stretch before anyone had blinked an eye.
You’re not doing this to me, Kali thought, her jaw set hard.
Her plan was very loosely constructed. She was no firefighter, obviously, and she had no intention of putting herself in real danger. But she knew that Rhodes was definitely flying in head first, not caring about the consequences, and letting his darkness eat him from the inside out. And the only one who could stop it was her.
How the hell did I get myself into this, she thought with equal parts annoyance and worry as she spotted the soft tendrils of smoke deep in the forest.
It seemed like nothing from where she was, but the tone of Ragnar’s voice as he spoke to Abigail on the phone, telling her to get Old Bell ready for a major fire, had told Kali enough about the severity of the situation. And Rhodes was in there alone, trying to work out his anger. She’d seen the way he was when he stormed out of the house. He was a liability to himself.
I can’t lose him again.
The thought materialized sharply as she reached as far to the end of the road that she could drive to. It kicked the wind out of her for a second. When she’d come to Idaho, she’d assured herself that it was only because she owed Ragnar for covering her ass, as well as Rhodes’s. That it had nothing to do with how desperately she missed Rhodes and how every day without him had been shittier than the worst one with him.
But now, knowing that he was putting himself in danger without thinking clearly, she knew she’d been lying to herself all along. She needed him. And she needed Rhodes to understand that needing her was fine, too. They’d get through everything and anything as long as they stuck together.
Kali was mildly surprised to find another truck parked there already, but she didn’t recognize it. Shrugging, she left Ragnar’s truck next to it and clambered out, grabbing her phone and the map on the way. She wasn’t exactly dressed to barge into a wilderness fire—just jeans, a top, and some sneakers—but it would have to do. With the map held firmly in her hands, she rushed into the forest, trying to keep her directions straight as she moved toward the smoke and the slowly growing crackling of flame.
The fire was bent around a river looping through the foothills of a high mountain. She was on the other side of that river in relative safety, following it upstream toward higher ground. Running, she kept stumbling over roots and mounds of fresh earth, all crinkling
Similar Books
