wouldn’t be enough to counter need and fear and a dragon’s possessive nature. Knowing that another incident was inevitable if he remained separated from Saffron, Taine scanned the area for Maksim.
Another fire engine arrived, its siren blaring. Given the magical origins of this fire, it was entirely possible there would be additional fires, fires that could well put Saffron in danger.
Taine held his breath rather than risk exhaling fire. He couldn’t allow his mate to be at risk any more than he could allow days of separation.
He spotted Maksim, on scene because like Gaige, he had some ability to manipulate the elements and subtly assist the firefighters.
If it were left to Taine, he’d fight fire with fire. But that was too overt in a world where the revelation that supernatural beings existed was only slowly being allowed to emerge.
The last thing any of them wanted was for humans to take up arms against them and turn this portal world into a dangerous place to pass through or visit.
Taine inhaled, took in a lungful of smoke that wasn’t his own and joined his boss.
“You take care of the situation with your mate?” Maksim asked.
“It’s under control.”
Maksim’s unwavering stare forced Taine to add, “At the moment.”
“At the moment isn’t good enough. Whatever happened here, it’s bad—bad beyond all the damage this fire is doing.”
“My mate is with the San Diego Fire Department. She could be temporarily transferred to IRE.”
“Just to IRE?”
“No, to me.” The thought of her being paired with another male meant a fight to keep from exhaling flame. “You could suggest that this is the beginning of the trouble, that there will be more fires and having someone familiar with fighting them serving alongside us would be helpful.”
“That’s a thin excuse.”
“You’ve got the necessary pull in the human world.”
One of the warehouses flared, the firefighters losing the battle to keep it from becoming fully engulfed. “I’ll make the call. What’s her name?”
“Saffron Greene.” The purr was back in Taine’s voice.
Maksim shook his head and sighed. “You didn’t even last a half century in this world before getting shackled.”
* * * *
Saffron’s morning went completely sideways with her cellphone’s ring. Thirty minutes later her pulse was still thrumming.
The doors to the fire station were open, two gleaming red engines sat side by side in separate bays. She parked her red Corolla along the curb instead of in the lot. Gave herself a pep talk then got out and entered the station through the bay on the right.
A couple of guys she knew waved a greeting and asked her what gave. She managed to sound normal when she answered, “Nothing big,” though she could count on one finger the times she’d been summoned to the battalion chief’s office, and that was counting today.
The egg sandwich that’d been breakfast gave the churn in her stomach something to work with, threatening to add queasiness to an erratic heartbeat and sweaty palms.
A burning building, no problem. She was on it, confident without being overconfident because overconfidence killed. But a summons here, leaping over Captain O’Neal…
Nothing about this could be good. But she couldn’t think of anything she’d mishandled on the job. She was good at what she did, and damn proud to be with the SDFD.
She reached the stairway and climbed, still casting about for a reason for the summons.
Maybe this had something to do with the rescue on the beach?
It was always possible someone had caught it on video and posted it. But it seemed more likely that’d result in a phone call from her own captain, or if there was publicity to be gained, someone higher up than Battalion Chief Kurt Mieger.
She’d be standing in front of City Hall if this was politically motivated. Right?
Jesus, she hated politics. Tried to stay as far away from political situations as possible.
This couldn’t be politics. The
Another fire engine arrived, its siren blaring. Given the magical origins of this fire, it was entirely possible there would be additional fires, fires that could well put Saffron in danger.
Taine held his breath rather than risk exhaling fire. He couldn’t allow his mate to be at risk any more than he could allow days of separation.
He spotted Maksim, on scene because like Gaige, he had some ability to manipulate the elements and subtly assist the firefighters.
If it were left to Taine, he’d fight fire with fire. But that was too overt in a world where the revelation that supernatural beings existed was only slowly being allowed to emerge.
The last thing any of them wanted was for humans to take up arms against them and turn this portal world into a dangerous place to pass through or visit.
Taine inhaled, took in a lungful of smoke that wasn’t his own and joined his boss.
“You take care of the situation with your mate?” Maksim asked.
“It’s under control.”
Maksim’s unwavering stare forced Taine to add, “At the moment.”
“At the moment isn’t good enough. Whatever happened here, it’s bad—bad beyond all the damage this fire is doing.”
“My mate is with the San Diego Fire Department. She could be temporarily transferred to IRE.”
“Just to IRE?”
“No, to me.” The thought of her being paired with another male meant a fight to keep from exhaling flame. “You could suggest that this is the beginning of the trouble, that there will be more fires and having someone familiar with fighting them serving alongside us would be helpful.”
“That’s a thin excuse.”
“You’ve got the necessary pull in the human world.”
One of the warehouses flared, the firefighters losing the battle to keep it from becoming fully engulfed. “I’ll make the call. What’s her name?”
“Saffron Greene.” The purr was back in Taine’s voice.
Maksim shook his head and sighed. “You didn’t even last a half century in this world before getting shackled.”
* * * *
Saffron’s morning went completely sideways with her cellphone’s ring. Thirty minutes later her pulse was still thrumming.
The doors to the fire station were open, two gleaming red engines sat side by side in separate bays. She parked her red Corolla along the curb instead of in the lot. Gave herself a pep talk then got out and entered the station through the bay on the right.
A couple of guys she knew waved a greeting and asked her what gave. She managed to sound normal when she answered, “Nothing big,” though she could count on one finger the times she’d been summoned to the battalion chief’s office, and that was counting today.
The egg sandwich that’d been breakfast gave the churn in her stomach something to work with, threatening to add queasiness to an erratic heartbeat and sweaty palms.
A burning building, no problem. She was on it, confident without being overconfident because overconfidence killed. But a summons here, leaping over Captain O’Neal…
Nothing about this could be good. But she couldn’t think of anything she’d mishandled on the job. She was good at what she did, and damn proud to be with the SDFD.
She reached the stairway and climbed, still casting about for a reason for the summons.
Maybe this had something to do with the rescue on the beach?
It was always possible someone had caught it on video and posted it. But it seemed more likely that’d result in a phone call from her own captain, or if there was publicity to be gained, someone higher up than Battalion Chief Kurt Mieger.
She’d be standing in front of City Hall if this was politically motivated. Right?
Jesus, she hated politics. Tried to stay as far away from political situations as possible.
This couldn’t be politics. The
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