When he lived in Boston, Hudson had enjoyed the bond he’d had with the other men on his crew. In his new town, it was even better. Having a smaller department meant that Hudson was closer with the men and women that shared his passion.
He leaned forward as Phil turned the corner and the fire came into view.
An old barn was fully engulfed in flames.
As Phil parked the fire engine, Hudson was already reaching for the door handle. The vehicle stopped and Hudson was on the move. The crew knew their jobs. Behind them, EJ pulled the ambulance to this side. As both a firefighter and paramedic, EJ had a huge responsibility on the team.
Carter and the other officers were taping off the area to keep the public safe, not that there was anyone around.
“Is the barn empty?” Hudson asked his captain. He did not want to think about any animals that might have been inside. With the fire raging, there would be no saving them and that was devastating.
“Abandoned barn on a property that just sold,” Cap replied. “This was called in by someone passing the area.”
Suspicious. “Are they still here?”
Cap shook his head as he frowned. “No. Wouldn’t give his name either.”
Someone else had to realize that something was going down around town. Hudson opened the compartment for the hose and got to work. He’d worry about the fires later. Hudson hefted the hose over his shoulder. It was going to be a long day.
* * * * *
Bastian
He checked his phone for the fifth time in as many minutes. Still nothing from Hudson. His mate was out fighting a fire and Bastian hated that Hudson would be in danger.
“Got it,” Axel announced. “Abandoned farm on that property out north that just sold.”
“If it was abandoned, how did it catch on fire?” Trevor asked.
“This isn’t the first fire this month,” Drake said. “Something’s going on.”
“It’s not magical,” Dean added. “I went by both previous fires and there’s nothing hinky other than they were empty properties.”
“Arsonist,” Bastian declared. Fire wasn’t something that he had much experience with. Few paranormals messed around with fire, since that was one thing that most couldn’t come back from. During the great hunt, humans had used fire after realizing that it worked for most of their kind.
“That was my thought,” Dean replied. “I wanted to check it out since there are some mages that have an affinity for fire.”
“And no magic residue?” Bastian pressed.
“None. I took Noah with me and used a seeking spell,” Dean confirmed.
This news worried Bastian even more. His mate was out there and someone was purposely starting fires. He pushed off the counter but Axel held up his hand.
“You can’t just go over there and yank him away from work,” Axel told him. “Or whatever else you have in mind.”
Bastian scowled. Why the hell not? “He’s—”
“Your mate,” Axel finished. “I know. Just think about how he might react.”
“Instead of rushing out being overprotective, why don’t you do something nice for him and his crew once they get back? They’ll probably be exhausted,” Drake suggested.
“Okay.” That suggestion was more helpful than Bastian’s plan of shifting and stalking Hudson from the nearest tree. His boy did have a tendency of finding Bas easily. But how was he supposed to do something nice? What was nice? Bastian had never been called nice in his life. “Uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “What should I do?”
“They’re going to be tired, hot, and dirty,” Dean said.
“And probably hungry,” Drake added. “I could make a couple homemade pizzas for you to take.”
“Oh! And some fresh donuts?” Dean asked.
