Then he groped backward for the window.Daniel’s hand caught his, and the boy guided him so that Tean could keep an eye on Kai.But the wolfman stayed where he was.
Cold wrapped itself around Tean, and his heels settled on roofing that was soft, almost spongy.He coughed out the acrid smoke, drew in lungfuls of a winter night, and let Daniel steady him.
Sirens whooped.And someone was shouting—it took a moment for Tean to find Jem pointing at them, hollering, waving one arm overhead.Tean waved back.A fire truck was already parked on the lawn, and a ladder was being moved into place against the roof.A fireman crawled up the ladder, calling instructions to Justin and Vyxyn, and a moment later, the children began to make their way down the ladder.
Daniel’s hand tightened around Tean’s, and Tean let himself be led away from the turret.
He looked back only once, when he set his foot on the ladder.The fire was brighter now, yellow and white, and although the smoke had thickened, Tean thought it was like looking into the heart of a star.Kai stared back at him from within the turret, his dead eyes bright, awash in the restless glare of the flames.
39
For Tean, it was a blur.The ambulance.The hospital.The long hours of answering questions.
Jem was hurt, but alive.
They weren’t being arrested.
The children were fine.
Daniel was okay.
Ammon was going to pull through.
And then, somehow, it was over.
They drove home in the Subaru.Someone had brought it to the hospital for them.
Scipio went wild—excitement changing quickly to distress as he sniffed them, circled, came back, retreated again.
“It’s the smoke,” Tean said, holding out his hands for the Lab, who was alternating between sniffing and sneezing.
“Shower,” Jem said.He was moving stiffly—Tean had made sure to get a full recounting of his injuries and limitations from the doctor, since Jem had a tendency to downplay his injuries.He opened the back door and shooed Scipio outside.The sky was a lighter patch through the rectangle of the door, and the mountains made a jigsaw puzzle of the stars.It was almost three in the morning, and Scipio immediately ran to his bucket of balls.“I’ll be there in a second.”Before he pulled the door shut, he added, “Throw those clothes away.”
That was the best advice Tean had gotten all day.He tied the clothes in a garbage bag and threw them out into the garage.Then he got into the shower.He had to keep the water cooler than usual because his skin was still sensitive from the heat, and he worked slowly and carefully with the soap.
He was finishing between his toes when the curtain rattled back and Jem stepped into the tub.
“I’m sick of smelling like a hobo’s fire barrel” was all Jem said, though.He grimaced as he reached for the loofa and body wash, and whatever he saw on Tean’s face made him say, “Just a twinge.”
“Here,” Tean said, and he took the loofa and the body wash and worked up a lather.
He did Jem’s back first.Broad.Strong shoulders, especially for a man who had once told Tean that going to the gym was gay.Tean ran the loofa down his spine.There was something delicate about the small of Jem’s back.He followed the curve of his butt, and bubbles ran down over fine gold-blond hairs.
“Are you giving me the works?”Jem asked.“Wax and polish for the undercarriage?”
“Absolutely not,” Tean said.
And Jem laughed.He was still laughing about that as Tean turned him around and ran the loofa over his shoulders, down his chest, to the slight softening of his stomach.A trail of that gold-blond hair here, too.Thicker.Darker.So dark it was almost brown around the root of his cock.Jem shivered as Tean cupped his balls and drew the loofa down his dick.
Then Jem said, “Are you crying?”
Tean wasn’t sure.His face was hot, but his face had felt hot since the fire.His face was wet, but they were in the shower.He shook his head.Jem took Tean’s chin between his fingers, and Tean’s eyes stung.He let Jem pull him against him.His body was slick with water, the skin smooth, muscle firm.Jem’s beard felt different when it was wet.The hair on his legs felt different when it was wet.He could still smell the smoke in his hair.Tean shook once and squeezed his eyes shut, and he saw fire.
They stood there until the water ran cold, Jem holding him, his hand moving slowly: settling on Tean’s hip, then an arm curving around to hold him more tightly, then fingers tickling Tean’s back.
“Quick shampoo,” Jem finally said.
But it was up to Tean to do it, because Jem’s ribs were obviously still bothering him.The cold water made him hurry, and it was a relief to towel off.
