Page 16 of Tempered By Flames

Ethan glared at her. “That’s not funny.”

“It is,” Jonathan said.

“I guess I just don’t understand. Even my own mother hates what I am, so how can a stranger not?”

Dani leaned closer to squeeze Ethan’s hand. “Your mother’s an asshole,” she declared. “You don’t need her. You have us, and even though we’re not related to you by blood, we accept you as you are. That means more than whatever your mother feels. We’re your family now, not her.” She paused and exchanged a glance with Jonathan. “And it looks like eventually, Liam will be, too. It’s a good thing, Ethan. I’m not saying that he’s the love of your life or whatever, but you should at least give him a chance. I have the feeling he could be very good for you.”

Ethan suspected she was right. Only the future would tell, and that didn’t mean Ethan wasn’t terrified. He was going to have to get over it, though. He wasn’t giving up on his coffee with Liam, especially not because he was afraid.

* * * *

LIAM WAS WHISTLING as he walked into the station for his shift. There was a bounce in his step, and he hadn’t been able to stop smiling since he’d left the tattoo shop a few hours earlier. How could he when Ethan had agreed to get coffee with him?

Liam wasn’t quite sure it was a date, but he sure hoped it would be. He’d let Ethan take the first step when it came to that, though. He didn’t want to spook the man, especially since it was obvious he didn’t trust people easily. Liam wanted Ethan to trust him, no matter what kind of relationship they’d have.

“You sound happy,” Lisa said when Liam walked into the locker room.

He beamed at her. “Why shouldn’t I be? Life is wonderful.”

She stared at him, clearly thinking he was being weird, but like he’d told Ethan, he didn’t care about being weird.

“I’m gonna assume you’re sober since you’re here,” Lisa said.

“Of course I’m sober. I’d never drink before starting a shift, and before you ask, no, I don’t take drugs. You know that.”

She raised her hands. “I do. You’re a pretty happy person overall, but you’re being extra happy today, and it’s a little weird.”

Liam shrugged. “So? I don’t mind being weird.”

He was thankful when Lisa left the locker room shortly after that, but of course, she didn’t go far. When Liam made his way to the kitchen, she and the rest of the team were waiting for him. They all turned to him almost as one, which made him want to squirm or shift and fly away. The second option would be faster. It would also shock the human team members who were currently staring at him, so unfortunately, it was out of the question.

“Leave him alone,” Taylor said. “He’s allowed to be happy.”

“There’s happy, and then there’s that,” Lisa said as she gestured toward Liam. “I’m telling you, he’s been replaced by an alien.”

Liam chuckled. “I most definitely have not.”

“That’s exactly what an alien would say,” Lisa muttered.

“Maybe so, but I swear to you that I’m not an alien. I’m very much human.” Kind of. That wasn’t completely true since he could turn into a rather large dragon, but Lisa didn’t know that. She wasn’t going to find out through Liam, either.

“Everyone, as interesting as Liam’s life is, we all have things to do,” Taylor declared. “Get to work.”

Liam was going to need a cup of coffee before he did, so he moved toward the coffee pot as people started drifting out of the kitchen. He poured himself a cup, then turned around to lean against the counter, only to yelp and almost drop it when he saw Austin and West standing there, watching him.

“Warn a guy, would you,” he said as he put his cup down on the counter. He hadn’t spilled anything, but it had been a close thing.

“You had an appointment with Ethan today,” Austin said, sounding almost accusing.

Liam knew where this was going. “I did,” he confirmed. “Oh, are you checking on me after I got my tattoo? You don’t need to. It’s my first one, but I handled it like a champ.”

“I don’t care about your tattoo, although please, show it to me so I can make fun of it. I want to know about you and Ethan.”

“There’s no me and Ethan. He’s a great artist, though.”

“We know that. Come on, Liam. What happened between the two of you?”

Liam picked his mug back up and took a sip. West looked amused, but Austin looked like he was about to explode if Liam didn’t give him what he wanted. Apparently, what he wanted was to talk about Ethan. It was a good thing that Liam wanted the same.