Page 19 of Tempered By Flames

“Then he changes his mind. That could happen with anyone, even with a chimera shifter. It could happen with a human, even if they don’t know what you are. It’s the problem with relationships, isn’t it? We have to take a leap of faith. We have to decide to take a chance, and I think it’s time for you to do just that. You’ve been shielding your heart for too long. It needs to be allowed out so that it can grow and be happy.”

Ethan opened his mouth to tell her that he could be happy even without a boyfriend, but the breakroom door slammed open, hitting the wall and making both of them jump. Ethan glared at Jonathan, but only for a few seconds. Jonathan’s eyes were wide, and he was holding his phone out as if he needed to show Ethan and Dani something.

Dani groaned. “Oh, God. What happened now?” she asked.

Ethan felt very much the same way. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what had happened. It sure didn’t look like it would be good.

“There was another fire at a shifter-owned business,” Jonathan said.

Ethan frowned. “I thought that was over and that they’d caught the arsonist?”

Jonathan nodded curtly. “That’s what everyone thought. It’s what West told me, and I know he and Austin are convinced that the arsonist was caught.”

“What about this fire, then? It can’t be the same person, right?”

Jonathan shook his head. “The guy’s in prison. It can’t be him.”

“Maybe it’s a coincidence.”

Or maybe the arsonist had an accomplice. That wasn’t something Ethan wanted to consider, so for now, he decided not to. The fire could be anything. It didn’t have to be arson. Maybe something had happened by accident, or maybe it was something electrical. There was no way there was a second arsonist going after shifters in town.

Right?

* * * *

LIAM WAS TENSE IN THE engine as they drove toward the fire. They didn’t have a lot of details about what was going on, but from the way Austin and West had looked at each other when Taylor had told them what he did know, Liam knew something was up. He just didn’t know what, but he’d find out.

He just wasn’t sure how to ask. Did this have something to do with West and Austin being shifters? Did they recognize the address? Did it have something to do with one of their past emergencies? There was no way for Liam to know, but since he’d heard about the arsonist who’d set fires to local businesses a few months back, he couldn’t help but wonder if this had something to do with that. Would it even make sense? He didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure how to ask. He couldn’t afford to attract the attention of Taylor or the other human members of their team. The whole situation made him wary and worried, though. He felt like something was about to happen, and he didn’t like that.

“Do we have any more details?” West asked, glancing at Austin.

Taylor cleared his throat. “Not really. We just know that the store is up in flames.”

“The owner?”

“Still inside.”

Liam grimaced. That wasn’t going to be fun.

He knew he’d been right when they reached the fire to find the building almost completely engulfed. If the owner was in there, there was a good chance they hadn’t made it, but that wasn’t going to stop anyone from trying to save them. Luckily, Taylor sent Liam inside with West and Austin. As dragon shifters, they’d be fine, even if something happened. The same couldn’t be said for the rest of the team, but Lisa and Jeremy would be outside, dealing with the people who’d already been rescued.

Even though they could walk in with a little preparation, Liam, Austin, and West went through the motions. They were quick on their feet, though, and it felt easier to work once they were out of sight. In here, they didn’t have to hide because there was no one with them except possibly the owner, but as a shifter, they wouldn’t be surprised to see them easily deal with fire.

“How many people?” Liam asked.

“Only one, as far as I know,” Austin told him. “But keep your eyes open. Sometimes, we have more people than expected.”

Liam nodded and went to work. If there was anyone in here, he’d make sure they made it out alive.

He could hear his radio crackle the deeper he got into the building, but he ignored it. The warmth of the fire felt pleasant against his skin, and he kind of wanted to take off his mask because he didn’t need it, but he kept it on.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been searching the inferno raging around him before he saw someone’s foot on the floor. He rushed forward, bumping into a wall. Something creaked above him, but he was focused on the woman stretched out on the floor, unconscious. He leaned down, reaching for her, when the creaking grew louder. He just had time to look up before a beam came down. Luckily for the woman, Liam was a dragon shifter. Not only was he in his element—he was also strong enough to catch that beam. He had to be careful where he put it down, though. He didn’t want the rest of the building to come down on his head.

The beam was heavy, but nothing Liam couldn’t handle. He dropped it far enough away from the woman that she wouldn’t get hurt, but as he turned to focus on her again, he caught movement from the corner of his eye. He looked up, his eyes going wide when he saw that Taylor was standing there, his hands hanging by his sides, staring at him.

Shit. Had Taylor seen what Liam had just done? From where he was standing, it was a possibility. Liam didn’t know how long Taylor had been there, and he was afraid to find out. How would Taylor react if he asked? Now wasn’t the right moment to do so, but Liam needed to know. He had to know what Taylor had seen because if he’d seen what Liam had just done, he’d have questions, and Liam wasn’t sure he could answer them. What could he say? That it had been the adrenaline? Taylor would never believe that, and he’d be right not to. It wasn’t the adrenaline. It was Liam’s dragon strength—him being a shifter. That was the only reason he’d managed to catch that beam.

“We have to move,” Taylor’s voice said through Liam’s radio. It crackled again, but not so loud that Liam couldn’t hear his captain.