Page 24 of Tempered By Flames

Ethan???

Ethan smiled at the text on his screen. Liam was getting impatient.

He picked up his phone to text back.

Relax. I’m sure everything will go well, he wrote before getting out of his chair and getting ready to leave. If he was going to do this, he needed to go now. He wasn’t sure when Taylor was planning on talking to Liam today, but he probably wouldn’t wait long. He wanted an explanation.

You can’t know that, Liam wrote back.

No, but I have a good feeling about it.

That wasn’t quite right. Ethan had a lot of feelings about it, but he didn’t know if it would end well or not. He wasn’t backing out of it, though. Now that he’d made his decision, he was going to see it through. That way, he’d hopefully simplify things for Austin, West, and Liam. He was far enough removed from Taylor that if something bad happened, it wouldn’t affect him the way it would them.

He hoped Taylor was as nice a man as everyone thought he was, though.

Ethan was relieved when he didn’t see anyone on his way out of the shop. He could hear the buzz of tattoo guns, but he only paused long enough to leave a note on the front counter so that the others would know he was out.

The drive to the station was nerve-racking. Ethan kept texting Liam to make sure Taylor hadn’t talked to him yet. It was a relief because Ethan didn’t want to psych himself up only for nothing to happen.

I’m outside the station, he texted once he’d parked. He was a little hesitant, but he didn’t allow himself to doubt his decision. He got out of the car, his phone vibrating in his hand. Liam was calling, but Ethan didn’t even have the opportunity to answer before the man himself appeared at the door.

Liam lowered his phone. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but there’s no need for you to comfort me. I can do this.”

“I have no doubt that you can,” Ethan said gently. “But that doesn’t mean you have to face all of this on your own. I thought that maybe I could tell Taylor I’m a shifter, too.”

Liam’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “No. I mean, tell him if you want him to know, but I don’t want you to do that because of me.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I do. I know how important it is to you to control the way people find out what you are. I don’t want you to have to clean up my messes. I can do this on my own.”

“I have no doubt that you can.”

Liam nodded. “But let me do this.”

“You want me to leave?”

Liam only hesitated for a second before shaking his head. “I want you to stay. That way, you can drive the getaway car if I need one.”

Ethan laughed and leaned a little closer. “I’ll drive you wherever you want.”

He was a little flirty, and he enjoyed the way Liam’s cheeks flushed. Before he could do anything about it, though, someone nearby cleared their throat. Liam and Ethan turned, only to find Taylor standing there, his arms crossed over his chest, looking from one to the other. “There will be no need for getaway cars,” he said. “There is a need for an explanation, though. Liam?”

Liam swallowed loudly. Ethan reached between them to grab Liam’s hand and linked their fingers together. He had no idea what he was doing, but Liam squeezed hard, and he knew that whatever happened, Liam was grateful for his presence here. That made coming worth it, no matter what happened next.

* * * *

LIAM COULDN’T BELIEVE that Ethan had been planning on coming out to Taylor as a chimera shifter. What was he thinking? Why was he doing it? Liam knew enough to know that Ethan didn’t usually tell people what he was, yet he was willing to do so to protect Liam. It confused Liam as much as it made him want to kiss Ethan, but doing so in front of Taylor probably wasn’t a good idea. It wasn’t even that Taylor was Liam’s boss—it was the entire situation.

Taylor was still silent, watching Liam with a calm expression that made Liam want to squirm. Liam squeezed Ethan’s hand harder, hoping to find courage there. If Ethan was brave enough to tell people he was a chimera shifter, then Liam would be brave enough to tell his captain, a man he respected and cared about, even though it had only been a few weeks, that he was a shifter.

“I thought we were going to talk in your office,” Liam said. Anything to waste a little time.

“Which you’ve been avoiding since you got into work,” Taylor pointed out mildly.

Liam swallowed again. There was no way out of it, was there? Taylor knew something was up, and he wouldn’t let it go until Liam told him what that something was. He couldn’t, not when he was a captain and needed to trust his team. Luckily, he didn’t look like he was freaking out or planning anything. He was just waiting for Liam to speak.

Saying the words had never felt so hard. Liam clung to Ethan’s hand like a lifeline, relieved to have him here even though it wasn’t really his place. He didn’t care about anyone’s place right now. He needed the support, and he was glad he had it.