Page 4 of Tempered By Flames

“I know. The new firefighter. You mentioned him, but it’s pretty normal, right? I’m sure you guys get new firefighters all the time.”

“We don’t. We get someone once a year, more or less, but it really depends on how many people go to the academy.”

“Well, you’re still used to it. I don’t understand what’s so special about this guy. You’ve been complaining for a few days now.”

“Before, I was just complaining because it was going to change our team. I’m used to that, but it doesn’t mean I like it. Having a probie means that everyone has to find a different way to work, even if just a little. We need to accommodate a new person who doesn’t know as much about firefighting as we do.”

“It seems more serious this time,” Ethan pointed out. He took a sip of his coffee, eager to hear more. As long as West and Jonathan didn’t start sucking each other’s faces, he wouldn’t be going anywhere.

“This guy isn’t just a probie. He’s a dragon shifter.”

Ethan blinked. Okay, so maybe that did complicate things.

“So?” Jonathan asked. “You and Austin are firefighters and dragon shifters, too. I don’t see what the problem is.”

“There might not be one. We just don’t know until we talk to him, and we haven’t had the opportunity today. We were going to, but then the alarm went off, and it didn’t stop for the rest of the shift. We barely had time to eat lunch.”

Jonathan made a cooing sound and patted his boyfriend on the arm. Those two were revolting, but Ethan didn’t dare say that out loud. He wanted to hear about the new dragon shifter.

There was no way to know if this guy would be part of his life. West and Austin both were, but even though they were dragon shifters, he trusted them. He was sure that at least one of them suspected what he was, but neither of them had asked or said anything about it, and Ethan hadn’t brought it up. He hoped things would continue that way, but having a new dragon shifter in the picture might change things. West and Austin were incredibly close to their team. In fact, Ethan had attended a few cookouts at which that team had been present, and he’d liked every person there. They were all human, so they had no idea what he was.

But not this guy.

“Start from the beginning,” Jonathan said. “What’s his name? How old is he? Do you really think he’s going to start trouble?”

“His name is Liam, and he’s in his mid-twenties. Like I said, I don’t know anything about him except his name and that he’s a dragon shifter.”

“So you’re catastrophizing for no reason. You don’t know how he feels about having more dragon shifters on the team. I’m sure he was as surprised as you were.”

“I guess. He looked like he’d seen a ghost for a while there.”

“He’s probably freaking out even worse than you and Austin are because he doesn’t know what you’re going to do. The two of you are already part of the team. You’re established with them and at the station. He’s just a probie, so I’m sure he fully expects to get kicked out if anything was to happen with you and Austin.”

“There’s no way Taylor would choose him over us.”

“So maybe Liam isn’t wrong to be worried.”

Voices from the front of the shop made the three of them look up. Jonathan didn’t react beyond that, but Ethan tensed. He recognized Austin’s voice, but not the other one. Considering that West was just as tense, Ethan had a good idea who that person was.

“Hey,” Austin said as he strode in, quickly followed by a stranger. He was tall, with blond curls and blue eyes, an all-American golden boy. He appeared a little shy as he took in the room, his gaze bouncing from object to object before landing on West, Jonathan, and Ethan. It looked like he was taking them in and wondering if they would fight him. Ethan definitely wouldn’t. He wasn’t quite sure about West, though.

“You can relax,” Austin said, turning towards the newcomer. “Everyone here knows about shifters. You don’t have to worry about keeping that secret.”

The stranger’s shoulders unclenched as if he was obeying Austin. Ethan really wished Austin had given them a heads-up about bringing the guy here. He wouldn’t have been in the room if he’d known.

“Liam, this is Jonathan, West’s boyfriend, and Ethan. Guys, this is Liam, our new probie. He’s also a dragon shifter.”

Liam gave a little wave, and his cheeks flushed. Jonathan got to his feet to say hello, but Ethan stayed where he was, hoping no one would notice. There was no way he was getting anywhere near Liam.

He trusted Austin and West, at least in part. The reason he did was that he knew West loved Jonathan and that he would never do anything to hurt him, including coming after one of his best friends. Austin was dating another one of Ethan’s friends, so Ethan wasn’t worried about him, either.

But he didn’t know Liam. He didn’t know how Liam would take what he was. Would he be horrified? Would he demand an explanation, maybe details? That was what shifters usually did when they realized what Ethan was. They wanted to know exactly what he was, and they were never happy with his answer.

“It’s good to meet you,” Jonathan told Liam. “West mentioned getting a new firefighter at the station, and I was curious about you.”

Liam rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s good to meet you, too. I wasn’t sure what to think when Austin asked me if I wanted to go to a tattoo shop.”

Jonathan rolled his eyes. “Knowing him, he didn’t give you any other details.”