Page 5 of Tempered By Flames

“He didn’t.”

“Hey,” Austin argued. “I just thought it would be a good idea. Liam’s going to work with us. He’s part of the team now, and he should know you guys.”

“Well, why don’t we all go to dinner tonight?” Jonathan offered. “That way, we can sit around a table and talk. Liam can get to know everyone. And we can get to know him.”

“There’s not much to say about me,” Liam said as he shuffled his feet. Ethan noticed him glancing his way, and his stomach dropped. Had Liam been able to smell him? He was a little far, but some dragons had a better sense of smell than others.

As long as Liam didn’t make a scene, Ethan didn’t really care. The man could smell whatever he wanted off of him. He wouldn’t allow this guy or anyone else to hurt his friends, though, especially Jonathan after everything he’d gone through.

Liam didn’t know that. He wouldn’t know until Ethan told him, and Ethan wasn’t about to get anywhere near him. Instead, he raised his chin and stared Liam down.

* * * *

LIAM HAD NO IDEA WHAT was going on. One moment, he was getting ready to go home after his first shift at the station, and the next, Austin had wrangled him into going with him to a tattoo shop. He’d been extremely confused, and he still was, although not in the same way. Now, he understood why Austin had wanted him to come. West’s boyfriend worked here, and for some reason, Austin wanted Liam to know him. Liam wasn’t sure the same went for West, so he kept his distance from Jonathan, just in case. He didn’t want the dragon shifter to kick his ass because he stepped too close to his boyfriend.

Jonathan wasn’t who Liam was interested in, anyway. When he and Austin had walked into the room, he’d noticed the man sitting at the small table almost instantly. It was impossible not to. The man’s eyes were so dark they might as well be black, and they were so intense that they made Liam want to lose himself in them. His hair was just as dark and fell in front of his forehead, partially hiding his face. Liam wished he could push that hair away to get a better view, but instead, he’d waved like an idiot and was now standing there, listening to Jonathan making plans for dinner. He wondered if Ethan was silently laughing at him. What the fuck was it about him and waving like a child today? Couldn’t he behave like an adult meeting other adults? He could’ve shaken Jonathan and Ethan’s hands. He could’ve said something funny to make them smile. Well, Jonathan was smiling, but it was at West, not at Liam.

Liam would be the first to admit that he was a dork, but he didn’t usually feel so out of his depth. Of course, he didn’t usually spend any amount of time with people who weren’t part of his clan. It was one of the reasons he decided he wanted this job. He wanted to meet people, to open up his life. His mother was terrified that meant he’d have to deal with unsavory people, and he hoped to prove her wrong. So far, she seemed to be. Everyone at the station had been great, and even Austin and West were nice. Liam was still a little wary, and he suspected he would be until he got to know them better, but it was a great step forward.

“Where should we go?” Jonathan asked.

“Wherever you want,” West told him. He sounded so much in love that it made Liam’s stomach churn. That was another reason he’d decided to work outside of his clan. He’d never meet anyone if he didn’t. He wanted to. It was clear that West and Jonathan were happy together, and Liam wanted the same. Well, not with either of them. West wasn’t his type, and he was pretty sure the other dragon would tear him limb from limb if he ever dared to look at Jonathan that way.

“I’m sure Caleb will want to be there,” Austin said, taking out his phone. “Who else is coming? Ethan?”

Ethan wiggled in his chair. It made him look like he was nervous, which didn’t make sense. Why would he be nervous to spend time with Liam? He didn’t know Liam, and Liam didn’t think of himself as being threatening. Hell, he’d waved like a child.

“I think I’m busy tonight,” Ethan said softly. “But thanks for thinking of me.”

Austin frowned. “Are you sure? Everyone’s gonna be there.”

“I’m sure. I’ll make it next time, all right?”

“Well, you’re going to get to know Liam either way, I guess. He’s one of us now.”

Liam blinked, not having expected that kind of declaration. What did Austin mean, exactly? Was he one of the firefighters? One of the team members? One of the shifters in the room? He definitely was all of those things, but he doubted that was what Austin was referring to.

“Austin, why did you text me?” a woman asked as she pushed her way into the small room. “I was right there. You could have raised your voice.”

Austin grinned at her. “Hey, Dani.”

“So? Are we going for dinner? And who am I meeting?” she asked, looking around. She hadn’t been in the waiting room when Austin and Liam had walked in, but it was clear she belonged here. Liam extended his hand, not wanting to wave at her, too. There was a limit to his dorkiness. “Hi, I’m Liam,” he said.

She blinked at him. “Oh?”

“I started working with West and Austin at the station today.” He hesitated, unsure if he should mention the fact that he was a dragon shifter.

“He’s a dragon shifter like us,” Austin declared, beating Liam to it.

Well, it was clear they weren’t hiding anything from these people, even though Jonathan and Dani smelled human. Liam had thought Ethan would be human, too, but Liam had moved closer to him when Dani had stepped in, and he knew that wasn’t the case. Ethan didn’t smell human. He smelled like a shifter, although Liam wasn’t able to tell what kind. Usually, he was, but he didn’t have a lot of experience identifying shifters through his nose. Before starting the academy, he’d spent most of his days with his clan. They were all dragon shifters and humans, and he hadn’t needed to smell them to know that. He’d known them all of his life.

He couldn’t ask. It would be rude, and from the way Ethan had tensed when Liam had stepped closer, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t get an answer. That was fine. Ethan didn’t have to tell him anything, even though Liam was curious. Still, since Ethan was nervous, Liam took a step away from him as soon as he could. He didn’t want to make Ethan even more uncomfortable when he didn’t have to.

That was why he kept his distance as Austin made plans for all of them—well, all of them except Ethan. Ethan wouldn’t be there tonight. He already had plans, apparently. Liam was tempted to ask him what those plans were. He wanted Ethan to be there. He wasn’t sure why, but the fact that he couldn’t identify what kind of shifter the man was intrigued him and made him want to push. He hoped that if they got to know each other, Ethan would trust him with the knowledge.

But Ethan didn’t stay. He finished drinking his coffee and left the room after saying goodbye to everyone. He even gave Liam a little wave that made Liam feel better. Eventually, Jonathan and Dani kicked West, Austin, and Liam out of the store because they had work to do. Liam was fascinated by what they did, but he happily left, knowing he’d be back eventually. He still wasn’t quite sure how he’d ended up being pulled into this group.

“So, that was our family,” Austin declared as they left the shop. “You’ve met everyone now. Well, everyone except Caleb. He’ll be there tonight, though.”