by Jane Cousins
“I could deal with a horde.” A large sword appeared in one of Brodie’s hand… bloodlust glinting in her snowflake eyes.
“Put the sword away, Xena.”
“Xena? My name is Brodie.”
Fen sent Declan a dark glare as the apprentice Enforcer stifled another bout of laughter. “Right… Brodie. And I’m Fen. Look, I appreciate the offer… you have no idea how much… but my life is really… complicated at the moment.” Goddess help him, he sounded like he wrote for a women’s magazine. “All I need from you is to tell Mills exactly what happened here tonight. What you saw and what you smelt.”
“Smelt?” Declan looked confused.
“There has to be some sort of accelerant involved for these fires to burn so fucking hot at the point of origin.” Fen stuck two fingers in his mouth and issued a loud piercing whistle. “Mills! You free?” Fen gestured towards his colleague, Mills, walking towards them. Fen was eager to get away from the beautiful tempting Valkyrie, and examining the scene would provide a good distraction. “Mills, this is Brodie. He’s going to take your statement.”
Brodie eyed the newcomer from head to toe. “No.”
Mills halted his approach abruptly, freezing in place. He didn’t like the assessing look in the Valkyrie’s eyes, as if she was tossing up between killing him quick or killing him slowly… and torn, because obviously either option would suit her just fine. Self preservation kicked in and he wheeled about. “She’s all yours, Fen.”
Brodie turned her attention back to Fen. “We haven’t finished talking about sex.”
Eighteen months ago, before his mother’s campaign began to heat up, Fen would have considered this tenacious, gorgeous woman to be perfection itself, but now she was seriously testing his self control. “I think I made it clear where I stand. If sex is a deal breaker...” Fen looked at a fleeing Mills, no, too scared. With great reluctance he glanced down at Declan. “What about Prince Charming here?”
Brodie took a moment to contemplate the man on the ground, noting the lean muscular body and the way his tousled, over long blonde hair rippled, thanks to some mysterious breeze. How chiselled his jaw was, dimples creasing his cheeks, the flash of white, straight teeth as he smiled. And beautiful, dark violet eyes that brimmed with amusement and… of all things kindness… ick. Brodie wrinkled her nose in obvious distaste. “Too perfect.”
Declan’s smile broadened into a full blown grin.
Fen shook his head in confusion. If Declan was too perfect… what did that make him? Fucking confused, that’s what. “Look Brodie, I’m just trying to do my job here. We’d appreciate it if you would quit being so obstructive and just let us examine the scene whilst it’s still fresh.”
Oh, his job, of course. Brodie nodded abruptly, she understood professionalism. It made sense, now. Fen didn’t want to get distracted by sex. Well, she’d suffered this ridiculous holiday for four days, she supposed she could suffer a little longer… especially if it meant getting to tousle with the muscular Fen, with his large capable hands and cerulean eyes.
Heat simmered low in her body, anticipation flooding her veins. The more she studied him, the more she liked what she saw. His lips were surprisingly sensual, what would they feel like against hers?
Huh… what? Okay, yes, the man was good looking, but that was irrelevant. He was her ticket out of here. One round with him between the sheets and she could report back to Headquarters and request an assignment. Why, by this time tomorrow, she could be knee deep in bloodied, broken bodies… ah, happy thoughts.
Brodie gestured towards the cabin. “Of course.”
Fen paused, that had seemed a little too easy. “You might like to come too, collect your things if they aren’t too damaged or water logged. You won’t be staying here tonight, I’ll get someone to check if there is another cabin free.”
“Yes, good idea.” She waited for Fen to start moving, warrior 101, you never put your back to an unknown… plus, following Fen allowed her to admire his wide shoulders. Tamping down her disappointment that his regulation fire fighting trousers were too baggy to get a glimpse of his butt.
“No, don’t worry about me.” Declan, from his position on the ground, watched them stride away. “I’m okay.”
Fen entered the cabin behind Mills and Kristo, pausing to wait as they erected tall, battery operated, high powered spotlights. Good, now that he could see he wasn’t stepping on any evidence, he moved further in to the cabin living room. “Wait here until I give you the all clear.”
Brodie should have bristled at the way he spoke to her. But she could tell by the way Fen moved with intent and focus that he was a professional, good at his job, she could respect that.
Fen frowned at the pile of ash that had probably been the sofa before studying the harsh black scorch marks that radiated out across the charred timber floors and climbed upwards along the walls. His frown deepening as he eyed the night sky through the large gaping hole in the ceiling… what the fuck? “Chief.”
Pete strode in to join Fen, his head snapping back to gaze upwards also. “Well, shit.” He scratched at his short grey hair. “That changes things.”
Fen swung around. His gaze seeking out Brodie, his intention had been to pepper her with questions but he was instantly distracted, she was barefoot, wearing nothing but a tank top and tiny pyjama shorts. He was an idiot, the woman had to be cold.
“Where’s your stuff?” He expected her to point to a bedroom, but instead she gestured towards the small kitchen off to the right, water still dripping down most of the scorched cabinetry.
“I threw my duffle in the fridge.”
“Smart.” The Chief nodded in approval.
Fen could only agree as he made his way carefully across the cabin, testing each of the timber floorboards before shifting his weight forward. The exterior of the fridge was slightly warm to the touch, but the door swung open readily. Fen grabbed the half empty duffle. Man, either the woman was only in town for a night, or she had failed the female code by not packing everything in her wardrobe.
Without thinking, he tossed the duffle across the room at her, watching as she snatched it out of the air with ease. Valkyries, he’d met a few over the years at his Grandfather Odin’s place, they didn’t like to be coddled, could drink men under the table, and had a propensity to kick ass first and ask questions of the broken bodies later.
“Put some shoes on.” Fen had stupidly thought she’d pull out some sneakers or comfy footwear, he should have been expecting the gold, lace up to the knee boots to appear out of thin air. He tamped down on the jab of lust that speared through his gut. Something about the boots combined with those tiny shorts that instantly made a man wish those long, long legs of hers were wrapped around him.
“Damn.”
Fen heard the Chief mutter the word under his breath. Nice to know he wasn’t the only one affected. Of course Pete was in his late seventies, though he barely looked fifty, it still couldn’t be good for a man of his age to be exposed to all of Brodie’s assets like this.
“You should probably put something warmer on.”
“Nope.” Brodie tossed her duffle aside. “I’m good.”
Yes, she was… very good… very tall… very sexy. Merciful Lady, snap out of it. “Right. Why don’t you tell us what happened here tonight and in particular, anything you know about this?” He pointed to the gaping hole in the ceiling.
Brodie shrugged. “I was in bed. The lights were out, barely five minutes. I heard a crash out here, followed by an intense flash of heat and the smell of smoke. I grabbed my things and raced out to the living room. The sofa was gone and flames were shooting upwards from a hole in the ground where it used to be.”
Fen moved closer to the ignition point… shit, from this angle he could see the hole that had smashed through the timber floor. Thankfully the cabin was built on solid rock, whatever had drilled down into the dirt hadn’t found much fuel to keep it burning.
“I threw my duffle in th
e fridge and then went to the bathroom, turned on the water in the tub and threw some towels in.”
“Why didn’t you just leave the cabin?” The Chief enquired.
“There was heat… flames, but not a lot of smoke. I figured since I could breathe that it would be better if I stayed and put the fire out. But...” Brodie frowned, thinking through the events of the night.”
“But?” Fen encouraged.
“But whilst I seemed to be able to keep the flames at bay… keep them from spreading… I appeared to be making no real progress on extinguishing the flames shooting out of the ground. Then this man arrived and the young boy.” Brodie gestured at the Chief. “He called water. I deemed it best to let him take over.”
Fen thought over her statement. “So when did you call the Fire Station?”
“I didn’t.” Brodie shook her head. “The thought never crossed my mind. It seemed like a simple fire at first and then later, by the time I realised it was more than that, your colleagues were already here.”
“We need to listen to that emergency call.” Fen noted.
“I’ll ask Maureen to send us a recording.” The Chief volunteered. Since Maureen, who acted as the Police dispatcher was his daughter, it made the most sense.
Fen was back to studying the hole in the ceiling. Due to the amount of damage incurred at the last three sites there had been no way of knowing how the fires had been started. In all three cases the structures had been little but smouldering piles of ash by the time they managed to extinguish the flames. But now, finally it looked like they had a very solid, very important clue.
They’d finally caught a break, thanks to the determined and highly capable Valkyrie.
Of course now there was a puzzle to solve. What came from above that could burn so hot that it all but decimated a structure in a matter of minutes? Could punch through a ceiling and a floor, for that matter? What burned so hot that nothing but magic could extinguish it? And perhaps the most important question of all, who was the magically inclined Firebug starting these fires… and why?
“Well…” The Chief interrupted Fen’s musings. “We should probably see about getting you a new cabin.”
A fleeting frown crossed Brodie’s face. She didn’t like the idea of being separated from Fen now that she had found him. “Can’t I stay with him?” She pointed at Fen.
The Chief bit back a smile. “We appreciate you answering our questions and helping out here tonight. But now we have to catalogue the scene, bagging and tagging evidence could take hours.”
Brodie’s chin lifted. She despised being told what to do, even if it was for her own good.
“One more question.” Fen interjected. “Do you know Kyle Bright or Mitch Bennett?”
Brodie shook her head. “No.”
Fen frowned, damn there went that idea. “What about the East Cove Pool Hall?”
“Yes… I was there two nights ago.”
Two nights ago. The night it burned to the ground. Fen’s gaze shifted to the Chief, silent speculation passing between them. “You sure about Kyle and Mitch?”
Brodie searched her memory, before shrugging again.
Fen pulled his mobile out of his pocket and flicked through a series of photos, pausing on one, he crossed the room, holding up the phone for Brodie to see. “Him?”
Brodie blinked. “Oh, yes… the swimmer. I challenged him to a race yesterday, he flagged badly.”
“Yesterday?” Fen’s heart started to speed up, Mitch’s place had gone up last night. Hurriedly he flicked through several more photos before he found a clear shot of Kyle. “Him?”
“The runner.” Brodie confirmed, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “He collapsed and threw up at the fortieth mile… weak.”
Shit. Fen studied Brodie closely. “Just how long have you been staying here?”
Brodie rolled her eyes. “This is my fourth interminable night.”
Four nights, four fires. Merciful Lady, he’d just found the ground zero link. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to come with me, Brodie. I have a lot more questions I’m going to need to ask you.”
Brodie smiled with genuine pleasure. “And after the questions, then we will fuck?”
“No!” He blocked out the sound of his fellow firemen spluttering in surprise and chuckling at his expense. “Goddess, you’re like a broken record.”
Oh, Brodie felt ashamed at her selfish eagerness. Yes, she wanted to get out of here, and sex with Fen was her ticket to ride… huh, she’d made a pun. But the man was working. She admired his dedication, his professionalism… she could expect no less. If someone tried to interfere or obstruct her when it came to performing her duties in battle she would behead them.
Hmmm, but what if the reason Fen repeatedly refused her was because he didn’t want her? No, she recalled the flash of lust she’d seen in his eyes when she’d stood before him. The way his eyes had struggled not to dip to her breasts or legs. No, he wanted her… but he was obviously a man of principle. His duty, his work, would come first. And he’d mentioned a vow of sexual abstinence. But vows were made to be broken, weren’t they? It wasn’t like he was a man of God.
Hah, if she was one of the shallow new Valkyrie recruits, she would flutter her eyelashes, giggle and flirt with him until she had him so turned around with lust he couldn’t see straight. But she wasn’t that person. Didn’t flirt, loathed those who giggled, and only fluttered her eyelashes to get grit out of her eyes.
This was incredibly frustrating; she was not one for strategy, or for patience.
She charged, she raged, she annihilated.
Perhaps she should admit defeat… grr, she detested that word, but this was only a man she was talking about here. She could surely find another just as suitable to her needs.
She straightened as Fen came to a halt only two feet away. Instinctively she began to size him up. They were the same height. She noted that the muscles in his upper arms bulged, straining the fabric of the navy t-shirt he wore. Whilst the faint dark stubble that clung to his square jaw made him look slightly disreputable, dangerous even. And all of that and the way those cerulean eyes gazed at her so intently made her feel strangely breathless and… confused.
By the Sword, did this man have some sort of power over her? Was he working some kind of magic? She’d seem him manipulate air, felt as it was ripped from her lungs, and then later a wall of it smashing into her hard, sending her to the ground. What else was he capable of?
She didn’t like this feeling. Vaguely out of sorts. Almost as if she weren’t totally in control of her body, its reactions. That was not permissible… she was Valkyrie… she was death.
She was a millisecond away from calling her sword, Raven, and removing Fen from this plain, permanently.
“Come with me.” His invitation was issued low, his tone rough and gravelly, raising the hairs on her arms.
Three little words and heat raced through her entire body. She should be killing him. She should be looking for a new, more malleable man to fuck. But all she did was nod her head. “Okay.” The word coming out more breathless than she thought she was capable of.
Chapter Four
Fen woke reluctantly. It had been a long night. A long shift. But something was wrong. He was half warrior on his father’s side, he sensed danger. His eyes snapped open. “Argh!” He leapt out of bed, body tensed and ready to fight. “What the hell, Brodie?”
Waking to find a Valkyrie standing over you, watching you sleep, was unnerving.
Brodie eyed Fen, silently. Watching him sleep had been a novel experience for her. She’d hesitated to wake him, wanting a few moments to understand the alien wave of amusement and protectiveness that had coursed through her at the sight of him so at peace, so relaxed.
The man slept with obvious abandon, his arms flung wide, hanging over the sides of the cot. His breathing deep, steady, and dependable. His bare, muscular chest rising and falling… rising and falling. It had been strangely hypnotic. And weirdly ar
ousing.
Of course the sight of him standing before her wearing nothing but navy boxers was an even better opportunity to observe his finer points. A smile of appreciation curving her lips as her eyes travelled slowly upwards from his large bare feet, solid legs, muscular thighs, flat stomach, rock hard defined abs, broad chest to those gorgeous cerulean eyes.
Fen fought the instinct to grab the sheet from his bed and cover himself. No way was he going to act like a heroine in a romance novel. Let the Valkyrie look her fill, the heat in those snowflake eyes of hers sending a corresponding flash of heat to his groin. Shit, on second thoughts, this might all back fire on him. Turning, in what he hoped looked like a casual manner, he grabbed some grey sweatpants out of the steel cabinet next to his bunk and all but leapt into them before yanking on a t-shirt.
“You always watch men sleep, Xena?”
Brodie frowned, there with the Xena reference again. She would have to, Freyja preserve her, find a dreaded computer and look up the name. “Breakfast.” She growled out, before whirling to stomp back towards the kitchen and communal gathering area of the Fire Station.
Getting caught watching him sleep had been embarrassing, but not half as confusing as her body’s reaction to Fen. Damn, she’d been hoping last night, over at Hidden Cove, that she’d imagined the flash of heat… the need. She had to bang this man, Fen, to fulfil Stephanie’s instructions, but she didn’t want to… want him.
Sex was for release, for exercise, to burn off tension or to provide a distraction until she was called up for the next campaign. It had never involved this unnerving… craving. Never had her contemplating a man’s hands before, noting the strength in them and the callouses. Wondering what they would feel like running over her body.
Two hours of interrogation back here at the Station in the early hours of the morning should have eradicated any lustful feelings she had for the man. He’d been relentless in his questioning. Invasive, annoyingly repetitive, detached, professional… and kind of hot. She had tossed and turned for several hours on the bunk she’d been assigned in the women’s small dormitory before sleep finally claimed her.
