by Jane Cousins
Fen! She looked around for him. He’d saved them all from injury with his air magic, and now he was standing way too close to the burning SUV for her comfort. She wanted to call him back but she could tell by his focused stance that he was utilising his powers, trying to douse the fire with his air magic.
Brodie wasn’t used to feeling helpless. She was a doer. At the front of every charge. But she had no experience in fighting fires, and would only be in the way if she tried to help Fen. And as for the four bystanders, none had a gaping wound in need of emergency care. None had even the slightest of scratches.
She frowned, watching three of them crowd around the short, chubby blonde. Who had her hands pressed to her abdomen and was wailing like she’d just lost a limb. The sound was shrill, almost worst than the eardrum shredding humming of the Enforcer she’d fought earlier today. If only the short statured woman could bottle that sound, it would prove an effective weapon.
Brodie frowned. Watching as everyone attempted to soothe, pet, and comfort the blonde. But she would not be pacified, continuing to wail like a chainsaw. Honestly, here was Fen, risking his life, standing so close to the fire that his skin must practically feel like its melting, and the little blonde was playing the drama queen.
Brodie didn't have much patience for people at the best of times. All she wanted to do was concentrate on Fen, protect his back, but the blonde’s piercing cries were like a Wovenwolf’s claws on bone. Too irritating to ignore.
Thrusting aside the sturdy swarthy fellow who had been blocking her, Brodie gripped the blonde by one arm, leaned in and down until their noses practically touched. “Shut up!” She bellowed.
Even over the sound of the roaring fire she was almost sure she heard Fen laugh out loud.
The blonde gasped, hiccupped, her mouth snapping shut abruptly. Her blue eyes wide, surprised shock written all over her face. She blinked, and then blinked again. “I’m pregnant.”
Brodie’s eyes narrowed. “A mother? Pity, with those impressive breasts you would have made a good Valkyrie.”
“Um.” The blonde blinked again, her gaze flickering from Brodie’s face, to the sword she was holding and then back again. “Thank you?”
“But you are weak, how will you ever protect your young?”
“I… that’s why we have Enforcers.”
Brodie shook her head, disgusted. “You will be their mother, their first line of defence.” Brodie ducked instinctively as something in the SUV exploded. Giving the blonde a shove back towards the safety of the Marina Complex, where onlookers had begun to gather. “Go. You are healthy, and your baby is safe, thanks to that man.” She nodded in Fen’s direction. “In the future… try and be less… weak.”
Brodie heard but ignored the outraged huff, turning her full attention to the fire now. Noting that it had spread to the two cars closest to the SUV, which glowed a bright orange, blue edging the flames as they soared upwards. In the distance, Brodie could hear the sound of approaching sirens. They couldn’t get here soon enough for her liking. Fen should not have to fight this battle on his own.
The fire was too hot. It should have spread a lot further, caused a lot more damage. Obviously Fen was working hard on keeping it as contained as possible. Brodie’s stomach dipped and soured, it felt like her guts had become knotted. Fighting this fire solo, standing too close, his magic couldn’t be limitless. What if he became distracted, was hurt? Was this what being nervous felt like? If so, she was not a fan.
Of course she felt protective of Fen, he was her ticket out of here. If he got hurt or was injured, it would delay her plans. There was nothing worse than banging someone who was hurt. They were all like - I have a knife in my shoulder, perhaps I should be seeking medical attention… wah, wah, wah. Or, I’ve lost a lot of blood, I’m not sure how much longer I can stay conscious… so pathetic.
Standing with his back to her, the blazing fire turned Fen shadowy and indistinct. Yet despite his strong stance, shoulders back, head held high, Brodie sensed that fighting this fire, ripping away the oxygen feeding the flames, was clearly costing him. It was a relief to her then to watch the fire truck screech into the car park, followed closely by the Chief in his personal vehicle and a police cruiser.
Fen’s shoulders relaxed only when Pete’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Stand down, Fen. We can take it from here.” He resisted the urge to sink to the ground. Goddess, his knees were shaking from the amount of energy he’d expended.
His first priority above all else, when the SUV detonated, had been to protect the innocent bystanders. That meant two massive pulls of energy had been required right off the bat. First to cushion everyone’s fall, second, to send up a blocking wall of air, redirecting the majority of the blast of heat and energy coming their way straight up into the air.
By the time he could focus on the fire, the flames had already engulfed the two vehicles closest to the SUV. If it had been a normal fire, given the size it was, he could have used his magic to suck away the oxygen feeding the flames, snuff it out in an instant.
But the radiant heat factor coming from the flames was off the charts, he didn’t need a device to tell him that. The fact that the tarmac under the SUV had liquefied was a big indicator that the rock that had hit the SUV had been of the special, super heated kind, that their magical Firebug had a hard on for tossing around.
Asshole. If they had been closer. If anyone had been nearer to the blast zone they could have been seriously hurt. Moving out of the way of his colleagues, Fen stumbled slightly, then was righted abruptly as Brodie slipped up next to him, slinging a strong arm around his waist.
“Thanks.” He had no problem with accepting help when he needed it. “We should move out of the way.” It was a relief to be further away from the blast zone. Sinking to the kerb, Fen concentrated on slowing his breathing, sucking in deep breaths of cool night air. His face felt too hot still. And his eyes felt gritty and too dry.
“Fen. You want to tell me what happened?”
“Gideon-”
Brodie glared at the police officer who’d come to a halt, looming over Fen. “No questions until he is fixed.”
Gideon took an automatic step backwards, away from the clearly upset Valkyrie. “Um…”
“Brodie.” Fen didn’t think, just grabbed Brodie’s hand and tugged, pulling her down to sit next to him on the kerb. “I’m fine.”
“You are not fine.” This close Brodie could see clearly the extent of the damage. “In fact, you look a mess.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the weeping blisters that marred his cheeks and forehead, whilst blood oozed from his cracked, dried lips. He was lucky he still had his eyebrows. At least now she understood why he wore his dark hair so short.
“I won’t be winning any beauty competitions anytime soon, huh?”
Brodie rolled her eyes. “Looks are a worthless commodity, gone with the slash of a blade, or the erosion of time. Deeds, are what count. Facing off against a larger opponent. Protecting others from getting hurt.”
Fen found himself captivated by Brodie’s gaze, her fractured snowflake eyes reflecting the glimmer of the diminishing flames. For half a second it was like there was a beckoning welcome fire blazing just for him in a snowy landscape.
“Um…” Gideon cleared his throat. “I have a first aide kit in the car.” Gulping as the Valkyrie turned her head slowly to give him a hard stare. “I’ll be right back.”
Fen shifted his attention to the fire, watching his co-workers struggling to bring the blaze under control. Damn, he should be out there with them, but realistically he was spent. He was too weary even to protest Brodie’s first aide doctoring. Which were none too gentle, but thankfully got the job done.
After ten minutes with one of his cousin Nell’s magical ointments slathered over his face he felt imminently better, more so when Gideon produced an energy bar for him to munch on. By the time the crowd of onlookers had dispersed and the fire was pretty much out, Fen felt good enough to stand up,
without Brodie’s proffered help.
And it was a good thing he was standing, as he watched the Chief stride towards him. “What the fuck, Fen?”
“Sorry, Pete.”
“You couldn’t have driven your own car tonight?”
Fen shrugged. “I was blocked in. Your SUV was the only one available.”
“So…” The Chief’s gaze travelled over Fen first and then Brodie. “You two okay? What happened?”
“Pretty much what it looks like. We were walking back to the car, slower than normal, because I was chatting with Gaia and her folks. I heard something falling, caught a flash of it in my peripheral and the next thing… bam.”
“Shit.” Pete shook his head, looking back at the smouldering cars and the spot where his SUV used to be. The radiant heat factor coming off the site was still too high, Troy continuing to hose it down, despite no visible flames. “I don’t suppose either of you saw anyone?”
Brodie and Fen shook their heads in unison.
Hands on hips now, Pete eyed them. “If you hadn’t been dawdling and chatting… what would have happened?”
Fen sucked in a slow breath. “Given the timing, we still wouldn’t have been in the truck.”
“But you would have been a lot closer, damaged, but not killed.” Pete pushed his helmet back slightly and scratched his head.
“Which would have achieved what exactly?” Brodie wanted to know.
Fen shrugged. “Knocked us out. Incapacitated us. Laid us up for awhile. Who knows.”
“You haven’t noticed anyone weird hanging around you?” Pete directed the question at Brodie.
“No. But I am not familiar with the locals here. I don’t know who belongs and who is a stranger.”
“Brodie spent all day at the Fitness Centre, in the training arena. Elijah would have noticed anyone lurking about who shouldn’t be.” Fen contributed.
“What about the rock you took for analysis?” The Chief rubbed his eyes.
“Adalard has it. He’s going to run some tests but says it looks like an ordinary basalt rock, which means its incredibly dense. Said the composition makes it perfect to conduct heat without cracking or exploding.”
“So it is special?”
“Only in that it’s more common to find that type of rock on the ocean floor. Adalard thinks he might be able to narrow down an origin location but… even then, I’m not sure what that will help us achieve.”
“Shit.” The Chief breathed out the word in frustration, looked back at the smouldering pile that used to be his official work vehicle and couldn’t help but say it again. “Shit.”
“Can we have a lift back to the Station. I need to write up an incident report and I would kill for a shower.” The ointment had soaked in, repairing the upper layers of dermis on his face but Fen still wanted to clean up.
“No.” The Chief shook his head. “I don’t want you anywhere near my Station until this asshole is caught.”
“I could leave.” Brodie volunteered. Surely Stephanie would allow her to return to work once she explained the extenuating circumstances. Yes, it would mean missing out on having sex with Fen. Damn, surely that was just normal curiosity gnawing at her gut, nothing more.
“No!” Both the Chief and Fen fired off the word in unison.
“You’re our only link to this crazy bastard.” The Chief followed up.
“What he said.” Fen refused to analyse too closely the way his body had seized up at the thought of Brodie leaving the Sanctuary.
“But saying that, I can’t afford to have you near the Station.” Pete glanced over at where his SUV used to be and winced. “If we were to incur this sort of damage there, all the equipment… We’re in the midst of bushfire season as it is.”
“How can you expect me to keep her safe?” Fen queried.
“I don’t need anyone to keep me safe.” Brodie butted in. She was not helpless or an infant.
“You can’t battle a five alarm fire with a broadsword, Xena.”
Brodie’s eyes narrowed. Xena again. Who was this Xena person? “I am a Valkyrie.”
“Which means you should be smart enough to recognise when it’s time to regroup, scout out the enemy, and identify their weaknesses.” Fen shot back
“You two, you make such a cute couple.” The Chief beamed at them.
“We are not a couple.” Fen defended.
“No, we are not.” Brodie emphasized her words with a glare at Fen. “I will commit to staying here only until I have found someone worthy to have sex with.”
“Um…” The Chief spluttered. “Well, maybe Fen could help you out with that.”
“He has already refused my offer of sex. And since he has declined to name any other suitable candidates, I will either have to look for them on my own… or hope that he changes his mind.”
Fen ignored the lance of heat that shot through his groin. So she hadn’t completely given up on him, why did that make him happy? Pushing the thought aside, he returned his attention to Pete, noting the broad grin on the Chief’s face. “So just where do you suggest I take Brodie, given that the location may well end up a tiny pile of ashes?”
“Your place. It’s perfect, since you haven’t started renovating yet. You keep the insurance up on it, right? You could come out of this ahead.”
“No! No way. You know why the house is out of the question.”
Pete shrugged, deeply unconcerned. “You’ll have to face her eventually.”
Brodie’s back went rigid. “Her? There is a her?” She fought the urge to materialise Raven and Reaper and start slashing, bubbling anger roiling in her gut.
“No!” Fen ran a frustrated hand through his short, dark hair, sending Pete a quick glare. “It’s not like that.”
“She does live in your house.” Pete reminded.
“Will you stop helping?” Fen gritted out between clenched teeth. “Look, it’s not like I invited her to stay or anything, she’s more like a… squatter.” Fen didn’t know why he was so anxious to reassure Brodie. Maybe it was the steely set of her jaw or the killing glare that had settled in her eyes.
Brodie turned and started striding away. Abruptly she stopped walking when she realised Fen wasn’t following her. “Well, come along. I wish to meet this… squatter of yours.” She switched her attention to the still grinning Chief. “And we’ll be taking your personal vehicle.”
“What? No!” The grin disappeared from Pete’s face as he turned to look at Fen. “No. You’ve already destroyed my work vehicle tonight.”
Fen shrugged. “You heard the Valkyrie, I’m just following orders. You keep your insurance payments up to date, right?” Fen held his hand out for the keys.
“You bastard.”
Chapter Seven
“So tell me more about this woman who lives with you?” Brodie hadn’t been going to ask, but it was either distract herself with small talk, or start carving her name into Fen’s flesh to mark her territory.
Her unexpected response seemed infinitely right, and at the same time it kind of appalled her.
“She doesn’t live with me.” Fen corrected, easing Pete’s silver BMW onto the road leading away from the Marina. “She lives at my house.” Judgmental silence descended with a thud and he felt the compelling need to explain further. “I was away at a conference in Sydney about six months ago. And when I arrived home… there she was.” He decided it would be prudent not to mention that his uninvited guest had been waiting for him, stretched out on his bed, completely nude. “She’s some kind of artist that my mother introduced to my brother, Erik. But now he’s melded, she appears to have set her sights on me.”
“Why didn’t you ask her to leave?”
“I tried.”
“You’re strong, why didn’t you just pick her up and toss her out?”
Fen clenched the steering wheel tighter. “She’s slippery and tenacious.” And all too often naked, no way was he man-handling those assets. Not only would it be ungentlemanly, it struck him
as way too awkward. “It just seemed simpler for me to live at the Station. The house is ten kinds of rough. I’m in the process of remodelling it. I kind of thought she’d be gone by now. But…”
“But?”
“She keeps turning up at the Station with baked goods.” He refrained from mentioning the low cut tops, the tornado blast of fluttering eyelashes and the wandering hands.
Brodie had never baked a day in her life. Was that what men liked?
“Wheat germ cookies.” Fen visibly shuddered. “Tofu spiced cake. Nothing remotely edible. I’ve tried having the locks changed… but she’s water kin and you know those types can get in anywhere.”
“So you just abandoned your house to her?” Brodie was starting to see the funny side of Fen’s situation.
“It was a wreck when I bought it. That was about two years ago. I spent the first year reclaiming what I could. The stained glass windows, the fireplaces, ceiling roses, pressed tin roof in the kitchen. Then I spent the next six months working on the new design. I’d just started dismantling the place when…”
“Your guest arrived.” Brodie finished for him.
“Uninvited guest.” Fen reminded.
“This should be interesting.”
Fen glanced Brodie’s way, unsettled by the sight of the smile playing at the edges of her luscious lips. “No bloodshed, okay? She’s an artist of some type. Friendly with my mother.”
“You sound awfully protective of this woman.” Brodie’s tone was laced with suspicion.
“I’m thinking of you as well here. If there’s bloodshed or overt threats, the police will have to get involved. I’m sure your superiors wouldn’t be happy to hear a police report has been filed.”
“No.” Brodie sighed. Stephanie would no doubt use it as an excuse to prolong this nightmare. How long were holiday’s traditionally supposed to last? Five days already seemed to her to be excessively long. “Okay, I promise. No bloodshed and no overt threats.” That still left her with a lot of wriggle room. There were thousands of ways to hurt someone without leaving a mark. And intimidating others non-verbally was taught to Valkyries from the cradle.
