Never Dare a Dragon

by Ashlyn Chase

  Mrs. Fierro clasped Kristine’s hand, and then she placed her other hand over it. “Welcome, Kristine. Perhaps you can explain what’s happened to Jayce. We’ve been wondering, but first let’s sit down in the dining room. Would you like some coffee?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  She followed Mrs. Fierro to the large dining room, and Ryan pulled a chair out for her.

  “Can I help you in the kitchen, Ma?” Ryan asked.

  “Sure. We’ll be right back, Kristine.”

  While Kristine waited, Jayce, still on her shoulder, leaned in and rubbed his feathered face against her cheek.

  “Oh, Jayce,” Kristine whispered. “I was told it would be a couple of months before we could speak, but I want you to know I’m so sorry. Of course, I’ll wait for you.”

  Jayce bobbed his head in agreement like before.

  “Amy and Conlan are getting married in a few months. I’d like you to be my plus-one for the wedding.”

  Jayce squawked. Kristine couldn’t understand bird talk, but she imagined he was probably saying something like “Tell them congratulations for me” or “Sure, I’d love to go.” She wondered if Ryan would be able to translate.

  Ryan rounded the corner with a plate of cookies. He also had some napkins and spoons in his hand and placed four of those around the table. For a brief moment, Kristine wondered whom the fourth set was for. Did they feed Jayce birdseed at the table?

  She heard Mrs. Fierro call out, “Antonio! Come and meet Jayce’s young lady.”

  Ryan smiled. “My dad is probably in the man cave watching ESPN.”

  A couple of minutes later, a large, olive-skinned, older man entered the dining room. Kristine stood and extended her hand. “Hi. I’m Kristine Scott. The FDNY guys call me Scotty.”

  The balding gentleman grasped her hand, pumped it twice in a hearty handshake, and introduced himself as Antonio Fierro. Then he strode to his son and gave him a man hug with lots of backslapping.

  Mrs. Fierro rounded the corner with a tray holding a large coffeepot and four mugs and plates.

  “I should have introduced myself before. I’m Gabriella.” She poured a cup of coffee for everyone and then put the sugar and cream on the table between them.

  When they were seated and settled, Antonio said, “Jayce just showed up here a few minutes ago. Maybe you can tell us what happened, Ryan.”

  “I have no idea. I was hoping Kristine would explain.”

  “Of course, although it’s a long story, and I’m not sure where to begin.”

  “Well, Jayce told us a little bit about you. But we’d like to know more,” Gabriella said.

  “Let’s find out what happened to Jayce first,” Antonio interjected.

  Everyone focused on Kristine intently, waiting for the story.

  Maybe she could just hit the highlights. “As you can probably guess, the old Jayce died in a fire.” She realized that wasn’t enough to satisfy them, but she had her own questions too. “I’m not exactly familiar with what will happen from here on out. I hope you can tell me more. I know he’s a phoenix and needs a couple of months to reach maturity before he can shift back into his human form.”

  Mrs. Fierro nodded. “That’s correct, dear. You seem to know more about him than we do about you.”

  “I’m a dragon.”

  It seemed bizarre to say that out loud. She had never told anyone before—well, no one but Jayce. His brothers had witnessed her other form, but she doubted they’d talked about it. Still, Jayce’s parents just sipped their coffee as if this were a normal conversation. Perhaps it was for them.

  Ryan smiled. “Just like my wife. And you’re a firefighter too. I don’t suppose you’re a queen also?”

  Kristine chuckled. “No. As far as I know, my mother and I have no royal bloodlines.”

  “Pity,” Antonio said. “Ryan got a castle out of the deal.”

  Ryan laughed. “Yeah, and I’ve been rebuilding it ever since.”

  “So what happened to Jayce?” Gabriella asked again.

  Kristine grimaced. “Like I said, it’s a long story, but here goes…”

  She started with Jayce showing up at the fire station and their first date and ended with finding out her mother was missing.

  “Kidnapped!” Mrs. Fierro leaned back and clasped her hand over her heart.

  “What did the kidnappers want?” Mr. Fierro asked.

  “They wanted me to do their dirty work. As a firefighter, I could gain access to some of the buildings in my area. As a dragon, I could set them on fire with my breath and leave no accelerant behind to indicate arson.”

  “Oh dear. That must have been awful for you,” Gabriella said sympathetically.

  “There was no choice at all. If Jayce hadn’t been there, I might still be doing their bidding. I would do anything to protect my mother.”

  “What did Jayce have to do with it?” Ryan asked.

  Kristine gazed longingly at the bird on her shoulder and gave his feathers a little pat with her finger. “Well, for one thing, he kept a level head and advised me what I could and couldn’t do about the situation. He was the one who heard background noise when I was allowed to speak to my mother over Skype.

  “I was so freaked out that I didn’t even think to listen for other sounds. But after he mentioned what he had heard, I had to agree that there had been waves lapping against the shore in the distance and someone talking about the Coast Guard boarding a ship. If we didn’t have supernatural hearing, we would not have heard even that much.”

  “Do they still have her?” Antonio asked.

  “Oh, no. Jayce helped me find her at the same time she escaped.”

  Gabriella leaned back and let out a deep breath. “Thank goodness. Is she all right? Is she home now?”

  “We’re staying at the B and B on Beacon Street. I understand you know the owners through Ryan and Chloe.”

  “Yes. We’ve never been there, but we met them at Ryan and Chloe’s wedding…if you could call it that.” Gabriella gave Ryan the stink eye.

  “Ma, a fast wedding in Ireland was the best we could do in a short amount of time. And don’t forget, I was officially dead and had to get out of town before anyone saw me. Look, guys, this isn’t about me. Kristine is telling us what happened to Jayce. Or she will if you stop interrupting.”

  Antonio turned his attention back to Kristine. “I’m sorry, Scotty. You were in the middle of your story. Please continue.”

  She took a moment to sip her coffee and organize her thoughts. She filled in a few details about the search for and eventual rescue of her mother.

  Both Fierro parents stared at the bird they recognized as their son, Jayce.

  “You shifted? And stayed in bird form for extended periods?” Antonio asked.

  Jayce hopped off Kristine’s shoulder and strutted over to his old man. He simply raised his beak and turned slightly so he could look him in the eye. There was no way to interpret that other than assent without remorse.

  “I thought he looked older,” Gabriella said.

  “He certainly did. And now we know why.” Antonio folded his hands on the dining room table. “Kristine, I don’t know what you’ve been told about our kind, but we age much faster in bird form. Three days as a bird equals about a year as a human. If we fly, we age even faster. Last time we saw Jayce, he had some gray hairs we hadn’t seen before, and he looked tired. How long was he… Never mind. I’m sure Jayce and I will discuss it later. Continue on with your story.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know it was like that. I never would have expected him to shift if I’d known. Not that I asked him to.” She gazed at Jayce, and he spread his wings as if to say “So what?”

  “Thank goodness we found my mother when we did. Who knows how many other heinous things the kidnappers would have made me do?”

 
Ryan, who was sitting next to Kristine, placed a hand on her shoulder. “That must’ve been rough. I’m glad Jayce was there to help you through it.”

  “Me too.”

  “But how did he die?” Mr. Fierro demanded.

  “He helped me set fire to the kidnappers’ mansion. I guess he had some kind of fight with the criminals and wound up locked in a cage.”

  “A bird cage?” Mrs. Fierro asked.

  “No. A man-sized cage. We think they were going to start using it for human trafficking.”

  “Oh dear lord!” Mrs. Fierro’s hand was over her heart again as if holding it in.

  “So, how long are you staying in Boston?” Antonio asked.

  “I’m not sure. My mother has met someone, and she sounds perfectly content to stay for quite a while.”

  “And you?” Gabriella asked.

  “I have a job, and I should be getting back to it. I took a short leave of absence to take care of my mother. Now she’s out of danger, and I need to go back to New York.”

  Jayce strutted in front of her and cocked his head.

  “I know you probably want me to stay, but I don’t want to lose my job. Frankly, I don’t know how you’re going to explain staying away from your job for three months.”

  Gabriella and Antonio groaned at the same time.

  “We don’t often have to come up with excuses. Our sons are usually careful. This one—” Antonio pointed at Ryan. “This one caused us some panic around that very question. I didn’t think Jayce would ever go down in a fire. Especially after seeing what we went through with number one son here.”

  “Thanks, Dad. We haven’t heard about the fire yet.”

  Kristine sighed. “As far as how he died in a fire, some of this he may choose to tell you himself. I’ll just let you know that it wasn’t his fault. I needed to stop those criminals from ever hurting anyone else.”

  “In other words, you set the fire,” Antonio said.

  Kristine steeled herself for their anger. “I’m afraid so. Jayce insisted on helping, but he wasn’t supposed to go inside.”

  “And he went anyway,” Antonio stated. “Why am I not surprised?”

  “I’m sorry,” Kristine said. “I’m so, so sorry.”

  “It doesn’t sound like you have anything to apologize for, dear. If anything, you did the wrong thing for the right reasons.” Gabriella pushed the plate of cookies toward her.

  Kristine smiled. It seemed as if Jayce’s family understood. She never would have expected a firefighting family to condone her actions—for any reason.

  “Did the bad guys die in the fire too?” Ryan asked.

  “Yes,” Kristine said. “I saw the local firefighters carry out their bodies and lay them on the ground. I watched as the EMTs checked them out and shook their heads.”

  Silence settled over the room for a few poignant moments. At last Kristine looked at Jayce and said, “I think that’s all I can tell you from my perspective. Perhaps Jayce can add to it later. At least it’s over.”

  Jayce bobbed his head. Then he flew the short span to her shoulder and settled there again. She sighed. “I’m going to miss you for the next two or three months.”

  Jayce squawked loudly.

  “Do you know what he said?” She glanced at the others around the table.

  “I’m afraid not,” Gabriella said. “I’m entirely human.” She gestured to her sons and husband. “They can understand each other in bird form, but they’ve been forbidden to shift.”

  “Again, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”

  “Didn’t realize he was defying his family and putting himself in danger for you?” Antonio asked.

  Kristine hung her head. “I didn’t know about the rule. I did know about the danger. I’m so—” She choked up and couldn’t finish her thought.

  Gabriella got out of her chair and moved over to Kristine, giving her a hug. She wouldn’t have been surprised if it was followed by a slap, but it was not. Gabriella pulled out the chair next to her, sank down, and then took both of Kristine’s hands in hers.

  “The men in this family are special, not just because they’re phoenixes but because they’re heroes—in every sense of the word. And, I swear, any one of them would throw himself on a fire to protect someone he loves. It’s obvious that Jayce loves you.”

  Jayce bobbed his head.

  Kristine gave him a sad smile. “I love him too.”

  Gabriella sat up straight and grinned. “That’s the most wonderful thing I’ve heard all month. I’d say all year, except Ryan and Chloe confessed to loving each other this year too. All I want, all I’ve ever wanted, is for my boys to be happy.”

  Antonio smiled. “Well, at least we don’t have to hold a funeral this time. Maybe he can come back to his life as it was.”

  “That’s right.” Kristine smiled, thinking about how she had given Jayce such a hard time. “No one knows except Amber. I’ll have to tell my mother eventually, but she’s a bit distracted right now.”

  Gabriella and Antonio stared at each other for a few seconds. “What do we tell the chief?” Kristine finally asked. “Jayce loves the job, and they depend on him. He can’t lose his position.”

  “I don’t know. I remember when one of my Arizona uncles said his son had had a religious experience in the desert, and he had to go on a vision quest.”

  “Wrong culture,” Ryan said. “We don’t do vision quests or walkabouts.”

  “Hmm…” Gabriella rubbed her chin. “Perhaps we can say he heard a higher calling in church and had to go to Jerusalem to explore it. Then when he comes back he can say he realized there was no higher calling than the BFD.”

  Ryan and his father looked at each other and shrugged as if to say “It could work.”

  Jayce squawked.

  “Never mind, you.” Antonio pointed a finger at his son. “It’s up to us to get you out of this mess, and hopefully in a way that you can keep your job. The only higher authority I know besides God is the chief.”

  Chapter 15

  “Scotty, you’re back!” Donovan exclaimed. “I guess your mother must be doing better.”

  “Yeah, she’s still in Boston, but getting much better, thanks. How’ve things been while I was away?”

  “You know…same old. Except ever since that explosion, everyone smells gas.”

  “Yeah,” Mahoney said as he joined them. “Then when you get there, it smells like a fish and a head of broccoli had a farting contest. People should really take their garbage out more often.”

  After they were through laughing, Donovan said, “We were beginning to think you moved to Boston permanently because the work was easier—either that or to taunt the Sox.”

  What could she say? She was still wrestling with the idea of moving, but they didn’t need to know that yet. “There was no time for ball games, I’m afraid. And if I moved there, it would be because the BFD guys are better looking, but it’s good to be back anyway.”

  “Ouch… I thought you didn’t date firefighters. When did you change your policy?”

  “Who says I did?”

  “Oh, so we’re just eye candy to you? Is that it?” Mahoney asked.

  “Not you, buddy—or anyone else in this battalion.” She’d missed their banter.

  “So it must be the Ninth you’re ogling,” he persisted.

  “No! There’s no ogling! I was just kidding around. Forget I said anything about looks.”

  “Nope. Not forgetting it,” Mahoney said. “You said the guys in Boston were better looking. You must have looked. You’re human after all, Scott.”

  She let out a laugh. It was good to be back, even if it meant bearing the brunt of some teasing.

  “You still studying for the lieutenant’s exam?” Donovan asked.

  “Of course.” She hadn’t thought abou
t it in a week. It had meant so much just a short while ago. Would it be a wasted effort? If she moved to Boston, she’d have to start all over again—and not where she left off. She’d have to start at the bottom and go through training all over again. Then probie status. She almost groaned aloud. After nearly eight years in FDNY, could she humble herself like that?

  Suddenly she noticed the guys staring at her warily. She needed some time alone.

  “Excuse me, guys. I think I’ll go upstairs and study.”

  On her way up the stairs, her phone rang. She dug it out of her pocket and didn’t know the number but she did recognize the 617 area code. Boston.

  “Hello?”

  “Kristine? Darling?”

  The female voice didn’t sound exactly like her mother, but who else would call her darling?

  “This is she.”

  “Oh, good. This is Gabriella Fierro. I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering when you might be able to come back.”

  She sat on her bed. “Back? To your house?”

  “Yes, dear.”

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Well, yes and no. It’s Jayce.”

  Her mouth went dry, and a rush of adrenaline stabbed her in the chest. “Is he okay?”

  “Oh, he’s fine. I didn’t mean to worry you. He’s just despondent. I guess it could be any number of things. His sister-in-law, our dear Sandra, lost the baby—we’re all terribly sad about that, but most likely, he’s missing you. He eats very little and stares out the window all day.”

  Was this a guilt trip? How could she be in two places at once? Of course she’d like to see him, but without being able to talk, their time together was kind of…not useless, but frustrating.

  “What did you finally decide to tell his chief?” Kristine needed a minute to process what she’d been told, and she was curious. She’d feel terrible if he were fired, knowing how much the job meant to him. How much it meant to all of them.

  Mrs. Fierro was quiet for a moment. At last, she said, “We really had to come up with something better than a religious experience. He’d never just take off without a phone call. We thought about saying he went to rehab, but those who know him would highly doubt that explanation.”