The Fireman Finds His Flame

by Heather Horrocks

  He shrugged. “I can feel the signal that fire is in the hole earlier now so I have time to leave buildings.”

  “Well, that’s a relief.” She ran her fingers along the gleaming wood of the counter. “It would be a shame to put this at risk. Again.”

  He nodded. “When do you get off tonight?”

  “Eleven.”

  “Just in time to join me for the Valentine’s Day dance over at the dance hall.”

  “What kind of monster stuff does this town do for Valentine’s Day?”

  “Oh, Cupid will be there, flitting around and threatening to shoot arrows.” He shrugged. “And there’s the whole St. Valentine’s Massacre. That’s pretty monstrous.”

  “How do you decorate for that?” She grimaced.

  “They don’t. It’s strictly a hearts-and-flowers, Cupid-and-love-notes kind of event.”

  “How disappointing.”

  “So you’ll go with me? You’re my HeartFire.”

  She looked at him, her soul yearning for her to say yes. But she shook her head. “Saved any more lives?”

  His eyes brightened. “You bet I have.” He waved to another firefighter, who came over. “Hey, Quade, tell this pretty woman who we saved on our shift over the last two days.”

  Quade looked surprised, then recovered. “There was a fire over on Mummy Drag, on the other side of town from your place. The family of four had smoke inhalation and we went in and pulled out all four of them. Mother, father, boy, and girl.”

  “Impressive.” She raised an eyebrow. “How many did Ty save, just by himself?”

  Quade exchanged a look with Ty and grinned. “All of them.”

  “Whatever,” Mara said with a laugh.

  “Seriously.”

  “Thanks, dude,” Ty said. “I owe you.”

  “Anytime,” Quade responded. He nodded to Mara and went back to the table with the other men.

  “How much did you pay him to say that?”

  “Totally unpaid, unscripted, honest-to-goodness truth.” He grinned. “So you’ll go with me, right?”

  She smiled at him. What would it hurt, really? A good-looking man, who was or was not the last dragon, wanted to date her. A man who sent shivers up her spine. “Maybe.”

  “Yes!” Ty said with a fist pump. “I’ll hang around and we can walk over from here.”

  “I’m hardly dressed for a dance.”

  “You look perfect. Just beautiful.” His eyes said he truly believed that.

  Her heart melted a little. “Okay. I’ll go out in my jeans and lovely sweatshirt.”

  “Good.”

  “Now I’ve got to get to work.”

  “Okay,” he said with a happy grin. “I’ll be sitting at the hero table.”

  She sputtered a laugh. “Humble, much?”

  He walked away, laughing.

  As she worked, she glanced over at the hero table. Each time, Ty turned his head to look at her, as if he could sense her gaze. She jerked her eyes away and got back to work, her face flushing.

  Stanley shambled over and stood too close, sniffing in deeply and nodding. “How are you enjoying the room, Mara?”

  He asked that question every day, and every night he tried to get in the door. That might have something to do with the fact that her magic tended to short out his memory of touching her doorknob every night — and of even walking down the hall to her room. She forced a smile. “It’s good. Thanks.”

  “Good. Good.” He sniffed in again and walked along the bar.

  That was one confused werebear.

  Suddenly, her insides clenched. Ow.

  She wrapped her arms around her waist and bent over, in agony, both physical and emotional.

  What was going on?

  She hadn’t felt this bad since her coat was first stolen all those years ago.

  She staggered against the bar.

  Her coat. That was it. After all these years of being able to sense it as a dull ache, even across the globe, now she couldn’t feel it.

  She sent out her magic senses, searching for it, but it was just ... gone. Totally off her radar.

  As if the coat had been destroyed.

  Who would destroy her beautiful coat?

  Another spasm clenched her, as if she were experiencing severe withdrawal from the other part of herself.

  Her beautiful, beautiful coat of feathers!

  The lone feather on her necklace jerked — and then lay still against her chest. She touched it — and there was no comforting hint of magic.

  It was as if her coat was gone from existence.

  Tears flowed down her cheek.

  A warm gentle hand touched her back. “Are you all right?”

  It was Tyberius. She felt relief immediately, easing the pain. She gasped out a response. “No.”

  “Do you need to get out of here?”

  She nodded. She had to get out of this bar. Out of this town. Out of this life without her coat.

  Concerned at Mara’s obvious pain, Ty called back to the werebear, “Hey, Stanley, I’m taking your bartender out. She’s not feeling well. She’s hurting.”

  “Not until after her full shift.” The bear frowned and took a threatening step toward them, a scowl on his hairy face.

  In a bring-it kind of mood, Ty scowled right back. “Now. Your second bartender is here. Start his shift.”

  The bear looked thunderous, his fur bristling on his neck, but after a long moment, he backed away, motioning to the other bartender. Then he slunk away into the back room.

  Ty turned back to Mara. Leaning over, he said, “Can you walk?”

  “I’ll try,” she said, and pushed herself upright, then doubled over again. She shook her head.

  “All right.” He lifted her up into his arms. “Where do you live?”

  “In the room upstairs, but I can’t go there now. Not like this. I don’t think I could spell the door right now.”

  He glanced toward the back room. “Why do you need to spell the door? Because of the bear?”

  She nodded.

  “I could take you to my house, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I’ll take you to my friend’s house. Walter’s a paranormal historian and the most gentlemanly of my friends. You’ll be safe there, and you won’t have to worry about spelling doors. I’ll stay there as well, and make sure you’re safe.”

  She snuggled into his chest, a grimace on her face. A soft moan escaped her lips.

  His protective instincts took over. As he reached the door, Quade jumped up and opened it. “Is she okay?”

  “Not yet. Thanks.” Ty strode out.

  The sidewalk was full of people so he couldn’t change here. He began walking toward the parking lot.

  When she gave another moan, he felt his lungs contract, and he changed his mind. Slipping into the alley behind the bar, he set her down and let a huge flame fly off of his hands. “Don’t be worried, but I’m going to fly you there.”

  “Fly?” she said weakly.

  “Yes. Hold on just a moment.” He glanced around. No one was around, so he shifted. Then, though it was harder to speak in his dragon form, he said in his gruff, deep dragon voice, “We go now.”

  She nodded, not looking overwhelmed. She must really be in pain. He lifted her, flapped his wings, and sprang into the air. As he flew above the park, tourists called out, “The dragon kite!”

  He flew toward Walter’s house, flying lower and lower until he just skimmed the tops of the trees. Over Walter’s back yard, he dropped down and shifted back, Mara still in his arms.

  Walter came out the back door. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not sure,” Ty said, “but she’s in a lot of pain. I couldn’t think of anyone else to take her to. Dr. Johnson is out of town. Plus we need a place to keep her for a few days. So I thought of you.”

  “Bring her inside and I’ll examine her.”

  Ty carried her limp form into the house and followed Walter to one of his two spare bedrooms. He laid
her gently down and straightened out her arms and legs.

  Her eyes fluttered.

  Ty was nearly frantic. “What’s wrong with her?”

  Retrieving a medical bag, Walter sat on the edge of the bed, and checked her vital signs. “Her heartbeat is too fast.”

  He pulled a syringe and a vial from the bag.

  “What is that?” Ty asked.

  “A sedative and painkiller mixture. It should help her pain levels and also relax her, help her sleep tonight.”

  “I want to sleep forever.” Mara turned her face toward the men, opening her eyes. “I can’t feel it.”

  “What, dear? What can’t you feel?” asked Walter gently.

  “My coat. My beautiful feather coat. I can’t ever change back into a Swan. Ever again. It’s just gone. I can’t feel it.”

  Walter exchanged a glance with Ty. “Do you know what she’s talking about?”

  Ty shook his head.

  Tears flowed down Mara’s cheeks, and she wrapped her arms around her waist again. “I’m a Swan Maiden. My coat was stolen thirty years ago. And now I can’t even feel it.”

  She wasn’t human?

  She was a Swan Maiden?

  What did that mean, anyway? Did that explain why she could be his Flame?

  He sat on the other side of the bed and took one of her hands. “I’ll help you find your coat.”

  “I don’t know if it even still exists.”

  “If it does, we’ll find it. Walter here is one of the smartest men I know. He can search for clues online. And I’m good on the ground.”

  “And in the air,” she said, her eyes closed. She grimaced and curled up on her side in a fetal position.

  “Yes.” Ty stroked her arm, trying to comfort her, and feeling helpless that he couldn’t seem to do so.

  After a moment, she relaxed, though moisture still beaded on her forehead. Eyes closed, she murmured, “You really are a dragon.”

  “Yes, I really am.” Ty exchanged a look with Walter.

  “The last dragon,” his friend confirmed. “Is this the woman who brought you to flame?”

  Ty nodded.

  Pale, Mara said, “He made a beautiful flame.”

  “Will you let us help you?” Ty asked.

  Mara opened her eyes and looked at him, miserable. “I have no choice. Yes.”

  Ty turned to Walter. “May we stay here with you? I’ll take her to my house tomorrow or the day after, when she’s not in as much pain.”

  Walter nodded. “Of course.”

  “Thank you, old friend.”

  “For you and your Flame, anything.”

  The next morning, Mara’s pain had lessened, but she wondered if that was because the drink Walter had handed her a few minutes ago at the breakfast table dulled it. “What was in this drink?”

  “Chocolate.” Walter’s gentle face creased into a smile. “And a mixture of painkillers and a very slight sedative. You were in crisis last night. How do you feel this morning?”

  “My muscles ache and I feel hungry and tired.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  She looked up at him. “How much did I say?”

  Across from her, Ty looked serious and concerned. “You told us you’re a Swan Maiden and your coat has been stolen. You also said you can’t sense it any longer.”

  So. She’d revealed all of her secrets in her pain. That couldn’t possibly be good. She sighed.

  “Don’t worry. I let you see that I’m a real dragon.”

  “You flew me here.” Her eyes widened. “I remember.”

  He nodded. “So we will keep each other’s secrets.”

  She looked at Walter, whom she sensed was a werewolf. She wondered if he’d tell her. “How about you? What are you so I can keep your secret, as well?”

  Walter laughed. “A werewolf, my dear.”

  She nodded. “I thought so. Thank you for telling me.”

  Walter stood and brought her a plate of food. “This will help you feel better. There are some special herbs and spices added.”

  “Are you a real doctor or some sort of voodoo doctor?”

  Walter laughed. “I am a doctor and an herbalist. I believe in a holistic approach to healing.”

  Mara huffed out an amused laugh. “I feel better. This chocolate drink is amazing.”

  After she began to eat, Ty tackled the food on his plate, mounded higher than the werewolf’s. Shifters have incredible metabolisms and burn through food at a fierce rate.

  Like I needed to do when I was shifting, she thought, and fresh pain swelled in her heart.

  She finished eating, and felt better. “So what do we do now? I have to go to work this afternoon.”

  Ty shook his head. “I called Stanley and said you wouldn’t be in for a couple of days. We’re going to stay with Dr. Clemmons for a day or two, and then I’m going to take you to my house, as you also revealed that you have to put spells on your door to keep out the bear.”

  She moaned and put her face in her palms. “What didn’t I say?”

  Ty sounded amused. “That you’ll do anything to keep from dancing with me.”

  “Oh, yes. We were going to the dance.”

  She lifted her face and looked between the two men. “Thank you, Dr. Clemmons, for taking such good care of me. Thank you, Ty, for rescuing me. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been there.”

  “I’ll always protect you,” he said simply, and the truth shone in his words, circling her heart as his flame had.

  She stared at him. “I believe you will.”

  Walter stood again and carried the dishes to the sink, rinsed them, and set them in the dishwasher. Then he wiped his hands on a dishtowel and said, “I’ll be in my study looking for clues. Join me when you’re ready.”

  “Clues for what?”

  Ty said, “Clues to help us discover who took your coat.”

  “You’re going to help me find my coat?”

  “Yes.”

  Relief filled her. “But what if it’s been destroyed?”

  “We’ll find it,” he assured her. “If it’s been destroyed, we’ll find out for sure.”

  “I hope it hasn’t. It’s been so hard to live without it, but I could always sense the general area it was in, and could follow the signal to the town. Now I don’t know where it is. I feel lost.”

  “Don’t talk like that. Let’s hope it’s not destroyed — that something supernatural has happened to hide it. It’s still there for us to find.” He reached across and took her hand. “Tell me about the coat. What you know about who took it.”

  So she told him everything, a story she had told no one other than Swan relatives. She told him about swimming, coming out of the lake in Sweden and finding her coat missing, feeling it moving farther and farther away, and knowing someone took it. She’d knocked on everyone’s doors and asked questions, but there were no answers. The many years of following the coat. Feeling it in the bar the other night.

  And having the connection with the coat just vanish, as if it had winked out of existence.

  Ty shook his head. “Not much to go on.”

  “No.”

  “Who do you think took it?” Walter asked her.

  “I don’t know. Two of my six sisters had their coats stolen by men who coerced them into marriage. Svenja found her coat and escaped, but my other sister is still trapped. At first I thought the man who’d taken it wanted to marry me. But he has never shown himself, has never demanded marriage. So I don’t know. Everyone in my Swan family has run out of ideas.”

  “Then we might look into supernatural means of finding it. We may need to ask the witches for help, if need be.” Ty frowned. “Or the Oracle.”

  “Why do you say the Oracle with that sense of dread in your voice?” Mara asked. “Is he that expensive?”

  “Yes, but not in the way you think. Have you perhaps heard that dragons like amassing treasure?”

  She smiled at his conspiratorial exp
ression. “Yes.”

  “It’s true. I’ve amassed many treasures.” He shook his head. “But the payments he asks for are high, and he doesn’t ask for money. We will only use him as a last resort.”

  “But you would go to that expense? For me?” A sense of wonder filled her. “Why?”

  “I told you why. You’re my Flame.”

  And, for just a moment, she thought it might be true.

  Watch it, Sparky!

  “GET OUT OF MY HOUSE,” Walter said with a mock scowl. “And go do something fun for an hour while my computer search continues. I’ll know in two hours if my source in Sweden comes up with anything we can use. Oh, and I decided to name our quest Project Feathers.”

  Mara actually smiled. “Thank you, Walter.”

  Her smile tugged at Ty’s heart. This woman affected him like no woman ever had before. “What do you suggest we do?”

  “Take her sledding. Invite Quade and his girl along.”

  “I can’t just go do something fun,” Mara protested. “This is too serious.”

  “That’s exactly why you need to go do something fun.” Walter motioned toward the door.

  “Don’t you have a girl so you can go with us?” Mara asked.

  “Alack and alas, I’m a werewolf-nerd with no girl in sight.” Walter sighed dramatically.

  “We’ll have to change that,” Mara said. “As soon as we find my coat, we’ll begin Project Nerd Girl.”

  Walter actually laughed at that.

  Ty called Quade and invited him and Heather to go sledding. Quade said, “Sure. We’ll meet you at your house.”

  Ty took Mara’s hand — and she let him. He’d gone back over and gotten his vehicle from the parking lot the night before, and he opened the door for her. “We’ll go to my place for sleds and meet Quade there. There’s a great hill right behind my property.”

  By the time he got Mara to his house, Quade’s truck was parked along his street.

  Ty wanted to show Mara his house, but there would be time enough for that at a later date.

  The four of them climbed out. Ty went into his garage and grabbed two six-foot Flexible Flyer toboggans that he kept there for just this sort of outing. They were large enough for two to ride down comfortably — until they flipped.

  He led them around to the back of his property, where there was a five-foot ledge before the drop off that would take them whizzing down to the bottom of the hill in a gentle slope.