Fire and Flames [Dragon Love 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  I’m imagining it all. Jack. The men. All of it.

  In the next moment, Jack let out a howl as Ridge took hold of his shirt. Without any effort, he tossed the man away, throwing him several feet before Jack landed on the pavement.

  The men turned to face her attacker, putting their backs to her. Had they grown even broader? Taller?

  “We warned you about bothering her.”

  Why did Ridge’s words sound strange? Mumbled as though he couldn’t speak correctly?

  Jack’s eyes bulged, and spittle slid down his cheek. His mouth fell open in a silent cry for help.

  “You just quit the department.” Adam’s voice was clearer but held the same menace as Ridge’s.

  “Run while you can, little man.” Colter’s warning was delivered with a bone-chilling calmness.

  Jack scrambled to his feet. Taking one last look, he ran. Twice he stumbled over his feet as he hurried as fast as he could to get away.

  She leaned against the wall, supporting herself. “Guys, what are you doing here?”

  They faced her. Gone were the red eyes. Gone were the terrible expressions. And gone were the fangs.

  “We came to see if you were all right.” Adam smiled as though they hadn’t just frightened Jack away.

  “I don’t understand.” They came toward her. After seeing what she had, she should’ve been afraid. And, yet, she wasn’t. “I saw your eyes.” She reached out and touched Colter’s mouth. “And your teeth. No. Your fangs.”

  They tried to hide it, averting their looks, but they knew what she was talking about.

  “I don’t know what you mean, baby.” And yet, as he lifted his gaze to hers, she saw the lie there.

  “That’s a lie, Ridge. Why are you lying?”

  “He’s not,” added Colter.

  She searched their faces, needing to understand. They were different. She had no doubt. But different how? Who were they? What were they?

  That was it. They weren’t totally human. She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of her thought, but found she couldn’t. “Tell me what you are.”

  “Listen, babe…” Colter paused, obviously uncertain what to say next.

  “Tell me,” she ordered.

  The alarm jolted her as much as it did them.

  “You have to go.” Adam stepped back, as did Colter and Ridge. “We’ll talk to you later.”

  “No. Don’t go.”

  “Do your job, baby,” said Ridge. He pivoted around and strode away, heading around the corner of the building.

  She wanted to grab them and make them stay, but the alarm continued, calling her to her duty.

  “You’re going to tell me. One way or another.” She spun around and dashed into the station house.

  What are they hiding? How could I have seen what I did?

  She forced her mind back on her job.

  * * * *

  “We’re going to have to tell her. Now.” Ridge pulled the car to the side of the road and kept the engine running.

  “Yeah. We’re lucky we didn’t shift all the way.” Colter stuck his head between the headrests, his gaze flickering between Ridge in the driver’s seat and Adam in the passenger seat.

  “Still, I wish we’d had more time. Do you think she’s ready?”

  He’d had the same question as Adam. “Doesn’t matter now. You know her. She’ll stay on us until we tell her.”

  “Instead of candles and champagne, we’re going to break it to her the hard way?” asked Colter.

  “Either way would’ve been rough, but I think we’re going to have to show her.” Ridge waited until the fire engine had pulled out of its bay then stepped on the gas. Although he doubted they’d notice his car trailing behind them, he’d follow the truck at a safe distance.

  They’d planned on a couple of more weeks of getting to know each other, mixed with showering her with more gifts. Then, when Kyle’s problems had taken precedence over that, they’d resolved on waiting until he was in the clear. Now they’d have to get right to it. She didn’t need anything else to worry about, much less anything to make her doubt her feelings for them.

  “We’re keeping an eye on her?”

  “You don’t think we should?” He eyed Colter through the rearview mirror.

  “Hell yeah, we should. I’m just asking.”

  Ridge turned his attention back to road. The fire truck sped through an intersection. He increased his speed, making it through before the traffic started up again. “Provided we don’t get into a wreck on the way.”

  * * * *

  “Where’s Jack?”

  Marlee heard Walt’s question as she tugged on her gear then headed to the fire truck. “I don’t know.” How could she tell him the truth? Besides, she didn’t know any longer. The way he’d taken off, she doubted he was coming back.

  “Weird.”

  Yes. It’s weirder than you’ll ever know.

  Questions whirled with no answers as they sped down the street. Without knowing the address, she had a sinking feeling she knew where they were headed. By the time they’d made it to Max’s apartment building, she was ready to face whatever might happen. Flames engulfed most of the building as a crowd of people watched in a strange mix of awe and horror.

  Please, don’t let Kyle be here.

  Shoving the fear aside, she was out of the truck and ready to do her best to bring the fire under control.

  A young woman’s scream caught her attention. The girl slumped into the arms of one of the policemen who were already on the scene.

  “He’s still in there. Max is still inside.”

  A cold sensation whipped through Marlee. She faced the inferno, sure that anyone inside was already dead.

  “What’s your name, miss?” questioned the cop holding on to the girl’s arm.

  “Jill Marin. Please, you have to help him.” She broke free and started running toward the burning building. “Max!”

  Marlee cut her off a moment before the officer could, blocking her way. “You can’t go inside.”

  The officer took over, gripping Jill underneath the arms. “Miss, you have to stay put.”

  “Max!” She twisted around, struggling in his arms. “My boyfriend is in there. Please, you have to save him.”

  Marlee met the policeman’s gaze and saw that he understood it was hopeless. The flicker of flames made dancing reflections on the nameplate of Officer Don Walthan. The fire was too hot, too large to risk anyone entering.

  Even as Walt and the others checked the sides of the building looking for other ways to enter, she knew it was useless. An investigation would prove her guess, but she’d seen enough fires to know. Whoever had done this had set multiple fires at different locations inside the building. Flames burst out of the top floor windows, making it unsafe to attempt a rescue from above.

  She waved to the paramedics. “Jill, you have to be checked out. We’ll do everything we can.”

  The paramedics rushed to her. Holding the sobbing girl between them, they helped her over to their vehicle.

  “There’s no way?” asked Officer Walthan.

  She shook her head. “The other firefighters are checking now, but I can’t see risking a life if it’s too late. We’d go in if there was any chance anyone could be alive in there, but…” She didn’t need to finish the sentence.

  Had Clay set the fire? Was her brother’s lover a murderer? And if he was, what about Kyle?

  If she thought about it any longer, she’d go insane. Action was better than thinking. Hoping against hope for a miracle, she took off running toward the side of the building even as she heard the other firefighters calling for her to come back. Maybe, just maybe, Max had gotten out the back way.

  How the hell did they get here? What do they think they’re doing?

  She stopped, hard, and stared. Ridge, Colter, and Adam were at the back door. “Hey! Wait! You can’t go in there!”

  Before she could get moving again, the three men who had stolen her heart tur
ned her way, smiled, then stepped through the door into the building alight with flames.

  Chapter Nine

  Marlee screamed their names, panic setting in. She rushed toward the building but was thrown back as flames burst from the windows on either side of the door.

  No!

  Scrambling to her feet, she bolted around to the front. “Walt! Ray!” Falling into their arms, she dragged in a breath. “My friends… They went inside…”

  “Inside? How the hell?” A stunned Walt stared at the blaze. “Are they crazy?”

  She couldn’t catch her breath, fear clogging her throat. “Please.” But she couldn’t ask them to risk their lives. She’d risk her own to save them. Breaking away from them, she stumbled toward the fire.

  Strong arms took hold of her, dragging her backward. “No! Let me go! I have to help them.” She broke down, crying, and fought free of the men. They stood in front of her, blocking her way, keeping her from going inside.

  It was useless. Even firefighters with specialized equipment couldn’t have survived. Why had they done it? Surely, they had to have seen it was an impossible situation.

  “Holy shit.”

  She looked up at Walt’s awed words to find Ridge walking toward them. His clothes were scorched and soot covered him, but he didn’t appear to be injured. In his arms was an unconscious Max.

  She raced to Ridge, relief and joy filling her. “Ridge. Oh my God.” She searched behind him as he handed Max off to the paramedics. Soot covered his arms and face.

  What she’d felt a moment earlier was replaced once more with fear. “Colter and Adam?” Her gaze sought his, and yet the sadness she’d expected to see wasn’t there.

  “They’re coming. I found Max right inside the door.”

  “Inside the door? We checked.” A mystified Walt stared at Ridge. “How the hell did you get inside? And why aren’t you burned? There was no way anyone could’ve gone into that place and lived.”

  “Walt, please. I’ll explain later.” She pushed against her friend, urging him to give them space. How she’d explain was beyond her, but she’d worry about that later.

  She turned back to Ridge and clung to him, uncaring that so many people were watching. “How did you do it? The fire was too hot. How’d you survive?” She ran her hands up and down his arms, proving to herself that he was really unharmed. But how? How could the fire have singed his clothes and not his skin?

  He shrugged, the burned material of his clothes falling away in drifts of ash. “Just lucky, I guess.”

  “It’s more than just luck. It’s a miracle.” She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of him against her. If she had it her way, she’d never let him go.

  “Hey, can we get in on that?”

  “Adam?” Adam strode toward her, an equally sooty Colter beside him. They held Clay between them, struggling in vain to get free.

  “Guess who we caught hiding in the trees and watching the fun?” Adam and Ridge turned Clay over to Officer Walthan, who waved another pair of policemen over to take control. “I didn’t want to pick it up and get my prints on it, but there’s a gas can back in the trees.”

  “Good thinking. Thanks.” They led a silent and angry Clay away.

  She hugged Adam and then Colter as more tears broke free. “I can’t believe it. You went inside a burning building, but you’re okay.” She stood back, once again checking them for burns. “How is this possible?” She lowered her voice. “What are you?”

  Ridge took her under the chin. “We’ll explain everything later. I promise. For now, you’d better get your pretty ass back to work. We don’t want the other guys thinking you’re slacking on the job.”

  Marlee hugged him again, the desire she always felt growing. If she could’ve had it her way, she would’ve taken all three of them back to the penthouse and examined their bodies with not only her eyes but her tongue and fingers as well. “Okay, but I’m coming over later, got it?”

  Adam gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am, lady firefighter.”

  She pointed at him in a joking way. “Be ready. I’m going to expect answers. Understood?”

  The men never had time to respond. Shouts and the squeal of brakes interrupted them.

  “Clay!”

  As though in a dream, Marlee whirled toward the street. Clay lay unmoving in front of a car. The driver staggered out of the car and dropped to his knees, his face contorted in horror.

  “No!” Kyle rushed from the other side of the street toward his lover. Falling to the ground, he bent over Clay, calling out his name over and over. “Clay, please. Clay. Wake up, sweetie. Please, don’t leave me.”

  “Oh God, no.” Marlee ran toward her brother, the sounds of his wails piercing her heart.

  * * * *

  “How are you feeling, girl?” Adam leaned against her and offered her a glass of champagne.

  “Like I was hit by a bus.” She cringed, realizing how that sounded.

  “How’s Kyle doing?” asked Colter. He dropped on to the nearby chair.

  She paused, her gaze once again going to the beautiful cityscape beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows of their penthouse apartment. “Better. I think Shady Oaks will be good for him. It’ll take time, and he’ll never forget Clay, but, hopefully he’ll learn to put it behind him and move on.”

  Yet even as she said the words, she couldn’t make her heart believe it. Kyle had been crushed when the paramedics who’d rushed to Clay’s side had declared him dead. Uncontrollable in his grief, she’d done the only thing she could do when he’d begun threatening to take his own life. She’d taken him to a mental health facility, hoping to get him the help he so desperately needed. Thankfully, he’d voluntarily committed himself.

  “Sure he will. He’s strong like his sister.” Ridge refilled his glass, started to do the same for hers, and then noticed she hadn’t yet taken a sip.

  “I used to think he was stronger than me. You know. Because of his growing up gay. He’s taken so much grief from so many people in his life. I was hoping he’d gotten stronger after…” She finally took a sip of her drink, trying to push down the lump in her throat. She’d told them about Kyle’s first suicide attempt. “And I think he had. At least until Clay came along.”

  “So he admitted to setting the fires with Clay?” Adam’s tone was soft, as though he could somehow ease her pain.

  “He admitted to knowing about them. He never helped Clay set the fires, though. Now that he’s taking responsibility, he’s going to need the attorney I found.”

  “Don’t worry about the costs involved in his treatment or his defense. It’s handled.” Ridge set the bottle down and took a sip.

  Once again she was grateful to have found them. If she hadn’t had them to lean on for support, she wasn’t sure she would’ve made it through the past few days.

  She drew on what little strength she had left inside her and said what she ached to say. “I’ve waited long enough. Now that Kyle’s settled, it’s time, guys.”

  “Time for what?” asked Colter.

  “Don’t play games with me.” She pushed Adam away. “I want to know how your eyes turned red. And how you could have fangs. I saw it all when you ran Jack off. I want to know how you can walk into a building blazing with fire and not have one burn mark on you. Tell me now, or I walk out.”

  She prayed they wouldn’t call her bluff. Walking out, leaving them would never be an option.

  “You’re not going to believe us.” Ridge sat on the huge coffee table in front of her.

  “Don’t be so damn sure.”

  Adam laughed, but the sound was strained. “We’ve talked about how to tell you, but we could never come up with a good way. In the end, we decided we should just show you.”

  “Show me what?” She was already nervous, her mind having ideas no sane person should have. Were they more than men? Were they supernatural?

  “What we are,” said Adam.

  Oh God. I’m not sure I’m ready for this. Bu
t I have to know.

  They got to their feet and strode into the middle of the huge living area. Even with the huge sectional couch, most of the space was empty, as though they kept it that way on purpose.

  “Whatever you do, baby, don’t leave.” Ridge took his place next to his friends.

  “Why would I leave? You’re starting to scare me.” She sat on the edge of the couch, her nerves on edge. Would what they showed her be different than what she’d imagined? Were they supernatural beings? Or men with strange powers? The fantastic ideas she’d had should’ve frightened her. Instead, she’d found them exciting.

  “Just promise us you’ll stay where you are.” Adam punched a button on the remote he’d taken with him.

  “Are you going to show me a video or something?” Yet instead of facing the massive television on the wall behind them, they kept looking toward the panoramic view.

  The soft whoosh of the windows opening, the middle section easing into the next like a giant sliding door, jerked her around. “Oh wow.” The entire length of the windowed wall was now open. A breeze blew through the space, brushing her hair away from her shoulders. “It’s incredible, but is it safe?”

  “Safe enough. Just make sure you don’t freak out and run toward the opening.”

  What did Colter mean? “Why would I do that?”

  “Because, babe, we’re going to change.”

  “Change? Change how?”

  “It’s not so much how as into what,” answered Adam.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You will.”

  Suddenly, she couldn’t think of anything to say. Instead, she gaped as the men’s bodies started changing, blurring as something came over them. “Oh hell.”

  Clothes disappeared, and faces shimmered as they stretched and grew. Awful gut-wrenching noises filled the air, and she wondered what the terrible sounds were before finally recognizing the cracking of breaking bones. The men spread apart as they grew larger, human bodies morphing into things that were huge.