12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

K rull

I wake slowly, blinking against the sunlight streaming through the window. For a blissful moment, I forget the chaos outside. All I see is Mara tucked against my side, her fingers tracing delicate patterns on my chest.

Contentment steals through me. How can I feel so connected to someone I just met? Yet there’s no denying what’s growing between us. I never believed in soulbound mates until several of my friends at the firehouse found their soulbonds with human woman.

“By the way you’re looking at me, I guess I slept for more than the one minute I asked for?”

“Uh, yeah. You got over sixty of them. I figured there was no need to wake you. I doubt we’ll be doing any fun antiquing or going for a casual drive up the coast today. You might as well catch up on sleep.” She winks at me. “You earned it, big guy. ”

When I used to fantasize about finding a mate, a soulbound, I visualized someone just like Mara. Although I never pictured her as human, always orc, I always knew she’d be fun, determined, and resourceful. And most of all, I always, always imagined she’d look at me with the affection I see in Mara’s eyes right now.

I’ve spent time with orc females my age. Much to my disappointment, and theirs, I didn’t click with any of them. Finally, I gave up on finding a mate, let alone a mate that the Goddess would bless with a soulbond.

My throat thickens with emotion. No matter what the coming days bring, I’ll fight to stay by her side. Gently grasping her hand, I press a kiss to her knuckles. “You look pretty in the morning.”

She shrugs, her cheeks blushing a delightful pink as she says, “You probably say that to all the women who wake you with a blow job.”

When our eyes meet, I see my own emotions mirrored back at me—affection, longing, and a flicker of fear at the unknown future. After a weighted moment, I ask, “Should we try the phones again?”

Mara nods, lower lip caught between her teeth. We both grab our cells, only to be met with blank screens.

“Got it!” I say when mine suddenly blinks to life. Quickly, I dial the station as I hear Mara’s phone beeping with a circuit busy message.

“Integration Zone Fire, you got Kam.”

“Kam. It’s Krull.”

I rise, walk naked to the window with the bullet hole, and raise the window. One look at the devastation in the street below, which is covered in maybe six feet of standing water, tells me the storm drains are overburdened and can’t handle the demand.

“Where are you? We’ve been worried.”

When I explain our predicament, Kam interrupts before I’m even done. “I’m putting you through to Chief Brokka. He’s out in the RHIB with a few of the crew and a wolven, Bold, I think. The Zone’s fine, high and dry, but they’re helping humans outside the Zone.”

Since I’ve put my phone on speaker and Mara must be wondering what those initials stand for, I whisper, “RHIBs are Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats. Rescue equipment.”

“Krull!” Even though Brokka’s voice is strained, it’s a relief to hear him. He’s solid. Someone I can always count on. “Good to hear your voice. You safe?”

“For now. I’m with a friend in The Rows. No power.”

Perhaps it’s because I just caught a whiff of fresh air, but when I turn to look at Mara, I catch the scent of rotten eggs. A gas leak! We’re lucky that my sense of smell is heightened, but even with the extra time my abilities have given us, we’re in danger.

Striding to the apartment door, I hurry down the stairs, noticing that the water has risen to the fourth step. I don’t want Mara to hear what I have to say next.

“Brokka, I smell gas. We need an immediate evac.”

Brokka grunts. In the background, I hear the diesel roar of our fireboat’s engines. “There are human crews running RHIB rescues up and down flooded neighborhoods. We’re currently in Tall Grass. Have you called 911? They might be able to reach you sooner.”

My instincts flare. I need to get Mara away from here. We’ve had several fires in the Zone, set by Purists. It practically took an act of Congress to get help from the human fire districts. Mara’s still got a circuit busy as she repeatedly calls 911. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans aren’t going to help us.

“Chief, we’re trapped inside, water’s about a yard high, and the rotten egg smell tells me the sewers are releasing hydrogen sulfide gas. You need to put us at the top of your list.” Through gritted teeth, I bite out what we both know to be the truth, “Humans aren’t coming to save us.”

“Got it, but it will be slow going. Downed lines, lots of debris. We’re on our way, but Krull, don’t count on us. Get the fuck out of that building. Now!”

Before I can thank him, my phone clicks and the screen once again says “no service.”

When I turn to climb the steps, Mara is there, her pretty brown eyes wide with fear. Shit. I’d had that call on speaker the whole time. She must have heard every word.

“We need to leave?”

I’d expected that pitiful child’s voice she used a few times yesterday. The tone struck a chord deep inside me, calling to me to protect her. Now, she seems determined, ready for anything.

“Yes. Now. ”

She turns on her heel and by the time I reach her doorway after taking the stairs two at a time, she’s grabbed her clothes and is stepping into her pants. Within two minutes, we’re both dressed, and she’s grabbed a backpack from her closet.

“Water and phone,” she says as she tosses the items in and then slides her arms through the straps. “Now what?”