Chapter 10

brAN

The fire is well under control and should be out soon, which is great. Next will be the investigation into how it started, which is not our problem. We’re only here because most of the local battalion engines were already out on calls when this blaze was reported, and they needed a second one.

I trade off with Elgin, stepping back to take a break, though truthfully, I doubt I’ll need it before the fire is out. I’m reaching for a water bottle when the radio crackles.

“Bran,” the captain says, “we need you up here.”

What? We dropped him and Suarez, our engineer, at the trailhead before we came down the fire road, because the local cops were unable to attend right away. What could they possibly need me for? They closed the trail immediately, and now they’re just keeping people back and answering questions from concerned locals.

Tippin, the captain of the other engine, must be thinking the same thing, because he gives me a weird look before replying, “There a problem?”

“Yes, but not with the fire,” the captain replies. “If you can spare Bran, send him over.”

Tippin raises a brow at me, and I shrug. Sighing, he gestures for me to go, and I turn and start a slow jog up the fire road. Luckily, the fire isn’t too far from the trailhead, but I still have some ground to cover, and by the time I get there, they’ll probably have the fire out.

It’s not fun running in my gear, however slowly, and I’m drenched in sweat by the time I reach the road. The trailhead parking lot is just a few yards along, and I’m curious about what could have made the captain call me back… and try not to think that something’s happened to Cody.

The raised voice gets my attention as I turn into the lot, but it’s not especially loud. No… it’s just that everyone else is silent. Very silent. Eerily so.

Uh-oh. Thirty or so hikers and snoops don’t usually get this quiet to listen to someone complain about a trail being closed.

I stride toward the group of people, tuning in to what the man is saying as I get nearer.

“—you come every time. That has to mean something. It’s like you can sense that I’m calling for you, that I need you.”

What the fuck?

“Explain it to me again,” a voice says. A familiar voice. Flame’s voice. What the fuck? “You saw me at a forest fire in Idaho?—”

“I didn’t just see you, we connected! Our souls recognized each other! You just need to let go of the societal norm that keeps you from seeing that, and we can be together.”

“I’m trying to understand that,” Flame says patiently, and finally I’m close enough that I catch a glimpse of his bright hair. Aqua’s beside him, which I’m not sure is a relief or not. I’d feel better if it was George—or even Perry. He’s the kind who’d claw out the eyes of someone who was trying to poach his friend’s boyfriend. “Sorry, you never mentioned your name?”

“I’m Chad. Chad Winch.”

Flame smiles, but it’s so fake, I’m surprised Chad doesn’t notice. “Tell me again, Chad. You sa— I mean, we connected at a forest fire in Idaho. Then what?”

“I lost track of you after—you left before I could get your number. That hurt. At first I thought you were rejecting me, and I couldn’t understand why.”

A muscle in Flame’s cheek twitches, but he just makes an encouraging hmm sound. I spot my captain and begin edging around the group toward him.

“Then I realized you weren’t rejecting me. You were just afraid! Brainwashed by society to think that fated mates weren’t real.”

I nearly choke on my own spit, and Aqua cocks his head, confusion clouding his pretty face.

“All I had to do was give you time to come to terms with your feelings. I needed to give you space . But not too much, because I can’t be far from you.”

Oh my god, what is even going on right now? I reach my captain and lean in close to ask him.

He gives me an inscrutable look and replies in a low voice, “A confession.”

“Only,” the stranger, a completely ordinary-looking man with brown hair and an earnest—if slightly glazed—expression, continues, “you were so hard to find! You don’t have social media or anything. I was devastated until I remembered that old logic problem about the woman who fell in love with someone she saw at her mother’s funeral and killed her sister so she could see him again. All I had to do if I wanted to see you was start another forest fire!”

For a second, I swear my heart goes still. Does he mean…?

“But you didn’t come to that. So I went and looked at all the news footage from the fire I saw you at, and I realized there were a lot of firefighters from other states.” He shrugs. “It took me a while to work my way down the coast, and you didn’t come to every fire. But eventually I got here and realized you came to more fires in this area, so this is where I stayed. And now I only start a fire when I desperately need to see you. I’m trying to be patient, but waiting has been so hard for me.”

This is our arsonist. Our arsonist just confessed in front of three members of the SDFD and a few dozen other witnesses. I swallow, even though my throat is dry.

“Cops?” I murmur.

“Should be here soon. I put in a call when I realized what he was saying,” the captain mutters. “Your boy is handling this like a champ.”

“I’m sure the wait has been awful,” Flame says soothingly. “Thank you for being so patient. I came over today to tell you I need just a little more time to sort things out.”

Chad nods eagerly, so absorbed by Flame that he doesn’t seem to notice as a cop car turns into the lot, lights flashing but no sirens. I exhale with relief as the captain goes to fill them in.

Flame’s still talking. “…some complicated things going on in my life, and I haven’t wanted to expose you to them. But things will be very different soon.”

“How long?” Chad asks longingly. “How much longer do I have to wait?”

He never gets an answer. The crowd parts to let the cops through, and Flame steps back, keeping a wary eye on Chad as he realizes what’s going on.

“No! You don’t understand?—”

“Chad Winch, you’re under arrest for arson,” one of the officers says as the other cuffs him.

“It’s not arson when you’re doing it for love!” Chad proclaims, then looks for Flame. “Don’t worry! As soon as I explain this, they’ll let me go. We can be together then.”

The officers exchange glances, and one says, “I’ll call this in. Gonna need a psych assessment before we can question him.”

“It’s all going to be okay,” Chad promises Flame as the cops walk him to the car. “Wait for me!”

One of the cops stays by the car, talking on the radio, while the other comes back to start taking witness statements. I make my way over to Flame.

“What the fuck?” It’s not what I intended to say, but it covers all bases.

“This isn’t how I thought things would turn out,” he agrees.

“Are you okay?” Chad didn’t touch him or anything, right?

He smiles at me, and the difference between this smile and the one he gave Chad is like night vs. day. “I’m fine. Shocked. This has never happened to any of us before.” He glances toward the trail and lowers his voice. “The fire’s out, by the way.”

I nod. “That’s good. Um. Wow. Thank you for helping to catch the arsonist? Though if this ever happens again, can we do it without them being obsessed with you?”

“That sounds like something I can support. I’d rather?—”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Aqua says. “I’m confused… why did he think you’d need time to get used to your fated mate?”

Sheer exasperation crosses Flame’s face as he turns to his friend. “That’s what you took from all this?”

Aqua rolls his eyes. “No, of course not. I also know that if the fire’s out, you won’t let me make it rain.”

I grab Flame’s arm before he strangles Aqua in front of the cops. “Thanks for coming, Aqua. Do you mind waiting in the car for just a second?”

He smiles sweetly at me. “I like you. I’m glad you’re sticking around.”

We watch him walk off, and then Flame says, “I’m glad you’re sticking around too.”

“Mhmm. You know, Chad did have one thing right.”

“I did not feel a bond with him!”

I chuckle. “No, I know that. I mean… you and I have been seeing each other at fires for years, right?”

He nods warily.

“And in all that time, you never recognized me as your fated mate. You needed time to come to terms with your feelings.” It’s a challenge to keep a straight face as he stares at me in disbelief. It’s only when he starts to sputter that I let myself laugh.

He looks around, and I can see the second he realizes that this isn’t the place for him to kiss me while I’m on duty. “Just wait,” he promises. “Tonight I’ll show you exactly how in tune with my feelings I am.”

And he did.

Thanks for reading Flame !