How could anyone resist me?
Unfortunately, when dinnertime came, and I sat across the table in my kitchen from Brent, eating homemade chili andcornbread and talking about our days, I completely chickened out. What if he didn’t want me after he knew the truth? What if he was scared or thought I was lying?
He’d have to believe me if I showed him—but what if he refused to let me do that? I mean…the average human didn’t believe their boyfriend could turn into anything and probably would be doubtful of their state of mind if they suggested they could.
“Theo?” Brent’s tone implied it wasn’t the first time he’d said my name. “Earth to Theo.” Yeah…not the first. “Is everything okay? You seem like you’re a million miles away.”
“Sorry, just woolgathering. A little tired maybe. My shift the past couple of days was pretty heavy, lots of calls.”
“Poor thing.” He stood up and began clearing the table. “You stay right where you are and I’ll get this all cleaned up.”
I protested, but he was having none of it.
“In fact,” he said, “why don’t you go take a shower and relax while I load the dishwasher and tuck the leftovers in the refrigerator. Then I’ll come in and give you a massage.”
“You can do that?”
He took my hand and pulled me to my feet. “Go shower and you’ll find out.”
“Why don’t we leave the dishes and you can shower with me?” I’d throw out the dishes if it meant more time with him.
“No, sir. You hear me. Off with you.”
Cute sexy, bossy omega.
Turned out, he was a great masseuse and of course having his hands on me were more than enough to get things started. I couldn’t imagine a time when his slightest caress or even a brush of his fingertips didn’t have me hard. After we made love, we fell asleep wrapped up in one another’s arms.
I thought I’d sleep till morning, unless more pleasant activities woke me, but something else did.
Fire!
My dragon caught the scent first, and it was coming from the woods behind the house. I slipped from the bed and toward the back door, not wanting to wake my omega until I knew the situation. If he was in any danger or if one of my more distant neighbors was just burning trash or having a late-night bonfire.
Two steps outside the door, I knew better. The woods were on fire, too much for my human self to handle with a hose and no time to go back. I had to stop it now.
As my dragon.
Chapter Twelve
Brent
“Alpha?” I rolled over and patted the bed. Where had he gone? “Theo?” I’d been lost in a dream when something woke me. Unsure what it had been, I sat up and went to the bathroom, expecting to find the door closed and have to wait my turn, but the door was open and nobody was inside. A quick pad through the house found no sign of him, but when I arrived in the kitchen, I smelled it. Smoke. Fire. Rushing to the window, I saw an orange glow through the trees.
“Theo!” I shouted one more time, but if he was in here somewhere, I should have seen him. Then I remembered his job. A firefighter. He wouldn’t try to fight a wildfire all on his own, would he? He’d be too well trained to do something so foolish. No doubt he’d call for backup right away. But what if he’d gone out there for some reason and got caught in it?
I’d die if something happened to him.
Which was why I found myself almost to the tree line, naked, barefoot, and screaming for my alpha. Where was he? Smoke billowed from the woods, making it hard to see, though I craned my neck this way and that. My mate was in there somewhere. I knew it. But where?
Part of me wanted to go back in the house and call for help, but every moment felt critical. If he was there, if he’d been running away from the flames and fallen, a few seconds might make the difference between life and death.
Death. Don’t think death.
He’ll be okay.
Theo!”
The fire was not very far away, and it was terrifying. The smell alone overwhelmed me. Evoked my fight-or-flight instinct,but a voice from deep inside me demanded I find him, save our mate from the fire.
