I buried my nose in his hair and hoped he was right.
Both stations arrivedat the training facility and set up on opposite sides of the lot. The energy was subdued, and the tension between the stations had shifted from competitive to awkward.
Percy was here sitting near his station’s truck, even though he was benched. He refused to hide at home while his crewcompeted, even if they weren't speaking to him. That was my Percy. Slinking away would have been easier.
I caught his eye and gave him a small nod.
Station 9 went first. Without Percy, their team was slower. They emerged with both rescue dummies in a respectable time.
I pulled on my mask. Colin was beside me, along with Ken and Dustin. We entered the building, and the smoke swallowed us.
Visibility was nil, and I crouched low with one hand on the wall, working the search pattern we'd drilled. My dragon was alert, because his senses were sharper than mine in the darkness.
We found the first dummy on the ground floor. Ken and Dustin carried it out while Colin and I headed upstairs.
The smoke on the second floor was so dense that crouching didn't help. We worked down a corridor, checking rooms, and I was reaching for the next doorframe when there was a metallic groan and a crack. My footfell through the floor, and it sagged.My boot caught on something. I fell forward, and the floor gave way.
My leg dropped through the gap up to my thigh. I was stuck with one leg through the floor and the other on solid ground with smoke pressing in.
“Mayday.” I hit the radio. “Second floor. I'm pinned.”
I’ll shift. I’m not going to let us die because humans think dragons don’t exist.
They’ll get me out. That’s what they’re trained to do. It wasn’t just a dragon that would freak everyone out. It was shifters in general!
Colin was beside me pulling at the debris, but I was wedged in, and my air was draining faster under the exertion.
But for the first time in my career, I wasn't the one running the rescue. I was the one who needed rescuing.
“Percy, no!” someone shouted from outside.
A figure emerged from the smoke, low to the ground, wearing turnout gear that was too big. The mask was fogged, but my dragon and I would know him anywhere. His scent cut through the smoke.
“You shouldn’t have come.”
“Funny way to say thank you.” He was already on his knees and pulling the broken flooring away piece by piece.
"You're pregnant," I hissed.
“And you're stuck in the floor. We both have problems.” He yanked a chunk free, and my leg moved. “Colin, pull him back on three.”
Colin grabbed under my arms.
“Three!”
Colin hauled, and my leg came free with pain from knee to hip.
Percy was already heading for the stairs, and we followed. I was in pain, but without shifting, I’d have to bear it.My mate led us down, navigating through the smoke with the same confidence he'd shown on the ladder.
We burst through the front door, and Percy pulled off his mask and sucked in clean air. I pulled off mine and leaned on Colin, keeping weight off my throbbing leg.
Everyone shouted at once, and Janice appeared with a medical bag.But I only had eyes for my mate. The borrowed coat overwhelmed him, and his hair was plastered to his forehead.
Hallie handed Percy a water bottle, and Briggs told him he was a fool but put a hand on his shoulder. Colin shared a glance with me and gave me a subtle nod, while Janice grumbled and told me to hold still.
Nobody said anything about the competition or asked about the time or the score. Percy’s heroic effort didn’t dismiss the hurt, but it had gone some way to erasing it.
Percy wandered over to me and grabbed me, and I planted kisses on his cheeks. He leaned in close and whispered, “Now if we really wanted to create a scene, we could take our scales.”
