“They seem to think otherwise.” He turned back to me, pen hovering. “Family? A partner we can call?”
“No. There’s no one,” I said to the doctor. “I’ll stay at the inn.”
The nurse who’d been hovering nearby glanced toward the hallway. “Those are the Ashvale firefighters,” she said. “The whole town’s half in love with them. They’re good men.”
Good men, huh?
I’d heard the gossip, of course. Hard not to in a town this size. The mysterious firefighters who’d shown up a year ago and became local heroes overnight. Women at the grocery storewhispering about the broody captain, the intimidating quiet one, the charming one with the boyish smile.
Safe, everyone said.Dependable.
And then there is another thing. A pull in my chest I couldn’t explain.
Every time the dark-haired one looked at me, my heart did something stupid. Every time the golden one smiled, deep inside, I wanted to smile back. And the quiet one with the scar, his presence felt solid, safe in a way that I’d forgotten existed.
Honestly, aside from the fire, it was what terrified me.
But at the same time, it was also the first thing that hadn’t felt wrong in two years.
The silence stretched. Percy’s whole body sagged. Solomon’s jaw went tight. And Lucian, that scowl deepened, but he nodded once, accepting my decision without argument.
It was what got to me. He didn’t argue or try to convince me. No guilt trips, no manipulative bullshit Hudson would have deployed in the same situation. He just nodded and stepped back.
“At least let us drive you and give us your contact,” Percy said. “It’s the middle of the night. You shouldn’t be walking alone.”
I looked at them. Three strangers who hadn’t left my side since pulling me from the flames. Who knew my name without being told and watched me with expressions I couldn’t decode but didn’t fear.
“Fine.” The word came out softer than I expected. “Just to the inn.”
***
The Starlight Inn was exactly as depressing as it sounded. Faded sign, peeling paint, the kind of place that rented by the night and didn’t ask questions.
Percy handled the clerk while I stood there in borrowed scrubs, soot still in my hair, trying not to look as destroyed as I felt. Lucian flanked my left side. Solomon stood slightly behind, watching the entrance with an alertness that said he was looking for someone.
“Room 7,” Percy said, handing me the key. “End of the hall.”
The hallway was narrow and dim. The walls pressed closer with every step, and somewhere between the stairwell and my door, Hudson’s face filled my vision.
His smile through the window, the wave he gave me. Hudson’s words haunted me.
‘Found you.’
My chest seized as my lungs locked up, refusing to expand. I stumbled, one hand shooting out to brace against the wall while my heartbeat slammed against my ribs.
Arms caught me before I hit the ground.
Percy. Suddenly I was pressed against his chest, his hands gripping my elbows, steadying me. He was warm. So warm it seeped through the thin hospital scrubs and into my frozenskin. His scent wrapped around me and my body did something treacherous. It relaxed into him, just for a second.
“Hey, I’m here,” he murmured against my hair. “We’re here for you.”
“Mira.” Lucian was in front of me now. I didn’t see him move. One second he was behind us, the next he was crouching at my level.
“Look at me.” His voice dropped low, cutting through the static. “Just at me. Breathe with me. In.”
He inhaled, slow, deliberate. I tried to match it. My first attempt barely filled half my lungs.
“Again. In.”
