One True Mate: Shifter's Solace (Kindle Worlds Novella)(6)

“Chief, we’re gonna have to shift. Loverboy here is totally losing his shit.” The bear was surrounded by firefighters in full gear, helmets and all, and they were hanging on to its fur by the handful, hauling against it, trying to keep it from charging back into the destroyed building.

“No shifting,” rumbled an enormous man in a white helmet. “It’s bad enough that Rory’s risking exposing us.”

The bear twisted, swiping at one of the firefighters with a paw the size of a hubcap, sending him tumbling through the air to crash against the sidewalk with a bone-cracking impact.

Okay, that’s it, Julia Child. I’m going to kick your ass into the middle of next week if you don’t simmer down. She heard the voice in her head. How odd.

The downed firefighter struggled to his feet and charged back into the fray. It was a good thing he was wearing a helmet, she thought vaguely.

“Can’t you put a bind on him, Chief?”

The massive black guy shook his head. “He’s fighting it,” he shouted over the sound of snarling and the impact as the bear sent another firefighter flying.

Ivy lost sight of the fight as a pair of strong arms hoisted her off the ground. The stars wheeled overhead, and she fought off nausea. Then she was being jolted as the paramedic ran towards the bear and the struggling firefighters, carrying her in his arms. She concentrated on not throwing up.

“Rory, she’s safe. She’s right here. Look, man. She’s okay.”

The bear turned sharply, snarling.

The paramedic stood his ground, breathing heavily from the effort of running with her in his arms.

Then the bear dropped to all fours with a heavy thump. He huffed air from his open mouth, then sniffed, taking in her scent. And as she watched in amazement, his fur receded, sinking back into his smooth flesh. The bones of his muzzle shifted and reshaped, and he drew in on himself until she was looking at a very buff, very naked man. Sweat glistened on his soot-streaked skin, and despite everything, she couldn’t help noticing the breadth of his chest and the size of the muscles in his arms. Arms that had carried her out of the fire, shielding her safely against his body.

Oh, she thought distantly. I have gone completely mad after all.

She found that she didn’t mind all that much. It felt sort of peaceful, really.

She let herself pass out.

*

Brady set the woman gently on the floor, and Rory sank down beside her. He was vaguely aware of the Chief pulling a foil blanket out of Brady’s kit and wrapping it around him. Probably figured it wasn’t the best time to try to wrangle him back into his clothes.

She was breathtaking. Her face was fine-boned and delicate, her eyes large, though at the moment they were closed.

He looked sharply up at Brady. “She’s okay? She’s not hurt?”

“She’s going to be fine, man. You saved her.”

You saved her.

Warmth blossomed in his heart. That felt so right. She was his to save; his to protect.

Her fingers were wrapped into a fist, and he reached out and gently prised them open, careful not to hurt her. Lying in her palm was a golden angel.

He looked around sharply as two cars screeched to a halt by the curb. Somebody had notified the Serenity PD.

Deputy Chief Lombard was first out – a wolfen who was sixtyish in appearance and known to have the respect of the men under him in the KSRT. He was accompanied by a tall, broad-chested man with a grim expression on his face.

Trevor Burbank was in the other squad car, accompanied by two “Czechoslovakian Wolf Dogs” – his brothers Troy and Trent. Everyone knew who Trevor was – he was the first shiften to have found a mate since the half-angel women in the prophecy had come of age.

Wade Lombard’s shrewd eyes quickly took in the naked firefighter wrapped in a space blanket, the unconscious woman with a delicate golden angel lying in her palm.

“She’s one of the pledged,” he said. “We’re going to need to take her into protective custody.”

Rory’s bearen bristled under his skin, and he started to get to his feet, but Ben stepped in front of him.

“Lombard,” he said. “How about buying us dinner before you try to screw us?”

The older man’s face darkened. “Chief West,” he said, not taking his eyes off Ben. “Tell your man to stand down. This isn’t a case of finders keepers. We’re going to keep her safe until she finds her mate.”

The Chief walked purposefully across to the little tableau, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ben. “She’s found her mate, Wade,” he said, his voice absolutely steady and calm. “He pulled her out of a burning building.”

The wolfen with him growled irritably. “He doesn’t get to just decide she’s his,” he said. “This is a crime scene, not speed dating.”

Chief West moved his dark gaze to the man. “What makes you think it’s a crime scene?” he asked.

“You don’t think this has Khain all over it?”

The Chief shook his head. “No way to tell. Everything smells of burnt wiring and wet ash.”

“But yeah,” Ben added. “It’s gotta be Khain, right? And that’s why she’s coming with us.”

The other firefighters stepped up, flanking Ben and the Chief, shielding Rory as he lifted the unconscious woman into his arms.