Hidden Passions (Hidden, #7)(11)

Their chief was watching the fire in her astral form, seeing what they couldn't--and in ways they couldn't--with spirit eyes. Her actual body sat in the station's special sensory-shielded van. Being able to simultaneously astral project and vocalize was an uncommon gift for tigers. Chris had it too, but tonight he was on rescue.

Knowing their boss could only see so much at once, he kicked open the next door on the left side. "RFD!" he bellowed like Liam had. "Call out if you're inside!"

His sharp tiger ears heard nothing: no voices, no heartbeats, just the eerie sigh and crackle of the fire. Part of him wanted to call for hoses, but the resulting super-heated steam would have made further searching impossible. Accustomed to threatening environs, he didn't panic when the flames brightened. His pulse was quicker than normal but steady.

"Nothing," he said for the benefit of the rest, though he couldn't see well enough to tell anyone which unit he'd just cleared.

"Found a live one," came Jonah's voice on the radio. The building's halls formed a T. Jonah and Syd were clearing the crossbar on this, the third floor. "We've got no egress nearby. The fire's blocked the next stairwell."

"Backtrack to me and Liam," Chris instructed, suspecting Evina might have to guide the others in the nearly nonexistent visibility. "Station 12 has a ladder at the hall-end window behind us."

Jonah didn't answer but gasped suddenly in shock. "Shit," he said, his voice cracking. "Syd went down. I think he's unconscious."

"Stay calm," Chris advised. "He probably got too hyped and used up his air supply. Can you drag him and carry your victim too?"

"Yes," Jonah said more steadily. "Doing it." Chris heard grunts of effort and then, "Boss, before he dropped, Syd claimed he heard someone moan in the next unit. I think it's the final one on the right."

Chris had to decide quickly. The moan might be nothing. Fire made a lot of sounds, and Syd didn't have as much experience as some at distinguishing them. Evina didn't comment, her attention likely pulled off them to something more important to the big picture. Chris checked his air gauge. Ten minutes remained in his SCBA tank. If the fire didn't get more hairy, he could check it out, no trouble.

"It could be that lady's kids," Liam put in. "The one who screamed like a banshee when we drove up. She said they were on this floor."

Chris remembered. The woman had been hysterical. Parents often were--though sometimes it turned out their kids were safe miles away, and in their terror they'd forgotten.

"All right," he said. "I'll move up to Jonah's position. Jonah, get your victim and Syd to safety. Watch your step. The floor isn't stable in some places."

"Should I finish checking this hall?" Liam asked.

The kid was game as hell but--like Syd--less experienced. "Call out and listen. Do it quick and no more door busting. You hear nothing or anything goes sideways, you hightail it out of here."

Satisfied he'd obey, Chris let his eyes change enough to gain the benefit of his cat's night vision. Though he still saw colors, they were muted.

He picked up the pace as he went forward. He might not have the time he thought. Fire seldom did what people expected. As he neared the T intersection, the smoke thickened noticeably, further blurring the light from his helmet lamp. He bumped Jonah's shoulder before realizing the big cat was there. Jonah was moving quickly too. He stayed low, hunched with his unconscious rescue on one shoulder. It was lucky the cat was strong. Syd's body bumped and tilted as Jonah dragged him by the scruff of his turnout coat. Chris checked the tiger's aura. His light was lower than normal, but it was there.

"Syd's okay," he called back to Jonah before continuing.

He had to feel along the wall with his fireproof glove to find the final apartment. The door hadn't been kicked open, so Chris turned his back to it and forced entry. His adrenaline must have been pretty amped. He burst the hinges and the lock, toppling the door into the unit with a bang like a gunshot.

He ducked instinctively, just in time. A wall of heat blasted back toward him. The fire had got a good hold here. When he squinted through the rippling air, he spotted drapes blazing like torches against a wall. The windows were black from the smoke outside, the various furniture shapes burning or not with seeming capriciousness. If the kids who were supposed to be in here were mundanes, no way were they alive now.


If they were shifters or something else with juice, maybe he could save them.

"Fire Department!" Chris shouted. "Call out if you're inside!"

Hearing nothing, he crouched and looked lower. Most kids had the sense to keep to the floor if they were able to. He saw a wavering darker shape that might have been a body but couldn't tell from the threshold.

"Call out!" he repeated, using his tiger power to amplify the sound. "I need to know you're here!"

He forced his eyes to change a few ticks more. The unnatural partial shift triggered a sharp headache but allowed him to see the glimmer of a still-alive aura. He gasped in surprise at what he spotted next. There were two auras--two little guttering match flames inside the inferno.

"Chris." Evina's urgent voice crackled in his helmet. "Get out of there right now. The fire is spiking. Your floor is about to flashover."