Wildfire Griffin (Fire & Rescue Shifters: Wildfire Crew #1)(36)

Joe cast a significant look at Edith. “What if he gives one of us a hard time?”

“Then I’ll bounce him like a basketball,” Rory growled. “If he takes out his frustrations with me on any of you, let me know. Especially you, Edith.”

Her chin jerked down in the barest nod. The stiffness was back in her posture. Where had all her alert, dancing grace gone? It was like she was a puppet of herself. It made him want to rip something apart. Preferably Seth.

“Hey,” he said, taking her elbow and drawing her a little apart from the others. He lowered his voice. “It’s not true, you know. What Seth said.”

She met his eyes. All he could see in them was himself, reflected back. “About you wanting to sleep with me?”

Damn Seth.

“Right,” he said, his voice roughening. He wished his power worked on her. “You earned your place on this squad. Don’t ever doubt that, okay?”

“Okay,” she echoed. She pulled her arm free, stepping back. Her spine straightened. “I believe you. And I meant what I said earlier. I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t.” His hands felt big and awkward. He felt big and awkward. Everything was all wrong, and he didn’t know why. “Go get your turn outs and pack. We’ll show Buck what A-squad can do.”

Rory let out his breath as Edith headed off. That had been a close one. He was doubly grateful now that they’d been interrupted before, in the storeroom. If he’d kissed her then, she’d never have listened to him now. She would have believed Seth’s insinuations. Her confidence would have been crushed.

Have to be more careful in future, he vowed grimly.

No more longing looks. No more finding excuses for touching her. From now on, he would be carefully, painfully professional. At least for now.

When she knew she belonged in the crew…then, and only then, could he try to win her heart.





Chapter 15





The prey was never alone.

The situation was maddening. All it needed was a single unguarded moment, a chance to swoop in and strike…but the pack never gave the opportunity.

They slept together. Ate together. Spent long hours running up and down the mountain and cutting strange, pointless trenches through the undergrowth. There was not a single minute, night or day, when the prey was not guarded.

The shifter pack knew it was watching. One of them seemed to have an uncanny knack of sensing its presence. No matter how high in the sky it flew, the flame-haired shifter’s face would turn upward, tracking it through the sky.

Could he detect its true nature? Or had he merely noticed a hawk behaving oddly?

It was tempted to jump hosts again, but caution held it back. Transferring its essence would send out a pulse of energy that could be detected, by those with the senses to do so. The shifters might not be alert to such things…but there was another who was.

And it was not yet ready to attract that one’s attention.

It couldn’t decide whether the shifters knew of its plot or not. On the one horn, they hadn’t yet tried to attack it. On the other, they stayed close together, like deer scenting a circling wolf.

It had a little more time before it would need to abandon the hawk’s body. It could be patient for a while longer.

It circled high above the pack. Waiting. Watching.

For the prey to make a single mistake.





Chapter 16





“Spot fire!” Buck called.

From his position at the head of the squad, Rory looked up. The swift, powerful strokes of his Pulaski never paused as he swept the meadow with an assessing glance.

“Bump up,” he said calmly. “Edith and Callum, go.”

She’d been at the back of the squad, clearing the last debris from the newly-cut line with a MacCleod—a kind of heavy-duty rake with tines on one side and a hoe on the other. Rory’s call took her by surprise. She fumbled her tool, nearly dropping it.

“Come on, Edith!” Blaise, who was just ahead of her in line, shoved the Pulaski she’d been wielding at her. “Go, go!”

Up ahead, Callum and Wystan had already exchanged tools like Olympic relay runners passing a baton. Much more awkwardly, Edith swapped with Blaise. The other woman took up the job of raking, while Edith raced after Callum.

He cast her a sideways glance and a nod as she caught up with him. She stretched her legs, chest burning as she fought to match his longer stride.

“Falling behind, A-squad!” Buck roared.

Seth and Tanner’s runners were already at work, cutting line around red blankets that Buck had thrown onto the ground. Skidding to a halt in front of their own simulated spot fire, Edith sank her Pulaski into the turf. She dug frantically, keeping an eye on Callum to make sure he was keeping up with her rough cuts. He followed along behind, methodically clearing the ground down to bare soil.

“Wind’s shifted!” Buck announced with distinct glee. “Double-strength gusts, straight east. Think fast!”

It was a perfectly calm day. Edith did her best to visualize fire creeping through the peaceful meadow, gobbling up the waist-high grass. She imagined what would happen if a mean, capricious wind suddenly fanned the flames…

“That’s it.” Callum tossed aside a last clod of cut turf, leaving the blanket isolated in a circle of dirt. “Fire’s ringed.”