Wildfire Griffin (Fire & Rescue Shifters: Wildfire Crew #1)(56)

Rory’s gaze flicked from her to the bedroom door, as though he’d just been struck by the same thought. He shifted his weight, clearing his throat. He looked almost…nervous.

That was patently ridiculous, of course. He’d faced down the monstrous grizzly without even blinking. He could turn into a griffin. Why on earth would he look at her as though she had the power to rip him apart?

“Let’s take a walk,” he said. “There’s still something I need to tell you.”





Chapter 27





It was the same, and yet totally different.

Just like before—could it really have only been this afternoon?—they sat on the log overlooking the stream, not quite touching, the gentle murmur of the water whispering in the background. Just like before, Edith scooped up a handful of pebbles, pitching them one by one into the shallows. Just like before, she watched the water rather than his face as he spoke.

But this time, he didn’t worry that he didn’t have her attention. He knew better now. The way she focused on the water, the way she rubbed each rough rock in little circles with her fingers, the way she tilted her head; they were all signs that she was listening, with her whole being.

He found himself mimicking her, without really meaning to. He sat side-by-side with her, looking more at the water than her face as he talked. Though she barely said a word as he explained the attacks and the storm-creature and Buck’s plans for A-squad, he slowly began to understand her better.

It was easier to talk when she was just in the corner of his eye. His words flowed more easily when he wasn’t scrutinizing her expression for every hint of reaction. Not to mention that it was easier to keep himself on topic when he wasn’t constantly getting lost in her beauty.

“So that’s why I took off like that this evening.” He leaned his elbows on his knees, watching the crystal-clear water hurry past. He was exquisitely aware of the heat of her hip near his. “I had to stop that monster from starting a lightning fire here.”

Plunk went one of Edith’s rocks into the stream. “Do you think Buck’s right? That it’s afraid of you?”

“Well, it didn’t hang around when I went after it.” Rory shrugged one shoulder. “I didn’t even get close enough to get a good look at it through all that cloud. I think its main weapon is its lightning, and that’s too slow and inaccurate to hit me in mid-air. It flew around for a bit, as if it was trying to get past me, but when I turned back to come after you, it didn’t follow. Last I saw, it was headed for the horizon again.”

Edith frowned, her forehead creasing. “It doesn’t sound like a real attack.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking. I suspect it was just trying to keep me busy. Lure me away long enough for that bear to go after you.”

The line between Edith’s eyebrows deepened. “It definitely wasn’t a normal bear. You’re sure it wasn’t a shifter?”

“Pretty sure. It’s not totally accurate, but we can generally scent each other. And that hawk I caught earlier definitely wasn’t one of us. I think they’re animals that the storm-creature has corrupted, somehow. Turned into its minions.”

Edith rolled a pebble between her palms, apparently giving it her full attention. He could almost hear her mind working furiously.

“Maybe.” She sounded dubious. “But something doesn’t seem quite right to me.”

He let out a snort of laughter. “You mean, apart from all the demonic wildlife trying to attack you?”

She wrinkled her nose at him, her own lips twitching up. “I’m not saying that isn’t weird. And it certainly seems like the bear and the, the storm-thing were acting in concert today. But then there was the hare. It doesn’t fit. You didn’t see how terrified it was, how desperately it was searching for a way through the flames. Why would the storm-thing incinerate one of its own servants?”

Rory shrugged again. “Collateral damage? Maybe it had been using the hare to spy on you, and wasn’t too bothered about it getting caught up in the attack. I mean, we’re talking about a monster that regularly sets fire to tens of thousands of acres of forest. I don’t think it has much of a conscience.”

Edith made a noncommittal noise, looking unconvinced. She tossed her last pebble into the stream. Her hands fluttered for a moment as though in search of something to hold.

Catching sight of him watching her, she flushed. Her hands stilled, flattening between her knees with what was clearly a deliberate effort. He’d noticed her do that before.

“Why do you do that?” he asked, nodding at her hands.

Her blush deepened. “Hand flapping? It’s a form of stimming, getting sensory feedback. It’s…natural, for a lot of people like me. Like facial expressions are for other people. I can’t really explain it any better than that.”

“No.” He touched the back of her wrist, very lightly. “I mean, why do you make yourself stop?”

Her fingers wound together. “It’s a dead giveaway. It’s inappropriate, and makes people uncomfortable. My teachers taught me how to control it. Quiet hands.”

Her shoulders jerked a little on the last two words, as though they were an old, unhealed wound. He clenched his jaw against his instinctive protective fury.