Page 31 of Flare (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters #17)

Fire Call

The next day, Emily woke up before her alarm went off. She opened her eyes and saw the morning sun shining through the curtains in Ward ’ s bedroom.

She still had time before she had to get ready for work. She turned to face Ward, and leaned in to brush her lips lightly across his. Kissing him was so much fun.

He stirred. His sinfully long lashes fluttered, and a smile ghosted over his mouth just before he opened his eyes.

“ Morning, beautiful,” he husked. His arm tightened around her waist, pulling her closer.

He raised his head and their lips met again, deeper this time, in a kiss slow and warm and full of promise.

And then the harsh blare of Ward ’ s first responder app split the air. Emily stiffened, startled.

Ward groaned and let his head flop back against his pillow for a beat before he rolled away, reaching for his phone on the nightstand.

“ What is it?” she squeaked.

“ Fire department.” He was already throwing back the quilt and reaching for his phone.

He scanned it, frowning. “ Someone reported a barn on fire just outside of town. I need to go.” He rolled out of bed in one smooth movement and grabbed a soft, charcoal-gray T-shirt from the chair beside the dresser.

He tugged it over his head as he stepped into a pair of lightweight sweatpants. Thick wool socks followed.

Even in the rush, his movements were those of a man used to going from sleep to action in seconds.

Emily sat up, clutching the quilt to her bare chest. “ Be careful.”

Ward leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “ You too. If I ’ m not back in time, ask Violet to walk you to work. Don ’ t go anywhere without your panic button.”

And then he was gone.

∞∞∞

Andrew crouched in the shadow of a woodshed across the street from Ward Swanson ’ s decrepit old house. In the distance, a thick plume of dark smoke stained the otherwise perfect blue sky—evidence of his handiwork from earlier that morning.

Andrew ’ s lips curled into a self-satisfied smile. The volunteer firefighter had taken the bait, exactly as planned.

Andrew adjusted his position, careful to stay hidden despite the deserted street. Most of Bearpaw Ridge ’ s residents were at work or school on a Tuesday morning, a detail he ’ d meticulously factored into his plan. Minimal witnesses, maximum opportunity.

His patience was rewarded when Ward ’ s pickup backed out of the driveway, tires spitting gravel.

Andrew watched as Ward ’ s pickup disappeared around the corner, racing toward the billowing smoke on the outskirts of town.

“ Good boy,” Andrew murmured. “ Run along now to save the day.”

He allowed himself a moment to savor his success. The old wooden barn he ’ d set on fire would keep Ward and the other volunteer firefighters busy for hours.

More than enough time for Andrew to have a talk with his runaway mate and convince her to return home.

His gaze settled on the blue Subaru parked in Ward ’ s driveway. Emily ’ s car. Confirmation that she ’ d been hiding out here like the ungrateful bitch she was.

His bear rumbled with displeasure at the reminder of her desertion, but Andrew pushed the animal back down. Complete control was essential now. He couldn ’ t afford to let his emotions get the better of him this time.

Emily was his. His bear had chosen her, and he would have to make her understand what that meant. She belonged with him , not wallowing in the company of these backwoods shifters.

Andrew checked the street one last time before emerging from his hiding place. He moved with purpose but without hurry, projecting the confidence of someone who belonged. If anyone was watching, he didn ’ t want to look suspicious.

As he approached Ward ’ s house, Andrew mentally rehearsed what he would say to Emily.

He ’ d be firm but reasonable. He ’ d remind her of their engagement, of the life they ’ d planned together.

He ’ d explain that her shock at seeing his bear form for the first time had been understandable, but something they could work through together.

Andrew walked up the driveway past Emily ’ s car, rounded the corner of the house, and headed for the back door. He ’ d observed enough to know that doors in this town were usually left unlocked during the day. Small-town habits were so weird, but in this case, useful.

He was ten feet from the door when the smell hit him.

Andrew froze, his nostrils flaring as he drew in another breath to confirm what his bear already knew. Ward ’ s scent clung to the air around the house—expected, of course—but it was interwoven with something else. Something that made Andrew ’ s blood run cold before super-heating in his veins.

Emily ’ s scent, tangled with Ward ’ s, and tainted with the unmistakable musk of sex hung in the air like an accusation.

Andrew ’ s vision tunneled, the edges darkening as his bear surged forward, clawing for control. His hands curled into fists so tight that his manicured nails broke skin. But he felt no pain through the white-hot rage now coursing through him.

“ No,” he whispered, the word escaping through clenched teeth. “ No, no, NO!”

His bear was howling inside his mind, a feral scream of possessive fury that threatened to tear him apart from within.

That filthy Swanson fucked my mate!

The thought exploded in Andrew ’ s mind like a grenade, shrapnel tearing through every careful plan and calculated move. His body vibrated with rage so intense it felt like his skin might split open from the pressure of containing it.

Emily is mine. MINE!

His bear had chosen her to complete him, to submit to him, to obey him.

His property. His possession. His mate.

And Ward Swanson had dared to put his scent all over her.

The betrayal cut deeper than Andrew could have imagined. Not just Emily ’ s betrayal—though that burned like acid—but the violation by another bear shifter. Even worse, a goddamn Swanson shifter.

Andrew ’ s breath came in ragged gasps as he struggled to maintain control. He needed to think, to come up with a new plan.

But his bear was beyond reason now. It demanded blood and retribution for the crime against their mate. The animal part of him wanted to tear into the house, find Emily, and mark her so thoroughly that no other male would ever dare approach her again.

After that, it wanted to find Ward and rip him apart, limb from limb.

A familiar burning prickle ran across Andrew ’ s skin, the first warning sign of an involuntary shift. The sensation intensified, transforming into an unbearable burning that seemed to liquefy his very bones.

“ Not here,” he hissed, pressing his back against the side of the house as he fought the change. “ Not now.”

But his bear would not be denied. The rage was too potent, the violation too great.

Pain lanced through Andrew ’ s jaw as it elongated.

His expensive leather jacket strained across his broadening shoulders.

Bones cracked and reshaped themselves while muscles tore and reformed beneath his skin.

He bit down on his own tongue to keep from screaming, tasting blood as his teeth sharpened into points.

Control. He needed control.

With a monumental effort of will, Andrew pushed back against his bear ’ s fury. He couldn ’ t afford a full shift, not here in the open, not with what he needed to do. He ’ d spent years mastering his bear, bending the animal to his will. He wouldn ’ t lose that mastery now.

The transformation halted, leaving him in a halfway state. His body was still mostly human, but covered in patches of golden-brown fur. His hands were distorted into powerful half-paws, tipped with lethal claws.

In this half-shifted form, Andrew ’ s senses were heightened even further. He could hear Emily moving inside the house—the soft pad of her footsteps on the wooden floor, the quiet humming of a song he didn ’ t recognize. The sound sent fresh waves of betrayal crashing through him.

She was humming. Happy. While he had been heartbroken and suffering the loss of his mate, she ’ d been fucking another man and humming cheerful tunes.

The realization stoked his rage even further until he thought he might burst into flames where he stood.

Mine , his bear snarled. MINE!

For once, Andrew was in perfect agreement with his animal side. Emily Clarke belonged to him. She ’ d accepted his ring and his mate bond. She was his to control. His to command. And his to punish when necessary.

And punishment was very necessary now.

Andrew ran his tongue over his elongated teeth, tasting the promise of violence. He would teach Emily what it meant to betray her mate.

And then, when Ward returned, Andrew would deal with him too.

The world had narrowed to these simple, brutal objectives. Nothing else mattered anymore—not his dignity, not the Brunborn family name, not even the risk of exposure and arrest.

Her betrayal had stripped away his human civility, leaving only the raw, possessive fury of a bear whose territory had been invaded and whose mate had been stolen.

With the silent stalk of a predator, Andrew approached the back door of Ward ’ s house. His clawed fingers curled around the doorknob, testing it. Unlocked, as he ’ d expected.

It was time to take back what was his, and to teach Emily a lesson about the consequences of cleaving to any man but her true mate.

∞∞∞

Ward ’ s boots hit the gravel with a crunch as he leaped from his truck, heart hammering against his ribs. The distinctive smell of gasoline mixed with burning wood hung in the air. He knew instantly that this was no accident.

“ Ward!” Maggie ’ s voice cut through the din of slamming truck doors and shouted commands. His cousin jogged toward him, already suited up in her turnout gear. “ Chief wants the fire on the west wall knocked down first. It ’ s closest to a bunch of equipment.”

He nodded, yanking his helmet into place as he surveyed the scene. All four of the barn ’ s walls were ablaze, the flames greedily devouring century-old weathered wood. The sheer waste offended his carpenter ’ s heart.

His uncle Dane was directing two other volunteers to unroll hoses from the tanker truck, while Maggie ’ s brother Matt worked the pump controls.

“ Someone really wanted this barn gone,” Ward muttered as he and Maggie dragged a heavy hose.

“ Yeah,” Maggie agreed, her face grim beneath her helmet. “ And I ’ m betting those fires weren ’ t set by some teenager with matches.”

“ Charge the line!” Dad shouted.

Moments later, the hose in Ward ’ s hands stiffened as water surged through it. He wrestled the nozzle into position. It was hard work even for someone with shifter strength.

His muscles strained against the powerful kickback as water hammered into the flames. Sweat instantly beaded on his forehead despite the morning chill. Beside him, Maggie braced the hose, her boots digging into the dirt for leverage.

The fire hissed and sputtered as water struck it, sending up clouds of steam that momentarily obscured their vision. When the air cleared, Ward could see blackened fuel soaks and what looked like melted remnants of plastic gas cans scattered among the charred grass.

The vibration against his hip nearly made him lose his grip on the hose. With one hand still holding the nozzle, Ward awkwardly fished his phone from his pocket.

The screen showed an alert from his home security system—motion detected at the back door. He tapped the notification with his thumb, bringing up the live feed from the camera he ’ d installed after Emily moved in.

What he saw turned his blood to ice.

Andrew Brunborn, his face distorted in a grotesque half-shift, fur sprouting in patches across his visible skin, was prowling around Ward ’ s back porch.

“ Fuck,” Ward growled, horror washing over him in a sick wave. “ Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Emily was alone in the house.

“ What is it?” Maggie asked.

Ward couldn ’ t answer. His mind was flooded with images of Emily ’ s face from just hours ago—the trust in her eyes when she ’ d curled against him in bed, saying she finally felt safe. The way she ’ d smiled when he promised her that Andrew would never hurt her again.

“ I have to go,” he said, already backing away from the fire. “ It ’ s an emergency.”

“ What? Ward, we ’ re in the middle of—”

“ It ’ s Andrew. He ’ s at my house. Emily ’ s alone.”

Maggie ’ s eyes widened behind her goggles. “ Go. I ’ ll cover for you.”

Ward was already yanking off his helmet, fumbling with the clasp of his turnout coat. He unclipped the radio from his belt, holding it to his mouth as he broke into a run toward his truck.

“ Chief,” he panted into the mic. “ There ’ s an emergency at my place. Andrew Brunborn just showed up there. Emily ’ s in danger. I have to go.”

His uncle Dane ’ s voice crackled back immediately. “ Go. I ’ ll call it in for you. Be careful, Ward.”

Ward didn ’ t wait to hear more. He flung himself into his pickup, the engine roaring to life as he stomped on the gas. Dirt sprayed from beneath his tires as he peeled away from the scene.

Ward ’ s hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles whitened. He pushed his truck to its limits.

And then his phone erupted with a shrill, distinctive alert from Emily ’ s panic button.