Page 10 of Rumble of the Crumble (The Rhubarb Effect)

Butch

At some point, I realized dawn peeked over the horizon, but with the smoke surrounding the house, it was barely visible. The arrival of daylight illuminated the full devastation of the pride house.

I know I screwed up leaving Leonidis alone. Crimson managed to make me feel like the world’s worst mate for not staying with him, but I did have a job to do. I was going to have to talk with Maximus about how he handled the responsibility. In the past, I would have talked to Crimson, but I could do without having another lecture. I was still a little—okay a lot—put out at that EMT touching Leonidis’s mane. I wanted to be the only one to touch it.

He chuckled inside my head.

I kissed Leonidis’s forehead and let my hands drop to rest lightly on his hips. “I’ve got to talk to everyone and make sure the house is safe. Will you come with me or do you want to rest with the pride?

“You need to work without worrying about me,” Leonidis replied, giving nothing of his thoughts. “And Maximus needs my support. We’ve lost our home.”

“You’ll have a home with me, if you want.” I needed him to know this was the truth. I wanted him with me.

“We’ll see,” he answered. Not what I was hoping for. “We need to rebuild the pride house.”

“The town will help you,” I promised, knowing the townsfolk would pull together to help.

I wouldn’t even have to ask them.

Leonidis’s smile was sweet. “We’re so lucky to have you.”

“Right back atcha,” I answered, grinning.

Anything else I was going to say was lost in shouts as more flames went up in the house. I doubted the house could be saved at this point, if I was honest. I saw Maximus’s bleak expression in the light of the flames.

You may have lost the house, but you still have a home here, I assured him.

He turned to look at me. Not until Amell is finished. He won’t stop until he has destroyed us.

I felt, rather than saw, the fear Leonidis tried to hide from me and I took him in my arms again. I will protect you, my mate.

Leonidis’s expression was as bleak as his alpha’s. I felt so frustrated. They came here to start a new life. They’d become part of the town and brought love and fun to Valentine. Now they were being driven out of it, and for all my strong words to Crimson and Maximus, I felt powerless to help them.

Welcome to my world, Maximus growled.

I felt the pride crowd into our minds, even the babies’ tiny presence. Then the town joined us too, with words of comfort for the pride. Even old Bart was there.

“It’s suddenly very crowded in my head,” Leonidis murmured to me.

“You’re now truly a part of Valentine,” I said, chuckling. “Welcome to my world.”

The group hug across the link didn’t last for long. There was too much to do. But I could sense the pride felt better for it. I cupped Leonidas’s jaw and gave him a tender kiss before he joined Maximus, then I focused on my job. The crime scene had become a trampled mess, covered in foam and water. I needed to know where and how the fire started. Who started it wasn’t a mystery. Amell or his cohorts. But how had they gotten access to the house?

I spotted the chief of the firehouse and headed over to him. He was a rhubarb shifter, too.

“Congratulations,” Chief Sutton said as I reached him.

“Huh?”

“You found your mate.” He jabbed a thumb at Leonidis.

I couldn’t help breaking out into a smile. “I did. Thanks, Sutton.”

We went back a long way together, and at one time, we’d talked about a relationship. It hadn’t lasted. We were both alphas, looking for our omegas—betas. I paused… alpha. Wow, had I been testing the water?

I heard a growl in my head and didn’t need to be told where that was coming from. I looked over to where my mate was scowling at me. No need to be jealous. He’s always been more of a friend to me. And I found the right alpha for me, didn’t I?

As long as that’s all he is. You’re mine.

A surge of his possessive feeling hit rather inappropriately, considering what was happening. By Great Rhu, I wanted to push him to acknowledge he was claiming me for the first time. But this was the worst time to cut loose. I limited myself with an image of me holding his cock.

I know that. Chief Sutton has his fated mate. They’ve been together for years.

The grunt in my head sounded less disgusted than before, and there were also whispers of desire. I just grinned at him.

“Do you want to carry on winding up your mate, or do you want to talk business?”

I smirked at Chief Sutton’s raised eyebrow. “I’ve learned I can multi-task.”

Sutton shook his head, then he got down to business. My amusement faded as he told me what they’d discovered so far. This arsonist meant business.

“He wanted to burn them in their beds,” he said, deep lines between his brows. “I’m not one to pry into police business, brother, but you need to protect this pride.”

Not ‘you need to throw them out of Valentine’ but ‘you need to protect them’. I squeezed his shoulder in thanks, ignoring another growl in my head.

“Come and meet my mate and his alpha. They need to hear what you have to say.” I projected that as I said it.

“Are you sure he’s not going to eat me?” Sutton asked, one eyebrow raised.

I chuckled. “Maximus looked growly, but he prefers a steak to chow down on, not rhubarb. He’s a carnivore.”

“I meant your mate. He’s the one snarling at me.”

I looked at Leonidis, scowling at us with his arms folded across his chest, his hair all floofed out. Even from this distance, I could hear him snarling.

“No promises there.” Great Rhu he was precious.