Page 21

Lyle

Ambrose catches me before I go off on someone, a hand spread across my chest as he leans forward, whispering in my ear several times that Seraphina is okay and safe before he settles. The problem is that despite those words, the wreckage of her apartment doesn’t make any sense. The front half—kitchen, most of the living room—is a blackened skeleton, charred wood and melted appliances, the air thick with smoke.

Ambrose is at the edge of his rope, his rum spice scent sharp with rage, the same as mine, his instincts screaming to hunt, to destroy whoever did this to our Omega. I’m barely holding it together myself, my heart still racing from her call and the thought of her trapped in that fiery mess with no way out.

We’re going to need each other after this, the snarl gathering on Ambrose’s lips pulling my attention. I calm him the same way he did me, forcing him to look at me before dragging him into a hard kiss, my lips crashing against his. He resists for a split second, then melts against me, a small growl escaping him, his hands fisting my jacket. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I just know it wasn’t some fucking accident,” he says, his eyes darting to what used to be her apartment. The flames caught the walls of the apartments next to hers but other than that, hers was the only one destroyed.

“We both know that,” I tell him because what kind of fire moves that fast. “But right now, we owe it to Seraphina to keep our heads, because if you go back home with this kind of energy, you’re gonna fucking terrify her. Deep breaths.”

Ambrose calms only slightly but it’s enough for now. The chief strides over, a grim look on his face. “Come on,” he says, “let’s see if we can’t see where this fire started.” The look of surprise on my face has his shoulders falling in defeat. “I know there’s some things you want to grab and we’ve got about twenty minutes before the police get here to ward everything off.”

This goes completely against protocol but he’s giving us a bit of leeway because even if we never came outright with it, everyone knows Seraphina is our Omega. We follow the chief silently after suiting up, hating the charred mess that we pass through. Everything is devastated throughout the mudroom, the kitchen and the living room. However, the hallway is miraculously untouched, the bedrooms filled with smoke but devoid of any ashes or burn marks.

I’ve been in my share of fires, pulling people out to safety and I couldn’t imagine for one second being stuck in one with no way out.

We make our way into her nest, my gaze falling on the empty shelves usually crowded with Ambrose’s gifts. “Seems she grabbed a few keepsakes,” I muse, despite the heaviness of the situation. Ambrose follows where I’m looking before I continue searching for anything that makes sense.

The chief’s voice calls from the hallway, “Anything stand out?”

I’m about to say no when Ambrose reaches down to pick up a charred pillow. It’s the one with the frills, the one she hesitated putting her nest but eventually was woven into the edge. “Why is this burnt?” He brings it out to the chief, showing off the fabric. “She wouldn’t have brought that anywhere near the kitchen.”

“I don’t even know what I’m looking at because if her pillow caught on fire, then there were two fires and nothing about that screams accidental.”

More sirens sound in the distance, the chief clicking his tongue. “Time’s up, boys. We can’t keep looking around. Police are almost here. Grab whatever you need but I don’t want Chief Monroe thinking we messed with his scene.”

Ambrose is already moving, heading toward Felix’s room, muttering something about one last check. I stay where I am, still trying to make sense of everything when Ambrose returns, holding a picture of Felix and Seraphina. It’s probably one of the last ones taken before he died and a keepsake I know Seraphina will want close.

He nods back toward Felix’s room. “Part of the wall is charred in there too. Like a fire started but fizzled out. None of this adds up.”

Chief blows out a heavy breath, dragging a hand through his hair. “No, it doesn’t but when Chief Monroe tries to chalk this up to an accident by a clumsy Omega, I’ll know where to point him. Now, get out of here and make sure Seraphina is okay. Take all the time you three need with her. We can suffer being a little short staffed until she’s ready to come back.”

“Yeah, okay,” I mutter, not quite wanting to leave this mystery to rest. I’m about to leave when I turn around to address the chief one last time. “Just so it’s on record but I don’t think any of this was an accident. Despite there being three different places where this fire started, Seraphina hates fire. She didn’t even light Callum’s birthday candles a few days ago. They had pizza last night and she had leftovers today.”

The chief waves us off, telling us that he’ll make sure it gets logged in the report. He’s a good man and I know he’ll make sure this is looked into. After all, Seraphina is one of us and we take care of our own.

“I’ll talk to the police. You get home to Seraphina. I have a feeling she’s gonna need all of you, and you’re gonna need her just as bad.”

He’s not wrong.