“Well, it is an ability. And we have them for a reason.” He sat up a little straighter. “There has to be a reason and purpose for this to be happening the way it is and to us, with me.”
“No, Ava,” he groaned. “I don’t even want to think about that.”
“It has to be true. Have you done any more digging with your family?”
“I think I burned that bridge completely. Harper came and tried to get me to break my bond with you. Said that I had been promised to her since she was a teenager and all this bull, and I was never supposed to bond with someone else. That I messed everything up. They had been planning on forcing the imprint on me with Harper in a few months when I bonded with you.” I groaned painfully, listening to it all. “Sorry,” he said and cupped my jaw, bringing my face back up. “She said I wouldn’t even miss you when it was done if I would do it and get it done,” he whispered and laughed without humor. “They have no idea about love. It’s all chemicals and blood to them.” I sucked in a small breath, though I hadn’t meant to. Love… He hadn’t said anything about love since that day. He smiled a little. He let his hand fall to his leg where he took my hand. His thumb caused me serious heart palpitations. “I haven’t even see anyone in the family but my mom in days.”
“Have I met anyone?”
“You met Harper.” I felt my eyebrows raise. “It wasn’t on purpose.”
“What about your mom and dad?”
“Uh…” He looked down debating, looking uncomfortable. “I don’t know if that would be a good idea. My father is hardcore Watson. He’s the one who put me in the care of my uncle to train me along with the others for the day that we’d one day,” he used quotation marks with his free hand, “get their revenge.”
“I’m sorry.” And I was.
“I would say I’d figure this out for us, but you’ll just make fun of me for it later.” He smiled.
“There’s an inside joke in there somewhere, isn’t there?”
“Yeah.” He sighed.
“Well, then I’ll figure this out for us. There has to be a reason that you need my subconscious and you keep being pulled back here.”
“The summit is in a couple days,” he muttered, distracted. “I’ve never been more terrified of a bunch of stuffy people and a pile of pretty bricks before in my life.”
“I’ll be there with you.”
He looked in my eyes. “Yes, you will. Thank you. Thank you for always being there for me,” he chuckled once, “even when you’re asleep.”
“Of course.” I swallowed and thought. “And maybe…maybe you can try to get back in with your family before the summit gets here, before the council arrives.”
“I’m sure Harper has run me up the river by now. It’ll never work.”
“You can tell them that we’re fighting, that Daddy is trying to get you to be a spy or something. They’ll believe that.”
He laughed under his breath. “I was a little surprised he didn’t ask actually.”
“No. He’d never.”
“But he is sending some of your people out to scout or something since we know that my family doesn’t really trust me anymore.”
“Well, I think it would be worth a shot. I’m sure you’d like to see your Mom.”
His lips twisted. “My family isn’t like yours. They don’t… We don’t call each other all the time. We don’t stop by just for fun. They only ever talk about business, and that business is revenge. My parents have never said ‘I love you’ or anything like that.” I gasped a little. “No, it’s fine,” he soothed. “I know I’m not their real son—”
“Seth,” I scolded, “that shouldn’t matter. If they adopted you and you call them ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ then they are your parents.” He looked down as his thumb moved over my knuckles. I loved him doing that and could have just waited, letting him continue to do it, but my significant body needed to soothe him instead of being soothe. I reached up and took his face in my cool hands, loving the feel of his scratchy cheeks on my palms. “It doesn’t even matter anymore. Whether or not they are your family is now your decision, not theirs. But you are my family. And you have a big family now that wants you, no strings, no ultimatums, just wants you. Don’t ever feel like you don’t belong again, because you belong to me.”
He swallowed loudly before his lips parted with a harsh breath. I saw his mouth begin to break with a smile before he laid his head to mine and put his arms back around me.
“Okay, little bird, you’ve got a deal. I’ll put our little plan into action, see if anything pans out, and report back to you.”
“Be careful.” I looked up at him, feeling a smidge of apprehensive. “Promise?”
“Don’t worry.” He smiled a secret smile. “I won’t be a hero, just for today.”
_ _ _
The next morning, I woke early and took the firemen coffee and donuts. It was a nice ploy that they all saw through, but it didn’t matter when I was in withdrawals this badly. Watching Seth take the last box of donuts from my hands, toss it unceremoniously on the table, and tell the guys he’d be back in a few minutes, but take my sleeve instead of my hand was confusing. But it wasn’t confusing any longer when we reached my car and he pulled me to the trunk and finally reached for my face.
The explosive groan that came from us both as our skin connected would never have been explained away as normal. As it was, we could barely catch our breath as we hung on to each other and let the aches drain away.
“I am mourning the loss of those tights, but I am glad that you’re warm today in these jeans. Which you still somehow manage to make look as sinful as those tights. But warmer.”
I shook my head. “Tights are warm.”
He shook his head, not believing me. Then he stood a little straighter and switched gears. “I was going to sneak out last night to come see you, but there was a call. And if I had been gone when the call came in… I barely slept last night. Just sat up thinking what I could do. Someone was always up. At one point, I thought it was worth it to just let it all go and go to you, but if I lose this, then what do I have to take care of you?” He shook his head. “I bet your father is pissed about this, isn’t he?”
I looked away. Daddy was, in fact, pretty ticked that Seth couldn’t find a way to change shifts or something. He didn’t understand how fire stations worked. And if that was the case then quit, Dad had said. I rolled my eyes. Not all families had money like the Jacobsons. He couldn’t just quit. He had rent, he had bills. Daddy just grunted and asked was this going to be my life? Was I going to be in withdrawals for half of my lifespan because Seth wanted to be a fireman?
Seth sighed. “I’ll figure this—”
“I know.”
He squinted thoughtfully. “I thought a lot about this last night. I do have a business degree.”
“Seth, you told me you’ve wanted to be a fireman since you were eight. You said you got the degree and knew you were never going to use it.”
His hands still held my face, his thumbs swept across my cheeks. “But we can’t live like this.” His sigh was harsh. “Just the thought of your being in withdrawals again in the morning because of this, because of me, makes me physically ill.”
And he did look ill. His eyes were tired and had sleep-deprived bags under them, and his face was hard as stone, too.
I had a thought. “The summit is in three days.”
“But this will all start over again when it’s done.”
“We’ll be there and we’ll have lots of time to think. We’ll figure this out, Ava,” I said, using a deep tone to pretend to be his voice. “I’ll figure this out for us.”
He laughed once, a small smile barely cracking. “I do not sound like that.”
“Yes, you do. And it’s adorable.” I put my arms around his neck and moved up on my tiptoes. His legs were already spread to give me room and make him shorter. As soon as my lips touched his, Rodney opened the door and hopped out.
“No.” He pointed. ??
?I sat through the goo, goo, ga, ga crap and the I’ll figure this out for us,” he mocked, twitched his fingers in the air. “But I will not sit through making out. Nuhuh. Not happening.” He crossed his arms and stared for a few seconds and then nodded. “Later, Seth.”
“Later,” Seth said, bewildered. “Your brother hates me.”
“No, he doesn’t. Rodney is so focused on his music and games and the internet. Don’t mind him. He’s the reason that I… Rodney told me that it was you that had sent him the text and everything that night at the house.”
Seth sighed.
Ah, that night.
I smiled. Maybe since we opened up the floodgates, it would stay. I loved his voice in my mind.
He looked up.
I miss you already.
I couldn’t have felt more safe or warm or happy than in that moment.
I miss you, too. Be careful today. No awards. Don’t be a hero.
He smiled. Okay. Just for today.
His fingers dug into the hair behind my ear and pulled me to him as he took my lips. I twisted my fingers into the first thing they could grab and held on. So I wound up fisting his shirtfront with both hands. His smooth, warm lips carried me away for just a minute to where I needed to be.
Home.
But it didn’t last nearly long enough.
“Oh, come on!” Rodney said and slammed his palm on the inside of the top of the car. “We talked about this, guys!”
We laughed as we broke apart. He pulled me to him for one more deep pull of my mouth and then took me to my door and opened it for me. “Uh,” he said awkwardly as he leaned over the top of the open door, “I’m not supposed to leave when I’m on duty, so.”
“I can stop by again later. Want me to bring food? That seems to keep them busy?” I looked at the fireman still chowing down on the donuts. They saw us looking and waved. Trouble blew me a kiss. I laughed and Seth waved him off.
“They never turn away a meal, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to. They love to cook around here. We do a lot of cooking.”
“Is that right?” Intriguing.
“Yeah,” he said and smiled. “In fact, just come and the boys and I will whip up a batch up of five alarm chili.”
My eyebrows rose and I laughed loudly. “That sounds dangerous.”
“You have no idea.”
“It’s okay for me to keep stopping by? You won’t get in trouble?”
“The chief is pretty lax about visitors since most of the guys are married. We usually have wives in and out, bringing food and stuff.” He realized what he said and smirked, but said nothing else.
Knowing it was time for me to go, he slowly leaned over the top of the open car door and kissed me. When I heard the whoops start across the street, I started to pull back, but Seth grabbed my arm.
“Pay them no mind, sweetheart.” He swung his arm at them and that just made them even worse as he came back in for another one, this time, making sure to touch my arms with his. The tingles, the calm, the warmth that spread—he was filling me up, one for the road, as they say. I was grateful. It was going to be a long day.
When he pulled back, he started to say something, but a loud bell started to go off. I looked and everybody jumped up from the table.
“Gotta go. Duty calls.”
I nodded. “Go, go.”
He pecked my cheek and ran across the street. I felt my first sense of real pride as I watched him put on his uniform. Big yellow, rubber looking pants with suspenders, boots, and a jacket. And then a helmet to top it off. It was far enough away and there were people in the way that I couldn’t get a perfectly clear view, but it was enough to make my heart soar. And I also got my first sense of real fear.
He was going to a fire.
The truck tore out of the fire house and as they passed, I heard him.
This is what I do, sweetheart. Everything is fine. It’s just a small kitchen fire. I’ll let you know when it’s all done. Go fill that pretty head with all sorts of knowledge.
Please be careful.
I promise.
I’ll see you later. I. Will. See. You. Later.
Be here at five and I’ll show you what real cooking is.
“Ave,” Rodney said softly as I stood and stared at the building. “I get that you’re having an existential crisis of sorts right now, but can you do it while I’m doing calculus? I’m late.”
“Oh, yeah.” I slid in and buckled. “Sorry. Um.”
“I get it. You knew he was a fireman, but you’ve never seen him actually have to be a fireman before. It sucks.”
I looked at him with a grimace. “You are weirdly perceptive. Like…you’re a freak.”
He laughed. “Right on.”
I shook my head as I breathed. I dropped him off and went to classes, late myself. Within an hour and a half of me trying to stay calm, Seth was in my head telling me that all was well, and we spent the whole class talking. This could be a problem, I thought to myself, as the professor got all big-headed when he thought I was thoroughly enjoying his lecture—given by my huge smile and his smirk as he stood straighter and the fact that he kept nodding at me in approval.
No, Professor Grimes. This smile is not for you.
I went and had dinner at the fire station that night with the funniest group of guys I’d ever been around. Granted, I’d never been around that many ‘groups of guys’, but I’d still say they had the market cornered. The guys were making jokes that Seth was a new man since I came around, that he wasn’t so broody so I had to stick around. Seth and I just smiled at each other and took their ribbing.
When it was time to go, it sucked, but it was the last night. He would be back on the off schedule tomorrow and then we’d be going to the summit.
And things would be going back to normal.
_ _ _
I sat up in bed, Seth’s heartbeat pounding in my chest so hard I could barely breathe. Something was wrong. My breaths struggled to keep up. I jumped from the bed and threw on the first clothes I could find. Some jeans and my boots with my jacket. I didn’t even think as I ran down the stairs. I vaguely heard my Dad yelling as I jumped in my car, but I hadn’t grabbed my purse or phone, just the keys from the countertop.
And I wasn’t stopping.
I didn’t know what was wrong, I just knew that something was wrong. Seth’s heartbeat was beating a rhythm in my chest I’d never felt before and it was painful and I was the most scared I’d ever been. And I didn’t even know what was going on.
My car drove as if it knew where it was going, my hands turned the wheel as if they knew just where to go. Before I knew it, minutes had passed and I was turning onto a street and sirens could be heard. “Oh, God, no,” I begged.
Then another street and I saw the blazing fire, the huge building that was taking the beating of a lifetime by it, and the fire trucks surrounding it.
And I knew my significant was inside.
I parked across the street, got out, and ran around the people who were standing there looking up at it. They probably lived there. They were probably watching their home go up in smoke, but me? I was feeling my soulmate’s heart in my chest and something wasn’t right. He’d already been in at least one fire that I knew about and everything was fine. His heart hadn’t done this. Something was wrong.
As I looked up at the blazing building, I’d never been more scared in my life of losing something.
Of losing someone.
It was chaos everywhere. Firemen running, yelling, water being sprayed everywhere. Windows breaking. People screaming.
I crossed the sidewalk and heard my name. I looked around until I saw the chief. He had the most confused look on his face. “What the hell are you doing here?” he yelled over the noise of the trucks and sirens and water being pumped.
“Where’s Seth?”
“What are you—”
“Where’s Seth?”
He sighed. “Inside with a unit.”
My lip
quivered, though I told it not to. “He’s not okay, is he?”
He looked at the building. “They’re sending another truck from another station. But they’re fifteen minutes out. Seth’s unit went in and we lost radio contact. There’s no one else to send in until the others get here.”
I stared at him, feeling my significant’s heartbeat banging away in my chest, scared, hurt maybe, I didn’t know, but I didn’t say another word. I walked down the sidewalk away from him.
“Ava,” he called over the noise, but I kept walking.
I was about to do the dumbest and smartest thing I knew of. And my Champion was going to be so pissed because it could expose us to the humans, but what was I supposed to do? Let my significant die?
I went to the back of the fire truck and waited until I didn’t see anyone and then I walked as close to the shrubs in the dark as I could until I reached the side of the building. I took one deep breath, but that’s all I got. If Seth couldn’t breathe then I wasn’t going to either.
I tapped on the handle and felt that it wasn’t hot, so I opened it and made my way inside the building, my significant leading me to him without even knowing it.
I went up a flight before the smoke came, three flights of stairs before I knew I’d reached the floor they were on. Or he was on, anyway. I heard the blaze burning, in the distance. The smoke was everywhere. I had pulled my shirt collar over my nose to try to minimize the coughing, but it was starting.
I walked towards the fire because that’s where Seth was. I never thought I’d ever do that, but I felt a strange sense of purpose and calm come over me. I needed to do this. I was going to save him or die trying. There was no alternative. There was no sense in freaking out about it. My heart beat like crazy next to Seth’s. Yeah, I was scared, but I was scared with purpose.
The ceiling in the hall was ablaze and I crawled to avoid the heat until I passed it. I was getting closer to him. I could feel it.
I went to the end of the dark hall and met another stairwell and another hall. It was dark all except the orange glow from the fire, making it eerie, and I felt like he was on this floor. It was crazy and magical how my insides and guts just knew. So I crawled all the way to the end of that hall, feeling the fire burning hotter. The stairwell was completely enveloped. When I turned the corner, my world stopped when I met blue eyes that were as surprised as they were angry to see me.