Firefighter Phoenix (Fire & Rescue Shifters 7)

“Now I am being ridiculous,” she muttered to her reflection in the mirror. She could hardly ask the Phoenix Eternal to call her so that she’d have an excuse to get away from an uncomfortable date. He was probably on duty at the fire station, anyway.

Shaking her head, she dropped her phone back into her bag. She was a grown woman. She faced down drunk alpha shifters on a regular basis. She could handle one ordinary man, no matter how much of a dangerous vibe he gave off.

She’d finish her meal and wine, politely thank Mack for a lovely evening, and head home.

At least, that was the plan until she heard the scream.

Dashing out of the bathroom, she was confronted by a scene of confusion. Mack was on his feet, fists clenched. Shock and anger boiled off him, so strong Rose could almost see it clouding the air around him. A waiter barred his path, holding up his hands in a pacifying manner.

“Sir, you really can’t go out there,” the waiter was saying. He was doing a good job at maintaining a professionally calm expression, but Rose could sense the panic bubbling behind his face. “It’s not safe—”

“Out of my way!” Mack shoved the smaller man aside.

“What’s going on?” Rose asked, but Mack was already bolting for the door. Ignoring the waiter’s garbled protest, she followed on his heels.

The instant she stepped outside, the breeze blew a cloud of smoke into her face.

“My car!” Mack howled in agony.

Coughing, Rose blinked to clear her streaming eyes. She was no expert on cars, but she guessed that the bright red convertible parked in front of the restaurant was Mack’s treasured Lexus.

She also guessed that it wasn’t usually on fire.

Thick black smoke poured from the windows with the stench of burning leather. The car alarm gave a last valiant, strangled shriek, and died.

Mack charged for the car, as though he thought he could beat out the flames with his bare hands. Rose pelted after him, barely managing to catch his arm before he hurled himself into the blaze. She dug in her heels, hauling him back with all her shifter strength.

“Don’t go near it!” she shouted over the roar of the fire. With her free hand, she dug in her purse. “It could explode any minute! I’ll call the fire department—”

The wail of a siren cut her off.

“Goodness,” Rose said as a fire truck screamed around the corner. “That was fast.”

The appliance pulled up in front of the restaurant. Even before it had fully come to a stop, the doors were swinging open. Two firefighters in full turnout gear piled out.

With a start, Rose recognized Dai and Griff. They didn’t seem to notice her in return, completely focused on the job at hand.

She’d never seen Alpha Team at work before. Moving in perfect synchronization, the two shifters threw open a side compartment on the truck, hauling out lengths of hose. Dai hefted the nozzle, while Griff took up the slack behind him. The two firefighters ran toward the burning car…and stopped.

“Don’t just stand there!” Mack yelled at them. “Save my car!”

Griff and Dai’s heads turned, but not in Mack’s direction. They both looked around as if searching for something.

“The fire is right there, you morons! Get it under control!”

“Oh, that fire’s already under control,” said Chase’s distinctive Irish brogue.

The firefighter had dismounted from the driver’s seat and come up to them. Like his colleagues, he was dressed in heavy fire-resistant gear, reflective bands on his sleeves luminous in the swirling lights of the fire engine. For once, there wasn’t even a trace of a grin on his face. It was strange to see the pegasus shifter so focused and serious.

“Is there something wrong?” Rose asked him in concern. “Should we run?”

“No, everyone’s perfectly safe,” Chase said absently, still studying the burning car with narrowed eyes. “It’s just an unusual situation. We’re not sure if we should put it out.”

“What kind of cowards are you?” Mack spluttered. With a jerk, he broke free of Rose’s grasp. “My taxes pay your damn salaries! I don’t care if you burn to death, get in there and do your job!”

Before Rose could stop him, he took a swing at the firefighter. Without even looking, Chase caught Mack’s fist in his hand. Mack yelped as Chase’s fingers tightened.

“Please calm down. I’d hate to have to break your arm. The paperwork would be a nightmare.” Still holding onto Mack’s fist, he glanced at Rose, and waved his free hand in casual greeting. “Evening, Rose. We knew you had a hot date tonight, but we didn’t think it would be this hot.”