“I got confused,” I confessed, tears streaming down my face. “I was stupid not to believe in your love. Or to think we were too different. I should have trusted fate.”
From one second to the next, Rand shifted. I gasped at how horrific he looked in his human form, his burns angry and raw. I yanked the sheet over him, but Rob turned around from where he appeared to be guarding us while still giving us privacy and snapped, “Shift.”
Rand instantly shifted back to his wolf.
“I don’t want to have to explain a burn victim who miraculously healed to these firemen,” he said. “I told you to stay shifted.”
Rand whined softly and laid his giant head in my lap.
“I don’t care about the bed and breakfast,” I told him. “If it’s an issue for the pack, I won’t do it.”
“We have a problem. I caught the scent of lighter fluid in the front,” Nash said to Rob. When we first got here. I just followed the scent, and there’s even a little in the driveway.”
“Lighter fluid?” Rob repeated.
Rand growled, low and menacing.
“Wait… it wasn’t the wiring?” I looked up at Nash.
“It was spilled on the front walk,” Nash explained. “If someone used it to set fire to the house, the scent would have burned off, but some dripped away from the house.”
“You couldn’t save it, huh?” a loud voice came from where the firemen were gathered.
“Nathan Brown,” Colton growled, stalking away in his direction. Levi was right on his heels.
Rand’s lips curled back from his gleaming fangs, and he snarled. My heart beat faster.
“I will fucking kill him if he’s responsible.” Rob’s hands clenched into fists at his sides.
They thought that guy had done this?
Boyd also stalked away, circling behind the group, toward the driveway.
A few minutes later Boyd joined Colton and Levi and the group of firefighters with the older shifter. Boyd was carrying several bottles of lighter fluid. “Found these in the back of his truck.”
From where I was crouched beside Rand, I couldn’t see too much. The only light was from the fire and everyone was in harsh shadows. There were angry shouts, and the group bunched up. When they parted again, the old shifter was face down on the ground, Levi putting a pair of handcuffs on him.
I couldn’t hear what had been said, but had he admitted it? Levi wouldn’t have restrained him otherwise. Right?
Oh God. This was bad. Had that guy been trying to kill me? I felt Rand’s muscles tense and I held him tight although he was much too strong for me to hold back if he really wanted to get up. He saw what I did, probably came to the same conclusions.
Rand was possessive and protective in normal times, but when his mate was intentionally put in danger?
Rob turned immediately, like he was afraid Rand would do something rash. “Let’s go. Back to my house where you can get cleaned up, and Audrey can look at your wounds.”
Rand’s fangs were still barred.
“Nathan Brown is being dealt with. Come on. Your mate needs to know you’re okay. Let’s get you cleaned up. Levi will take care of Nathan for now. I’m sorry, Natalie, but there’s nothing to be done for the house. The fire department will make sure it’s put out. There’s nothing for you to do here, and Rand needs to heal.”
There wasn’t anything to say because he was correct, about all of it.
“As for Nathan as a pack matter, I will deal with him and his shit once and for all tomorrow. Move.”
I doubted drill sergeants could do it any better. Rob had a way of issuing commands that made someone want to get up and move even before deciding to obey.
At least that was how it felt to me. I scrambled up from the ground, and so did Rand. Rob led us to the horse trail that went between our properties.
All the women—Willow, Marina, Audrey, and Charlie—came along. When we were far enough away, Rand shifted from his wolf and wrapped the sheet around his waist then picked me up in a honeymoon carry.
“What are you doing?” I yelped. I set my hands on his shoulders, but I was afraid to touch a burn. “You’re the one who’s hurt. I’m fine.”
His eyes met mine, and he wasn’t watching where he was going. Even so, he didn’t trip, didn’t falter at all. “I don’t fucking care. I thought you were in that house. I thought you were dead, Red, and it nearly killed me.”
Tears filled my eyes again. I leaned my forehead down against his. “Same,” I whispered. “How did you get out?”
“I was searching for you, and it was too hot. I couldn’t get out and found the stairwell to the basement, but knew it would all collapse on me. Then I remembered the coal chute from when I fixed the fuse box.”