Firefighter Dragon (Fire & Rescue Shifters 1)

*What touching faith. You always did have a knack for rejecting the facts.* Bertram cocked his head to one side, still looking amused. *How exactly do you think he's going to find you?*

Virginia risked taking her eyes off Bertram long enough to glance around. She'd blacked out during the terrifying flight, so she had no idea where he'd taken her. They seemed to be in a paddock—behind Bertram, she could see a small group of horses huddling at the far end as far away from the dragon as they could get, though curiously they didn't seem totally panic-stricken by his presence. The wall behind her looked like part of some sort of stable building.

Dusk had fallen, but it wasn't yet fully night, so she must have been unconscious for about an hour. It wasn't raining anymore, so either John had called off the storm or—more likely—Bertram had carried her well away from Brighton.

How is Dai going to find me?

"He'll find me," she said, and was rather surprised to find that she did believe that he would, with absolute faith. "He's my mate, and he'll find me."

Bertram flipped his tail dismissively. *Then I'll kill him.* His jaw dropped in an unmistakable feral grin. *I am still dominant over him, thanks to his pathetic hoard. I can stop him from shifting.* His head snaked down so that they were eye to eye, his slitted pupil the size of her entire head. *Tell me, my dear Virginia, how much of a chance do you think a human stands against a dragon?*

Virginia had a horrible certainty that Dai would take on a fully-grown dragon with his bare hands, if it was standing between him and her. The fire crew, she reminded herself. They'll help him. He won't be alone. "I think, if it comes to you or Dai, I'm betting on him."

Bertram's orange eyes narrowed a little. *Give me the artifact,* he demanded abruptly. *Now.*

Virginia's mind raced. She wrapped Dai's robe tighter around herself, mustering as withering a look as she could manage under the circumstances. "Bertram, I'm wearing a bathrobe. Do you honestly think I've got a fragile, priceless artifact in my pocket?"

Twin jets of smoke hissed from Bertram's nostrils. *Where is it?*

Virginia took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Dai has it."

Bertram reared back as if she'd slashed him across the snout with a sword. He roared in outrage, the blast of his reptilian breath flattening her against the wall. *WHAT?!*

"I showed it to him, and he recognized what it was. Like you warned me, he wanted it for himself." She folded her arms across her chest, tucking her hands into her armpits so that Bertram couldn't see how they were shaking. "You're too late, Bertram. With the Dragon's Eye, Dai's got a more valuable hoard than you. You'll have to submit to him. Just give up now, while you still can."

Bertram growled. Without warning, he snatched her up in one of his front feet, the white claws closing around her so tightly Virginia couldn't even draw breath to scream.

Hobbling awkwardly on three legs, Bertram carried her out of the paddock and into a courtyard surrounded by stable buildings. The complex was dominated by a huge structure, big enough for even a dragon to enter, which Virginia assumed had to be a covered riding arena—until Bertram nosed open the door, and her eyes were blinded by dazzling gold.

My God. And I thought Dai's bed was over the top.

Bertram hadn't been kidding about being able to sleep full-length on top of his hoard. The plain exterior of the barn concealed an enormous mound of jumbled gold, silver and gems. An almost physical pain shot through Virginia's chest at the sight of so many artifacts so casually tumbled together. It was a far cry from Dai's meticulously stored and treasured collection.

Bertram's claws raked carelessly through the pile as he clambered over coins and cups to the center of the room. Stretching on his back legs, he dropped Virginia onto one of the steel girders supporting the high A-frame roof. Heart hammering, Virginia clutched at the dusty metal, fighting vertigo at the sight of the floor so far below. There was no question of jumping down, and nowhere to go. She was trapped.

Virginia forced her breathing to slow. Carefully, she straddled the beam, trying not to look down. She concentrated instead on the steady beacon of the mate-bond in her mind.

"Dai is coming for me," she said out loud.

The white dragon shimmered, shrinking into human shape. "Indeed." Bertram smirked up at her as he took his cell phone out of his pocket. "In fact, I'm counting on it."

Chapter Fourteen

"I don't have time for this," Dai snarled at Ash. "I have to find Virginia!"

"If you move again, I will personally break your other bloody leg," Hugh snapped. His bare fingers dug into Dai's calf as his healing talent knit bone and muscle back together. "Do you want to have to crawl to your mate's rescue?"

"If I have to, yes!"

"You don't know where he took her," Ash said. Dai could have throttled the Commander for his level voice and calm expression.

Behind the Commander, another fire crew worked to put out the smoldering remains of Dai's house. Thanks to John's rain and Ash's prompt arrival, the blaze hadn't had the chance to spread to neighboring properties. The police were cordoning off the street, keeping curious onlookers well back.

"Chase is on his way back from London as fast as he can fly,” Ash said. “As soon as he's here, he'll be able to lead us to her."

"I can't wait that long!" Dai tried to push himself up, but John's enormous hands on his shoulders kept him firmly seated on the ground. "I can't sit here doing nothing. Virginia needs me now." Her fear sawed at his soul through the mate-bond. "If you'd ever met your mate, you'd understand!"

Ash looked at him. Though his expression never changed, even Dai's inner dragon recoiled from the brief glimpse of the inferno concealed behind those black eyes.