Page 81 of Wild Fires

I could feel my life draining and I couldn't shift back to my skin. I was stuck.

It was a slow agonizing death. At this point, I was struggling to breathe.

Being a phoenix didn't exactly come with a handbook. I knew I couldn't die from fire. It had always made me feel invincible, immortal even, like I could always defy death. Apparently, that was all bullshit.

I may not be able to die by fire, but the thick smoke was destroying my tiny lungs in this form, and it was too late for me to do anything about it.

Strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me close.

Ryan.

It made me feel safe again as my body shuddered and leaned into him.

“I think the smoke was too much for her bird,” Big Dick said. “She started to go lethargic about five minutes ago.”

“You can't take her,” Dan protested.

Ryan had turned to walk away.

“She needs medical attention,” Rodney explained.

“And the doctor is at the evacuation shelter.”

“Ryan,” I heard Clarence say.

When he stopped but neither of them said anything, I forced myself to look up to see some sort of silent exchange going on between them. It was like they were in a standoff and then Clarence actually conceded to him.

“Let him go.”

“But Gracie . . .” Big Dick started to protest.

“He's not going to let anything bad happen to her. They're mated.”

I wanted to deny it, to yell and scream that it wasn't true. But all I could manage was a pathetic little cry that Rodney immediately took for pain.

“She's hurting. You have to move quickly.”

I wanted to protest. I wanted to beg them to just throw me back into the fire, but instead, Ryan carried me away.

I wasn't the one hurting. He was. In my fragile state, I could feel it so clearly.

Now, if I survived this, I was going to have to face the guys. The whole station would soon know that Ryan and I were mated, and that he had rejected me. I would rather die than for them all to realize I'm the loser who couldn't even keep a true mate.

But he was here, and his pain and actions told me he cared. Maybe that would be enough to allow my soul to go in peace.

Apparently, it wasn't enough for me to have to deal with my unit. Now I was going to be the talk of the entire town because he wrapped me to his chest like a small child, jumped on a motorcycle, and took off to the evacuation shelter where literally everyone was staying.

If I didn't die from smoke inhalation, I was surely going to from embarrassment.

Everyone was going to know now.

“Doc, I need a priority here. Gracie gave up her oxygen tank to Rodney when something happened to his in the bowels of this fire. Everyone got out safe, but her bird isn't doing well. You have to help her.”

“I have two mothers in labor from the excitement here, Ryan.”

“Well, I just made this your top priority. Women have babies every single day, they'll survive. If we don't do anything, my mate might not!”

Oh God, just take me now, I thought.

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