Page 6 of Surge of Fire

“Sometimes someone else can be the one putting themselves in danger.” His words are almost a hiss of anger.

My gaze locks with his, and my words drip with sarcasm. “Next time, I’ll make sure to ask for volunteers to save our asses before I step up.”

Granger clears his throat. “So, yeah, our drive was uneventful, other than the stick that got lodged in Aydan’s ass without me noticing.”

There’s a second where tension continues to stretch between all of us. Then, Aydan’s anger falls away, and he gives a small smile. “Maybe I am being a bit of an ass.”

“A bit? A bit was the guy staring at my ass when I unloaded my baggage. You’re being the kind of ass that deserves to slip in a public bathroom and hit the wet floor.”

Aydan lifts a brow. “You’re still doing that?”

“Still doing what?” I ask innocently.

“Still doing your weird scenarios. Still talking a good minute past the time you should shut up.”

I flash a big grin that immediately makes him look at me with suspicion. “And you’re still doingthat? Telling a woman to shut up because you have a death wish.” I widen my grin to a murderous one to drive the point home.

He laughs and grabs me with one arm, pulling me against his chest and inhaling deeply, like he missed my scent as much as I missed his. “Fucking hell, Sam. This summer is going to be amazing.”

“Ms. Callaway.”

Turning, I see Ms. Gerald standing behind us. She’s down to her last two envelopes. “And I’m guessing this is Aydan Sage and Granger Gable?” There isn’t annoyance in her voice, more like curiosity.

“Yes, ma’am,” Aydan says, giving a respectful nod that’s almost a bow. “I’m Aydan Sage, and this is Granger Gable.”

“And I’m certain these two gentlemen weren’t around to collect their introductory material because they know you and wanted to make certain you were okay after your brave ordeal?”Oh, boy. I doubt this is the first impression my guys wanted to make.

“Exactly,” Granger chimes in with a bright smile. “But we still apologize, ma’am. There’s no excuse for missing important information. Being accepted into the Phoenix Institute was anhonor to us both, and we had hoped to make a better first impression.”

Her lips curl into a smile. “Well, as long as you don’t make a habit of it.” She hands them each an envelope. “You’re in Cabin 5. The one right next door to Ms. Callaway.”

They both grin, looking just like the mischievous boys I’d grown up with.

“I can show you to your cabins,” I suggest helpfully. “Unless, of course, you’d prefer to keep making asses out of yourselves.”

Ms. Gerald snorts, then turns and walks away. At least the woman has a sense of humor about the whole thing. That’s a rare gift to have when dealing with prickly college students, the best of the best, who think they deserve the best of the best. I was tired of this group after an hour on the bus.

“Want to grab your stuff and follow me to your cabin?”

They head back to the bus and find their stuff with ease, which is when I realize that most of the students have already gone to their cabins.

When Granger stands, two bags in hand and his backpack on his back, he says, “Doesn’t equal rights mean you have to help me with my bags or something now?”

I laugh. “No, it just means the lucky woman who marries you can divorce your ass without being penniless.”

He smirks and bumps me as we head down the path. “So when do we find out about our classes?”

My stomach does a little flip. “Tomorrow. And I think I’m going to cry if I don’t get a class in the Wildlife Sanctuary.”

All of us got accepted for the summer under generic upper-level science classes. But they offer different branches of it, taught by different experts in our respective fields. I want to work in the wildlife sanctuary, Granger wants to work with the head of the seismology department, and Aydan wants towork with the Fire Science professors, who specialize in fighting wildfires.

"If I get in, I'll trade you," Granger says, wrinkling his nose. "If I spend my summer touching dirty animals, I'll lose my mind."

"Dirty animals?" My jaw drops. "They havephoenixeshere. Literally the fifty last known phoenixes in existence. Yeah, they're not the fiery creatures of legend, but they might not exist after our generation."

Granger looks at Aydan. "You want to handle some rare sky rats?" They do a terrible job concealing their shared laughter.

"Like studying earthquakes is going to besothrilling," I sneer at Granger, then look at Aydan. "And the only thing worth studying in Fire Sciences is the firm asses of the–"

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