Page 53 of Moonlit Alexandrite

He was right. Now that I noticed, many of the pictures featured Dion, Ren, even a couple with me in them.

“This is getting weirder and weirder, let’s just... you know what? This is a hornet’s nest we probably shouldn’t shake.”

Mikey looked at me in shock. Yeah, I never expected to pull out of a prank either, but as we both glanced back at the disturbing wall of pictures, no further discussion was needed. We headed toward the front door.

“Hey, can I borrow your cell?” I asked him once we were back out on the street.

“Where’s yours?”

“I don’t own one, okay? Just give it.”

Mikey heaved a sigh, but handed over the device. My call to Dion went straight to voicemail, but Ren picked up on the first ring.

“What are you doing with Mikey?” he asked as soon as the call connected.

“How did you know it was me?”

“Who else would it have been, numb nuts, I only have Mikey’s number because he stood in for me once.”

Good point.

I outlined to Ren as succinctly as possible what we had seen at Tammilyn’s.

“I don’t like it. Look, I’m heading to the craft store now, I just don’t think it’s a good idea to leave Lex alone with Madame Crazy Pants out and about,” I finished as we rounded another corner, and a foreign scent hit my nose.

“Do you smell smoke?” I asked Mikey.

He shrugged. “No idea, why?”

My answer came a block later as the smell intensified and between the buildings, a flicker of orange lit the skyline. In perfect synchronicity, Mikey and I fell into a loose run, and I was reminded why I relied on him frequently despite his tendency to drive me mad.

“Ren, get your ass out here. I think the store is on fire.”

I disconnected the call and put on more speed to close the distance to the shop and my mate.

Mikey cursed as the shop came into view. The blaze had spread and was eating away at the planter boxes Lex loved so much. The structure was still standing, but I didn’t care much past that, because I couldn’t see Lex on the street. Whatever connected us told me she was nearby, but that meant...

The noise that left me was barely human, and I would have thrown myself straight into the fire if Mikey hadn’t caught me.

“You are not fireproof, mate,” he said, wrapping me in a bear hug.

“Lex,” I yelled.

“Ah, feck. Get down to the water, idiot.”

Water. I could do that. I stumbled past the inferno, down the incline, and all but fell into the waters of the loch. Reaching deep, I gathered them into the largest wave I could and dumped it on the store.

The wave washed over and around the building... and didn’t touch the flames. At that moment, Ren’s ugly as fuck car came screaming around the corner, and I had never been happier to see it in my life.

I loved that car because my fireproof best friend was inside.

Tripping and almost face planting several times, I crawled up the bank as fast as my shaking limbs would allow and reached the front of the building just as Newt darted out of the passenger side of the vehicle.

Time slowed as the boy ran full tilt through the front door and into the flames.

Some small part, way back in my brain, reminded me that fire salamanders enjoyed being surrounded by their element, but that was my nephew, damn it.

I tried to follow him in, but the heat was fierce. Through the roiling smoke, Newt was barely visible standing over a prone figure. My heart stopped.

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