Page 174 of Iris
My home consumed by fire. My family gone. Amelia trapped inside, waiting for me to rescue her.
No…
No. No. No. No.
“Quick! Get the hoses going!” someone else shouts. Water sprays, but it’s not enough to make much a difference.
I glance at Xavier. His fear mirrors mine.
Our Omega is in there. I can feel her. Her panic is a constant tremor through our mate bond.
And in this moment, two things become abundantly clear.
I’m fucking in love with Iris Gardener.
And two, I’ll save her.
Or die trying.
CHAPTER
FIFTY-FIVE
Xavier
The flames lick up about me, burning my clothes. Running in here was foolish. I pull my shirt up around my nose, and charge through the main bar. Arson. It has to be.
Those stupid fucking Alphas. Of course they hit our place. They wanted revenge.
Upstairs Killian thumps, screaming out Iris’s name.
I take in my surroundings and walk over to the small office we use. There’s a window in there, and the door’s shut.
When I touch it, it feels warm but not hot. I think it might be the best way out. Or out a window on the second floor.
When I don’t hear Killian’s footsteps above me anymore, I climb up the stairs two at a time. At the top landing, through the smoke and flames that lick up along the roof, Killian’s trying to get through to Emmie’s room. A huge beam has blocked the way in.
Oh, fuck.
Iris.
I push Killian back, take a few steps back only to run at it at full speed. I crash through the flaming wood and see Iris sitting in the middle of the floor, the cloak wrapped tightly around herself for protection.
She looks up and relief floods her.
Without wasting a second, I scoop her into my arms and hold her against my chest.
I hurry down the stairs, that creak and splinter with every step. Killian is right on my heels. When I point to the office door, Killian throws his shoulder into it and breaks the lock.
Inside, he rips open the window and climbs through. I help Iris crawl through next, and Killian catches her on the other side just as smoke takes over the room and everything turns black.
CHAPTER
FIFTY-SIX
Iris
Icough, like smoke’s still caught up in my lungs. I sit in the back of Xavier’s truck, in the bed, watching the fire rage across the street.
