Super hot fire fighting, arson investigating dragon shifter + inexperienced in life, but talented mystery author who lives vicariously through her characters = dangerous, scorching love affair that will blaze a trail to your heart.
I've included an excerpt below that gives you a little insight into our hero... check it out and I hope you enjoy
The fingers of
the fire
licked the night sky, and dark smoke billowed around the restaurant. Blaze was
an expert at fires. He’d seen massive burners in his time as a firefighter, and
likewise as a dragon shifter. As a fire investigator, he’d seen more of the
aftermath and less of the blazes for years. This fire was out of control. The
building would be condemned. He pulled over on a side street and headed toward
the fire truck.
He approached his
mentor and old friend, Juan Martinez. The man he started working for when he
was a fresh recruit, looked exhausted. Martinez rarely let a fire get under his
skin. Something about how beat down he looked in that moment told Blaze this
was one of those rare occasions. “Captain, it looks like a bad one.”
“Yes, we’re trying
to contain it for minimal damage to the surrounding buildings.” Martinez turned
his attention back to the fire. “Keep the flames from flaring! There are gas
lines and propane tanks in there! Careful of explosions.” He barked orders into
his bullhorn.
Blaze ran a hand
through his dark locks, surveying the damage that had already hit the location.
It was going to be difficult to contain. “You need help?”
Captain Martinez
shook his head. “Nope, but I’m sure you’ll be called in to check for arson when
we get this monster put out.”
Blaze had a
feeling this fire was going to fall under the same MO as the others he’d been
investigating. He didn’t smell chemical accelerants on the air. It was probably
electrical. If he was a betting man, he’d place the ignition sight in the
office. That would be the most likely origin of an electrical fire.
“Jacob? Jacob?” A
frantic woman ran up to Juan. “Please, sir, I think my son is still in there!”
Blaze grabbed a
spare suit off the truck and started getting dressed while the woman begged for
help. He was a firefighter first before becoming an investigator, and he knew
how to handle himself in a burning building.
“He went to the
bathroom and we got separated. I can’t find him anywhere!” Her voice took on a
shrill tone as fear radiated off her in waves.
Martinez turned to
Blaze. “I think we can use a little of your dragon magic. My boys can’t get in
there. The building is collapsing, and there are random explosions in the
walls.”
Electrical. Blaze nodded. “I figured.” If anyone could
take the heat it would be his dragon self. Fully suited up, more for show than
anything else, he ran into the building. Inside he took off his helmet. Fire
lived inside his soul. He knew what he could and could not handle. “Jacob?” He
called out. “Jacob, where are you?”
A wall exploded,
and a glass aquarium shattered spilling water out across the floor. “Jacob, if
you’re here, I need you to call out!” The smoke was more hazardous to his
health than the blaze. He called upon his animal half to help him see and hear.
His human half was a weakness in this situation.
The only sound he
heard was the roar of the flames as they devoured everything in their path.
“Jacob!” He put the mask back on and started checking rooms. She mentioned the
bathroom so he headed in that direction. As he got closer, he heard muffled
sobs. His heart leapt with joy. The boy was still alive, but his breathing was
raspy.
“Jacob, if you can
hear me, I’m coming! Stay low, and if there is a wet cloth nearby, cover your
mouth and nose.”
Another explosion
from a side wall hit causing a minor ringing in his ears. He was focused on his
enhanced hearing when the boom hit. Blaze shook it off, the tingling in his
animal ears, and refocused. “Jacob, if you can give me a sign of where you are
it would help a great deal!”
A tiny hand popped
up from the low hanging smoke cloud across the room. Relief flooded Blaze. He
headed toward the shaking hand. He was only a few feet away from the kid when
part of the ceiling caved in. “Shit!” He looked up at the sky. “Seriously?” He
turned back to the area where the boy was. “Jacob, are you okay?”
“No, my leg.”
“I’m coming. Hold
on!” He tossed the wood beam in front of him out of the way and reached down
for the kid, picking him up in his arms. “I’ve got you.”
Hope filled his
scared little eyes. Tears streamed down Jacob’s soot-stained face as he wrapped
his arms around Blaze’s neck like he was a life preserver in the middle of the
ocean. Blaze carried him out of the burning building, and made a beeline for
the ambulance on the street.
“He has heavy
smoke inhalation, and part of the ceiling fell on his leg. I didn’t assess the
damage,” he told the EMT.
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