Embraced by Fire (25 page)

She forced herself to look up, staring at the flames through a world filled with tears.

Wait…something was moving…in the doorway. She blinked rapidly, trying to focus. Against the raging, red light, she saw a silhouette in smoke and shadow. A huge dragon with glinting copper eyes flew out of the inferno on wings of flame and darkness.

She blinked.

The dragon was gone, an illusion of tears and fear.

Ryu walked toward her, his golden skin smeared with ash, his sweatpants covered in scorch marks. In his arms, Sookie lay wrapped in his t-shirt. Kait gasped. Her feet moving, running toward him before she could even think to send them that way.

“Are you all right?” She patted his chest and ran her hands over his arms, amazed he wasn’t burnt to a crisp.

Finding him all in one piece, she flung her arms around him, burying her face against his naked chest and the trembling cat.

“You’re alive. You’re alive.” Her words were lost against his skin. “How did you survive?”

“I’m fine. Sookie and I are safe,” he murmured, freeing one of his hands and stroking her hair reassuringly as her breathing and heartbeat struggled to return to normal.

The distant sound of approaching fire engines pushed them apart.

“Here.” Ryu pushed Sookie into her arms.

The cat didn’t make a mew of protest. Losing one or two of her nine lives seemed to have left Sookie in a state of shock. Kait watched as Ryu unzipped his bag and pulled out a fresh t-shirt, his muscular torso vanishing behind cloth. He’d survived. The realisation was as shocking and unbelievable as the fire itself.

Once dressed, he reached down and picked up the phone she’d dropped and slipped it back into his bag. Needing to reassure herself he was alive, and not some figment of an overwrought imagination, she gripped his arm and rested her forehead against his shoulder. Breathing in deeply, she pulled the scent of smoke and spice that always surround him into her lungs—hating the way the smoke almost killed the spice.

The clamour of the fire, and groans of a house under strain, filled the night. Heat buffeted them and smoke hung like an evil cloud.

Chapter 25

Ryu gazed down at the top of Kait’s head, the colour of her hair echoing the flames behind him. Wrapping his arms around her, and the cat she still held, he pressed his lips against her hair. He turned them slightly so she wouldn’t look up and see what was happening to her house. She’d have to deal with that soon enough.

Her body trembled against his, and he thanked the powers-that-be the smoke had woken him. He hated knowing he’d scared her, running back into the flames, but knowing he’d given her back something she’d have lost tonight made it worth it.

The howl of sirens broke the night and flashing lights bore down on where they were standing. Fire engines screeched to a halt and fire fighters leapt into action. Behind them an ambulance pulled to a stop and two paramedics jumped out, hurrying over to where Ryu and Kait were standing.

“Anyone inside?” asked a Nordic looking paramedic.

“No,” Ryu said, when it was clear Kait was struggling to answer.

The paramedic called out, letting the fire fighters know they didn’t need to worry about anyone trapped inside.

Ryu watched Kait as she watched the fire fighters turn their hoses on her house, a lost expression in her eyes. If only he’d caught the fire earlier, he might have been able to put it out, but whatever had been thrust through the window burnt hot and bright. Without knowing what accelerant was involved, and with flames spreading like a river which had broken its banks, he hadn’t dared risk Kait.

“Either of you hurt?” The other paramedic, a short, dark contrast to the first, asked.

Both paramedics were looking at them with concerned eyes. Actually, they were looking at him. He glanced down, glad he’d pulled on a fresh t-shirt before they arrived. However, his arms, and he guessed his face, were covered in dark ash.

Knowing his appearance suggested otherwise, he said, “We’re both fine.”

“You look like you got close to the fire, sir. You may have inhaled smoke. Checking you both now could save problems later,” said Nordic.

“If you’ll come with us, please,” said the other.

Kait nodded jerkily and Ryu shepherded her toward the ambulance.

Waiting patiently while the paramedics checked him out, Ryu silently thanked Kait for not saying anything about his mad dash into the burning house. The cat, which had done a complete about-face regarding her opinion of him, was now leaning against his leg as though glued in position. He reached down and ran his fingers through the soft fur, hoping he hadn’t made a mistake going back for her. If anyone had seen…He let out a short breath, nothing he could do about it now.

Once the paramedics gave him the all clear, Ryu left Kait at the ambulance and went to find a fire fighter. The blaze was under control and he found the man in charge watching his team finish up.

“Your investigators are going to find for arson,” Ryu said by way of introduction.

The tall, patrician man turned and raised a slow eyebrow.

Ryu introduced himself and filled the man in on what happened. He also handed over a number where Adrian could be contacted to backup his reason for being at Kait’s house, and the potential threat surrounding her. Once he’d finished, he glanced over at where Kait still stood talking to the paramedics.

One of the men spoke to her as he dabbed something on her arm. Kait was totally focused on what the man was saying. Ryu’s eye twitched, he hoped she wasn’t badly hurt. He took a step toward her, then changed his mind and turned in the other direction.

Before returning to Kait, he wanted to take a walk around the side of the house. He needed to know what happened tonight and he couldn’t afford to wait for the arson investigators.

He scanned the area, wishing for the clarity of daylight. He moved slow step, by slow methodical step, toward the window where the fire started. His jaw was so tight it ached all the way to his ears. If he missed anything tonight because of the meagre moonlight and smoke…He shook his head unwilling to finish the thought. He couldn’t afford to miss anything. That this happened on his watch, while Kait was under his protection, made rage burn his stomach like acid.

Getting as close to the kitchen window as he dared, he examined the ground for anything that might give him a clue as to what happened. Smoke, fire and water contaminated the scene but not beyond the scope of his dragon. Small scuff marks in the dry earth lead him toward the hedge. Near a leafy overhang, lingering under the burnt smell, he caught the one scent he’d been dreading.
Johnny
.

Crouching down, he peered at the ground. The soil and fallen leaves were disturbed and several of the hedge branches were bent or broken. Ryu turned slowly trying to piece together the scraps of information. It looked like a man had been standing here watching the house. Standing for a while if Ryu’s senses didn’t mislead him.

The idea of someone watching the house while he and Kait were inside creeped him out. Thank goodness Kait had fallen asleep and he hadn’t been able to follow up on the urge to kiss her. What started as a kiss might have gone further than Ryu wanted a spectator seeing, and Kait would no doubt have been mortified.

Pushing aside his distaste, Ryu looked back at the ground. A second set of footprints caught his attention. Another man had approached, taking the first by surprise. They struggled, one man overcame the other and dragged him toward the road. Ryu sat back on his heels and checked the distance. Probably dumped him into a waiting car. The attacker then returned and stuffed the fire’s ignition source through the window. He’d waited a few moments to make sure it took, then run back to the car.

The question was, which man was Johnny? The winner or the loser of the fight. The one who set the fire? The one who watched? The smoke smell was too strong by the window to detect who’d stood there. The only place Ryu got any scent other than fire was by the hedge. He leaned closer to the ground. From the impressions it looked like both men had similar size feet. Ryu hissed out a frustrated breath between his teeth. Unless he could get a look at the soles of Johnny’s shoes it was impossible to tell who was who.

Resting his forearms on his knees, he thought through the evidence. Trying to break the information down rationally he realised there were several possibilities. Johnny could’ve been watching the house to protect Kait and been overpowered by the arsonist. Equally likely, if he wasn’t the one watching, he could have arrived at the worst moment and interrupted the arsonist who then had to dispose of a witness.

Ryu shook his head. Maybe he was being optimistic for Kait’s sake. Johnny could have set the fire. Either waiting by the hedge for the right moment, or working with a partner who waited until he arrived before they went to work. If that were the case, they must have disagreed and one removed the other from the equation.

Ryu rubbed his hands on his sweatpants and stood up. Without more information it was impossible to do more than speculate. He checked Kait was still sitting on the back of the ambulance. How could he tell her Johnny might be involved in setting her house alight and almost killing her?

Turning slowly, he walked back; then his pace increased, decision made. He’d hold off telling Kait about Johnny until she had a chance to pull herself together.

By the time he returned to the ambulance the paramedics were finished with Kait. He took her by the elbow and led her to his car, glad he’d parked in the road rather than the driveway, or on top of everything they may have been contending with exploding petrol.

“Where are we going?” Kait asked, as she collapsed into the car.

“A motel.” Ryu got behind the wheel and, wishing he had something comforting to say, pulled away from the curb.

They stopped on the way at an all night vet. Kait clung to Sookie for a moment before handing her over to the vet on duty. The woman promised the cat would have the best care until they were ready to pick her up. Ryu couldn’t help the cynical thought that they were paying for the privilege of leaving the perfectly healthy cat there until Kait had somewhere more permanent to keep her.

Sookie seemed more upset at him leaving than her mistress. Clearly saving the cat’s life had made him a life-long friend.

As they walked back to the car, Kait kept looking over her shoulder. He knew she would rather keep Sookie with them. He wished the cat could stay too, Kait needed the comfort.

A short drive later, he stopped at the first place he found with a vacancy sign outside, they needed a shower more than they needed luxury. Despite that, the
Love Nest Inn
wasn’t as seedy as he expected. He paid for two emergency vanity packs as well as a twin share for the night. The little packs had a few necessities, such as a toothbrush, that Kait would appreciate. Picking up their key card, he checked the number then walked past several faded, red doors until he reached their room.

Kait had been silent since leaving her cat, but she breathed a sigh of relief when he closed the door behind them. He looked around the room curiously, hoping he hadn’t made a mistake bringing her here. Small and a little tired, yes, but it was clean and tidy, and the beds were two small doubles rather than singles.

Kait poked her nose around the bathroom door before turning to look at him. “You look worse than I do, take the bathroom first.”

“Thanks. I’ve got a spare t-shirt you can sleep in tonight,” Ryu said, pleased he’d grabbed his gym bag on the way out. He might not be a boy scout but experience taught him you could never be too prepared.

“I’ve got nothing.” The words were little more than a murmur. It was clear the full impact of the night’s events were starting to hit.

“I grabbed your handbag on my way out.” He pointed to the bed. “It’s not much but it’s a start.”

He walked over to where she was standing, her hands knotted in the fabric of the nightdress she’d worn to bed, never guessing when she woke it would be one of the few things she owned. He wiped away a tear with the pad of this thumb. He doubted she even noticed it falling.

Wishing he could take her in his arms and comfort her, but aware that might push her over the edge, he said, “I know it sounds trite but you’ve got your life, everything else is replaceable.”

She took a deep shuddering breath and straightened her spine. He could see her pulling the pieces of herself together by sheer indomitable will.

A shaky smile pushed its way onto her lips. “I’ll be fine. You go shower, I could use a few moments alone.”

He unzipped his bag and pulled out a shirt for her, laying it on the bed, then he took the rest of his stuff into the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, he wondered what life would throw at them next. Whatever it was, he thought with admiration, Kait would find the strength to cope. He’d never met a woman like her. When this mission was over he was going to find it difficult to say goodbye.

He closed his eyes as the water washed over him. He’d let her get too close. Somehow she’d snuck under his guard when he wasn’t looking and burrowed into his heart. His heart? He pressed his fist against his chest. Surely she hadn’t got so deep?

He was falling for a woman who didn’t know the truth about him. Despite the warm water, his skin pebbled. She’d been more accepting of his work than he expected, but his secrets extended past his job. What sane, modern woman would cope with dating a dragon? None that he could think of.

No matter how resilient Kait was, there were limits. Telling her about his dragon would shake the foundations of her world. He couldn’t do that to her. She’d been through enough.

Guilt winged through him, because the temptation to make her his didn’t vanish. He wanted to tell her, even if it broke her view of the world. He wanted to take the risk, and find out if he could make her his.