Fire in the Smokies

Chapter Five

“What’s going on, Serg?” Jaxon communicated with his brother while he smoothed his mate’s hair away from her face.

She was asleep and he would never tire of watching her at rest. Her face had a peaceful angelic look. Her lips parted slightly, tilted on each side almost in a smile. At least he liked to think she was smiling.

“Well, hello. Where have you been? You’ve been blocking me for half an hour.” Sergius chuckled into Jaxon’s mind.

Micah added to the mirth with his own laugher.

“Where do you think I’ve been? Claiming my mate. Figured it would make McKinney less of a threat if I claimed her as soon as possible,” Jaxon responded.

“Good plan. Now you can communicate with her,” Micah said. “Bet that was a hardship,” he continued.

“Listen,” Sergius interrupted, “McKinney has been circling closer to you from behind that cave ever since you entered. There is no doubt he knows you’re in there. The question is why? Is he after you or the woman—”

“Brianna.” Jaxon cut him off with his mate’s name.

“Okaay. Brianna it is then.” Micah got serious again. “Anyway, while you’ve been claiming your woman, McKinney has been planning his next move. And the real question is, what is he waiting for? It seems our theory is correct; he isn’t fond of fire.”

“That’s certainly good information to stash away for later. Never know when it might come in handy.” Jaxon squeezed his mate closer as though he could somehow protect her better if she were nearly attached to him. “Speaking of fire…”

Sergius jumped back into the conversation. “The flames surrounding the entrance are almost contained. Sheriff Hardin is close by, waiting to get you out of there. Don’t take any chances though. Wait until we let you know either the coast is clear or you have company.”

The kind of company Sergius was talking about was unwanted.

“There isn’t an entrance on the other side of this cave, is there?” Jaxon knew these caves as well as he could. But the truth was there were so many small entrances all around the national forest it made it difficult to remember every detail.

“Can’t say I remember such a thing, but judging from McKinney’s position, I wouldn’t take anything for granted. That man probably knows better than any of us. He’s been here hundreds of years and he’s practically foaming at the mouth. I’m staying a distance away, but even from here I can tell he’s so focused on you two that he isn’t even paying attention to me.

“Granted, the wind is in my favor, blowing in this direction, so that’s keeping my presence a secret.” Micah was on the move. Jaxon could tell by the way his thoughts were coming through. Over time, they’d grown even more aware of the subtle nuances of telepathy that included the differences between communicating while running and standing still.

“Jaxon,” Sergius interrupted. “Is Brianna okay? Will she be able to move fast when the time comes?”

Jaxon stared at his mate and grinned. Certainly not at the moment. Right now, she was naked and dead to the world. Not to mention well-fucked.

Jaxon responded, “I’ll work on that now.”

He hated waking her, but his brothers were right. They didn’t want to have to run from the cave butt naked, that was for sure.

Jaxon stroked his mate’s arm and then skimmed his fingers up her stomach and between her breasts. When she didn’t even squirm, he circled one nipple several times and finally flicked his thumb over the distended tip. That did it.

Brianna bolted upright. The headlamp that had been lying next to them this entire time jolted at her movement and began rocking on the ground, sending long shadows all around the room.

She caught her breath, her gaze landing on Jaxon. “How long was I asleep?”

“Not long. I’m sorry. I hated to wake you, but we need to get dressed. We should be ready to go when my brothers give us the all clear.”

“Has the fire moved away from the entrance?”

“Not yet, but the moment it’s safe, we’re getting out of here.”

“What aren’t you telling me?” She eyed him, her gaze narrowing in on his face.

Jaxon exhaled. He had to tell her the entire truth. The last thing he wanted was for her to be in danger simply because she was uninformed. “There are a few more details about this world I need to fill you in on.”

“What? Don’t tell me in addition to werewolves, there are also zombies out there and they prey on female firefighters, cuz Jax, I gotta tell you, I’ve reached my weirdness quota for the day. In fact, I’m sure I’ve surpassed my ability to take in anything supernatural for the month.”

Jaxon scrunched up his nose. “Sorry. Can’t be helped. I know it’s a lot. If it makes you feel better, the demon we’ll be fighting this afternoon is a vampire, not a pack of zombies.”

Brianna froze. Her eyes closed for a moment and when she reopened them, she took a cleansing breath. “Please tell me you’re fucking kidding me.”

“I wish I was.”

“Why on earth would a vampire be staking us out, no pun intended?”

“I wish I knew.”

“With all this strange psychic ability of yours, you can’t figure out the guy’s motive?”

Jaxon cringed. “I don’t have any psychic ability, Bri. Just an ability to communicate telepathically and only with my brothers and now you. Believe me, I’ve wished on more than one occasion I could have anticipated the plans of Keeton McKinney, but I’m afraid the man eludes us every time he’s in town.”

She stared at him, not moving. Finally, when he thought he was going to have to say something else, she stood and gathered her scattered clothing.

Jaxon helped. The light from the headlamp was growing dim. He could see her clothes better than Brianna. He handed her her panties, a shirt, her fire-protective pants.

She didn’t say a word as she dressed, her body becoming completely hidden by all the gear she put on. Soon the woman who stood before him was once again unrecognizable as female, except for the locks of blond hair still landing on her shoulders. She didn’t need to put her hat on yet or cover her face.

Jaxon gathered up his jeans and T-shirt and stuffed them back into his pack.

When he was ready, he glanced back at Brianna who stood there staring at his naked body.

He smiled. He was trying not to climb around in her head and invade every private thought. It seemed…unfair somehow. But as she licked her lips, there was no mistaking the desire he read in her eyes.

“Get out of my head, Jaxon. It’s disconcerting.” She turned toward the crack they’d come through. “Do your mojo thing and lead us back into the front chamber would you, wolfie?”

Jaxon laughed silently into her head. “Yes, ma’am.” He wasn’t even bothered by the fact she’d called him “wolfie”. Coming from her, it almost sounded like an endearment.

With her back to him, he shifted and squeezed through the slit in the cave. He’d be glad to get out of this inner chamber. That was for sure. And he wasn’t too manly to admit, never was soon enough to repeat this spelunking experience. Tight spaces were not his friend.

“Follow me,” he told her.

Judging by the amount of smoke coming through the space between them and the front chamber, the fire must have been under better control. The air was much clearer than it had been earlier.

“Do you think it’s safe?” Brianna placed a hand on his rump. He loved her touch even in wolf form.

“Not completely. But I want to get us out of here as soon as we get the all clear. The faster we get the hell out of the forest and back to the cabin, the better.”

“What? Jaxon, I can’t leave. I’m in the middle of a job.”

Jaxon froze, not even considering his location stuck in a tight crevice. “Brianna, you can’t mean to go back to fighting this fire right now?”

“Of course that’s what I intend. I’m not injured and I have a job to do. There are men out there who need me.”

Jaxon held his tongue as he ducked through the last of their entombment and back into the front chamber. Immediately, he shifted. Naked, and not caring about that fact even for a second, he stomped around the still-smoky room.

“Brianna…” He tried to make his voice sound calm, even though inside he was anything but.

“Don’t. I’m not a child, Jaxon. In fact, I just met you. Sure, I’ve just had the most amazing sex, but the intensity of the moment was largely due to the danger. My adrenaline was on full-speed. Wouldn’t that account for the fantastic orgasms?” She didn’t pause for an answer. “Nevertheless, I’m in the middle of a job. You can’t start ordering me around like you own me simply because we shared a good fuck.”

Jaxon flinched. Is that what she thought happened?

He shook his head to clear his mind and approached her. It wasn’t necessary to doubt their bond. She was his mate now. She didn’t fully understand what that entailed. “Baby, you misunderstand. This has nothing to do with your job. If you want to fight fires, far be it from me to stop you. I’m not that kind of guy.” He’d cringe every time she went to work, but he’d do it in secret. “My concern is the vampire. Trust me, the damage McKinney can cause will put your forest fire to shame.”

Brianna stepped back when Jaxon reached for her.

“Don’t.” She shook her head.

His chest tightened at her rejection…until he heard her next words.

“Every time you touch me, I can’t think. It’s like you have some kind of spell cast on me and I melt when your damn fingers make contact with my skin.”

That made him smile.

“Jaxon.” He stepped back and held up a finger, hoping she realized he was talking to Sergius. “Time to go. The fire is moving slightly east. It’s gonna be hot. Make sure Brianna is completely covered. And you’ll have to come out in wolf form. Watch for hot spots. Head west when you get out. James will meet you about a quarter mile from the entrance with the cruiser.”

“Got it.” He turned to Brianna.

Without pausing, Jaxon took her lips in a brief kiss. “Put the rest of your gear on. We’re heading out. I’m gonna shift. Stay on my heels and…be careful. It’s still hot out there.”

“Me?” She laughed. “Jax, love.” She shook her head at him. “I’m trained for this kind of situation. You, on the other hand, are going to burn your…paws.”

“I’ll be fine.” He cupped her face and thanked God when she leaned into his touch. “I’m tough. And I don’t plan on letting my paws stay in one place for any longer than necessary. Think you can keep up?” The challenge was intentional. If she had something to keep her mind off the fire and the vampire, maybe she’d forget about returning to fight this fire today.

Brianna grinned. She put the rest of her gear on, tucking her hair into her hardhat and covering her eyes with her goggles. “Ready when you are.”

Wasting no time, Jaxon shifted once more, grabbed his pack with his teeth and led them out into the unknown. Oh, he knew the forest. He even knew the damage fire could wreak. What he didn’t trust was that damn vampire.

Brianna followed as close to Jaxon as she could manage. He could run. His speed in wolf form would outmatch her any day. But this was important and she didn’t want him to slow down and risk injury. The ground had to be very hot.

It didn’t take long to get out of harm’s way, at least as far as the flames and hotspots were concerned. As to the other threats to the area, she couldn’t even wrap her mind around those yet.

When she spotted who she assumed was the sheriff standing next to a patrol car, she breathed a sigh of relief. Until she saw him, she hadn’t even realized she’d secretly been harboring the thought that perhaps she’d actually slipped into some alternate universe—one with werewolves and vampires. Seeing an actual human helped ground her in reality.

“Ms. White.” The man took her outstretched hand when she came to a halt.

“Brianna.” She took off her goggles and pushed the material around her face down to her neck. “Thanks for rescuing me.”

“James Hardin. No thanks necessary, ma’am. I didn’t have any part in it actually. In fact, until about a half hour ago, I didn’t realize we were looking for a woman. The fire chief only mentioned a missing firefighter.” The sheriff released her hand and glanced behind her. She turned to find Jaxon zipping up his jeans.

It was a shame really. The man was ripped. His cock was impressive and she rather liked him naked.

Chuckling filled her head. She froze. Thank goodness her cheeks were smudged with soot because the flush that crept across her face at having been caught ogling Jaxon’s assets would surely raise the sheriff’s eyebrows.

“Baby, you’re making my cock so stiff right now, I can’t concentrate.” Jaxon came up beside her, his gaze nailing her in place. His words dripped into her head like syrup, thick, rich, slow…molasses.

Brianna jerked her head toward the sheriff.

He eyed her with his chin tipped to one side and then turned to Jaxon. Did he know?

“He suspects. He knows how our kind operates.”

“Stop talking into my head. I can’t pay attention to both of you at once.”

Jaxon took her hand. He pulled it up to his face and kissed her fingertips. Without looking at the sheriff, he spoke. “James. As you can tell, Brianna’s rather important to me.”

“I see that.” Sheriff Hardin chuckled.

Brianna cleared her throat. “Where’s my unit? I need to get back with them. Do you know how contained the fire is?”

Brianna jerked her hand out of Jaxon’s grasp. She wasn’t kidding when she said she couldn’t think with him touching her. The contact sucked all her brain cells out and shuffled them around on the ground, like fifty-two pickup.

“They are just east of here, but your captain is on his way to this location. He’ll be here in a sec. Were you injured?” Hardin glanced down at her body and nodded.

“No. I’m fine. Glad there was a cave entrance at that precise location this morning, but I’m all good.” She stood straighter.

The only thing injured was her pride. It was tough enough proving her value as a female firefighter. She didn’t need this sort of occurrence to make the guys think she wasn’t up to the task.

Just then a brush truck pulled up behind the cruiser and Captain Wilson exited, rounded the hood and headed her way. “White. Thank God you’re okay. You scared the piss out of us. Fucking smart of you to duck into a cave. You were well and truly screwed when the wind changed direction and trapped you against that hill.”

His words were like a balm. Instead of reprimanding her for being careless or implying she wasn’t up to the job, the man commended her for her quick wit. She exhaled a long breath she’d been keeping stored up since the minute she’d entered the cave in the first place.

Brianna worked hard for this career and she didn’t intend to blow it now. She had been the only girl she ever met who went as a firefighter for Halloween every year from the time she was four years old. This was her life. Her father had been a firefighter. He’d died in a freak accident when a ceiling collapsed when she was twelve. Her mother had died a few years later of a broken heart. The woman never got over the death of her husband. Even with Brianna by her side, she hadn’t coped well.

Brianna had gone to live with an aging aunt for a few years, but the minute she’d graduated from high school she’d come back to the Smokies to fulfill her dream of following in her father’s footsteps.

The man had been her idol. Even his death hadn’t stopped her from wanting to make this her career. If anything, his dying solidified her drive to reach this goal.

She wanted him to be proud of her…wherever he was.

“Where’s the rest of the unit? I’m ready to get back on the line.”

Wilson shook his head. “Not today. Take the rest of the day off. Join back up at the base tomorrow morning. Six sharp. You need to unwind. That was quite a scare.”

“But—”

“That’s an order, Brianna. Not a suggestion.” He eyed her seriously. Captain Wilson often called her Brianna when they were alone. She knew for a fact he didn’t call any of the others by their first names. She was astute enough to realize he thought of her as sort of a daughter he never had. And that worked out perfectly since she thought of him as a father figure in the absence of her own.

Brianna opened her mouth to complain again but thought better of it. She didn’t need to sound like a whiney brat on top of everything else that happened. “Okay, sir. I’ll meet you in the morning then.” She turned toward Jaxon who’d stepped several feet away from her when her captain had arrived. A thought made her glance back. “Captain? Did anyone else get trapped?”

“No. It was close. Michaels was in the next position over from you. He ran backward when the wind shifted. He got lucky. Wide open space was behind him. It was he who radioed in your location and reported you missing. He hoped you’d ducked into a cave.”

Brianna nodded.

The sheriff spoke up then. “I’ll drive you into town.”

“Thanks, Hardin. I really appreciate your help in this matter. I don’t know how you did it, but I’m grateful for your assistance.” Wilson took Hardin’s hand. Then he turned to Jaxon. “Are you the one who found her?”

“I am.” Jaxon shook the captain’s hand next.

“Jaxon is one of the best trackers I have in this area. If he can’t find someone in my mountains, they aren’t there.” Hardin beamed with pride. His explanation was a little lacking to her ears, and Wilson eyed Jaxon with a furrowed brow, undoubtedly wondering how a man in jeans and a T-shirt made it into that cave. He didn’t say anything else just then though. His radio beeped, demanding his attention.

“Gotta run. I’ll see you tomorrow. Get some sleep. Long day expected.” The captain stepped back around his car, his radio up to his mouth. He was already barking instructions before he pulled away.

“How many people know about you?” Brianna questioned as the three climbed into the cruiser.

“Very few.” Jaxon ducked into the back seat next to Brianna. “Don’t worry. James will come up with an explanation for your boss. He always does.”

Hardin glanced at them both in the rearview mirror as he started the engine. “Sure. Leave it to the human…again. Why do I always have to do the dirty work?” The sheriff shook his head, but he was grinning. Obviously, this wasn’t the first time he’d concocted some sort of story to keep the wolves’ existence a secret.

“Where to?” Hardin turned the cruiser around and got back on the main road.

“My place.” Jaxon didn’t even glance at her as he controlled her next destination. Was he always this domineering?

Brianna didn’t have the strength to argue with him. Now that she sat down on the leather seat, her muscles relaxed and she was grateful for the rest of the day off. Besides, she wouldn’t admit it out loud, but the idea of going to Jaxon’s cabin didn’t exactly turn her off.

Jaxon squeezed her hand. Of course. The man was reading her thoughts. “It’s going to be fine. You’ll see. You’ll love my family and I have a nice big tub you can soak in, a hot meal to eat and a king-sized bed to…sleep in—or whatever else your heart desires.”

The sooner she learned to control her ability to selectively project her thoughts, the better.

Keeton McKinney watched the scene unfolding from a great distance. His vision was excellent, but when he added high-power binoculars, he could practically read lips.

He smiled. “Perfect.” He spoke to the forest at large. No one was around to hear him.

When he’d returned to the Smokies last week, his intentions had been clear—kill the wolves and take back his mountain range. The fucking wolves had been in his territory for over ten years and frankly they were on his last nerve. Especially after their antics in the spring when they’d stolen the woman he’d intended to own right out from under him.

He’d licked his wounds and returned now with a vengeance.

The fire hadn’t been in the bargain, but Mother Nature had a mind of her own even Keeton couldn’t control. Lucky for him, circumstances had drawn the wolves out to play. Damsel in distress always did it. And, as it turned out, the fire was the perfect distraction. The wolves were so concerned with the flames, they weren’t paying any attention to Keeton.

Of course, even with his binoculars, Keeton hadn’t realized the trapped firefighter had been a woman. Bonus.

He smirked as he watched the female get into the patrol car alongside the wolf. Well, well, well… What have we here? Could it be the little wolf is interested in the blond he just rescued? These wolves sure had a propensity for falling for the damsels they saved.

This twist could come in handy. The women these wolves fell for tended to be excellent bargaining chips when necessary.

The police cruiser drove away, leaving Keeton with his thoughts. Fire wasn’t his thing. He abhorred the substance. But if that female could help keep the wolves out of the house and separated, he’d take the good with the bad.

It was only a matter of time…