Shadows of Fire (20 page)

The
decision was made in seconds. Lives first. Structure second.

Reese
hefted the axe and came down hard. The flimsy latch splintered under his
strength. Dropping the axe, he barged into the office, thick smoke disorienting
him for a moment. Fire roared in the back room, spewing its toxic fumes into
the little office. Bottles of blood wine exploded as the flames devoured
everything in its path. Chris couldn’t survive this heat. If Alex were here, as
long as she hadn’t been burned, forcing air into her lungs would save her. She
would be his priority. Reese convinced himself saving Alex was the only way to
get answers, but deep in his soul he knew it wasn’t the real impetus for
wanting her to live. She’d crawled into his bed and wormed her way into his
heart, for chrissake. He deserved to know if he’d been used.

Dropping
to his hands and knees, his eyes cut through the murky smoke. He saw the
silhouetted forms tucked under a heavy canvas tarp beneath the desk. He pulled
it free and found Chris cradled in Alex’s arms. Neither of them moved. Deep
holes cut through the pallid skin of Chris’s neck, his gaunt features testimony
to the vamp that had sucked him dry. Lucky shit. He’d died at the hands of a
vampire, not suffocating in the toxic fumes of hell.

Chris
was beyond saving. But, if he acted quickly, Alex still had a chance.

He
rolled Chris away and gathered Alex in his arms. For someone who killed without
remorse, Alex’s face still showed evidence of the tears that had streamed
through the soot on her cheeks. It made no sense. If she’d killed Chris and
plunged the stake into Ronan’s chest, why would she be locked in the wine
cellar? Pieces of the puzzle clicked into place in rapid succession. The
picture formed in quick, methodical steps.

Ronan
had joined RISEN shortly after the killings had started. He’d been transferred
to Reese’s team at Ronan’s request. Ronan had been present at the university
fire and Glenn’s fire, for sure. Reese suspected when he went back through the
records, Ronan would be connected to all the victims in some way, including
some association with the professor. He’d bet his balls Ronan had called in the
fire tonight and somehow staged his own murder.

The
kid had been baiting him upstairs. Knowing Reese cared for Alex, Ronan had
tried to get him to strike the final blow that would finish whatever hellish
mission Ronan Nason had begun. Alex had been his final target. Reese processed
all this in the time it took him to stand.

Ronan
had tried to take Alex from him. Anger rose and filled him with heat, pulling
the vampire from his slumber. He needed to get Alex out of the fire and give
her air. Ronan would not claim another victim. “To hell with you, Ronan Nason.”

“No,
Colton. The fires of hell are waiting for
you
.”

Reese
turned to see a fireman swinging his own axe at his throat. The move was
intended to decapitate him—a sure kill for a vampire. Reese dropped to the
ground with Alex, somersaulting into a shoulder roll to move them both out of
its lethal path. The axe grazed his shoulder, cutting through the bunker coat
and sheering away his radio. It had come close to Alex’s head. Hatred pushed
rational thought aside. He rolled Alex’s body against the far wall and came
back up with lightning speed. Fangs long, eyes piercing the darkness, Reese
spun and roared above the clamor of the fire. “No more vampires will die.”

“The
traitorous bitch is human, you idiot.” The axe swung and missed again. “You
can’t save her.” The helmet and air tank read Burkett, but the voice coming
through the speakers on the mask wasn’t Josh’s. It was Nason’s. Reese had no
time to wonder what the crazed vampire had done to his friend or what he meant
about Alex. He simply needed to stop him.

“She’s
vampire. She. Will. Live.” Reese jumped high, intent on tackling Ronan. The
vamp anticipated the move and flew at the same time. They clashed in mid-air,
coming down hard on the cement floor. “You’ve done something to her.” Reese
pushed the mask and helmet off Ronan’s head. Even a vampire couldn’t breathe
toxic smoke for long.

An
explosion from the cask room sent hungry flames through the door. The fire
leapt and tasted the beam on the ceiling above. Happy to have found new fuel to
feed its voracious appetite, flames ran in wild joy along the old wood.

In
the confusion, Ronan swung his fist and connected with Reese’s ear. “I had
nothing to do with it.”

Sparks
of pain shot through Reese’s head, disorienting him. He loosened his grip and
Nason scrambled for the mask.

“My
father turned her human,” Nason yelled.

Reese
grabbed his foot and pulled. Ronan’s fingers grazed the edge of the mask, but
didn’t quite connect. He kicked out in anger, finding only air. Nason flipped
the air tank from his back and hurtled it at Reese, who deflected it easily.
Heat and smoke were stealing Ronan’s strength.

Poisonous
air filled Nason’s lungs and he shook in fits of coughing.

Reese
stood and retrieved the axe, letting his anger fuel the hatred. If what Nason
said was true and Alex was human, the vampire had added the woman he loved to
his list of victims. Reese stared down at Nason—a rogue who’d broken every
civil rule of the vampire code. The asshole had left him without a choice.
There was no doubt Nason was the vampire they hunted, the one who had been
killing his own kind and infiltrated the RISEN ranks in order to stay one step
ahead of the investigation. The vampire tribunal would sanction his death.

“I
should not kill you so mercifully.” Reese raised the axe.

“Taking
my life will not save hers. Alex is dead to you, Colton.”

With
a mighty roar of contempt, Reese brought the axe down, ending the murderous
reign of the rogue vampire. The tribunal might never find Nason’s motives for
all the killings, but at the moment, none of that mattered.

Exhausted,
Reese dropped the axe. Alex looked lifeless curled against the wall. Flames
fluttered above them. In moments, everything would combust. Without thought, he
scooped up Josh’s helmet and flung the air tank over his shoulder. Leaving them
would be like leaving Josh in the fire. And no firefighter ever abandoned a
comrade.

Gathering
Alex close, he stalked from the office, slamming the heavy wooden door behind
him. It might buy him the few precious moments he needed to save Alex’s life.
He laid her unresponsive body on the floor next to the stairs. If air would
revive her, Reese couldn’t chance taking the time to get her outside.

The
yellow light in his mask flicked off, vibrating as the alarm screamed in
protest. Still, he pulled it from his face, flipped the purge valve on the
regulator to push the air out and pressed the mask to Alex’s face. She didn’t
move. Didn’t stir. Could Nason have been right? Had she somehow become human?
Reese tamped down the fear and leaned into her ear.

“Breathe,
Alex. Don’t leave me alone.” The vibration stopped and the alarm cut off in mid-wail.
His fucking air tank was empty. In desperation, Reese detached the hose from
his tank and attached the mask to Josh’s. Gently, he covered her angelic
features and waited. But even with the air flowing, pushing into her lungs, Alex
didn’t awaken. The air should have allowed them to heal. She wasn’t burned. It
should have been enough to revive her.

Reese
fell back on his haunches in defeat. Alex needed something more from him.

He
simply needed her.

Reese
knew with absolute certainty he could not live another decade without her by
his side. Hell, he wasn’t sure the pain piercing his chest would allow him to
draw his next breath.

Leaning
over, he filled his nose, not with the smoke permeating her hair and clothes,
but with the pure essence of Alex. The beast rose and Reese sank long fangs
deep into her flesh, gorging on her sweet nectar.

Chapter Ten

Six
months later

“A
little to the left,” Reese yelled up to Josh from the dirt parking lot. A talon
of moon hung high in a sky filled with stars. The warm spring breeze ruffled
his hair, carrying the earthy scent of the surrounding forest.

“Here?”
Josh shifted the cumbersome wooden sign and centered it on the front of the
newly renovated tavern roof.

“Yep,
right there.” Reese jumped to the roof with ease. Grabbing the power drill, he
began setting the bolts. “We should be able to have the grand opening next
week, right before Easter, like we planned.”

“Guys
at the station have been bugging me about getting the old watering hole back.”

“Yeah,
well, they’re being a little impatient. It’s not like I’ve ever renovated a
demolished building. Let alone two.”

Josh
slapped Reese on the back. “Looks like you’ve found your next career.”

His
friend hadn’t quite found his easy rhythm, but Reese hoped it would only be a
matter of time and he’d move on. Or, maybe, he’d never stop looking for Hope.
Even after all these months, no new information had been uncovered.

“You
still planning on heading out to Montana?” Reese asked, hopeful the man would
stay and help him run the tavern.

“Yeah,
probably week after next.” Josh held the sign while Reese secured it with a
couple more bolts. “The tribunal’s still trying to piece together the remnants
of the professor’s research you pulled from the fire. Not sure what I can do to
help, but staying here …” Josh paused. “Let’s just say, South Kenton’s lost its
appeal.”

Reese
swallowed hard. Nason had surprised Josh at the back of the tavern the night of
the fire. He’d taken him down with the wooden stake he’d used on himself and
dragged him into the kitchen, removed his gear and headed downstairs to finish
off Reese.

Only,
it had been Reese who’d come out of it alive—not Nason.

When
he’d come into the kitchen and found Josh’s burned and lifeless body, Reese had
replayed Glenn’s death. Fortunately, the physical damage hadn’t been as severe
and, unlike Glenn, Josh had survived.

“You
ever think about what Alex and the other vamps did?” Reese asked.

“Forever’s
a hell of a long time to hurt for the woman you love.” Josh looked over and
forced a sad smile. “But you know that.” He cleared his throat. “I figure if I’m
out kicking some rogue vampire ass it will keep the pain, the anger
and
the
frustration at bay. Sitting around here just sucks.”

Reese
couldn’t bear the pain in Josh’s eyes and he steered the direction to something
easier. “A little less talk and more work might help.” Reese pointed to the
pile of bolts and the other drill beside him. “It’s been a bitch working on the
construction alone.”

“Somehow,
Colton, I don’t think you really wanted our human friends nosing around while
you modernized the wine cellar downstairs. I’m sure they wouldn’t think much of
your recipe.” Josh went to work attaching the other end of the sign.

“But
can’t you just see Timmon’s smart mouth hanging to the floor at the site of the
vat full of blood?” Reese laughed. “Speaking of blood, another load of pigs
arrived at the farm yesterday.”

Josh
looked at him thoughtfully. “It’s not hard being there?”

“Nah.
Feels right. Like I’m continuing the work Glenn started.” Reese shrugged.
“Besides, I’ve been enjoying experimenting with the blood wine mixture. I
figure the new mix should yield a hundred bottles every couple of days. The
tribunal’s looking to set up several more wineries.” Reese set the last bolt. “By
the end of the year every vamp in California will be able to live off Alex’s
blood wine.”

They
gathered the tools and jumped to the ground. Standing in the wash of the angled
spotlights on the roof, they stood a moment and admired their work. “You think
Glenn would’ve approved?” Reese asked quietly.

“Flanagan’s
Tavern,” Josh said, reading the sign. “Yeah. He’d approve.”

“You
fools going to stand out there all night? There’s plenty more work inside.”

Reese
stared at his wife standing in the open door. The lights from the new dining
room silhouetted Alex’s beautiful figure.

“Pull
out the whips, why don’t you?” Josh joked.

“You’d
enjoy it too much, Burkett, and I’d never get you two to finish anything.”

Reese
jumped over the three stairs onto the porch and kissed her sweet lips. “You
actually tell him about the flogger?” he whispered.

Alex
swatted his arm and nuzzled his ear. “He was kidding, you idiot.”

“Enough.”
Josh joined them on the porch. “Haven’t you figured out that’s the kind of
stuff that got you in this condition in the first place, Alex?”

Reese
splayed a hand over her protruding belly. If Josh weren’t there, he’d fill his
hands with her swollen breasts. “Shh, don’t tell her that. She still hasn’t
figured it out.” He swept Alex into his arms. He had no idea the prospect of
being a father would make him so happy. Both of them suspected she’d been just
human enough to conceive. They had no idea if the smoke from the fire or her
transformation back to vampire the night of the fire had affected the fetus.
Only time would answer that question.