In a single flash, I knew that she understood. I saw the light in her eyes, the perfect light of hope. She nodded her head in one tiny movement and I kicked off into midair, dangling on the line, surrounded on all sides by flames that danced and rolled, twisted and climbed. Reilly was barking frantically on the ground below me, jumping and dodging. I knew I’d only get one chance and it would take every last ounce of strength I had left. He’d managed to survive somehow, against all odds, and there was no way in hell I would leave him.

“Rye!” I cried out. I dragged the respirator off and called again. I was a dozen feet off the ground and the rope was swinging hard. I leaned forward, letting the leather harness take my weight. The chopper above me was thrashing the air and the sound of crashing timber filled the air. The grove was fully engulfed and I caught a glimpse of the cabin roof in flames.

“Come on, boy,” I yelled, “one good fucking jump…

“Do it for Ember! Now! Reilly… NOW!”

Just as the chopper dipped one last time, he gathered his haunches underneath him and launched off the ground. I caught him around the middle and the rope jerked us upwards, swinging us wildly through the air. Frank had given me the one minute I’d asked for and no more. We dangled from the rope, trailing below the chopper as he turned on a dime and climbed in the sky. I dug my fingers into Reilly’s thick fur and held on tight while the crew worked to haul us in.

The last thing I remembered was collapsing into Ember’s arms as the chopper swept us safely out of the valley and the last remnants of our home went up in flames behind us. The furious sound of vengeful demons roared all around us.

I heard Frank’s voice over it all:

“Firestorm.”

Copper Valley Hospital, two days later

“Well, you’re free to go, and one lucky man,” the doctor said, as I signed the release forms and handed the clipboard back. “Dehydration and a few minor burns… It could have been worse, much worse.” He turned away to talk to the nurse and I gathered Ember back into my arms. She had been checked out and released the day before, and no amount of argument had convinced the nursing staff to let her stay with me after visiting hours. Hospital gowns have their advantages, but unmet needs were still hammering away inside me, and my patience was rapidly running out…

“You know, you two are more than welcome to stay with us,” Randy said, as I grabbed my bag and stuffed in the last of my belongings. “As long as you don’t mind how noisy the kids can get…”

Ember and I exchanged a meaningful look and a smile. “My parents are in Courchevel until the end of the summer, so we’ll have their house to ourselves while we rebuild the cabin,” I replied. I pulled her against me and took her hair in my hands. Thick and lush, it curled around my fingers and smelled delicious, warm and spicy. “We wouldn’t mind the noise at all, but I think we’ll take advantage of privacy and quiet… while still we can…”

“There’s hell of a lot of work to do, just clearing alone. It’ll take months at the very least…” Randy replied. “Wait… what?” He shot a questioning look at me and then at Ember. Connie stood grinning, looking like she was about to explode.

“What do you mean… while you still can?” he asked.

“He means that you’re going to be an uncle,” Ember said, laughing. She wrapped her arms around him as he blinked, open-mouthed. “And before you know it, we’ll have a whole houseful of rowdy, noisy kids who are as much trouble as you were when you were little. And you’re going to babysit whenever I ask you to,” she added, teasing, bossy.

Sarah poked her head in the door. “Snow’s really starting to come down and there’s somebody else outside who’s not willing to wait much longer…” She caught my hand and pulled me aside. “Jason…” she began. “You know I don’t have enough words to thank you for what you’ve done,” she said quietly, emotion lining her face. “You’ve given me my whole family back…”

I took the hand she held out to me. “Sarah… I…”

“No, please,” she said, stretching up to kiss my cheek. “Call me mom… or grandma…”

I flushed, throwing my bag over my shoulder and grabbing up Ember’s warm hand in mine. Randy still looking stunned, but had a lopsided smile on his face.

“Don’t worry,” Connie said, smiling and taking his hand. “He’ll come around eventually… as soon as he accepts that his little sister’s finally all grown up.”

Reilly scrambled out of the car, ears and legs flying in all directions at once. His paws were bandaged and he had a plastic cone around his neck, but nothing was slowing him down. He hit the snow and leapt from there. Jason caught him in his arms and I buried my face in his fur.

“He’s quite a handful,” Mom said, “I can keep him for a while longer, if you want…”

“No.” Ember shook her head and looked up at me as I helped her into the car. She smiled at me in a way that made my whole body ache.

“No, he stays with us,” I said firmly. “We’re family and family stays together.”

The nurse followed us outside with a handful of papers and a shy smile. “Doctor says that considering what you’ve been through, you’re in excellent condition,” she blushed brightly and looked away, “but even so, he wants you take it easy. He recommends at least a few more days in bed…”

“Not a problem,” I replied, looking down at Ember’s radiant face. “I was thinking exactly the same thing.”