Chapter 14

Amber excused herself, and Kristine was left with Amy and Conlan. “Mom, I need to talk to Jayce’s family.”

“Of course, dear. I imagine you’d want to talk to Jayce too. He’ll be your plus-one, right?”

“That’s just it. I need to invite him, but he’s…um, unavailable right now.” She hoped her mother wouldn’t ask too many questions. Maybe she could distract her by changing the subject—using Amy’s own tactics against her. Hopefully she wouldn’t recognize what Kristine was doing.

“Conlan. So, you’re to be my new stepfather. How do you feel about that?”

“Ah, darlin’. I couldn’t be more pleased. To start a new life with a family I can already be proud of, well, it’s a dream come true. And…” He gazed at Amy. “We hope to have a large family in the years to come. Best to get started early.”

Amy grinned and then shyly gazed at the floor. “We haven’t even talked about where we’ll live yet.”

“I have me business in Northern Ireland. But if you want to be close to your daughter, I can run the management remotely.”

Amy threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “I’m so glad you feel that way. I do want to be close enough to my daughter to spend some time with her. We’re not just mother and daughter. We’re dear friends, and I enjoy her company. I would miss her terribly if we were to move so far away.”

Kristine relaxed. “I’m relieved to hear that also. I would miss you too, Mom.”

“We have a little work to do at home, Kristine. By we, I mean you and I.”

“Really? What’s that?”

“We need to purge and pack.” Amy smiled at her daughter and grasped her hand. “I know there are things that may be special to you that I might not want. And vice versa. Let’s try to pare down as much as we can without throwing away each other’s sentimental items.”

Kristine chuckled. “You’re the one with all the souvenirs. I don’t have much stuff I’m attached to. I could probably pack everything in two boxes.”

Amy’s brows lifted. “Are you telling me that you might move too? I know the place is expensive, but I think your salary should be enough. If not, I can supplement…”

Kristine hadn’t really thought it through and needed time to talk to Jayce. “I don’t know. I have so many things to figure out.”

“Do you think Jayce might consider moving to New York with you?”

Kristine sighed deeply. “He really can’t. He has family obligations here, he says.” She didn’t know exactly what he meant by that, which was one more reason she wanted to talk to the Fierros.

“Well, how do you feel about moving this way?” Amy asked.

Kristine sighed. “I really need to talk to the Fierros. Only one problem: I don’t know where they live.”

“Well, we can fix that.” Amy opened her purse and extracted her cell phone. She typed for a few seconds, and then her eyes widened. “Oh dear, I’m afraid there are quite a few Fierros in the Boston phone book.”

Kristine laughed. “I could have told you that. Jayce has six brothers, and as far as I know, only one of them lives far away. He also said something about uncles and cousins in the area who are also firefighters. I could probably walk into any fire station and yell ‘Fierro,’ and somebody would answer.”

Amy gasped. “Don’t do that! Don’t you know that Fierro means ‘fire’ in Italian?”

Kristine’s jaw dropped. “Oh!” Then she giggled. “Yeah, no. That may not be a good idea, especially since Boston has a large Italian population. So, how will I find him?”

“Amber might know.”

“Of course. She must, and she can probably take me there in the blink of an eye.”

Amber rounded the corner and said, “Did I hear my name?”

“Yes, dear,” Amy said. “Kristine needs to find Jayce’s parents’ home. And none of us knows where it is.”

Amber tipped her head. “I’m afraid I don’t know either. I’ve never been there.”

“Please don’t trouble yourself,” Kristine said. “I’ll find them.”

“How?” Amy asked.

Kristine shrugged.

Amber snapped her fingers. “I’ll be right back.” She disappeared, and a few moments later reappeared with a handsome, dark-haired Fierro brother—Kristine recognized the family resemblance immediately.

“That was quick,” Amy said.

Amber just smiled. “Muses can fiddle with time a bit. I actually had to pull Ryan away from home and explain your situation.”

“Oh. Sorry,” Kristine said. “We didn’t mean to interfere with your free time.”

“No problem at all. I was just helping my wife with her latest home project. As Amber just indicated, I’m Ryan Fierro.” He stuck out his hand and shook Kristine’s first and then Amy’s. He smiled at Conlan. “Good to see you again, cousin-in-law.”

“And you, my queen’s consort.” Conlan laughed and extended his hand. They pulled each other into a man hug, slapping each other on the back.

“So, I understand you’d like to visit my parents,” Ryan said. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen them too. I imagine it would be easier if we went together. Are you all right with that?”

“I’d appreciate it. Not just because I need directions, but it would be nice to have an introduction by a family member.”

Ryan nodded. “At your service.”

* * *

Kristine followed Ryan up the steps to the family’s South End brownstone. As soon as they walked through the door, a beautiful bird with a long, colorful tail flew over and landed on Kristine’s shoulder. Ryan stopped in his tracks and straightened his spine. “Jayce?”

“I’m afraid so,” Kristine said.

Before she had time to explain, a woman who resembled the rest of the family except for her height came around the corner, drying her hands on a dish towel.

“Ryan!” The older woman rushed over to him and reached up to give him a hug. She was only about five feet tall.

“Hi, Ma.”

“I’ve missed you.”

“Missed you too.”

After another brief hug but without taking her hand off Ryan’s shoulder, she turned toward Kristine and asked, “Who have we here?”

Ryan smiled. “Mom, I’d like you to meet Kristine Scott. She’s Jayce’s friend from New York.”

The bird on Kristine’s shoulder bobbed its head a few times, as if nodding.

Mrs. Fierro clasped Kristine’s hand, and then she placed her other hand over it. “Welcome, Kristine. Perhaps you can explain what’s happened to Jayce. We’ve been wondering, but first let’s sit down in the dining room. Would you like some coffee?”

“Yes, thank you.”

She followed Mrs. Fierro to the large dining room, and Ryan pulled a chair out for her.

“Can I help you in the kitchen, Ma?” Ryan asked.

“Sure. We’ll be right back, Kristine.”

While Kristine waited, Jayce, still on her shoulder, leaned in and rubbed his feathered face against her cheek.

“Oh, Jayce,” Kristine whispered. “I was told it would be a couple of months before we could speak, but I want you to know I’m so sorry. Of course, I’ll wait for you.”

Jayce bobbed his head in agreement like before.

“Amy and Conlan are getting married in a few months. I’d like you to be my plus-one for the wedding.”

Jayce squawked. Kristine couldn’t understand bird talk, but she imagined he was probably saying something like “Tell them congratulations for me” or “Sure, I’d love to go.” She wondered if Ryan would be able to translate.

Ryan rounded the corner with a plate of cookies. He also had some napkins and spoons in his hand and placed four of those around the table. For a brief moment, Kristine wondered whom the fourth set was for. Did they feed Jayce birdseed at the table?

She heard Mrs. Fierro call out, “Antonio! Come and meet Jayce’s young lady.”

Ryan smiled. “My dad is probably in the man cave watching ESPN.”

A couple of minutes later, a large, olive-skinned, older man entered the dining room. Kristine stood and extended her hand. “Hi. I’m Kristine Scott. The FDNY guys call me Scotty.”

The balding gentleman grasped her hand, pumped it twice in a hearty handshake, and introduced himself as Antonio Fierro. Then he strode to his son and gave him a man hug with lots of backslapping.

Mrs. Fierro rounded the corner with a tray holding a large coffeepot and four mugs and plates.

“I should have introduced myself before. I’m Gabriella.” She poured a cup of coffee for everyone and then put the sugar and cream on the table between them.

When they were seated and settled, Antonio said, “Jayce just showed up here a few minutes ago. Maybe you can tell us what happened, Ryan.”

“I have no idea. I was hoping Kristine would explain.”

“Of course, although it’s a long story, and I’m not sure where to begin.”

“Well, Jayce told us a little bit about you. But we’d like to know more,” Gabriella said.

“Let’s find out what happened to Jayce first,” Antonio interjected.

Everyone focused on Kristine intently, waiting for the story.

Maybe she could just hit the highlights. “As you can probably guess, the old Jayce died in a fire.” She realized that wasn’t enough to satisfy them, but she had her own questions too. “I’m not exactly familiar with what will happen from here on out. I hope you can tell me more. I know he’s a phoenix and needs a couple of months to reach maturity before he can shift back into his human form.”

Mrs. Fierro nodded. “That’s correct, dear. You seem to know more about him than we do about you.”

“I’m a dragon.”

It seemed bizarre to say that out loud. She had never told anyone before—well, no one but Jayce. His brothers had witnessed her other form, but she doubted they’d talked about it. Still, Jayce’s parents just sipped their coffee as if this were a normal conversation. Perhaps it was for them.

Ryan smiled. “Just like my wife. And you’re a firefighter too. I don’t suppose you’re a queen also?”

Kristine chuckled. “No. As far as I know, my mother and I have no royal bloodlines.”

“Pity,” Antonio said. “Ryan got a castle out of the deal.”

Ryan laughed. “Yeah, and I’ve been rebuilding it ever since.”

“So what happened to Jayce?” Gabriella asked again.

Kristine grimaced. “Like I said, it’s a long story, but here goes…”

She started with Jayce showing up at the fire station and their first date and ended with finding out her mother was missing.

“Kidnapped!” Mrs. Fierro leaned back and clasped her hand over her heart.

“What did the kidnappers want?” Mr. Fierro asked.

“They wanted me to do their dirty work. As a firefighter, I could gain access to some of the buildings in my area. As a dragon, I could set them on fire with my breath and leave no accelerant behind to indicate arson.”

“Oh dear. That must have been awful for you,” Gabriella said sympathetically.

“There was no choice at all. If Jayce hadn’t been there, I might still be doing their bidding. I would do anything to protect my mother.”

“What did Jayce have to do with it?” Ryan asked.

Kristine gazed longingly at the bird on her shoulder and gave his feathers a little pat with her finger. “Well, for one thing, he kept a level head and advised me what I could and couldn’t do about the situation. He was the one who heard background noise when I was allowed to speak to my mother over Skype.

“I was so freaked out that I didn’t even think to listen for other sounds. But after he mentioned what he had heard, I had to agree that there had been waves lapping against the shore in the distance and someone talking about the Coast Guard boarding a ship. If we didn’t have supernatural hearing, we would not have heard even that much.”

“Do they still have her?” Antonio asked.

“Oh, no. Jayce helped me find her at the same time she escaped.”

Gabriella leaned back and let out a deep breath. “Thank goodness. Is she all right? Is she home now?”

“We’re staying at the B and B on Beacon Street. I understand you know the owners through Ryan and Chloe.”

“Yes. We’ve never been there, but we met them at Ryan and Chloe’s wedding…if you could call it that.” Gabriella gave Ryan the stink eye.

“Ma, a fast wedding in Ireland was the best we could do in a short amount of time. And don’t forget, I was officially dead and had to get out of town before anyone saw me. Look, guys, this isn’t about me. Kristine is telling us what happened to Jayce. Or she will if you stop interrupting.”

Antonio turned his attention back to Kristine. “I’m sorry, Scotty. You were in the middle of your story. Please continue.”

She took a moment to sip her coffee and organize her thoughts. She filled in a few details about the search for and eventual rescue of her mother.

Both Fierro parents stared at the bird they recognized as their son, Jayce.

“You shifted? And stayed in bird form for extended periods?” Antonio asked.

Jayce hopped off Kristine’s shoulder and strutted over to his old man. He simply raised his beak and turned slightly so he could look him in the eye. There was no way to interpret that other than assent without remorse.

“I thought he looked older,” Gabriella said.

“He certainly did. And now we know why.” Antonio folded his hands on the dining room table. “Kristine, I don’t know what you’ve been told about our kind, but we age much faster in bird form. Three days as a bird equals about a year as a human. If we fly, we age even faster. Last time we saw Jayce, he had some gray hairs we hadn’t seen before, and he looked tired. How long was he… Never mind. I’m sure Jayce and I will discuss it later. Continue on with your story.”

“Oh. I didn’t know it was like that. I never would have expected him to shift if I’d known. Not that I asked him to.” She gazed at Jayce, and he spread his wings as if to say “So what?”

“Thank goodness we found my mother when we did. Who knows how many other heinous things the kidnappers would have made me do?”

Ryan, who was sitting next to Kristine, placed a hand on her shoulder. “That must’ve been rough. I’m glad Jayce was there to help you through it.”

“Me too.”

“But how did he die?” Mr. Fierro demanded.

“He helped me set fire to the kidnappers’ mansion. I guess he had some kind of fight with the criminals and wound up locked in a cage.”

“A bird cage?” Mrs. Fierro asked.

“No. A man-sized cage. We think they were going to start using it for human trafficking.”

“Oh dear lord!” Mrs. Fierro’s hand was over her heart again as if holding it in.

“So, how long are you staying in Boston?” Antonio asked.

“I’m not sure. My mother has met someone, and she sounds perfectly content to stay for quite a while.”

“And you?” Gabriella asked.

“I have a job, and I should be getting back to it. I took a short leave of absence to take care of my mother. Now she’s out of danger, and I need to go back to New York.”

Jayce strutted in front of her and cocked his head.

“I know you probably want me to stay, but I don’t want to lose my job. Frankly, I don’t know how you’re going to explain staying away from your job for three months.”

Gabriella and Antonio groaned at the same time.

“We don’t often have to come up with excuses. Our sons are usually careful. This one—” Antonio pointed at Ryan. “This one caused us some panic around that very question. I didn’t think Jayce would ever go down in a fire. Especially after seeing what we went through with number one son here.”

“Thanks, Dad. We haven’t heard about the fire yet.”

Kristine sighed. “As far as how he died in a fire, some of this he may choose to tell you himself. I’ll just let you know that it wasn’t his fault. I needed to stop those criminals from ever hurting anyone else.”

“In other words, you set the fire,” Antonio said.

Kristine steeled herself for their anger. “I’m afraid so. Jayce insisted on helping, but he wasn’t supposed to go inside.”

“And he went anyway,” Antonio stated. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I’m sorry,” Kristine said. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“It doesn’t sound like you have anything to apologize for, dear. If anything, you did the wrong thing for the right reasons.” Gabriella pushed the plate of cookies toward her.

Kristine smiled. It seemed as if Jayce’s family understood. She never would have expected a firefighting family to condone her actions—for any reason.

“Did the bad guys die in the fire too?” Ryan asked.

“Yes,” Kristine said. “I saw the local firefighters carry out their bodies and lay them on the ground. I watched as the EMTs checked them out and shook their heads.”

Silence settled over the room for a few poignant moments. At last Kristine looked at Jayce and said, “I think that’s all I can tell you from my perspective. Perhaps Jayce can add to it later. At least it’s over.”

Jayce bobbed his head. Then he flew the short span to her shoulder and settled there again. She sighed. “I’m going to miss you for the next two or three months.”

Jayce squawked loudly.

“Do you know what he said?” She glanced at the others around the table.

“I’m afraid not,” Gabriella said. “I’m entirely human.” She gestured to her sons and husband. “They can understand each other in bird form, but they’ve been forbidden to shift.”

“Again, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”

“Didn’t realize he was defying his family and putting himself in danger for you?” Antonio asked.

Kristine hung her head. “I didn’t know about the rule. I did know about the danger. I’m so—” She choked up and couldn’t finish her thought.

Gabriella got out of her chair and moved over to Kristine, giving her a hug. She wouldn’t have been surprised if it was followed by a slap, but it was not. Gabriella pulled out the chair next to her, sank down, and then took both of Kristine’s hands in hers.

“The men in this family are special, not just because they’re phoenixes but because they’re heroes—in every sense of the word. And, I swear, any one of them would throw himself on a fire to protect someone he loves. It’s obvious that Jayce loves you.”

Jayce bobbed his head.

Kristine gave him a sad smile. “I love him too.”

Gabriella sat up straight and grinned. “That’s the most wonderful thing I’ve heard all month. I’d say all year, except Ryan and Chloe confessed to loving each other this year too. All I want, all I’ve ever wanted, is for my boys to be happy.”

Antonio smiled. “Well, at least we don’t have to hold a funeral this time. Maybe he can come back to his life as it was.”

“That’s right.” Kristine smiled, thinking about how she had given Jayce such a hard time. “No one knows except Amber. I’ll have to tell my mother eventually, but she’s a bit distracted right now.”

Gabriella and Antonio stared at each other for a few seconds. “What do we tell the chief?” Kristine finally asked. “Jayce loves the job, and they depend on him. He can’t lose his position.”

“I don’t know. I remember when one of my Arizona uncles said his son had had a religious experience in the desert, and he had to go on a vision quest.”

“Wrong culture,” Ryan said. “We don’t do vision quests or walkabouts.”

“Hmm…” Gabriella rubbed her chin. “Perhaps we can say he heard a higher calling in church and had to go to Jerusalem to explore it. Then when he comes back he can say he realized there was no higher calling than the BFD.”

Ryan and his father looked at each other and shrugged as if to say “It could work.”

Jayce squawked.

“Never mind, you.” Antonio pointed a finger at his son. “It’s up to us to get you out of this mess, and hopefully in a way that you can keep your job. The only higher authority I know besides God is the chief.”