Daisy awoke to the shrieking sound of Calder’s cellphone blaring through the room. She flew to a sitting position, and flipped on the bedside light, knowing any call that came in at three in the morning would be bad.
“What happened?” Calder said as he answered the call.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. The tone of Calder’s voice coupled with the sound of sirens squawking off in the distance confirmed what she already knew. Years’ worth of training in the ER kicked in immediately and she dashed from the bed to grab the first set of clothes she could find.
Much to her dismay, Calder’s words were not the ones she expected to hear.
“You should stay here, Ást. Until I know it’s safe for you.”
She turned to face him, annoyed by the very idea that he wanted to control her. The first thought that popped into her mind, flew from her mouth. “What does that mean? Ást?” It was a silly question, she knew from the moment she’d spoken it. It was hardly the time or place for this discussion, all circumstances considered.
He paused for a minute then slid on his jeans. She watched as he pulled a T-shirt over his head. “It means ‘love’ in Old Norse.”
Well, didn’t he know just how to melt her heart? “Aw, that’s so sweet. But I’m going with you.”
Calder shook his head. “No.” His voice was firm and unwavering.
“Yes.” Daisy had her own demands if she was going to be his mate. “I’m a trained and capable ER doctor. What if someone needs medical attention?” She wasn’t backing down. No way in hell.
“Ást, please—just until I know what the situation is,” Calder begged.
Hands on her hips, Daisy flew into a rant. She decided she needed to put her foot down and nip that shit in the bud right now. “You need to listen up, buddy. I agreed to take a leap of faith and come out here to see if I was your mate. And I am, but that does not give you the right to tell me what I can and can’t do. Especially when we’re talking about possibly saving lives. Now you need to take that leap, and trust that I know what I’m doing. I can take care of myself. I always have.”
Looking far less happy about it than she had hoped, he inclined his head and agreed to her demands. “Fine. We’re leaving in two minutes. Grab a jacket—it’s cold out.”
She met him by the front door in one, with her jacket and medical bag in her hand. She’d learned long ago to take it everywhere she went, never knowing when an emergency might pop up.
The drive to town was quicker than she had expected. Calder filled her in on the way—there was a fire at an older apartment complex. They weren’t sure that everyone had made it out safely, and that didn’t sit well with him. The thought of losing one of his packmates hung heavy in his mind.
Not that he had voiced a single word of his concerns. She’d felt them all through their new mating connection. At first, Daisy had sensed the strong emotions pouring through her. Due to the nature of the situation, she’d held a degree of worry for anyone that might be trapped in the building, but knew the strong sense of angst and worry that damn near buried her had come from her mate.
***
Calder threw the vehicle in park and jumped out, rushing to where Alex stood anxiously watching the blaze. The few fireman they had on the scene battled the fire with all their might, but the flames would not be deterred.
“What do we know?” Calder asked the chief.
“My nose tells me that someone’s been up to no good, that’s what.”
“Is everyone out of the building?” Calder paced back and forth, waiting for an answer.
“We’re not sure. Whatever accelerant was used to start the blaze is messing with our ability to detect any scents at all.”
“Fuck.” Calder jammed his fingers into his hair.
“It’s not good, boss,” the chief stated plainly.
“How many are unaccounted for?”
“One woman and one child.”
“Jesus. Has anyone been able to get in there?” Calder had to get in there to check things out. If members of his pack were stuck in an inferno he had to try everything in his power to get them out.
“Boss, I know what you’re thinking, but it’s too dangerous. Even with our advanced healing, the flames are too hot. We’ve been concentrating our efforts on one spot hoping to cool it enough for someone to get in there and have a quick look-see, but we’re not having much luck.”
“Has anyone asked for reinforcements from neighboring towns?”
“Griffin had banned any outside contact.”
“As of this moment the ban is lifted. If we need outside help until we get our services to the level we need them, then so be it.”
“On it, boss.” The chief grabbed his cellphone from his pocket and called local dispatch for assistance.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Daisy placed a comforting hand on his lower back. Having her provided more support than he would have guessed when he’d first argued about her staying back at the house. He’d never admit it out loud, but he was glad to have her standing next to him even if there wasn’t a damn thing either of them could do. He reached down and twined his fingers with hers.