Chapter 15

“Scotty, you’re back!” Donovan exclaimed. “I guess your mother must be doing better.”

“Yeah, she’s still in Boston, but getting much better, thanks. How’ve things been while I was away?”

“You know…same old. Except ever since that explosion, everyone smells gas.”

“Yeah,” Mahoney said as he joined them. “Then when you get there, it smells like a fish and a head of broccoli had a farting contest. People should really take their garbage out more often.”

After they were through laughing, Donovan said, “We were beginning to think you moved to Boston permanently because the work was easier—either that or to taunt the Sox.”

What could she say? She was still wrestling with the idea of moving, but they didn’t need to know that yet. “There was no time for ball games, I’m afraid. And if I moved there, it would be because the BFD guys are better looking, but it’s good to be back anyway.”

“Ouch… I thought you didn’t date firefighters. When did you change your policy?”

“Who says I did?”

“Oh, so we’re just eye candy to you? Is that it?” Mahoney asked.

“Not you, buddy—or anyone else in this battalion.” She’d missed their banter.

“So it must be the Ninth you’re ogling,” he persisted.

“No! There’s no ogling! I was just kidding around. Forget I said anything about looks.”

“Nope. Not forgetting it,” Mahoney said. “You said the guys in Boston were better looking. You must have looked. You’re human after all, Scott.”

She let out a laugh. It was good to be back, even if it meant bearing the brunt of some teasing.

“You still studying for the lieutenant’s exam?” Donovan asked.

“Of course.” She hadn’t thought about it in a week. It had meant so much just a short while ago. Would it be a wasted effort? If she moved to Boston, she’d have to start all over again—and not where she left off. She’d have to start at the bottom and go through training all over again. Then probie status. She almost groaned aloud. After nearly eight years in FDNY, could she humble herself like that?

Suddenly she noticed the guys staring at her warily. She needed some time alone.

“Excuse me, guys. I think I’ll go upstairs and study.”

On her way up the stairs, her phone rang. She dug it out of her pocket and didn’t know the number but she did recognize the 617 area code. Boston.

“Hello?”

“Kristine? Darling?”

The female voice didn’t sound exactly like her mother, but who else would call her darling?

“This is she.”

“Oh, good. This is Gabriella Fierro. I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering when you might be able to come back.”

She sat on her bed. “Back? To your house?”

“Yes, dear.”

“Is everything all right?”

“Well, yes and no. It’s Jayce.”

Her mouth went dry, and a rush of adrenaline stabbed her in the chest. “Is he okay?”

“Oh, he’s fine. I didn’t mean to worry you. He’s just despondent. I guess it could be any number of things. His sister-in-law, our dear Sandra, lost the baby—we’re all terribly sad about that, but most likely, he’s missing you. He eats very little and stares out the window all day.”

Was this a guilt trip? How could she be in two places at once? Of course she’d like to see him, but without being able to talk, their time together was kind of…not useless, but frustrating.

“What did you finally decide to tell his chief?” Kristine needed a minute to process what she’d been told, and she was curious. She’d feel terrible if he were fired, knowing how much the job meant to him. How much it meant to all of them.

Mrs. Fierro was quiet for a moment. At last, she said, “We really had to come up with something better than a religious experience. He’d never just take off without a phone call. We thought about saying he went to rehab, but those who know him would highly doubt that explanation.”

“So what did you finally go with?”

“This is going to sound stupid, but it seemed like the only way to explain his inability to communicate his own absence. We said he’s in a coma.”

Kristine gasped. “A what?”

Gabriella giggled. “I know. It’s not ideal. We’ll have to fake medical documents. The captain wanted to visit, but we talked him out of it. We said it would be a waste of his precious time, since Jayce wouldn’t even know he was there.”

“But according to some patients who’ve come out of it, they heard everything going on around them.”

“I know. We thought of that. We also said he was in New York. We figured he may have said something about visiting you there, and that would lend credibility to the story.”

Oh sure… Blame it on me.

“I guess I could come back to Boston after my three-day shift.”

“Oh! I didn’t realize you had returned to work. I thought you were just around the corner. Please, forget I said anything.”

“It’s pretty hard to forget something like that. I do love him, and I want him to be happy. I just don’t know how to make that happen right now.” What can I do? Bring him his favorite birdseed?

“Of course. That’s not something you need to worry about. It’s up to us, as his family, to look after him. I just thought if you knew… But no. Never mind.”

Kristine worried her lip. “Tell you what. Let him know that I’m packing. That might help him perk up. It might be a week or so before I can get back up there because my mother and I have to go through our things and donate or toss whatever we can live without. She’s coming down in a couple of days to start the process.”

“That’s wonderful! He’ll be very happy to hear that. So am I. We’re all rooting for you two.”

After Kristine and Gabriella said good-bye and hung up, Mahoney entered the large sleeping quarters.

“I, uh…heard something about packing? Are you going somewhere?”

Shit. Kristine had to think fast. What did I say that he could have overheard? My mother and I were purging and packing. And “he” would be glad to hear it. Yeah, that’s about it.

“My mother is getting married! Her fiancé is in Boston and can’t wait until we get her packed and moved to his place. She has a lot of stuff. We really need to go through it all. I’ll have to help since she’s still convalescing and everything…” Shut up, Kristine. You’re babbling.

“Oh. Well, congratulate her for me. I was afraid we were losing you too.”

“Too?”

“You know that I’m moving to the 7th Battalion, right? They need a lieutenant. That leaves a spot for you.”

“Oh, yeah.” Now what? She needed another distraction. “So, what else is new with you?” Lame.

“Nuthin’ much. The kid is graduating from high school.”

She wasn’t crazy about how he referred to his stepson, but she’d learned to mind her own business when it came to other firefighters and their families. “High school, huh? That’s great. Does he have any college plans?”

“Yup. Columbia. I may have to work overtime more often.”

The lieutenant rarely worked overtime, so she imagined that’s why he sounded less than thrilled.

“You must be close to getting your degree,” he prompted.

“Yeah. Another semester.”

And there’s another thing I might have to finish in Boston this fall—if they don’t make me take their core curriculum just to get their money’s worth out of me. Then it could take another year or two.

“Well, I won’t hold you up anymore. I know you want to get to studying. I just wanted to welcome you back, and,” he lowered his voice to a whisper, “let you know that unless you really fuck up the test, you’re a shoo-in for my position.”

She forced a smile.

* * *

Four days later, Kristine took the train to Boston. She both welcomed and dreaded the visit with Jayce’s family…and Jayce.

She stopped by the B and B to drop off her stuff, but her mom wasn’t there. Amber said she was probably off with Conlan exploring the city, especially since they were considering making Boston their home.

She tried to think of what to say to Jayce on her way to his parents’ house. It was an unusually cool summer day, giving her the chance to walk to the South End without being all sweaty when she got there. By the time she arrived, her thoughts were completely jumbled. Should she bother opening the conversation about where to live? Was it fair when he couldn’t communicate his thoughts on the subject?

Regardless, she needed to do this. If for no other reason than to show him she still cared. That she wouldn’t desert him in his time of need. Ever.

Upon her arrival, Mr. Fierro opened the door wide and greeted her with a strong hug and surprising kiss on the cheek. “Please come in. Jayce has been eagerly anticipating your visit.”

Kristine almost asked, “How would you know?” Fortunately, he told her before she had to ask. Antonio pointed to a Ouija board on the living room floor. There was no pointer, just the board.

“Look. We found a way to communicate.”

Just then, Jayce flew out of the adjoining dining room and landed on her shoulder. He leaned into her cheek, and she leaned into him. Just feeling the soft feathers and warmth cheered her. He was alive and well, and that’s what really counted.

“Hi, Jayce.”

He squawked and then flew to the Ouija board and pecked the H and the I.

Kristine chuckled. “That’s brilliant.”

Gabriella Fierro entered the room, saying, “Thank you. It was my idea.” She strode over to Kristine and gave her the same warm welcome that she had received from Antonio. “Please have a seat. Can I get you some coffee or tea?”

“Just some ice water would be marvelous.” She took a seat on the couch. “I walked here from Back Bay.”

“That’s quite a hike,” Gabriella said. “I used to walk all over the city, but now I have arthritis in my knees. I’d be aching before I made it to Kenmore Square.”

Kristine almost forgot Gabriella was human. She’d borne seven sons, and they were all grown. It was hard to place her age, but Kristine would guess the matriarch to be in her sixties.

“I’ll be back in just a few minutes with your water. Antonio, come and help me in the kitchen.”

Mr. Fierro’s eyebrows rose. “You need help pouring a glass of water?”

Mrs. Fierro tipped her head toward Jayce.

“Oh! I see. You want to give them some alone time.”

Gabriella shook her head and sighed. “Men.”

Antonio chuckled as he followed her out of the room.

Kristine smiled at Jayce. “How have you been?”

Jayce picked out the letters L-O-N-E-L-Y.

Kristine gave him what she hoped was a sympathetic look. “I’ve missed you too.” What she really meant was she missed the real him. The tall, broad-shouldered man she fell in love with. “I wish I could give you a hug and a kiss. But I guess that will have to wait.”

He walked to the upper corner and pecked the word YES.

She hardly knew what to say after that. They just stared at each other until Jayce walked to the W and started pecking out more letters. He spelled WELCOME HOME.

Shit. Was Boston home? She still didn’t know. She sighed. “Home?”

Jayce cocked his head. When he didn’t follow up, she went on to explain.

“Everything I have, everything I am,” she amended, “is in New York. I live and work there. I don’t think I told you how much I’d be giving up by leaving. I just took the lieutenant’s exam. There’s an opening in my firehouse. I was told that unless I massively screwed up the test, the job would be mine.”

Jayce didn’t move. He just continued to stare at her.

Uncomfortable, she continued to talk. “Also, I’m in my last semester of college. I’m about to get my degree in fire science. It would probably set my graduation back if I were to transfer here, not that I wouldn’t do that if I had to.”

Jayce toddled over to the letter O and pecked it. Then he continued pecking until he had spelled out the word ONLINE.

“I don’t know if I can do that. I’ll have to look into it. Or…since we still have a lot to learn about each other, we could just keep up the long-distance relationship until I finish.”

Jayce sat on the board where he was. She didn’t know what that meant, but she could interpret it to be a stubborn “no.”

She rose from the couch and started to pace. “If things had gone normally, we would probably have taken our time, gotten to know each other, assessed our compatibility over time, and all that normal stuff people do before they commit to a big change.”

Jayce rose and spelled out NOT NORMAL.

Kristine let out a frustrated breath. “I know. I know. This situation is not normal. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to restore some normalcy.”

Jayce walked to the opposite corner to the word NO. He hesitated a moment and then pecked the word.

Kristine had hoped he wouldn’t. He was being stubborn.

Kristine folded her arms and glared at him. He took off and flew out of the room. Exasperated, she threw her hands in the air.

A moment later, Gabriella hurried in with a tall glass of ice water. “Is everything all right, dear?”

Kristine sighed. “I don’t know. I think we just had our first fight.”

“Oh dear… I should remind you, Jayce is still a child at this stage. Whatever he said is probably what he would’ve said when he was only about three or four years old.”

“Shoot. I forgot about that.” Kristine accepted the ice water and took a refreshing gulp. “When will he be, I don’t know, about eighteen or nineteen? Mature enough to see reason.”

“Come. Sit down. Antonio is talking to Jayce now. He’ll probably calm down after their conversation. Do you mind my asking what your fight was about?”

Kristine didn’t quite know what to say. She did mind. But this woman might become her mother-in-law someday. It would not be a good idea to piss her off.

“I’m sure it’ll all work out. Please don’t worry about it.”

Antonio walked in with Jayce on his shoulder. “As I’m sure my wife explained, we estimate that Jayce is only about four years old right now. It hasn’t been that long since he returned, although we don’t know how much flying he did. To tell you the truth,” he laughed, “there are advantages to having him unable to interrupt or talk back.”

“Well, I can understand that. We kept getting…distracted and still have a lot to learn about each other. I don’t even know how old he was before the fire.”

Both parents looked surprised.

“Seriously?” Antonio asked. Then a smile stole across his face. “Ah, yes.” He glanced at his wife. “I remember those early days of ‘getting distracted.’ Don’t you?”

Gabriella set her hand on his knee. “You hush.” Then she focused on Kristine. “I can tell you how old all of our children are. Ryan, even though he looks about twenty-five, is actually thirty-three. And Jayce is thirty-one. Hopefully, he’ll wait until he looks thirty-one before he shifts back. We’ve explained it’s important to wait until we tell him it’s time.

“Now here are the rest. Miguel is twenty-nine, Gabe is twenty-six, Dante twenty-four, Noah twenty-two, and Luca is just nineteen.”

Antonio laughed. “I don’t know how you keep them all straight, never mind knowing how old they all are. How do you remember all that, hon?”

“How? Because I’m a mother, and I’ve given birth to every one of them. That’s how.”

The two were smiling at each other, so Kristine figured this was just good-natured teasing between a couple who obviously loved each other very much. Knowing Jayce had grown up with their example, and was growing up all over again seeing his parents still in love, gave her hope. It also gave her pause.

“Perhaps I should come back in a few days.” She mentally counted out how many days it would take before she could have a fairly reasonable conversation with him. Maybe a couple of weeks before he even reached the mental age of eight.

“We understand,” Antonio said.

Jayce flew to the board and pecked the word NO.

“Now, Jayce,” Gabriella said. “You know the nice lady has to go home and take care of things there.”

Jayce hung his head and slowly walked over to the word YES. He pecked it, albeit reluctantly.

Gabriella smiled. “Good boy.”

Kristine figured it was time to leave. She downed the rest of her ice water and asked to use the bathroom before the long walk back to the B and B.

After she left, she raked her fingers through her hair. A couple of strands got caught in her ruby ring, and she inadvertently yanked them out. The sting faded as she worked the red strands loose and tossed them to the wind. She was sure the sting of this visit would fade quickly too.

* * *

“Have a seat. I’ll tell you what I know. There was this rogue family of dragons in the Caribbean…” Drake knew Amy and Kristine were desperate for news of more dragons. They had the B and B to themselves since Conlan, Rory, and Amber were in Ireland for a few hours. Drake had promised to tell Kristine and Amy the story of how many of the older dragons, including his mother and uncle, managed to get sick and die.

“She who shall not be named, for fear she’ll hear me and show up, removed all dragons’ immortality for a while. She was trying to stop these Caribbean dragons from exposing themselves to humans. The two younger ones were spoiled rotten and had no intention of obeying the rules.”

Drake shuddered as he remembered the silver-marked dragon who had decided he would be her mate whether he liked it or not. She was bat-shit crazy, and his true love Bliss was in mortal danger.

“Apparently, the brats’ mother saw this coming and had a voodoo priestess reinforce her children’s immortality so it could not be removed.”

“Even by she who shall not be named?” Kristine asked.

“Especially by her.” Drake sighed. “Unfortunately, all the other dragons on earth were vulnerable during that time. My mother developed cancer. My uncle died of a heart attack in a Long Island jail.”

Amy and Kristine stared at each other with wide eyes. Amy reached for Kristine’s hand and held it tightly. “So the two of us were vulnerable during that fiasco?”

“Indeed you were.”

Kristine blanched. “When was this? Recently?”

“Yeah. A couple of years ago.”

The women stared at each other again. Something silent but meaningful was going on. Probably the shock of their mortality—even if it was temporary.

“I imagine you’re thinking about Kristine fighting fires without her immortality. I hope you were wearing your breathing apparatus whenever you entered a smoke-filled building.”

“Of course,” Kristine said.

Drake smiled. “Then you should be all right.”

“I feel fine. Mom? Did you have any weird symptoms, that is, when you weren’t acting?”

“I can’t think of any.”

“Whew. I guess we made it through that time okay,” Kristine said.

“So what happened to the Caribbean dragons?” Amy asked.

Drake groaned. “Well, I have to give credit where it’s due. She who shall not be named sent her to Siberia with strict instructions that she was never to return or there would be hell to pay.”

At that moment, a small whirlwind began in the center of the living room, and Gaia stepped out of it. She flicked her fingers, and the swirling air dissipated.

“Did you think simply by not using my name I wouldn’t know that you were talking about me?” Mother Nature asked sweetly.

Damn. Drake forced a smile on his face. “Gaia! How nice to see you.”

“Cut the shit, dragon.” She folded her arms and glared at him.

Heat crept up his neck, so he inserted a finger in his collar to loosen it. “Am I in trouble?”

“What do you think?”

Drake searched his recent memory for anything he may have said that would have offended her. He wasn’t sure, so he erred on the side of safety. “I’m sorry?”

“For?” she asked.

Dammit. She’s not going to give me any chance to wiggle out of this. He shrugged. “I’m not sure. Was I not supposed to tell the other dragons what happened a couple of years ago?”

Mother Nature narrowed her eyes at him until he became uncomfortable and started fidgeting.

A sly smile crept across her face. “No, it’s fine that you told them. Just don’t tell them anything else they don’t need to know.” She pointed to her eyes with two fingers and then turned those fingers on him. “I’m watching you.” And with that, she disappeared.

Drake let out a huge breath of relief. “She could have transported me to the epicenter of an earthquake or put me on a surfboard in a tsunami. She has threatened to do both of those things and more to paranormals who walked a little too close to the line.”

“Wow! Can she?” Amy exclaimed. “Would she?”

“She can, and not all of her threats are empty. Case in point—the dragon brat in Siberia. Let that be a lesson to you ladies. The all-powerful one is…” Holy crap. What could he say in case she was listening?

Gaia’s voice supplied the rest. “Touchy? Prickly? Easily pissed off? Be careful what you say next, dragon.”

Drake thought fast. “I was just going to say, ‘The all-powerful one is always right!’”

Still without showing herself, Mother Nature laughed wholeheartedly. “Nice save. Now change the subject or do something else. I have a planet to run.”

Everyone rose quickly.

“It’s nice to, um…meet you?” Amy said, her voice trembling a bit. “I should go upstairs and pack.”

“Yes, er, excuse me, I have to, um…” Kristine headed toward the downstairs bathroom.

Drake smirked. “I guess we’re done here. I’ll go home to my beautiful wife and son and count my blessings on the way.”

* * *

Amy and Kristine rode the train back to New York. With three and a half hours to sit and talk, they processed a lot of what they had learned not only about their species but also about their extended family.

“So, are you okay with possibly being related to Conlan?” Kristine whispered, hoping no one would overhear their bizarre conversation.

Amy leaned back and sighed. “You’d think I’d be extra sensitive to that, but to be honest, I really don’t care. If we are related, it’s not that close. They have an orange marking in their widow’s peaks, and ours are yellow.”

“So, if you have children, will they have orange streaks or yellow streaks or orange-yellow?”

Amy chuckled. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

Kristine gazed at her lap. “So, I guess my father’s marking was yellow like ours, right?”

“I never saw it. He probably dyed his hair regularly. It was quite dark, and I don’t think that was natural. His complexion was like ours. Peaches and cream.” Amy rolled her eyes. “He used to refer to himself as tall, dark, handsome, and humble.”

“Geez, I’m kind of glad I never got to know him.”

“You and me both.”

The two of them laughed. What a difference, Kristine thought. Her mother guarded that secret so carefully for so long. It was freeing to have it out in the open now.

“So, Mom, do you really love Conlan?”

Amy smiled with a glow in her eyes. “I really do. He’s the one I’ve been waiting for. He’s thoughtful, generous, intelligent, and handsome, and he has a sexy accent to boot.”

Kristine believed her. “I’m really happy for you, Mom.”

“And how about you? Are you really in love with Jayce?”

Kristine thought about the night on the boat. He was exactly as her mother described. Thoughtful, generous, intelligent, and handsome, and even though his Boston accent wasn’t sexy, the rest of him certainly was. His temporary immaturity could be forgiven. It was the result of sacrificing himself for the good of others. All because she was determined to go through with her plan, and he wouldn’t let her do it alone. What an idiot I was.

“Without a doubt. I found the right man for me too.”

Amy hugged her, and she returned the loving gesture.

“So, why don’t the two of you share our wedding date?”

Kristine laughed. “Isn’t it enough that you’re sharing it already with Rory and Amber?”

“The more the merrier,” Amy said with an animated grin.

Kristine smirked. “We’re still getting to know each other and have a lot of things to work out. But I appreciate your holding off until August so Jayce can at least attend as a guest. A human guest.”

“Well, the invitation is there. You two can decide what to do about it later.”

Kristine remained quiet. Even if Jayce agreed, at this point he was still a little kid and didn’t really know what he was agreeing to. She’d have to wait until he had his adult brain and power of speech so they could discuss it rationally as a couple.

“Let’s not count on that. I’d rather focus on you and your special day. What are you going to wear?”

With a wistful, faraway look in her eyes, Amy described the designer gown she had seen in the Vera Wang window. It was long, silky, and sleek. It would hug her curves and, hopefully, not upstage Amber. “I think I’ll have it made in aqua. Conlan loves the color of my eyes.”

“That sounds perfect. And where are you planning to live?”

Amy turned to her with enthusiasm. “Didn’t I tell you? We found out the baseball player and his wife who own the apartment building next door to the B and B are expecting baby number two. They’re moving to the suburbs, and since everyone in the building is paranormal, we’d fit right in!”

Kristine’s brows shot up. “You’re renting the penthouse? Can you and Conlan afford that?”

She laughed. “With ease. Conlan will be importing Arish whiskey to sell on this side of the pond, and I’ll be teaching acting at Emerson College. The drama department is right down the street!”

“Really? When did you apply?”

“Yesterday. They just had an instructor quit at the end of last semester, and they jumped at the chance to have a real Broadway actress and professional coach take her place.”

“That’s fabulous! I had no idea!”

After another hug, she wondered what the penthouse looked like on the inside. Outside, a lot of floor-to-ceiling glass was visible, and it looked very modern. In fact, it stood out in the old Boston area as if a spaceship had landed on one of the roofs. “Are you going to bring all your Hummel figurines to the fancy new place?”

“Maybe not. I doubt they’ll fit in with the decor. But there is some storage in the basement.”

Amy looped her arm through her daughter’s. “We haven’t had a lot of time for just the two of us to sit and talk. I’m glad we have this long train ride in order to catch up.”

Kristine could have done without the commuter train stopping at every Connecticut town of any size along the way, but it was nice to have her concerns for her mother’s well-being put to rest. Now if she could just figure out an amenable arrangement with Jayce. Sadly, she doubted their cards would fall into place as easily as that. One of them was going to have to sacrifice everything.