Page 11 of Burned By Love

Jonathan coughed again and turned to look at West.His eyes were watery, and his skin was damp and dirty.There was a streak of blood on his chin, and his hair was plastered to his forehead.He looked awful, but at the same time, he’d never been so beautiful.

Something creaked above them.West tilted his head up in time to see part of the ceiling coming down.

Right on top of them.

He didn’t think before he shifted.He tried not to do it on the job, but it had happened a few times, and it had helped him save lives.The people he’d saved in his dragon form had never found out about it.They were either unconscious or delirious from pain and fear.Jonathan was neither of those things, but that didn’t matter.West wouldn’t allow anything to happen to him just because he was afraid of the way he would react to his dragon.West would carry him out kicking and screaming if he had to.

He changed form in seconds.His body was big enough to push debris from the falling ceiling, and it wouldn’t hurt his dragon, but it was heavy.

He waited until everything had come down to shake it off.He was afraid to look in Jonathan’s direction.He could hear him breathing.It was getting laborious, which meant Jonathan needed to get out of there.West didn’t have the time to worry about what Jonathan thought of him being a dragon shifter.He was probably freaking out.He wasn’t screaming, though, and he didn’t say anything when West pushed the shelf off him with his head.He kept staring, even when West shifted back and reached for him.

Jonathan didn’t push West away.He didn’t scream or demand to know what he was.He didn’t call him a monster.Instead, he allowed West to haul him into his arms and cradle him close.

West had never been so grateful that his clothes shifted with him.Shifting was nothing like in the movies.His clothes didn’t explode around him, which was handy in situations like this one.It would’ve been awkward for him to wander out of the burning store completely naked while carrying Jonathan, and he would’ve had a hard time explaining it.

It wouldn’t be easy to explain what he was to Jonathan.The man didn’t seem to be afraid of him, but he was probably in pain and in shock.Things would change once they were out of the store.West needed to talk to Jonathan, but they didn’t have time.

“Okay?”he asked to be sure Jonathan wouldn’t start screaming.

Jonathan patted West’s chest.“I told you.I know what you are.”

West frowned as he made his way through the debris on the ground.There was nothing he could do to extinguish the fire, but he could hear sirens, so he knew that firefighters were coming.They wouldn’t be as good as him and his team, but they could take care of a grocery store fire.West was pretty sure most of the customers had made it out.There would be bodies to collect, but that would come later, once everyone who was still breathing had been checked over and helped.

“You knew I was a dragon shifter?”he asked to distract himself.He might be used to this kind of situation, but they were never easy.

“Yeah.”

West hadsomany questions.

Chapter Four

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THE FIREFIGHTERS WEREin the store’s parking lot by the time West stepped outside.He looked around, trying to see if he recognized any of them.His eyes stung, and he didn’t really care who was there.He needed to get Jonathan to the paramedics.

Two of them ran toward them.They reached for Jonathan, and for a second, West growled at them.He shocked himself and stopped in time, but it had been close.He hoped the paramedics would think he was coughing or something.

“Be nice,” Jonathan whispered as he wiggled until West put him down.

He wobbled, so West didn’t fully let go.He didn’t growl again when one of the paramedics reached for Jonathan a second time.

“I’m fine,” Jonathan told the paramedic.“You should focus on the others.”

The paramedic didn’t look impressed as she shone a light into Jonathan’s eyes.“There are enough of us to go around.Can you walk?”

“I’ll carry him,” West declared.

The paramedic squinted at him.“You’re a firefighter.”

“I am.I was grocery shopping when the fire started.”

She nodded.“We had someone tell us that two men helped her get out.”

“That would be us.”

“Well, the two of you saved lives today,” she said, turning to Jonathan.“Now, it’s time to focus on yourself.You both need to be checked out.”

Jonathan looked like he was about to argue, so West glared at him.Jonathan snapped his mouth shut, surprising both himself and West if his expression was anything to go by.West didn’t give him time to change his mind about going along.He hooked his arms around Jonathan and hauled him into his arms again.

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