How To Claim Your Dragon [Eternal Flames 4]

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

Six months later

The sound of laughter, dishes clanking together, and cooking filled the room. The men all moved around in synch, some cooking, some setting the table. Jett smiled as he listened to his friends teasing each other behind him. He stirred the pot of chili and added a little more spice.

“Hey, Jett. I thought you were Irish, man. You add more hot s**t to that chili, and I’ll start thinking your stomach is made of iron,” his friend Logan said with a laugh.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t you know this is how I’m so hot?” Jett laughed.

“So, do all Irishmen like spicy, hot food?” another of his fellow firefighters, Gage, asked.

“Only the ones with big c***s,” Jett responded and wiggled his eyebrows.

The room roared with laughter and Jett looked back over his shoulder, giving Gage a smirk as he winked at him. Gage shook his head as he laughed and went about setting the utensils on the table.

“I smell chili. Jett must be on cooking detail tonight,” a deep voice bellowed through the room.

Jett turned to see his boss walk into the kitchen. He flashed the man a smile and said, “You know it, Chief. I know how much you all like my hot stuff.”

“Yeah, well, keep your hot stuff in your pants, O’Bryan, and serve me up some of that mild s**t you’re cooking,” Chief Holt teased. Causing another round of laughs.

“Oh s**t, Jett, Chief dogged you, man,” Logan said.

“No, he just confirmed what I’ve been telling all you mooks for months. I’m hot stuff, and my c**k is the hottest.”

A couple of spoons flew at him, hitting him in the back, causing Jett to laugh harder. Just then the alarm sounded, and everything stopped. Chief Holt immediately stood and headed for the door, with the others following. Jett slid the pot off the burner and turned the stove off, then turned and ran out of the room.

* * * *

Once the trucks pulled back inside, and the gear was all put away, the guys made their way up to the barracks and headed for the showers. Jett went back into the kitchen and slid the pot back onto the burner and turned on the heat under it. At least the fire hadn’t been too bad, and no one got hurt. They had only been gone a few hours, so his chili didn’t have to be trashed.

“Head on up for your shower, Jett, I’ll watch over the food,” another of his friends, Sutton, said as he walked in freshly showered.

“Thanks, man. Don’t forget to stir it,” Jett said and headed for the door.

Jett walked into the bathroom and found that most of the guys had already showered and were just getting dressed. The room was quiet except for the sounds of the water flowing from the showerheads, and the shuffling of clothes. The atmosphere was subdued, as it usually was after a fire, but it would soon get noisy again. Jett walked to his locker, opened it, and pulled out his towel and body wash, then started stripping.

“See, told you O’Bryan wasn’t boasting,” Logan announced. His voice pulling Jett’s attention.

Jett looked over to where Logan stood and found three of the guys standing there staring at him with wide eyes. He followed their line of sight and looked down. He smirked as he realized what they were looking at. Jett lifted his head and flashed them a smile. “Pretty little thing, ain’t it?”

“You call that little? s**t, Jett, that thing is like a f*****g salami,” Ronin commented.

“Well, what did you expect from a dragon shifter, man, a gherkin?” Logan teased and pushed Ronin’s shoulder.

Jett laughed at his friends and grabbed his stuff, then went to the showers. He placed his towel on the tiled half wall and turned to the tap, turning the water on. He got it to the perfect temperature and stood beneath the stream, closed his eyes, and let the hot water relax him. He tuned out the other noises in the room and just enjoyed the feel of the water cascading down his body.

Once he was clean, dressed, and his stuff put away, Jett made his way back to the kitchen. The others were all gathered around. Sutton was dishing out bowls of his chili and handing them out.

Sutton filled a bowl and held it out towards Jett. He smiled and took the bowl, then found an empty seat. He sat and grabbed a piece of bread, dipping it into the chili, and taking a bite. His eyes closed as he hummed his appreciation of the delicious bite.

The phone rang, and Ronin jumped up as he said, “I got it.”

Jett filled his spoon and brought it to his lips. “Jett, phone for you,” Ronin announced as he came back over and sat.

Jett looked at him in surprise. Phone for him? Everyone he knew was right here. Well, everyone except his family, but they didn’t know where he was. Only one person knew, and he had just been thinking of calling Illan this morning. The six months that Illan had given him was just about over, and he needed to give him an answer as to what he was going to do. Stay here, go

somewhere else, or go back. Jett knew his answer and was planning on calling Illan in a few days on his day off. But it appeared the man was calling him instead.

Jett shoved the spoonful in his mouth, then dropped the spoon into his bowl as he stood. He chewed his mouthful as he walked to the phone that hung on the wall across the room. He picked up the receiver and took a deep breath. His stomach twisted as nerves began to race through his body. He knew what he had to do, but he was still nervous. Illan had always been good to him, and he didn’t want to hear any disappointment in the man's voice when he told him he had

decided to stay. He liked it here. He liked all the guys and the town, and he was finally getting his life on track. Jett took another deep breath and slowly released it, then lifted the receiver to his ear. “Hello?”

“Jett. It’s Illan,” his voice came over the wire, and Jett could hear the strain in his voice.

“Hi, Chief. I was just thinking about calling you. I know my six months are just about over and―”

“That’s not why I’m calling, son.” Jett could hear that something was wrong.

“What is it then?” Jett asked and looked over his shoulder when he realized the room around him had grown quiet. Everyone in the room was either looking at him or trying to pretend they

weren’t.

“I tried to call your cell, but it was disconnected.”

Illan’s voice grabbed his attention again, and he turned back to face the wall. “Yeah,” he answered simply without explaining further. He was finished with explaining himself to anyone.

Especially the people he had left behind.

“Jett, I’m sorry I have to call you with this. I would rather tell you in person,” Illan said in a tight voice and the hairs on the back of Jett’s neck stood on end. His gut told him that whatever Illan was about to say was big, and it was going to change everything.

He lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. “And?” He knew he was being a prick with his clipped uninterested answers, but he didn’t care. He had walked away from all of them. Even though Illan had been good to him, Jett also blamed him, as well as the others, for a lot of the pain he had suffered.

“It’s Finn, son.”

Nothing else registered. Jett’s brain shut down, and his body froze. His lids closed and he clenched his jaw. Even though he had walked away from his brother, he still loved him. He

would always love him and hoped that Finn would have a good life. But the tone of Illan’s voice told him that hope was gone. He was terrified to hear the rest of what Illan had to say, but he knew he needed to hear it.

“How?” His voice cracked.

Illan must have heard something in his voice that clued him in to what thoughts had run through Jett’s mind. “Jett, it’s not that, son. Finn is alive.”

Jett released an unsteady breath he hadn’t even realized he had been holding in, and his body shook. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against the wall. “Then what is it, Illan?”

“Finn’s been arrested, son.”

“For what?” Jett asked in disbelief. He couldn’t believe what Illan had said. Finn arrested? Not his brother. He was too serious, too straight laced. There was no way.

“For the murder of Keith Fisher,” Illan replied solemnly.

Jett’s world shook on its axis, and he couldn’t breathe. Not just from hearing that his brother was in trouble, but from hearing that name again. The name of the man who had for a brief moment forced thoughts into his head and controlled him. The man who had used that mind control to make him beat his brother so bad that Finn was rushed to the hospital. That had been the last time he had seen Finn. When he was being placed in the back of an ambulance, beaten and

bloody by his hands.

Jett’s knees gave out as the visions of Finn in that last moment came back to him. Jett collapsed back, landing on the arm of the nearby sofa. Suddenly a hand wrapped around his that held the phone. Jett’s head snapped up, and he met the concerned eyes of his new Chief.

Chief Holt slid the phone from his grasp, and Jett had no strength to fight him. His gaze dropped down to the floor, and he stared off into nothing as he listened to Chief Holt talk to Illan. Jett had no idea what was even said. His mind shut down, and the door around his heart locked. He knew it was his dragon keeping them both safe.

* * * *

The bell over the door jingled, and Twix looked up to see who had come in. His eyes narrowed from the sight of four strangers standing in the doorway. They were all large, nicely built men, except for the one in the front. He was f*****g huge. He had to be close to six foot six and a good two-hundred and seventy-five pounds of pure rock-hard muscle. His long blond hair was pulled back tight and cinched together at the nape. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes, but Twix could see the tension in the man from the way he held himself and the tightness of his jaw.

The hard looking man turned his head slightly, and he looked in Twix’s direction, then a small smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “What, I don’t get a hello from the hottest man in Crystal?”

Twix’s eyes went wide at the familiar sound of that sexy, deep voice. He would know that voice anywhere. He spoke with its owner once a week over the phone for the past six months. Twix smiled brightly as he ran around the counter and headed toward the large man. “Jett!” Twix

yelled happily as he ran into Jett’s open arms. He threw his arms around Jett’s neck and hugged him tight as Jett embraced him, returning the hug.

After a few moments, they released one another and Twix took a step back but held onto one of Jett’s hands. He looked up at him and smiled. “Gods, asshole, have you gotten bigger?”

Jett laughed. “Come on, Twix, you know I’ve always been big.” Jett’s voice dripped with s****l innuendo, and he wiggled his eyebrows.

Twix smacked him playfully on the chest. “Nope, can’t say as I remember that. Then again, I never got the pleasure of looking at your...um...size.” Twix laughed.

“Well, things change. You never know,” Jett flirted.

Twix blushed and gave him a shy smile. “So, come on in here, and I’ll feed you,” Twix said as he dragged Jett across the café to an open stool at the counter. Jett took a seat and the other three men with him sat on the other stools. Twix went back behind the counter and stopped in front of Jett. “So, butt muncher, gonna introduce me to your friends or keep being a rude asshole?”

Jett laughed again as he pulled the sunglasses from his face. “Guys, this is Twix, the hot little cutie I told you about. Twix, these are my friends, Ronin, Logan, and Sutton.”

“Welcome to Crystal, boys. Jett has told me a lot about all of you when we talk on the phone. It’s nice finally getting to put faces with the names.”

“Same here. And Jett wasn’t kidding. You are a cutie,” Sutton replied.

“Awe, flattery may get you somewhere. Maybe not where you want, but somewhere.” Twix

laughed. “So what can I get you, fellas? Whatever you want, it’s on me.”

“Thanks, Twix, but I can’t let you do that,” Jett argued.

“You’re not letting me do anything. I’m doing it on my own. Look at it as my welcome back to Crystal.”

“You don’t need to do that, sweetheart. And I’m not back in Crystal. I just came because…” Jett trailed off and shrugged his shoulders.

The smile fell from Twix’s face, and he got serious as he nodded. “Ah, that. Yeah, I was

wondering if you were going to come back with this bullshit going on.”

“So...um...how is he?” Jett asked uncomfortably.

“Who? Finn or Z―”

But Twix never got to finish that sentence as Jett cut him off. “Finn, of course.”

“He’s still in lock-up. I don’t understand why they don’t just let him post bail, ya know?”

“So I guess you don’t know much about it?”

“No, sorry babe, you know us civilians don’t get that kind of info,” Twix answered softly.

“Is Chief Sutherlan in his new office?” Jett asked as he played with his sunglasses.

“Yeah. It’s really nice, too. They built onto the fire station while they were rebuilding that.”

“Day must be thrilled,” Jett snorted with a chuckle and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well, you know how they are better than I do.”

Jett got quiet, and Twix was really worried. He could see the internal battle warring inside his friend but knew there wasn’t anything he could do for him except be there.

“So, what’ll it be, gentleman?” Twix asked, trying to bring Jett out of his thoughts. And it worked. A smile spread across Jett’s lips, and he looked up to meet Twix’s gaze.

“I was telling the guys here how you make the best cheeseburgers in the world,” Jett answered.

“Yeah, and the best pie,” Ronin added.

“Well, I don’t make anything, but our cook sure does. So cheeseburger platters all around and some pie? We have apple, blueberry, and lemon meringue today.”

“Got any cobbler?” Jett asked sheepishly.

“Fresh blackberry,” Twix answered mischievously.

Jett nodded excitedly. “I’ll have two slices of that.”

Twix looked at the others, and they all nodded in agreement. “I’ll go put your order in and be right back to get your drinks,” Twix said and turned toward the kitchen.