Page 65 of Wild Fires

“What the hell do you think you know?” I whispered, trying to keep my voice low and calm.

“I know that you and Ryan are true mates.”

I groaned. “He told all of you that?”

“Yeah. Is it not true?”

“Of course it's true. Your brother isn't a liar. So when he tells me that he can't go through with it, I know he's not lying about that either.”

“He's just being ridiculous. You have to step up and be in charge here. He'll take the safe route, and let's be honest, you aren't a safe bet.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“Gracie, you ran into a fire without your helmet on.”

“I had to save Guffy. And fire can't hurt me.”

“Pretty sure he’s having a lot of nightmares replaying how that fire didn't hurt you when it literally peeled the skin off of your body.”

I sighed. “Clarence always complains that it's a gruesome process to watch, but I honestly don't feel a thing. It's warm and cozy. As long as I don't look down, it's even peaceful.”

“But he looked. You basically just said you can't look down at what's happening, but he stood there and watched his mate fry to death. Even worse, he had no idea you weren't dying. He didn't know you'd be reborn like that. He’d never heard of the phoenix before, not in real life at least. That's supposed to be a myth.”

“I can't help what I am, Gia.”

“I'm fully aware of that, Gracie. I'm just trying to get you to see it from his point of view.”

“He said he loved me but couldn't stand there and watch me go through that again. I can't promise him that. I don't have a family like you guys. I have the men I work with. The firehouse is the closest thing to family that I have and if one of them is in danger, I will step in and go through that transition every single time. And that's not me being reckless. Sure, I've done some dumb things in my life, but running into that house to save my family wasn't one of them.”

She nodded and grinned. “You need to write that speech down and tell it to him.”

I huffed. “He won't listen to that. I’m pretty sure he's been traumatized for life and I'm not certain that I can do anything about it.”

“But you're willing to try?”

“Of course, I am. I never wanted a mate, but I was already in love with him before I knew who he was to me. And now he won't even look at me. I had to spend most of the day working with him and he wouldn't even look at me, let alone touch me.”

“He's an idiot. I love him too, but he's a moron. I guarantee he thinks that he won't encourage the bond between you. But if you guys were already hooking up before your ravens met, then that bond is likely already growing.”

“But how do you know for sure? Maybe he's right and we can just walk away.”

She snorted. “Sure. And make yourselves miserable for the rest of your lives. I don't want that for my brother. I wouldn't wish that on you either. I know we don't know each other all that well, but I'm still rooting for you. As far as I'm concerned, you're already a sister and part of this family. And us Davenports stick together and protect one another. We just need a plan.”

“You're going to formulate a plan for me to trap your brother into mating me?”

She laughed. “You're his true mate. He's already trapped. He's just too stubborn to admit it. He even snapped at me today. I can count on one hand just how many times I’ve seen him lose his temper. He's always been so perfect and calm, it's why everyone loves him. I love seeing you rattle him.”

“I haven't done it on purpose.”

“Well, maybe you should. No one else has this kind of control over him. He's like your puppet.”

I pouted. “If that were the case, why do I feel so miserable? He won't even look at me, Gia.”

“Because if he did, he'd have to face his feelings for you. Men. They never know what's good for them.”

“Is that what you tell David?”

She grinned and winked. “He's an exception. Maybe Ryan will prove to be too if we can just pull his big fat head out of his ass and get him to stop sabotaging this.”