Conquer the Flames (Langs Down) by Tachna Ariel

Author:Tachna, Ariel [Tachna, Ariel]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2013-09-25T22:00:00+00:00

FOUR hours later, Ian slumped at the kitchen table, absolutely exhausted. Dinner had gone exactly as he would have predicted if asked. Everyone had come over to check on him, and once they were sure he was cleared, they’d insisted he come to the bunkhouse after dinner to have a “welcome home” beer. One beer had turned into several, until Ian was pleasantly loose. Even better, Thorne hadn’t left his side since they’d walked out his door to head to the canteen. For that matter, Thorne was still right there, hovering over Ian as he set up the nebulizer. “Sit down,” Ian grumbled when he finally had everything ready. “You’re ruining a good buzz.”

Thorne glared at him but sat down in the other chair, so Ian figured that was acceptable progress. He could have done without the glare, but he could live with Thorne being protective, even if he didn’t really need it. He couldn’t talk while he used the nebulizer, so before he started, he looked up at Thorne and said, “Tell me about your day. It’ll make the treatment go faster.”

Ian listened in silence as Thorne talked about the situation with the fires and the number of hot spots they were still worried about. He mentioned more fires farther to the north and how the captain had diverted resources there. Ian worried for a moment, but Thorne smiled at him. “I told him I was staying here, with the Firies or on my own, it didn’t matter. He didn’t tell me not to, so I guess that means I’m still one of the Firies until the last men are called north. Then I’m all yours.”

The words sent a heady rush through Ian’s system that had nothing to do with the medicine or the beer and everything to do with the man sitting across the table from him. He wasn’t sure he was ready to contemplate everything involved in Thorne being “all his,” but he wanted it no matter how bad it ended up being. Thorne was nothing like Ian’s foster father. Whatever they were doing, it wasn’t about power and pain like it had been back then, and Ian wasn’t the scrawny helpless boy he’d been at sixteen.

“You have the strangest look on your face,” Thorne said. “Did I overstep my bounds?”

Ian shook his head. He didn’t want to explain his past or the memories Thorne’s words had stirred up. They didn’t have any bearing on the matter at hand.

“Are you sure? I can leave if you want.”

Ian shook his head again and reached for Thorne’s hand. He didn’t know a lot of things about how this would work, but he knew one thing: he didn’t want Thorne to leave.

Thorne smiled at his gesture, the expression taking years off his face, and Ian resolved to make him smile more often.

Finally he finished with the breathing treatment. He put the supplies away and flopped onto the couch. Thorne joined him a moment later.

“Tired?”

“I shouldn’t be,” Ian said. “I haven’t done anything all week.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.