Her Arranged Alpha Husband by Alicia Banks

Chapter Two: A Meeting of Hearts

Deverick

Deverick “Dev” Striar stared at the doors of the meeting chamber as he waited for the Assembly of Elders to make their decision. He paced and then stared some more, willing them to hurry. He couldn’t put a finger on what had him so agitated and out of sorts. That, in and of itself, frustrated him further. Calm and in control was his demeanor, not this anxious, antsy crap.

What are they doing in there? The desire to burn the door down was strong. He closed his eyes and turned his back to it before he gave in and set it ablaze.

The Assembly met when there were huge decisions to be made. Dev let out a loud sigh. This isn’t one of those. He had detected a fire and simply asked his superior to assist in extinguishing the flames, totally undetected. That’s what firefighters do, right?

He sat down heavily on a bench and rested his face in his hands. He went over the conversation again in his mind.

Commander Xavier had been in his office. “Come on in, Dev. What can I help you with?”

“I detected a wildfire on the mainland. Not much going on so I thought I could head over and get it out before it causes any damage.”

“This time of year? We’re past the season.”

Dev hadn’t rolled his eyes. “I’m aware, but it’s there nonetheless.”

“Where is it?”

“Near the Kahiko Resort. They’re fighting it but losing ground. The winds are making it an impossible battle, and it looks like they might lose the whole resort.”

The change in attitude of his commander had startled him. Xavier had instantly called for a meeting of the Elders and forbade Dev from taking any action until specifically instructed. It made no sense, just like the feeling that raced through his body had no explanation.

Anticipation.

He frowned and jumped up to resume his pacing. What am I anticipating? A fire is a fire.

Maybe it was just the excuse of leaving the island that excited him. His home on Isle d’Asile was comfortable; his position with his brothers and father on the firefighting team of Clan Striar was satisfying. But sometimes staying tucked away on an island shrouded by mist and mystery left something lacking. Even with their forays into other places to assist with fires, something had seeped into his soul following his last birthday that made him edgy and unsettled.

“You’re going to wear out the tiles on the floor.”

Dev spun around to find his older brother, Dalton, behind him. “I didn’t hear you come up.”

“Obviously.” Dalton folded his arms. “You’re usually not one to be snuck up on. What’s going on?”

“I wish I knew,” Dev answered. “I mentioned to Xavier about a fire, and it’s like he lost his mind. He called the Elders together and told me to wait.”

Dalton frowned. “Since when do the Elders have to have a meeting about us going to assist with a fire?”

“Exactly. I’ve never seen Xavier react like that.” Dev rolled his eyes. “And I hate waiting.”

“Where’s the fire?”

“Mainland, by that resort. Wildfire has burned up a couple acres. It’s heading toward the populated area so I was going to get ahead of it.”

Dalton frowned. “Wildfire this time of year?”

“Yeah, I thought it was strange, too. And the winds really picked up to help it spread. Also unusual.”

The door to the chamber suddenly swung open. Dev stepped toward Xavier. “What is going on?”

Their commander waved them in. “Step in here. Dalton, you, too. You may as well hear this.”

The brothers stepped into the meeting room as Xavier closed the door behind them. The Justice Elder Tokys motioned for them to step before his throne. “I will make this brief, as time is of the essence. Deverick Striar, you will go to assist with the fire on the mainland, but you will not interact with anyone. Go in, fire out, return. Am I clear?”

Dev shook his head. “What is the deal--”

Tokys raised his arm. “There is no room for discussion. If you cannot abide by my order, I will send another. Decide.”

“I’ll go.”

Dalton stepped forward. “I’ll go with him to help.”

“No.” Tokys held up his hand. “You will not. You will stay here until he returns.”

“Sounds like a hostage situation,” Dev snarled. “Something about this whole thing stinks.” He turned and stormed out of the chamber, Dalton on his heels.

“Bro, you just insulted the Justice Elder.”

“I didn’t insult anyone. He’s barking the orders, remember?”

Xavier followed them out.

“Dev, do as you’re ordered.”

He whirled on him. “What is the deal, Commander? It’s a fire; we’ve been to hundreds of fires.” Dev threw up his hands. “What’s different about this one?”

Xavier pursed his lips and hesitated. “We must avoid the owners of the Kahiko Resort. At all costs.”

Dalton's face scrunched up. “Why?”

“Because it’s an order,” Xavier emphasized. “Dev, you need to go.”

“Should I go with him?” Dalton asked. “The Elders don’t need to know I went.”

Dev waved his arm. “I got this. I don’t need you getting in trouble.” He pointed at his commanding officer. “When I get back, we’re going to have a discussion. All this craziness over a simple wildfire is ridiculous.”

“Follow your orders,” Xavier warned as Dev headed down the hallway. “Speak to no one.”

Yeah, yeah, I hear you. He ran out of the building and toward the beach. He took a leap and shifted into his dragon form and soared into the sky. His scales glinted in the rays of sunlight that filtered through the mist and reflected various hues of reds and oranges. He flew low and fast across the water, anxious to reach his destination.

And without a clue as to why he felt that way. Normally, a fire ramped up the adrenaline in preparation of a job. Now, he just felt a mixture of worry and apprehension. He shook his head to clear it, but the strange mixture of feelings continued to course through him.

The smoke was thick and black as he approached. Another peculiarity. Brush fires usually had lighter colored smoke. He wondered if it had started from someone burning garbage, although he doubted that. He could distinguish three men fighting the flames so he circled around them. The dark cloud concealed him, but in his dragon form, neither the fire nor smoke affected his ability to see them. Whenever they left the island to assist with fires, they kept their dragon shape secret, but he’d been ordered not to let anyone see him at all.

He flew low to the ground and blew his dragon breath along the base of the flames, immediately extinguishing them. A strange scent assaulted his nostrils as he moved along, something that he couldn’t identify mingled in the smoke. Nothing about this fire was as it should be, but there would be time to investigate when it was under control, even if he wasn’t the one that would do it.

He turned slightly to make another pass when he heard it. Heard her. A scream for help, from a dying voice. Something pulled at his soul and he suddenly understood his feelings of anticipation. It was her, whoever she was. And he needed to hurry, or he was going to lose her forever.

END OF THE SAMPLE!

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