Blaze: Paranormal Romance Series (Burning Moon Book 3), page 1
Blaze
BURNING MOON SERIES
R.K. CLOSE
Contents
Also by R.K. CLOSE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Also by R.K. CLOSE
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by R.K. CLOSE
BURNING MOON SERIES
ASHES
SPARK
IGNITE
BLAZE
2021
BETTER OF DEAD
FIRE STORM
VAMPIRE FILES TRILOGY
RED NIGHT
RED MOON
RED DREAM
2020
RED DAWN
2021
FAE WARS
Aunt Jenny
I love you.
1
Zoey
“Your friends are having a good time,” Bill said. He took the clean glass I handed him and drew a beer from the tap.
I looked toward the table he was talking about and smiled. Three shifters, one vampire, and two humans laughed it up like old friends and new lovers they were. Bill only saw a bunch of locals cutting loose while spending their hard-earned money at his bar. I guess appearing human on the surface has its advantages.
“They are, aren’t they?” I sighed and looked away.
He placed the glass of beer on my serving tray. I moved to leave, but he stopped me, putting his hand on my arm. The dim bar lights emphasized his resemblance to an old biker that had seen plenty of Arizona sunshine, adding hard highlights to his shoulder-length white-gray hair, long mustache, and leathery skin. Well-intentioned people often told him he looked like the actor Sam Elliot. Even though it was true and meant it as a compliment, his typical growling response showed he didn’t much care for the comparison.
“We’re slow tonight. Why don’t you join them? I can close up.”
I stopped what I was doing to blink at him. Those were the last words I expected to hear from my grumpy workaholic boss, except for maybe, “I’m giving you a raise.” Normally, if I was a few minutes late, he may as well be having an aneurysm for the rest of the shift.
“Besides, Cole McKenzie will break his own freakin’ neck if he keeps stealing those sideways looks at you,” Bill said in a teasing tone, a tone reserved only for me, and then only on rare occasions. He was rough around the edges most of the time—even with the customers.
I raised my eyebrows. “Since when do you offer to give me time off? Last week you said the bar would fall apart if I called in sick when I needed to take Mary to a doctor’s appointment.”
He wiped his hands on a dingy towel hanging at his waist. Waiting for his reply, I stole a glance at Cole. I shouldn’t have looked. He was watching me, as he often did. My cheeks flushed, and I quickly turned my focus back to Bill.
Grimacing like he was dipping his toe into an icy lake, Bill said, “Look. You value your privacy, Zoey. And I know that you don’t like it when anyone asks you personal questions. I’ve never pushed you for these reasons.”
I grew wary with the direction the conversation had turned. “That’s very perceptive of you, Bill. Don’t mess up this good thing we have.” Not waiting for a reply, I walked away to serve some beers to one table and collect the tab from another. Bill did not look happy with me when I returned.
“You didn’t let me finish. All I’m saying is that those people are the only ones I’ve seen you be friendly with. I think—.” He motioned toward Cole’s group before I cut him off.
“I’m friendly with everyone! Where do you get off?” My short temper may have surprised us both, if his expression was any indication. I hadn’t meant to sound so harsh.
He paused and took a deep breath. His eyes took on a softness that others wouldn’t have noticed. “I’m trying to stay out of your business, but you spend all your time working or alone. I—I worry about you. That’s all.”
Bill guarded his emotions like I guarded my privacy, so this conversation was uncomfortable for both of us. Nevertheless, I needed him to back off. If he kept pushing, I’d have to find another job, and that wasn’t something I wanted to do. I liked Bill and loved working at the Burning Moon Bar. It felt safer than my apartment above the bakery and was the closest thing to a family I’d had in over a year.
I tried to give him a gentler smile. “Bill. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine. I like to be alone. It’s the way I’m wired,” I lied. In reality, I needed people in my life like I needed air, and working at the Moon gave me a taste of that every day—with no genuine connections or commitments.
Bill stood up taller as he looked past me, a sly smile growing on his whiskery face. “Looks like you’ve got company.”
I turned to see Cole striding toward us. His grin was a mixture of innocence and mischief, a look that only hinted at the charm packed into the body of Cole McKenzie.
“Bill, Zoey,” Cole said.
“Hey Cole,” Bill said, a knowing smirk stuck on his face.
Cole nodded at Bill but stopped in front of me. “Would you mind getting me another beer?”
I smiled as I took his empty beer glass and went behind the bar to draw the beer myself.
“Zoey’s just getting off,” Bill said.
I cringed inwardly, fighting the urge to throw Bill a dirty look.
Cole zeroed in on the opportunity, just as Bill knew he would. “You should join us, Zoey.” His sweet, hopeful expression melted any resolve I could have mustered.
The look I threw Bill was wasted on his retreating backside. His laughter floated over the buzz of conversations in the bar. I handed Cole his beer and smiled. “I’d like that. Let me finish up and I’ll be right over.”
Cole’s face lit up like a sunbeam. It warmed and hurt my heart at the same time. I was drawn to Cole’s friendly personality and shy charm from the first moment I’d felt him enter the Burning Moon Bar. That I knew immediately he was a shifter may have made me feel more connected to him. We were different—one foot in the human world, one foot in another—though that didn’t mean that I viewed all supernaturals as kindred spirits. Definitely not!
I closed out my last tab and slipped into the back to freshen up in the dingy toilet closet that served as the employee washroom. After dabbing some gloss on my lips, I pulled out the two chopsticks holding my curly mop in the messy bun that served as standard work attire for me. The rowdy red waves fell free, framing my face and covering my shoulders.
I quickly combed my fingers through the strands to force the unruly mane to behave—no luck. My hair did what it wanted, and unless I felt like spending an hour with a straightening iron, this was my only option.
Back behind the bar, I drew a glass of cider for myself before approaching Cole’s table. Seth was the first to notice me before he nudged Cole, who immediately stood to pull out a chair.
All eyes were on me. The attention made me uncomfortable. Regardless, it impressed me when Seth and Liam also stood and waited for me to sit before doing the same. I rarely witnessed that sort of behavior from young men—these days, only older men pulled out chairs and opened doors. Someone had raised the McKenzie boys with old-fashioned manners; the kind that should never go out of style.
“Zoey! I’m glad you’re joining us. We figured you were working on your usual schedule and closing the place down,” Jessica said--as beautiful as ever. It was still strange not seeing her on the nightly news anymore. But I suspected she was happier in her new career as a full-time artist and shop owner.
“Yeah, me too. It seems that I’m not needed tonight. Thanks for inviting me to join you,” I said.
Liam, the big brother, the alpha of this unusual group and the love of Jessica’s life, sat next to her, looking happy and content—more relaxed than I’d ever seen him. He smiled at me encouragingly.
“How’s Miss Zoey?” Seth asked. The dark-haired middle brother’s arm draped lazily around Olivia’s shoulders.
“I’m well,” I blurted, before sipping my drink.
Olivia raised her glass of whiskey to me and gave me a close-lipped smile. She was a dark-haired beauty—frozen at the youthful age of eighteen by vampirism. We’d formed a tentative friendship after I imbued a dagger with a deadly spell to help her out of a dangerous situation. The magic cost me, but I knew what it was like to feel trapped under someone with more power. To be the object of their control and desire was terrifying. Fear like that, grew lik
Overnight, she’d transformed from a cool and calculating girl with a chip on her shoulder to this—a woman in love. She still had her edges, but they’d softened a bit. A pink blush complemented her usually pale complexion.
Daisy, Jessica’s BFF, led a conversation about the art gallery which somehow turned into Seth and Liam arguing about which was better: cars or trucks. I was just happy to not be alone in my small apartment. This felt good—healthy, even.
“Where’d you go?” Cole asked, close to my ear. I jumped and a small amount of cider splashed over my hand. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He handed me a napkin, wearing a sheepish grin.
I smiled to cover my reaction. “What do you mean?”
“You looked like you were a million miles away. I was just wondering what you were thinking about.” Cole placed his hand on the rear of my chair. We were close enough that our knees touched.
A nervous laugh escaped me. “I don’t know. Just thinking about the last time we were all together, I guess.” I didn’t want to take the conversation to a dark place, but I didn’t want to continue talking about me, either.
“I’ve been trying to get up the nerve to speak to you about everything that went down, but the timing never seems to be right,” Cole said.
The rest of our party continued debating their favorite dream cars, leaving Cole and me in our own semi-private conversation.
“We’ve all been busy and—”
“And you avoid me.” Cole interrupted. He didn’t say it meanly and even gave me a sad smile.
Guiltily, I looked down at my glass. “It’s not you, Cole.”
He placed his hand on my back, and I could feel the heat of his touch, along with the essence of his wolf. Cole watched me like he was trying to decide something. “Do you like to hike?”
Even though I knew that I shouldn’t encourage him, I liked Cole. And the woman in me felt all warm and fuzzy from his attention. “Yes, I do.”
“Then let’s go hiking together—just as friends—no pressure. Just two friends doing something they enjoy—together,” he said.
My mind screamed at me to do one thing, yet my heart wanted to go with this handsome firefighter. A cell phone began buzzing somewhere, breaking the temporary spell he’d cast on me—impressive actually, since I was the witch. “Cole, I don’t—”
“Whose phone is that?” Daisy asked, looking around our table as the buzzing continued.
Everyone now focused on finding the offensive device. Cole lifted my bag from the back of my chair. “Is it yours?”
“Oh!” Surprised, I took the purse from him and dug through it until I found the phone.
It stopped ringing, and I hesitated. My heart pounded inside my chest so hard, I felt light-headed. Nobody but Bill knew this number. It was like a bad omen that it would ring now. My drinking companions watched me expectantly.
“It was probably a wrong number,” I said, letting it drop back into the bag without looking at it. The only reason I kept a phone was so that Bill could reach me, and because landlords and utility companies demanded I provide one.
They continued to stare at me.
“Aren’t you going to see who called?” Cole asked.
Before I could think of an answer, my phone pinged. I couldn’t help but look at the phone, lying in my bag like a snake about to strike. I dragged it out.
There was a text notification from an unknown number. I never received text messages, so I glanced over to see if Bill was messing with me. He was deep in conversation with a patron at the bar.
I met Cole’s gaze, but I didn’t have time to worry about the concern in his steel-blue eyes. I stood quickly and Cole followed.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I just remembered that I’ve got something to do early in the morning. I should get home,” I said, turning to leave. I tried hard to ignore the surprised expressions of the others at the table.
Cole grabbed my arm, and I hesitated. “What about hiking?”
“Maybe another time, Cole. I’m busy this week. Good night.” I pulled out of his grasp.
Cole’s expression was one of shock and hurt, but I couldn’t think about that at the moment.
I rushed for the door as the walls began closing in. The moment I was out of sight of my friends, I pulled the phone out with trembling hands. My finger hovered above the button, as if my body knew that I should delete the message without reading it. My palms sweat, and my breath came hard and fast as I opened the message and read the words on the screen.
I’ve missed you, Little Red.
2
Cole
Zoey’s abrupt departure left me feeling hurt, confused, and maybe a bit embarrassed. Everyone was looking at me, as if I was the reason she left. One minute I thought we were planning a hike together, then she bolted. Maybe I just didn’t get women. I had seriously thought I was getting somewhere with her.
“What did you do?” Seth asked.
“Nothing. He did nothing,” Jessica said, coming to my defense.
“I don’t know. Everything seemed good and then—well, you saw,” I said. I stared at the door Zoey fled through. My spirits crashed and suddenly I didn’t feel like being around all the happy couples. “I’m going home,” I said, planning to leave before anyone could talk me into staying. Several people called after me, then I heard Liam say, “Let him go. He needs some time.”
Time. Was that what I needed? I was almost to the door when someone grabbed my arm. Turning, I saw Daisy looking up at me. “Can I catch a ride home?”
“Sure. Come on.” I wasn’t in the mood for chit-chat, and I hoped that Daisy would figure that out.
“Thanks,” she said as I held the door for her.
Daisy and I stepped out of the bar and onto the historic streets of Old Downtown Flagstaff. We walked along the sidewalk in silence. When we made a right onto Aspen Avenue, I saw Zoey before she turned down the alleyway to her apartment. Daisy and I would walk right past Zoey’s apartment on the way to my Jeep.
What I wanted to do was walk up those stairs and make Zoey tell me what I was doing wrong. Great. Now I was that guy—the needy one who can’t take a hint.
“Hey, I know you might not want to talk about it but—,” Daisy’s voice pulled me out of my obsessive thoughts of Zoey.
“Then let’s not talk about it, Daisy. I know you mean well, but I’m really not in the mood for conversations about my non-existent relationship with the resident witch.” It came out more harshly than I’d meant.
Daisy suddenly stopped walking and blocked her arms over her chest—giving me an annoyed look. Perfect! I was batting two for two with the ladies tonight. I stopped. “What?”
She studied me in silence for a long moment, and I felt increasingly uncomfortable under her scrutiny.
“Everything does not rotate around you, Cole,” Daisy finally said.
“What—I know that. What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Just because a woman rushes out of a room, doesn’t mean it has anything to do with you. When did you become so self-centered, Cole McKenzie?” Daisy huffed, then walked past me so I had to hurry to catch up to her.
Before I could respond, she turned on me again. “Maybe Zoey has some serious crap in her life that she’s dealing with. Did you ever think about that?” She demanded, before spinning on her heels and leaving me in the dust again.
As I caught up to her, I thought about what she’d said. Was I being self-centered? Did Zoey have personal issues going on that I never considered? Suddenly, I felt like a big jerk—a self-centered jerk.
