Tempered By Flames (Dragons’ Flames #3)

Chapter One

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THE LOUD BUZZING AND the smell of antiseptic were so normal in Ethan’s life that he barely noticed them anymore.

What he did notice was when the people he was working on weren’t good at sitting for tattoos, and this woman definitely wasn’t.

She kept wiggling and grimacing, which was understandable considering Ethan was stabbing her repeatedly with tiny needles, but he really needed her to stay still unless she wanted the tiny fish he was tattooing on her to become a whale.

Unfortunately, no matter how many times he told her that, she wasn’t still enough.

He lowered the gun and cleared his throat. “You really need to stop doing that.”

Her eyes were wide. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to do it, but it hurts.”

Ethan didn’t roll his eyes, but it was a close thing.

He didn’t understand why some people came in expecting tattoos not to hurt.

What was it about getting stabbed repeatedly with tiny needles that they didn’t understand?

“I realize that,” he said, glancing down at his arms. They were colorful, with designs of his own and of his friends.

He’d sat for his tattoos many more hours than this woman had for hers, but he’d never wiggled like she was.

Everyone had different pain tolerances, so he didn’t expect people to be like him, but he did expect them to make his life a little bit easier.

He didn’t want to ruin the design because if he did, the customer wouldn’t be happy with him, even though it would technically be her fault.

“We’re almost done,” he promised. “Just a little bit of shading once I’m done with the lines.” It wouldn’t take more than half an hour to do the entire thing. It was a tiny tattoo on the inside of her wrist.

She swallowed heavily and nodded. “All right. I’m ready.”

Ethan was pretty sure she wasn’t, but he went back to work.

The woman continued wiggling, but Ethan expected it, and he managed to work around it. He was relieved when it was over, though. He really hoped she wouldn’t want any more tattoos, and if she did, that she’d find someone else to do them.

“I love it,” she said, admiring her wrist.

“It’s nice,” Ethan commented as he started putting things away.

“I’ll definitely come back for my next tattoo,” she said with a smile.

Ethan smiled back. He supposed things could be worse.

They definitely had been at some points.

Honestly, even though it had been annoying, he’d rather tattoo this woman than some of the guys who came in every so often asking for questionable tattoos.

He led the customer to the waiting area, where Daniela was behind the counter. The woman went to her to pay, and Ethan took a step back. He didn’t have another appointment for a few hours, which meant he’d be able to sit down and have a nice lunch, something that wasn’t always possible.

He made his way to the breakroom, smiling when he heard voices coming from inside. It seemed like he wasn’t the only one without a customer right now.

He walked in to find Jonathan and Christy sitting at the tiny table. Christy was chewing on a sandwich while she listened to Jonathan.

“I guess I don’t understand why he’s wary,” Jonathan said. “I’m sure new firefighters start at their station all the time.”

“What are we talking about?” Ethan asked as he opened the fridge to grab the pasta salad he’d prepped the night before.

“There’s a new firefighter starting at West and Austin’s station today,” Jonathan explained. “West didn’t sound happy when he told me.”

“Wariness might make sense.”

“Does it? It’s not like he and Austin work alone. They have an entire team.”

“But they know their team,” Ethan said as he sat at the table.

There wasn’t a lot of space, so he had to squeeze against the wall.

“And West trusts them. I imagine that he hopes that even if they ever find out what he and Austin are, they won’t react too badly, but he can’t know that about this new firefighter. ”

Jonathan wrinkled his nose. “I guess I hadn’t thought about that.”

Ethan wouldn’t have expected him to since Jonathan was human.

He knew a lot of shifters, but that didn’t mean he fully understood what it was like to be one.

He didn’t know what it was like to hide what you were from most of the people in your life, to be afraid that someone would find out anyway and that something bad would happen.

There was no way to know how people would react if they ever found out what Ethan was, so he got it, even though West was just a dragon shifter.

“Just give him time to get to know the new guy,” he commented. “Or woman.”

“It’s a guy, apparently.”

“I’m sure West will tell you all about it tonight. He always tells you everything, doesn’t he?” Ethan teased.

Jonathan’s cheeks flushed. “Not everything.”

Christy snorted. “We both know that’s a lie. He’s so taken by you that he would hand over his own mother if you asked for her.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jonathan was happy, which was all Ethan and the rest of their friends wanted for him.

Ethan had initially been wary when he’d found out about West, but West had more than proved himself.

He cared about Jonathan and would make sure nothing happened to him.

He would protect him with all the power of his dragon.

Nothing would ever happen to Jonathan if West had anything to say about it.

Ethan resisted the urge to sigh. He wanted that, too.

Well, he could protect himself, but he still wished he had someone who was there for him.

He was never anyone’s priority nor the first person someone thought about when something happened.

He didn’t have anyone to drive him to the airport or to take care of him when he was sick.

Well, he had his friends, but all of them were busy with their own lives and their partners.

All of them except Ethan.

He was jealous, but also happy for Jonathan and the others. How could he not be? They’d found something he yearned for.

“What about you?” Jonathan asked.

“What about me?” Ethan knew what he was asking, but he hoped Jonathan wouldn’t pry. He should’ve known better.

“When was the last time you dated?”

“It’s been a while.”

“Right, so why don’t you find someone?”

“You say that like it’s easy, but you’re not in the dating world right now. Honestly, it’s easier to be single.” And that wasn’t even considering Ethan’s secret.

“You could at least try. You’re never going to find anyone if you don’t put yourself out there. Do you expect to find a boyfriend while sitting at home on the couch?”

“Well, it would be nice if I didn’t have to leave the house for it to happen.”

Jonathan chuckled. “Of course it would be, but that’s not how it works.”

“You never know. You met West here, after all. You didn’t have to go out there to find him. Maybe the same thing will happen to me.”

Jonathan grimaced. “I really hope we don’t have to call nine-one-one again.”

They all knew they probably would have to. There was always someone who ended up needing help while they were getting tattooed. Sometimes, people fainted or freaked out. It came with the job. “Would West be sent here if we were to call nine-one-one again?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Jonathan’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not thinking about calling in something fake, are you?”

“Why would I? I don’t actually expect to end up with a firefighter. Besides, both of the dragon shifters on that team are taken.”

“Maybe date a human,” Christy offered. She was human, so she had a point.

Besides, humans might accept the kind of shifter Ethan was more easily.

The problem was that he’d have to find a human who already knew about shifters because he refused to be the person to reveal that there was a whole entire world out there made up of people who could turn into animals to an unsuspecting guy.

That was why he didn’t date. It was too complicated, and by the time he thought about everything that could go wrong, he’d changed his mind.

He didn’t think anyone would blame him. Jonathan and Christy were both human, so they didn’t fully understand what Ethan’s problem was, even though he’d explained.

They were trying to be good friends, and they wanted him to be happy.

Sometimes, he wondered if he ever would be.

* * * *

LIAM WAS NERVOUS. ANYONE would be when starting a new job, but this wasn’t just a job.

He was finally done with the academy, and today, he would start working at a fire station.

He wasn’t sure how to feel about being a probie, but he hoped people wouldn’t use that as an excuse to haze him or something.

He had no idea what he was walking into.

He’d visited the station once before and talked to his new captain, but he hadn’t met the team, so there was no way to know if this would be a good place or not.

Captain Grant had assured him that the team was close and that he’d find a home here, but Liam didn’t know the guy.

He’d seemed great, but maybe he was just a good actor.

Liam hoped that wasn’t the case. He needed this to work.

He needed to show his clan that he could find his own way.

He didn’t want to stay hidden the way they were.

He wanted to build something, and becoming a firefighter was his way to do that.

Even his mother hadn’t been able to say anything about it.

As a dragon shifter, it was a logical career.

He could help people, and he wouldn’t be hurt by fire.

He stared at the building in front of him. He’d parked his truck five minutes ago, and he still hadn’t gone anywhere. He really needed to move. He didn’t want to look like an idiot, something that would definitely happen if someone was to look outside.