Chapter 14 Roman 13
Rory stirred awake, unsure for a few split seconds what had woken her from her dream. It had been a good dream, one where she was happily married to Roman. Her stomach was swollen in the last months of pregnancy. As she lay there in the dark, it took some time for her to realize something was wrong. Very, very wrong. The darkness was too thick, it was as if the room was full of billowing black smoke. Just as the thought entered her mind, she started to cough.
The room WAS full of billowing black smoke.
Panic struck, banishing the last remnant of her happy dream as she swung her legs onto the floor, hand over her mouth. The floor was hot, almost unbearably so. She fumbled in the dark, looking for her gown. Anything that would cover her nakedness so she could escape, but it was useless.
There was nothing, she couldn’t see or feel anything at all, but the burning in her chest. As another coughing fit suddenly took hold of Rory, she fell to her knees. Shoulders heaving as she struggled to catch her breath. To take one single lung full of life-sustaining air was all she needed.
“Think Rory, think!” She had to fight back the tears, as panic threatened to overtake her again; she knew if she didn’t stay calm, she would be lost. She would die in this crappy little apartment. Never having seen Roman’s face again. Never telling him that she would love to be his wife one day. To be his mate. On her hands and knees, she sucked in a breath. The acrid taste of smoke biting into her throat. Closer to the floor the air was clearer. Not by much, but clear enough for her to take a shallow, somewhat shaky breath. She started inching towards the door, it was slow going. The floor under her was so hot, it was painful against her skin. She could already feel blisters forming on her palms.
The shop, the shop below her feet, was on fire. It was the only possible explanation. Rory felt her heart plummet into her toes. It was the only possible reason why the floor was so hot.
Her shop.
Her life’s work was going up in flames, and she was about to perish with it. She had to escape, had to make it to the door and down the stairs.
She had to live.
Her hand wrapped around the doorknob without thinking. Rory screamed in pain as the red hot doorknob burnt the delicate skin off the palm of her hand. She fell back, clutching her hand to her chest and sobbed. Gut-wrenching sobs. If the door was that hot it meant the fire was outside in the hall. Blocking her escape.
“Roman…” She whispered his name to the darkness. Like somehow, he would be able to hear her over the miles that separated them. “Roman, help me!” Keeping her burnt hand tight to her chest, she scooted over the hot floor. Bum shuffling like a toddler, she edged slowly towards the window. It was her last possible route of escape, but she knew there were risks there as well.
If she broke the window, the fire would intensify. The fresh onslaught of oxygen would make the fire burn faster. It would engulf the room in minutes. She would have to jump. Risking broken bones and possibly worse. Glancing down at the wet pavement below, Rory steeled herself. The jump may kill her, at best she would be lucky to come away with broken bones. It all sounded better than being burnt to death, or suffocating on the acidic black smoke. Feebly she beat her hands against the glass, knowing it was useless. There was no one on the street. No one was going to save her.
She would just have to save herself.
Giving the window one last bang with her good hand, Rory slowly slid to the floor. Back against the wall. She had to think. And fast.
The window. It was the only way she was going to get out of here. What were a few broken bones in the grand scheme of things, but she would have to jump quickly before her nerves or the black smoke got the better of her.
Taking a shaky breath Rory pushed herself to her feet with her hands, crying out as her burnt hand made contact with the floor;the blisters popping. Her movements jerky, she pushed the big window open, taking in a deep, cleansing breath of fresh air as she attempted to fit her body through the small opening. The fire behind her was burning brighter, the fresh oxygen feeding the flames. Black smoke billowing thick and fast.
“Help me!” She screamed into the street, then the smoke overcame her and she fell to the floor. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t see, she couldn’t feel anything but the pounding of her heart as darkness overtook her senses.
Rory’s voice was screaming inside Roman’s brain. She was pleading with him to help her. Her face tear-stained.
Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. He was awake instantly, reaching for his phone. There was no call. If there had been something wrong, Requiem would have called but still, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of doubt in his gut. He hit speed dial three on his phone, resting the phone between his shoulder and ear as he slipped on his jeans.
Leaving her had been a bad idea.
He needed to get to Rory. “Requiem where is Rory?” He didn’t bother with a hello as the bigger man answered his phone. There would be time enough for pleasantries once he knew Rory was safe. He would apologise then.
The bigger man didn’t answer for a second. Roman could hear him breathing hard as if he was running.
“I'll get her out Roman, I promise.”
Romans head spun, causing him to sway. Get her out of where? What the hell was happening? He gripped the door frame, causing the heavy wood to groan under the onslaught. “What is happening? Requiem talk to me.”
“Fire.”
“You were meant to be watching her Requiem!” Roman almost screamed. “You were meant to be keeping her safe.” But he couldn’t be mad at the man who was closer than a brother to him. It wasn’t Requiem's job to keep her safe. It was his. And he had failed again. Guilt mixed in equal measures with panic caused bile to swell up in his throat. If she didn’t make out… He shook the thought from his head. She would make it out. He hadn’t found her again just to lose her again.
“Chew me out later brother, let me save your mate.” as usual Requiem's voice brokered no arguments, the line went dead.
He called the fire department with shaking fingers, telling them as much as he knew as he drew on clothes. He needed to get to her. If anything happened to her because he wasn’t there to protect her, he would never forgive himself. He would never forgive Requiem either, but if anyone could get her out of a burning building, it would be the dragon. Roman had to believe he would. The fact that he hadn’t been there watching her house would have to wait. There would be a reason.
There had to be.
Requiem would never leave his post without a good reason.
It would take him hours to get to her, hours of not knowing what was going on. Shouting at Samuel who was asleep on his sofa as he gathered his car keys from the table. “Up, find the other enforcers and meet me at Rory’s!”
Samuel woke slowly, sleep making his eyes blurry. Speech slow “What… ?”
“Now Samuel, move!! Someone has set fire to her shop and house.” He turned on the younger man. His wolf shining out of his eyes as he bared his teeth. “Did you not hear me? Someone has just tried to kill my mate. MOVE!”
That was all it took; Samuel took one look at his Alpha and shot into action.
When his Alpha ordered, he obeyed.
Always.
“Rory…”
Rory opened her eyes slowly. Why was everything so bright? It was like her sight had narrowed down into pinpoints. She couldn’t see, couldn’t concentrate on anything but her inability to take a breath.
“Rory, open your eyes, look at me sweetheart.” The voice was soothing but she didn’t recognize it.
There was nothing but light.
Was she dying? Was this the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel? If this was the end for her, it wasn’t half bad. She had expected more pain.
“Rory, it’s Requiem, nod your head if you can hear me.”
Rory felt her head move.
“Roman?” She whispered it threw lips that were so dry they hurt.
“He’s on his way,” slowly the big blonde man from the club came into view. There was ash smudged on his high cheekbones, and his blonde hair was a mess.
“You got me… ?” she coughed again, struggling to sit up.
“Easy now Rory, easy. Here, drink,” his big hands held her head up as he moved the straw to her mouth.
“Where am I?” She croaked, her head falling back, water spilling down her chin. Now the haze had started to clear, the pain was starting.
“Hospital, what do you remember?”
Rory took a deep breath. What did she remember? Not a lot after she had stupidly opened the window. Just darkness and her lungs burning. But that wasn’t quite true. She remembered Requiem; he had walked through the flames as if they were water. Not at all fazed by the overwhelming heat.
“You got me out?”
He nodded but the look on his face wasn’t one of happiness. “I should have been there, if I had been doing my job properly I wouldn’t have had to get you out in the first place.” Yeah, she could vaguely remember him, throwing his shirt over her nakedness before he scooped her up into his massive arms. Walking through the flames as if they were nothing. Using his bulk to protect her as much as he could as they licked at them.
She remembered the loud screech of sirens.
“Roman?”
Requiem scooted his chair closer to her. The flimsy plastic groaning under his weight. “He’s coming Rory, I’m not sure how he knew, but he did, and he’s coming.”
“Sir, you really need to step out now, Miss Jones needs to rest” The nurse looked nervous, hovering in the door.
“I’m staying.”
“It's family only.” She tried again.
“I. AM. NOT. LEAVING.” His voice was firm.
“It's fine Requiem, I’m fine,” she reached and patted his hand. Or attempted to. She felt so weak, so couldn’t quite manage it. He turned his strange bird eyes on her. Strangest eyes she had ever seen. It was like he hadn’t fully shifted back to his human form, which was absurd seeing as his other form was a dragon. Shouldn’t they all have reptilian eyes?
“You sleep Rory, I’ll be right here until Roman arrives.”
“How did you get me out?” Rory mumbled, but she was sleepy so it was hard to get the words out.
He raised his blonde eyebrow, his strange yellow eyes unflinching. “Ahh of course…dragon.” She giggled.
He laughed. “I’m guessing your painkillers are kicking in now Rory, so sleep. When you wake up, your mate should be here.”