Blazing Glory (5 page)

“You want me to get on your back?”
Blaze asked, yelping at Levi’s second swipe.
 

Levi’s eye caught two gray blurs of
movement. Brief pain crawled up his front paws. He roared and shook off the
zombies whose hungry mouths had latched
themselves
onto his fur.

Blaze scrambled up his broad back
and gripped a handful of brown fur with his uninjured hand. Certain Blaze was
well settled, Levi broke into a run.

A rampaging bear made one hell of
an effective, enormous wrecking ball, as Levi found out soon after.

Blaze let out a sound of surprise
as they barreled and forced their way through the horde of zombies in the
corridor. Those sounds turned suspiciously to delightful and vengeful shrieks
of glee.

Blaze sounded like a child on his
first roller coaster ride.

Levi grunted, ignoring the mouths
and hands reaching for his fur. Layer after layer of pain coursed through his
body. He focused on the fire exit at the end of the hallway. He wasn’t sure how
bad his injuries were, but they had to get out of the building before his
strength gave out.

“Levi, wait. There’s a kid still
alive by the stairwell!”

Levi shook his head, relaying his
disapproval with a bellow, but Blaze wasn’t paying attention. He leaped off his
back awkwardly to scoop up the kid.

Did Levi really call the girl a
kid? She was practically a teenager.

Mouths fastened themselves greedily
on his bleeding flank. Levi swatted them away, but they held on stubbornly.

“Get the fuck off him!” Blaze
angrily snarled, the pale scars on his face shining. A wheezing sound came from
him as flames leaped out of his extended, unburned hand. Two fireballs the size
of volleyballs sent the zombies flying.

“Come on, Levi. Let’s get the hell
out of here,” Blaze panted.

The hand that summoned the fire
patted Levi’s bloodied muzzle, but Levi couldn’t help notice how it shook with
effort. The simple gesture ignited Levi’s will to survive and fight again.

The girl starting crying
hysterically, but Blaze picked her up and mounted Levi’s back again.

More moans and disgruntled groans
came from behind them, but Levi continued bounding down the flight of stairs.
The stubborn will to live and save Blaze was the only thing keeping him moving
forward.

The cool night air hit him in the
face as they finally bounded past the last flight of stairs and emerged out of
the building. Feeling spent, Levi used his remaining strength to revert back to
his human skin, and he collapsed on the sidewalk.

Every shifter worth his salt knew
it wasn’t wise staying in their animal forms when they were injured badly or
their emotions were put on edge. They risked never being able to shift back to
human if the bestial, primal emotions of their animal half leeched onto their
human fears.

“Levi!” Blaze shouted, sounding
concerned.

Levi’s vision flickered and
wobbled. He could hardly make out Blaze’s profile bending over him. Urging his
body to move was futile. None of his limbs or muscles seemed capable of
responding.

Were all their efforts useless,
then? Was this how he and Blaze going to die, being zombie chow? Damn. That was
lame.

His ears picked up the sound of
wheels and of a car door being opened. “Blaze, hurry up and get inside!” a
voice shouted.

Levi wanted to tell Blaze to listen
to that voice and save himself before the zombies found them, but Blaze wasn’t
paying any attention to his mysterious savior. His hands, both the unburned and
normal one, felt cool to the touch as they checked Levi’s body for injuries.

“Blaze, get the fuck in,” persisted
the voice.

“Not without Levi or the kid.”
Blaze grunted as he tried supporting Levi on his shoulder.
Fucking fool
, Levi thought. Blaze damn well knew he wasn’t exactly
a lightweight.

Levi was suddenly being lifted by
another pair of hands and then rudely shoved in the backseat of a car with the
crying girl Blaze saved. What a damn softie.

“Thank you, Volt,” Blaze said.

Volt started the car and drove away
from the zombie-infested building.

That
human electric socket saved us?
Bloody great.
Still,
I’ll take whatever damn help I can get.

“You and your bear shifter owe me
big for this, Blaze,” Volt muttered.

Certain he and Blaze were safe, at
least for the moment, Levi let unconsciousness take him.

Chapter Six

“Thanks for helping us, but we’ll
be fine on our own,” Blaze told Volt, who handed him a warm cup of tea. He
urged the muscles of his damaged hand to remain still, but it still shook.

Volt frowned at him, the yellow ink
on his face made him appear more hostile.
 
“Fuck, Blaze. I’m not a bloody idiot. Your hands are shaking, meaning
you can’t even summon enough energy to ignite a small fire.”

Blaze wasn’t worried about being
attacked in Volt’s apartment because the man was a perfectionist when it came
to his warding his personal space. The invisible magical barrier surrounding
the entire building felt solid and formidable.

What worried him was how those
zombies found him and Levi so easily.

If the Biter had their scent, then
backing out was no longer an option. The Biter and his minions would hunt him
and Levi down until they were dead. If he involved others in their mess, they
might get hurt too.

“If you think you’re going to
simply just leave here unharmed, you’re damn mistaken,” Volt growled. Tiny
threads of electricity jumped from his arms, reflecting his temper. Most men
would flinch or look away, but Blaze had grown up with Volt and Gale, so he
wasn’t intimidated.

Havoc picked up the three of them
from various foster homes and shelters during his travels. He raised each of
them like they were his sons, and Volt and Gale were like Blaze’s brothers.

Fuck. Blaze couldn’t imagine
dragging the other
elementalists
to his mess. Levi
was right. He knew Volt had good intentions, but this was their mess, and they
were going to clean it up or die trying.

“Damn, Blaze, I know that stupid
look of yours. You’ll just ignore whatever I tell you.” Volt collapsed into the
armchair opposite the one Blaze sat on and frowned at the injured Levi on his
coach.

Volt gave up his own bed to the
girl he saved. Sarah was still a little hysterical, but she calmed down after
Volt gave her some tea, which Blaze suspected was laced with a mild sedative.

“I’ve checked over his injuries.
He’s healing as fast as can be expected of a shifter. In a few hours, we’ll
leave. Will you lend me some of your hunting gear?” Blaze asked.

“Fuck you.”

Knowing him, Blaze translated that
as a yes.

“What were you doing around my
area, anyway? Weren’t you supposed to be training Heath?” Blaze asked, changing
the topic.

“I’d rather be anywhere else than
train that useless apprentice of mine.” Volt’s lips twitched as he spoke, and
then his gaze fell on Blaze again. “You
really going
to do this, Blaze?
Even if it means your death?”

“We’re going to die either way if
we fail. The City Council isn’t exactly known for being tolerant,” Blaze said
dryly.

A miserable brass sound came from
Levi on the bed. Before Blaze could speak, Levi shifted on the tiny couch and
rolled off the edge. Levi let out a string of creative curses.

“Levi, how are you feeling?” Blaze
stood from his seat and held out his uninjured hand. Grunting, he helped Levi
up from the floor and quietly assessed him for injuries. The bandages covering
Levi’s bare chest weren’t bloody as he’d expected.
 

“I feel like shit, but it’s a given
after being bitten by those nasty things, eh?”

Feeling guilty but too proud to
apologize for his actions, Blaze said, “I couldn’t leave the girl to die.”

“I know, Blaze. I’m glad you
didn’t. That makes you a better man than I am. You know what can make me feel
better, though?” Levi raked his eyes across his body, and Blaze felt his cheeks
heat up.

Discounting their near-death run-in
with an army of zombies, Blaze hadn’t forgotten the mind-blowing sex they had
hours before. Levi looked at him like he did in his apartment, like he was the
most desirable and perfect thing in the world, even with his scars and burns.

Damn. Blaze still doubted if Levi
was for real, but he didn’t doubt Levi’s honesty because the way Levi reacted
to his body wasn’t
fake
. Blaze liked that he was frank
and up front, even though he was sometimes a little crass.

Someone in the room cleared their
throat.
Probably Volt.

Levi turned and nodded at Volt in
acknowledgement. “Thanks for the save, pal.”

“I am not your ‘pal,’” Volt said
dryly. “I came for Blaze, and certainly not for you.”

Levi grinned, clearly not insulted.
He even stepped forward to slap Volt on the shoulder. Blaze was impressed. Most
people were afraid of
elementalists
. Volt especially
was known for his temper.

“What time is it?” Levi directed
his question to Blaze while he dressed.

“Three in the
morning.”

Levi eagerly punched one fist into
his opened palm. “Perfect. We can get those bastards by dawn, but first, I’m
hungry.”

He said it like it was the easiest
task in the world, and Blaze was drawn by his enthusiasm. If they somehow
managed to come out of this situation alive, Blaze was open to finding out if
what they had, whatever it was, was worth pursuing.

Blaze may be a novice when it came
to relationships—all he’d ever been were flings and one-night stands—but he
knew a good thing when it was openly dangled in front of him. It also helped
that Levi had a smoking hot body.
  

“Oh great, Blaze.
You found the perfect partner. Both of you are idiotically reckless,” Volt
commented, voice dripping with obvious sarcasm. “At least come up with a damn
plan!”

“We have a plan, brother. Levi,
there’s food in the fridge.”

Volt’s lips twitched again, but he
didn’t stop Levi from wandering into his kitchen. “This isn’t your damn fucking
place, Blaze.
You and your bear can’t do as you damn well
please.”

“I owe you one, Volt. Take care of
the kid until we come back, okay?”

“Fine.
You
and your bear better replace the contents of my fridge.” Volt sighed. “Come on,
I’ll show you to my weapon cabinet.” Volt led him to the cabinet, told him to
take his pick, and left him alone to check in on the sleeping girl.

“A lot of weapons you’re packing
there.”

Blaze paused from checking a
shotgun to find Levi leaning against the doorway of Volt’s weapon room, chewing
on a sandwich. “We’re not sure how many we’re up against. It pays to be
careful.”

Levi nodded in approval. “Blaze,
you know this isn’t a one-way trip, right?”

Blaze couldn’t help himself. He let
out a little laugh. “Do you honestly believe we can get out of this unscathed,
Levi?”

“Sure, because I intend to claim
you again, Blaze. This zombie-killing business is just a prelude.
To bigger and better things.”

“Bigger and
better things?”

Blaze couldn’t really figure out
Levi Black. He remembered thinking how Levi smelled like trouble the moment he
met him at Schneider Tower, and he remembered hating him with such a
frightening intensity, even though he was the one at fault.

How could he feel so much for a man
he’d only known a few hours?
 
His
confidence certainly stunned Blaze. Levi could be sprouting bullshit, but Blaze
admired his confidence and tenacity. Didn’t Levi barrel and fight his way
through a horde of zombies back in Blaze’s apartment? Levi could’ve saved his
own skin and left when Blaze decided to save Sarah, but he didn’t. For some
unexplainable reason, Levi stayed and nearly got himself killed in the process.
Thank the gods shifters healed fast. If he were human, Levi would’ve certainly
ended up dead.

“Yeah.
Didn’t I tell you hours ago? I didn’t hunt you down for months just to have a
quickie, Blaze. Bear shifters don’t do quickies.”

Blaze didn’t answer him. He
continued loading the duffel bag with weapons. If he spoke now, his emotions
would get the better of him, and he wasn’t the most stable person in the
present.

Months spent in his apartment like
a hermit hadn’t been healthy. He’d cut off everyone he knew, including Havoc
and his brothers. It felt like he’d willingly crawled into the darkness and was
content to never come out again until Levi came barging into his life. Levi
gave him a new reason to live, and he’d give his life willingly if it meant
being able to save the city from an invading army of hungry zombies.

“Hey,” Levi called softly.

Blaze blinked to see Levi hunkering
down in front of him, his tone and expression unexpectedly gentle.

“I know you don’t believe me,
Blaze, but I’ll prove to you we’re going to get past this.” Levi touched his face,
and Levi’s large hand felt warm to the touch.

Blaze couldn’t keep the images of
their recent lovemaking out of his head. No one had ever made him feel as alive
as Levi did. After the fire, he didn’t think he’d ever been able to find
someone who could stand to look at him, let alone want him or make love to him.
To Levi he wasn’t a grotesque monster.

Blaze let the tension in his body
go and gratefully leaned against Levi’s hard warm chest. Levi smelled of soap
and shampoo. He could feel Levi’s large hand wandering past his side and
resting on his back. Levi didn’t speak, and Blaze didn’t either. The large hand
on his back began tracing the line of his spine, stroking him like a child who
needed consolation. It felt unexpectedly nice.