Embraced by Fire Read Free

school.
    “What did you do after you left school?”
    Okay, so much for hoping he could avoid answering. “I joined the army but it didn’t suit.” Not the way the special unit he was part of now suited.
    His team was more than work colleagues, they were family. He felt part of the unit in the most fundamental way. He rubbed the tips of his fingers against his jeans as he remembered Adrian asking him to fill in on this undercover op at the last minute. As if he’d say no . Now he needed to make sure he didn’t fail.
    Kait finished making a note and asked, “Is this something to tide you over till you find something else, or are you looking to make it a career?”
    “Does that matter?”
    “Not really.” She tapped the pen against her lips as she considered him. “It helps if I know how long you plan to be with us. I would rather you were honest about needing only short-term work so I can plan ahead.”
    He rolled his shoulder hoping he wasn’t making a mistake. “In that case, honestly, I’m only looking for short-term employment.”
    “How long?” she asked, jotting something down.
    “Couple of months maybe, I’m not really sure.”
    She smiled and his gut clenched at the way her face softened. “Thank you for your honesty.”
    Honesty . If only she knew, she wouldn’t be so impressed. He cleared his throat. “No problem. So, do you have anything available?”
    “You’re in luck.” Another one of those smiles. “We’ve been looking for new performers and we don’t have anyone doing fire at the moment. You could be exactly what we need.” She stacked the papers and pushed them to one side. “I remember seeing you perform at school, but I’m afraid I need to see your current skill level. Do you have your equipment here to give me a demo?”
    “Yes, it’ll take me a couple of minutes to set up.”
    “Great. I’ll show you where.” She pushed away from her desk and led him into the main practice area.
    Once again he snuck a glance at her ass. How was he going to cope working here with that sort of temptation?

Chapter 2
    Ryu opened his bag and set up the stand he’d designed for his routine. The base was a three-legged, cast-iron pot, heavy enough he didn’t need to worry about it tipping over. He filled it with some fuel and dropped in his torches.
    Next, he attached a metal platform to the top and placed several flammable balls in their specially designed holders. Finally, he set his cigarette lighter where he could reach it easily.
    “Ready?” He looked over at Kait who was leaning against one of the concrete pillars running the length of the room.
    She was no longer alone. The practice area had emptied and his impromptu audience of curious performers relaxed while they waited for him to start.
    Kait nodded. “Whenever you are.”
    He rolled his shoulders and swung his arms a few times, loosening the muscles. It was a while since he’d played with fire for an audience, and he was, he reluctantly admitted, more nervous than he expected about messing up.
    He reached into the pot and pulled out a torch, lighting it with the cigarette lighter. Fire surged across the tip of the torch and the familiar acrid scent of smoke hit his nose. He threw his mind into the flame, burning away distractions as heat flared in his veins.
    With a bold grin at his audience, he stroked the flame across the sensitive skin of his inner arms. The intense heat left a wake of tiny copper scales as his body instinctively protected itself. The scales vanished almost instantly, leaving his skin smooth and unmarked.
    He reached for a second torch. Touching the tips of the two torches together, he transferred flames to the new torch. With both lit he began a slow, almost lazy juggling pattern. Kait’s eyes followed the graceful dancing flames and he almost purred in satisfaction.
    After a few more throws, he caught the shaft of one of the torches between his teeth. There were quick, indrawn breaths from those watching