Flames of Honor- The Honor Series Book Three

Prologue

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Prologue

      A fire is a true work of art. A beautiful lady dancing in the wind. Igniting her for the first time is like the first time having sex. Hot and scary, exciting and dangerous. Once again, I don't want to come too soon, but make the moment last. My hands shook when I lit the igniter, my heart pounded in my chest as I watched her come to life. Now, I get to stand back enthralled to watch her take control.

     I almost forgot to get out of the old building. She had me so entranced by her beauty. The way her flames licked out to reach me, the way she looked right into my soul and saw my needs, only this creature can breathe life into me. And she does live, she breathes and she consumes. A stealthy creature not to be underestimated.

     There's that fine line between love and hate when it comes to a fire. You have to love her to beat her or to let her go. She's a wild natural creature who knows no bounds. I do love her, from the first flash of her flame, I fell under her spell. Now, I want to watch her, and just let her burn.

Stepping out with the growing crowd of neighbors and lookie loo's, I am as fascinated as they are by her grace, her ferocity, her heat. Watching her take control is one of my greatest pleasures. The sirens blare closer. They only ruin the mood, they want to kill her. They can try, they can fight her but she'll only come back again and again. I'll make sure of it. They won't always beat her, and she will take her share of them when she goes down. I will make sure of that too.

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"Congratulations, Michael!" Maddie hugs me gently not to squish the sleeping runt in her arms.

     My brothers really scored big when they found these girls. My sister in law's are the best. Both of them are. I got lucky to have the family that I do. With our parents gone now and two of my three brothers upholding the law in Dahlia, I'm breaking the McKennan family mold and setting out to conquer my dreams of becoming a firefighter. It's taken me leaving my family and moving to Cedar Hills Cove to do it, but I've finally got my chance to follow my dream.

     The academy wasn't easy, it was actually damn hard. The physical pain of sore muscles, the sheer exhaustion and exertion it took daily to push through the training definitely changes a person. But I'm stronger now, physically and mentally, to handle my job. I'm ready to face the fire.

     I've carried the hoses up hundreds of flights of stairs, I've hauled dummies from buildings and sucked in more smoke than most chimneys. Working my body hard every day to keep in shape, I've toughened up. Big bulky biceps, hard ridged abs, a narrow waist that slides down to long lanky legs all of us McKennan boys are known for.

     Still, I've been blessed with the McKennan good looks inherited from our pops. Each of us has that dark wavy hair. Mine I've cut short to keep from burning off in flames, but the same blue eyes, the color of the darkening sky, and that wicked grin, with a dimple that can make even a nun swoon, the McKennan looks and charm runs in our genes.

      The hours I've been putting in are long and exhausting but I've made it through the worst. Still, I can't help but miss my family dearly, but I knew from the beginning this was where I belonged. 

     I've had dreams about it, some more like nightmares. Dark, frightening and dangerous. So real I swear my heart was pounding when I woke. So disorienting I don't know where I am. The nightmares creep into my thoughts and eat away at my sleep. I can see it so clearly and I'm shaken every time.

     The skull seemed to leap out at me each time. It has that eerie smile right before the fire spit from its mouth and the eyes blazed a light of crystal blue. It called to me in a freakish way, and each night as I slept it found me. I haven't told anyone about the dreams.

     Believing it was just an imaginative dream similar to the ones I know other new firefighters have had, I keep them to myself. I don't want to believe it means anything but it still nags at me like that tingly feeling at the base of my spine. That knowledge of something being off eats at me.

     I've tried to write off the dreams as too many horror movies and not enough sleep lately. I've been under stress and have pushed myself hard to get where I am. The dreams keep coming though, and as each day passes they just get worse.

      It doesn't matter, I'm determined to wear The Flame of Honor.

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