I’m getting back into the writing/publishing groove. It’s been a while, I know. Ignition, the last of the Delta Heat stories, is in the near future (I’m shooting for release in late June!). Then I’ll be working on the next We are Dead Horse stories, Built Like Mack. I’m hoping I can have it ready for late July, but it might be August. It just depends on…well, how I feel, how the story comes together, and how long it takes for me to reawaken my muse. 🙂

In the meantime, I’ve published a compilation of some of my sexier short stories in Ultra Strokes, Vol. 2. For the short term, it’s FREE in Kindle Unlimited. So, if you’re wanting a copy, do it now! Ultra Strokes, Vol. 1, is also in KU, for now, if you haven’t read that anthology yet. Links for both are below. In August, both will go wide to all the usual publishers. Even at $4.99, that’s a nearly $7 savings, if you were to purchase all individually. Both volumes will be available in print in June!

So, if you were looking for something sexy to read, something with a variety of genres, this should do the trick! Happy reading! Wish me luck as I get back on the writing merry-go-round!

Ultra Strokes, Vol. 2

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Delilah Devlin, comes another sinfully hot collection for your reading pleasure…

From the author… This compilation includes twelve stories in a variety of settings and genres. Something for all tastes—so long as you like your romance sexy. Most are contemporary stories, but there are historical, paranormal, and a for-grown-ups-only fairy tale included in the mix. The collection is intended for bedtime reading. Read the stories while you’re alone or with your partner. Read them to your partner. I hope you enjoy the stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.

This compilation includes:
The Bounty
Runaway Bride
Invite Me In
Drive Me Crazy
In the Wild
How to Train Your Skaldmaer
Hunk of Burning Love
Ripples
Dreaming By the Sea
Quincy Down Under
One Track Cowboy
The Obedient Wife

Get your copy!
FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Ultra Strokes, Vol. 1

Get your copy here!
Also, FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

BURN:  A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY
Editor: Delilah Devlin
Deadline Extended: June 15, 2025

BURN is open to all authors.

Editor/Author Delilah Devlin is looking for stories for a romantic erotica anthology tentatively entitled BURN:  A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY.

Why write a short story for this collection? Well, it’s certainly not about making a lot of money, so why do it at all? I’ve said this before, many times, but here are my thoughts…

Writing a short story for a call for submissions is a chance to flex your writing muscles! It can be a chance to experiment with a genre you’ve never written. If you’ve never written a story in first person but don’t want to begin by writing an entire novel using it, start short! For myself, I’ve written stories in new genres or with fresh themes that ended up being so much fun to write they’ve spawned entire series of books.

You have a deadline! I don’t know about you, but I have trouble keeping my butt in the chair without one!

It’s a promotional opportunity! If selected, you’ll be joined by 12-15 other authors for the launch, sharing your audiences and, hopefully, picking up new readers along the way. Having your story in the collection is another chance to be “seen.”

And remember, you retain the rights to your story, so you can republish it for individual sale or give it away to attract subscribers to your newsletter. You might even decide there’s more story to tell and expand your short story into a novel.

Here’s what I’m looking for…

BURN: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY will include stories that satisfy the reader who craves stories about those sexy, alpha men who face danger without hesitation and who love unconditionally. Perhaps, he’s the new firefighter in a small town who rescues a woman from a burning building. Maybe he’s an arson investigator, hunting for a predator targeting a local business owner. Or a vulcanologist studying an awakening volcano. Is he an alien from a fiery planet seeking a mate, or an astronaut searching in a mysterious solar system for a new home for colonization? Could he be a fire dragon living in the human world? There are so many ways to go.

BURN will seek stories with varied settings here on Earth—present, past, or future—or on another planet or moon in this solar system or in a galaxy far, far, away.  Heroes and heroines might be more than human—supernatural creatures or even aliens and cyborgs.

I’m open to any subgenre of erotic romance you want to write. I’ll accept contemporary, historical, science fiction, or paranormal stories, and I won’t be picky about whether the stories are hetero, LGBT, ménage… Basically, you, the author, can go anywhere your imagination takes you so long as 1) the story is a romance, and 2) you have a bad boy/girl somewhere on the pages!

The anthology will be sold at a low price—my intent is exposure for you and your writing. The more readers reached, the better! You will retain the rights to your story so that, at a later date, you can republish your stories individually.

I’m seeking hot and inventive stories from authors with unique voices, and above all, I’m looking to be seduced by tales filled with vivid imagery and passion.

Published authors with an established world may use that setting for their original short stories.

This is erotic romance, so don’t hold back on the heat. Stories can be vanilla or filled with kink but don’t miss describing the romantic connection between strong-willed individuals learning to trust and love one another. A deep sensuality should linger in every word. Keep in mind that there must be a romantic element with a happy-for-now or happy-ever-after ending. Strong plots, engaging characters, and unique twists are the ultimate goal. Please, no reprints. I want original stories.

How to submit: Prepare your 2,500 to 5,500 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12-point, black font, Word document (.doc or .docx) OR rich text format (.rtf), with pages numbered. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch and double space (regular double spacing; do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). U.S. grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.

In your document at the top left of the first page, include your legal name (and pseudonym, if applicable), mailing address, email address, and a 50-word or less biography, written in the third person, and send to bbbaburn@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories. I will try to respond no later than August 15, 2025, with decisions.

Payment will be USD 25.00 ninety days after publication at the end of that month.

Who is Delilah Devlin?

Delilah Devlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romance and erotic romance. She has published over two hundred stories in multiple genres and lengths and has been published by Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Entangled, Grand Central, Harlequin Spice, HarperCollins: Mischief, Kensington, Kindle, Montlake, Penthouse, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing.

Her short stories have appeared in multiple Cleis Press collections, including Lesbian Cowboys, Girl Crush, Fairy Tale Lust, Lesbian Lust, Passion, Lesbian Cops, Dream Lover, Carnal Machines, Best Erotic Romance (2012), Suite Encounters, Girl Fever, Girls Who Score, Duty and Desire, Best Lesbian Romance of 2013, and On Fire. For Cleis Press, she edited Girls Who Bite, She Shifters, Cowboy Lust, Smokin’ Hot Firemen, High Octane Heroes, Cowboy Heat, Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors, and Sex Objects.

She has also edited Conquests: An Anthology of Smoldering Viking Romance, Rogues: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Blue Collar: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Pirates: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Stranded: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, First Response: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Cowboys: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Silver Soldiers: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, and Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology.

Direct any questions regarding your story or the submission process to Delilah at bbbaburn@gmail.com.

Seattle and Western Washington are known for rain. I called my Seattle-based series Rain City Tales. After about nine months of rain, however, the summer switch gets flicked on, and we enter our drought. It usually goes from about July 6^th into mid-September. During that time, we get dry and hot, increasingly so in the last few years. With that dryness comes the potential for fire. This year, Western Washington didn’t have many fires, and the offshore winds kept the smoke from Oregon and Idaho fires blowing away from us. British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, have also seen some fires, a large one devastating a third of the historic town of Jasper and burning large swaths of the Jasper National Forest. Each time these fires flare and ravage the land and communities in their path, my thoughts are drawn to the brave firefighters who battle these blazes, flinging themselves into danger and, at times, paying the ultimate price to save others.

This year, I published two books featuring firefighters, wanting to honor the brave work they do. The first, Throuple Honey, highlights a smoke jumper who lost his husband in a fast-moving fire in a national forest. Shane Ward didn’t have all his gear when he jumped into a fire zone with his husband Corder Mitchell. Corder sacrificed himself for Shane, and now Shane must pick up the pieces and move on. He leaves the profession and takes up beekeeping across the mountains from Seattle. The couple he works for, Emmett Simpson and Dante Scarletti, run a farm outside of Wenatchee, Washington. They’ve been in a slump with their relationship for months. Shane’s arrival sparks a rekindling of their relationship and a further bonding with the grieving fireman as they help him heal from his staggering loss.

The second book, Blaze of Cortez, is the eighth installment of the Rain City Tales. It is a standalone story within the series, though characters from other books come in and out. In Ray Cortez’s experience, everyone leaves, including his family and his relationships. He doesn’t let anyone in, his heart having been broken too many times. When Ray returns to Seattle after fourteen years, he finds his coworker, fireman Leif Ramsey, to be a danger to his protective barriers. Leif isn’t out to his family or his workmates, and Ray won’t date a closeted man. The two are drawn together, and Leif takes a risk for Ray’s affections, but a fire at Ray’s estranged family’s home threatens to burn away the fledgling relationship he’s started with Leif.

To find out more about me and my writing, please hop over to Delilah’s Collections for my Get-To-Know-The-Author post. Throuple Honey and Blaze of Cortez are available on Amazon and Kobo.

Excerpt from Throuple Honey:

Love is like honey—you might get stung, but the rewards are sweet, and they stick to you.

He should’ve checked his gear. Should’ve made sure.

Shane Ward scanned his smoke-filled surroundings, hoping for a cave or somewhere else they could hide from the fast-approaching wildfire. The jump earlier that morning had promised a challenge, and Corder Mitchell, the man Shane had been married to for the better part of a decade, had thrilled at the chance to battle this two-thousand-acre blaze in the Mount Rainier National Forest. Their Lake City fire chief had been reluctant to let them both go on such a dangerous summer job, but Corder had been insistent, assuring the chief nothing bad would happen. Though Shane knew his husband couldn’t promise their safety, Corder’s two loves, firefighting and the outdoors, had merged on this assignment.

The tinder-dry conditions provided ample fuel, and the stiff, hot wind blowing against his back had doubled the size of the mid-August fire in less than two hours. The sun tried to penetrate the thick layer of brown smoke, only succeeding in casting an eerie, orange glow around them, punctuated by the light of blazing trees. Even through his mask, Shane could smell burnt wood.

Surrounded by the approaching flames, Shane tried to find a way out. Their carefully planned escape route had closed with a sudden and unexpected shift in the wind. Visibility worsened with more thick smoke choking the forest.

A trickle of sweat ran down his forehead. Heat blasted at his back from the approaching blaze. He focused on Corder. “See anything we can use?”

Corder shook his head, covered in his protective gear. “Got your shelter?”

Shane nodded, not wanting to tell Corder that he’d left it behind at base camp. There had to be a way out, and if there wasn’t, he didn’t want Corder doing something stupid because of his mistake. Loud cracks and bangs behind them reverberated through the trees, and Shane chanced a glance backward. A tall cedar had erupted in a geyser of flame, its sap exploding and breaking off significant pieces of the trunk.

“We gotta move.” Corder grabbed Shane’s gloved hand, and they took off running.

Spying a better vantage point, Shane tugged at his husband. “Over there. A clearing.”

With another nod, Corder changed their direction and made for the break in the trees. Tall, dry grass met their feet when they cleared the canopy.

“Shit, this’ll make things worse.” Corder glanced back. “It’s gaining on us.”

Tapping his gloved hand on Corder’s shoulder, Shane nodded at the burning trees on the other side of the clearing with dread. “It’s coming from all sides.”

“Time for the shelters.” Corder yanked the packet from his gear and extended the metallic shelter. He paused, glancing back. “Hurry up. It’s almost on us.”

Shane hesitated but finally had to confess his predicament. “I didn’t check everything this morning in the rush to get on the chopper.”

Corder went still. “You don’t have your shelter?”

Shaking his head, he pointed at Corder’s. “Lie down, face into the ground, and I’ll cover you up. No use in both of us dying.”

“No fucking way. It was my idea to do this job.” He shoved at Shane, trying to push him down. “Besides, I have a second one inside my pack.”

Reluctantly, Shane lowered himself to the ground. “How do you have two?” He glanced past Corder. The fire had almost reached them.

“Hurry up,” Corder said, nodding at the ground. “I need to get you covered up and get mine set up over there.” He pointed toward the edge of the clearing where a section of the grass had either been tamped down or eaten by something.

Unable to clearly see his husband through the helmet, he couldn’t read any expression under the tinted visor. He lay face-down on the ground.

“I love you, Shane.” Corder threw the shelter over him.

About Brent

Though writing most of his life, Brent came to romance in 2012. With the support of his husband and his two romance novelist cousins, Brent embarked on a writing career. He’s loving the journey, finding inspiration and a story everywhere he goes, whether it be staring out the window at the local coffee shop, tucked in a booth at his favorite pub, driving through each of the fifty US states, or riding the train to explore the world. Keep up with Brent and his stories on his website, Facebook, and Instagram.

First, the big news (for me)! We have AC! Yeah, the repairman finally brought out the new compressor and installed it yesterday afternoon (I was nice to him, promise). It took hours to cool the house down from 85 degrees, but we all got to sleep in our own beds; the slumber party was over. I slept like a baby last night, and a good thing, too, because I have a book to finish before Thursday! Wish me luck.

In the meantime, another story in the Delta Fire series was released late last night!  It’s a gay romance—and another erotic romance with BDSM elements. I know, I don’t do those often unless there’s a woman involved somewhere, but Noah and Hoyt were perfect for each other and needed each other very much. They were both suffering from a loss. Happy reading! ~DD

Hotter with a Pole

Order your copy now! | Read an excerpt!

Noah Turner hopes buying the classic ’68 Camaro from a fellow firefighter’s widow will ease some of the grief weighing down his heart. When a noise under the hood sends him looking for a mechanic, he finds so much more. Big and burly Hoyt grabs Noah’s attention right off, and not just because of his bad-boy biker looks and ice-blue eyes. The fact Hoyt is a Dom and a member of Club LaForge certainly interests Noah.

Hoyt Freeman never thought he’d feel that rush with a man again after his partner died, but his body certainly reacts to meeting Noah. LaForge seems like the perfect place to meet and work off some energy and explore this sudden flood of desire. The heat between them starts to burn through their emotional barriers, whether the men are ready to make a deeper connection or not.

Note: This book was previously published.

If you thought the police officers of Delta Heat were hot, the firefighters of Station 69, the Delta Fire series, are on fire! Yeah, that’s kind of cheesy, but I’ve been dying to say that! 🙂 Yes, this series is erotic romance. You’ve been warned!

All I want to say is the guys in Firehouse 69 have suffered a loss and are looking for a way to heal. Enter Club La Forge. Because I want you to start with this book first, I’ve set the price at only $0.99—and it’s FREE for a limited time in Kindle Unlimited. 

Burning Up Memphis

When firefighter John Cooper accepts an invitation to go to Club LaForge with his friends, he didn’t expect the sights and sounds of the BDSM club to have such an effect on him. Far from being turned off, he’s surprised to find himself thinking this lifestyle might just be what he needs—especially if Moira, his luscious guide for the evening, is willing to teach him everything he wants to know.

Moira Blessing is an experienced BDSM trainer, and she senses that Coop is not only a Dom in the making, but he could also be the man she’s looking for—someone to be her lover and her Dom. But Coop’s best friend just died on the job, and he’s not interested in anything serious right now. Good thing Moira thinks going slow can be sexy when done right…

Note: This book was previously published.

Get your copy here!

I sent this out in my newsletter this morning, so if you’re getting this a second time—sorry!

It’s April Fools’ Day! It’s also Friday, and maybe you’re getting ready to download a story and meet your new weekend Book-Boyfriend. Well, I have a suggestion for you. Troy Barlow is a firefighter, who will fall like a ton of bricks when he meets the right woman. He’s sexy, funny, brave. Everything you could want in a BBF.

I reduced the price for this weekend only!! You’ll save $2 if you pick up your copy now! Read the excerpt below for a peek inside the fun you’ll have!

Happy Reading!
~DD

Flashpoint

Flashpoint
A Cowboys on the Edge Story

His touch makes her burn…

Troy Barlow wasn’t looking for love when he competed in the Texas Tough Firefighting Competition, but one feisty little blonde caught his attention and wouldn’t let go. The more she tried to deflect him, the more determined he became to make an impression, until he did something she couldn’t possibly ignore.

The last thing Diana Boyle expected to feel was attraction for another firefighter. After her husband’s death, she’d been adamant — never another firefighter. But Troy was impossible to escape. When he wore down her resolve, she thought a one-night-stand might purge him from her system once and for all, but his powerful appeal and uninhibited lust and zest for life were addictive. When a harrowing fire threatens their newfound happiness, Diana has to face her worst fears.

Get your reduced-price copy at one of these vendors now!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple

Excerpt from Flashpoint…

Every time he’d finished an event, he’d searched, encouraged when he found her looking his way, even if she did immediately give him her back or pretend she wasn’t staring.

He guessed he wasn’t hard to miss. Even in a crowd. Besides his large frame, he was extremely athletic. A ringer, some of the firehouses had complained good-naturedly to his chief. Which was true, he’d competed nationally in other firefighter challenges and placed. But this weekend wasn’t about trophies or blue ribbons, the competition was about raising money for the Fallen Firefighters Fund. Chief Thacker had told his crew not to embarrass him, placing would be nice, but having fun and making sure the people attending enjoyed themselves was the highest priority.

Troy had already done his part, winning the ladder competition—his score seconds faster than Cade’s score climbing a ladder up a tower of scaffolding. He’d helped his team secure second in the hose relay, where firefighters representing their houses ran with fire hoses, extending them as fast as they could to the next firefighter on the track, who then had to run with his own section of hose toward the finish line. Yeah, he’d more than done his part. And while he was pretty sure he could blow through the competition during this final event, he didn’t think his boss would mind if he broke the rules and disqualified himself—all in the name of giving the crowd something they’d love.

At last, his turn arrived to stand behind the starting line, this time beside Kole. There being only two Rescue Randy dolls meant only two firefighters could compete at one time. The goal was to lift the weighted doll and drag it to “safety” a hundred feet to the finish line. Troy eyed the doll lying on the ground in front of him and smirked.

“Don’t think I’m making this easy for you,” Kole said.

Troy fought to keep his voice even. “Oh, I know you can give me some competition. Just don’t break your stride over anything I might do.”

Kole shook his head and laughed. “Already making excuses for why I’m gonna smoke your ass?”

“Just saying,” Troy said, grinning. He shot a look at the blonde woman’s table. Her gaze widened when it locked with his. Did instinct tell her she ought to run? He hoped so.

A shot rang out, and Kole leapt forward to pick up his doll, tucking his hands under its armpits and shuffling backwards down the track.

Troy turned and darted into the crowd, heading straight for the woman’s refreshment table.

“And we have a firefighter who’s a little directionally challenged,” drawled the commentator over the loudspeaker.

Troy didn’t break stride, leaping over duffels and hoses, his gaze on his prize.

His prey’s eyes widened farther, and she pushed up from her chair, her head turning left and right as though making sure she really was his quarry. Her delayed reaction gave him time to catch her. He planted a hand on her shoulder, turned her gently, then bent and pushed his shoulder against her soft belly.

With a yelp, she folded over his shoulder and grabbed for his waistband to steady herself, because he was already straightening and turning. From the corner of his eye, he noted the firefighters from San Angelo beginning to stand, hands fisted as they moved to cut him off, but he was closer to the track, and definitely more determined. He reached up to pat her bottom. “Hold on tight. I’ll try not to bounce you too much, sweetheart.” With laughter ringing out among the onlookers, he jogged behind Kole who shook his head and continued dragging the dummy down the track.

“Seriously, bro?” Kole shouted out.

“Put me down, idiot!” came the sweet, chopped voice of his victim.

“Can’t now, hon. I’m committed. You really should have told me your name. We’d have shook hands, I’d have asked you for your number and a date—”

“I would have said no!”

He laughed, not the least disappointed. She acted as he’d expected. “And that would have been okay. Not that I would have given up.” He slowed his pace, not wanting the race to end too quickly.

Kole laughed too hilariously to threaten anyone’s time. At the moment, he was bent over the doll he’d dropped as he held his sides.

Troy was nearly running in place, doing his best to drag out his rescue. “Yeah, I’d have called, and when you blocked my number, I would have shown up at your job and sweet-talked all your friends into telling me where to find you.”

She wiggled on his shoulder, pinched his sides. “You’re just a stalker! A freaking perv.”

Only he noted that she didn’t sound very outraged. Instead, she sounded like she was choking. Was she laughing? He grinned.

“And you’re a liar. There’s no way you could find out where I live or work.”

“Sweetheart, I have friends with badges. I’d have followed you to your car, got your plate number—”

“That’s illegal. Officers wouldn’t just run a plate like that.”

“I’d have said you stole something. That I saw a pretty girl carrying it away. And hey, I did my civic duty and wrote down her license plate…”

“Oh yeah? And what did I steal?”

Pretending to stumble, he patted her ass again. “You don’t know what you took?”

This time laughter shook her frame. “You’re a jerk.”

“That’s okay. You’re a thief.” He crossed the line behind Kole and turned toward the crowd, holding out his arms and raising his hands, still balancing her slim body on one shoulder.

The crowd roared, but her friends moved in on him, their faces tight and red. He figured he needed her help to keep this friendly and slowly bent, lowering her to the ground.

She shook back her hair and met his gaze. “What did I take?” she asked, her face reddened, her expression a mixture of embarrassment and something kind of…poignant.

Troy hated to end the moment. She deserved a truthful answer. Instead, he reached for her shoulders and turned her toward her friends, then wrapped an arm around her middle and pulled her against his side. “Don’t suppose you could tell them we planned this, huh?”

She gave a breathless laugh and cocked an eyebrow. “Think it would help? They look pretty pissed.”

“Maybe they’d believe it, if…” Knowing he gambled but couldn’t resist, he turned her again, bent with her, and then brushed her mouth with his.

The crowd roared their approval.

He glanced toward her friends who’d slowed their stomps, deep frowns lessening as her hands rose to grip his shoulders. And for a moment, he forgot this was just a way to blow off steam, to teach her a little lesson in good dating manners. Forgotten was the crowd. His boss. Her friends. His attention narrowed to the soft lips moving beneath his, the small hands kneading his shoulders.

For those who haven’t tried audio, it is one of the fastest growing segments of literary options, ideal for busy people who still want to enjoy a good book, so you really should. I’ve been blessed with several great narrators, with books in a variety of genres – although I consider myself primarily an epic fantasy writer – finding the right narrator has had it’s ups and downs.

I use ACX/Audible because it gives you the option to do a royalty share, a combination of share and pay up front or paying the narrator their stated fee. I do a royalty share because it gives the narrator and me a stake in the success or failure.

Choosing a narrator, for me, is a matter of matching the audition and voice to a given project, finding if your styles mesh, and the narrator’s interest in the project. Two of my narrators give me different voices for different characters, and another changes the timbre of voice. Make certain you discuss expectations – not just for time, but how it will be delivered. One narrator recorded several chapters, didn’t post them for my review, and had to go back to clearly delineate what character was speaking. Communication is important, in both directions. One gives me his ‘raw’ version – mistakes, flubs, pronunciation errors or questions – and sometimes he’s really funny. And, periodically he sends me his ‘blooper’ reel which is a riot.

It wasn’t a new experience for me, many of my books are in audio, but hearing another interpretation of what I’ve written has been a fascinating experience. In at least one case, the voice for a favorite character is now the narrator’s interpretation, another caught the characters’ accents perfectly (and his voice is like melted butter, smooth, warm, and rich).

Both Director’s Cut and Fire Season are in production for the audio versions so I can’t attach the retail samples yet, but they are both out in print.

Fire Season
A Paranormal Reverse Harem

Excerpt from Fire Season…

The wildfire consuming the forest had a voice all its own. Each did, Ari had found. He listened to the hungry, angry roar, the crack of tree limbs giving way, the small explosions as burls within the trees’ boles burst. The sound surrounded him, spoke to him. Ari kept half an eye on the rapidly spreading inferno. The canopy of leaves and pine needles above him and his people was still intact but in the near distance he could see licks of flame swirling around trunks, reaching higher. The tops of other trees burned like torches. Another ignited even as he watched.

The heat of the blaze, the parched air, baked him within his gear. He could barely breathe, despite his air bottle.

On this part of the mountain the rough, uneven terrain worked against them, kept them from using the tanker and trucks – the vehicles were too far away, the hoses couldn’t reach – so they were fighting the fire hand to hand.

His team worked hard and steadily, cutting some trees, digging up turf, shoveling the debris and dirt and tossing them aside. All they could do was hope to create a firebreak wide and long enough to stop the flames from advancing. At least to hold for long enough to allow them to fight the blaze itself. Even as he worked alongside his people, he kept an eye on them. He anchored one end of the line, Jase the other. Every one of them knew their job but, focused on the task at hand, even as experienced as they were, they relied on him to keep the line straight and true so they didn’t need to shift their attention from what they were doing.

Nor were they alone. Just beyond Jase was a team from the local firehouse doing the same thing – cutting a firebreak. Other teams from the local department’s two firehouses were scattered over the mountain, using their equipment where the land allowed.

Like him, that team leader worked hard, wielding a chainsaw like a sword, shouting instructions he couldn’t hear over the blaze to her people and department over the radio, keeping everyone apprised.

Something about that one, their stance, the way they carried themselves, and their short stature told him the leader was a woman, rare among firefighters.

The way her people responded to her instructions and orders, swiftly and without argument, told Ari she was good at what she did and respected.

Not for a moment did he allow his attention to wander for more than the second needed for that brief appraisal. It was too dangerous.

Ari sensed the wind shift even as the leader of the other team went stiff and looked up. The roar changed, hungry for fresh fuel as the fire turned. She saw it even as he did. Embers blew above them, past them. The fire, hungry for fuel, hungry for air, and powered by the strengthening breeze, leaped from one tree to another…toward them.

“Out, out, RUN! The wind shifted. GO! GO! GO!” Ari shouted, and he could hear an echo of his words as he signaled to Jase at the end of their line. The other team leader had her radio keyed even as she shouted and gestured to her people.

Amidst the raging blaze, the sound of one tree falling into another to topple against a second was hardly noticeable. The movement wasn’t.

Branches showered from above, some ablaze, falling even as Jase echoed Ari’s words, then turned to run and so didn’t see the danger. Like Ari, the other team leader was doing a headcount, making sure all her people were on the move, no one left behind.

A large falling branch sent Jase sprawling, and knocked his helmet, mask, and air bottle askew.

Even as a second branch, larger than the first, cracked, ready to fall, Ari was moving. As fast as he was, he knew he wasn’t fast enough to reach Jase in time.

The other team leader, closer, with her own people already on the run, did see and didn’t hesitate. She threw herself over Jase and turned turtle, tucking her chin in close to Jase’s vulnerable neck so her helmet and air tank would take the impact as she tried to cover as much of Jase as she could.

When the branch struck, Ari winced. At the very least, she would have cracked or broken ribs, if not worse, and Jase as well. As long as luck was on their side.

The fire was closing. They didn’t have much time or else find themselves trapped by the flames. It was no small branch, and they had to move it quickly, both for the sake of the two pinned beneath it and their own.