Free Sins of the Flesh (Half-Breed Series Book 2) by Debra Dunbar Page B

Amber-the-half-elf-half-demon swinger.
    “Well, your floor is bamboo, and it was sort of a Hail Mary on my part to turn it into a protective shelter.”
    She held tight to the last board, as if it were a shield. “And how did my floor become a live bamboo grove?”
    I took a deep breath. “Remember when I told you I was a botany major in college? Well, I’ve got a bit of a green thumb, too.”
    “I’ll say,” she muttered, passing me the last board. And that was it. No more questions, no look of fear, no running and screaming. We searched the debris as best we could, avoiding the still-smoldering areas, collecting paddles and gear that had escaped the roof collapse. The fire crew was busy taking care of trees and shrubbery that had caught fire when Irix had toppled the trees.
    I looked around for the partygoer who had been single-handedly trying to stop the blaze, but he was gone. Not that I blamed him. He’d done all he could, and it would have been a shame for him to be arrested for the fire while his irresponsible buddies got away. We were just finishing with the last of the salvageable equipment when someone shouted, and a figure in fire gear ran our way.
    “Makani!” Kai stood and wrapped her arms around the man who clearly was her brother. “We’re okay, and we got most of the boards out.”
    He squeezed her tight and pulled back, staring at the tall stalks waving gently in the ocean breeze. “Where the heck did these come from?”
    Kai shot me a quick look before turning back to her brother. “I don’t know. Mom would say our ancestors were looking over me.”
    He tilted his head, regarding the bamboo. “Okay. Pretty freaky when fully grown plants appear out of nowhere, but, then again, everything about this fire was freaky.”
    “Fireworks?”
    I’d completely forgotten Aaron was here and turned to him in surprise.
    “No,” Makani’s voice was thoughtful. “No sign of fireworks or any kind of incendiary device that I can tell. The original bonfire was well away from the trees, with only a few bits of wood. It was a small fire, and there’s not enough wind to explain how it grew so fast or managed to spread like that. It’s almost as though it had a life of its own.”
    I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. Hopefully that was just an expression, because I really didn’t want to contemplate a fire with a life of its own.
     
     

Chapter 6
     
    B y the time Irix and I headed back to our room, the smoldering fire was no more than a haze of smoke obscuring a strip of stars. The luau guests had meandered off to other activities, and my thoughts turned to Irix. He was still pissed at me, and although I was getting ready to dig in my heels for a fight, I’d had time to think about the situation more objectively. It couldn’t have been easy watching me run into danger. And I’d completely forgotten about his safety, and the repercussions of my decision on him.
    Irix had felled two trees as well as created an explosion that put out the fire on the shack. When I’d yelled for him to help, I’d not remembered that in doing so, he’d be risking his life. Were his actions enough to bring about an angel’s notice? Would we be separated again after only a day together?
    I twined my fingers in his. “I’m not sorry for what I did, but I am sorry for scaring you. Next time I promise I’ll try to come up with a solution that doesn’t risk my life.”
    He grunted.
    “If I can help, I have to. It’s who I am, Irix. And humans mean something to me. Their lives are important.”
    He stopped, pulling me around to face him. “If I have to choose between you and a human, that human is dying. That’s who I am. You mean something to me. Your life is important. I won’t allow you to do that sort of thing again, even if it means you end up hating me.”
    I squeezed his hand gently. “I’m a grown woman, Irix. I’ll try not to worry you or do something foolish, but I have to make my own decisions