The smell woke me before the alarm did and at first I thought I was dreaming.
The scent drifted faintly through the apartment and my half asleep brain struggled to identify it. Then Diesel started barking.
Not the warning bark from the night before. This bark was louder and more urgent and more aggressive.
My eyes snapped open and the smell hit me again.
Smoke.
I sat upright so fast that the blankets tangled around my legs.
Beside me, Jace was already moving and his eyes opened immediately.
"You smell that?" Jace asked.
"Yeah." I said.
Diesel barked again from the living room and a second later, both of us were out of bed.
I grabbed the first pair of jeans I could find while Jace pulled on his boots. Neither of us wasted time.
The moment I opened the apartment door, the smell b
