Fighting the Flames (Firefighter Romance #1)(52)

“Well, finding out about your parents may be something we need to look into,” Toby said. “The banshee from earlier is connected to them. We just need to figure out which family.”

“This is too overwhelming.”

“You need rest.”

“That's an understatement.”

“I'll take you home.”

She looked at him, the worry in her eyes almost palpable. “Is it safe at my place?”

He knew what she really meant. Are you safe? Will you try to kill me?

“I'll make it safe.”

“How?”

“I'll stay the night with you.”

He would have given anything to know her thoughts just then. Fear mixed with a slow blush crept over her face. Hmm… maybe she'd been more aware of him than he'd thought. Could it be that she was attracted to him as he was to her?

No. Of course not. Women like Jacqueline did not go for guys like him. Especially with his quirks. And what was he thinking anyway? He wasn't attracted to her. He just liked her… hair.

“I have a spare bedroom,” she said. “You could stay there.”

“Sounds good.” He cleared his throat. “I'll weave some protection enchantments for your house, too, after I've had some rest.”

She studied him a moment as if trying to make up her mind, and grabbed her purse.

“Cool. You make protection spells, and I'll make breakfast.”



****



The man pressed closer to the outside wall of Merlyn's Bar and smiled. The simple cloaking spell he'd cast a few minutes before had allowed him to escape the gaze of Toby Williams and keep his presence a secret just a little longer. Oh, sure, he knew that he'd have to introduce himself to the woman eventually, but years of experience had taught him the art of observation. Amazing what one could learn just by keeping silent, by letting others overlook you even. Information in his sly hands had a habit of becoming a true weapon.

If only his partner had taken his advice and been more discreet. But no. Trenton had gone to the woman's house and allowed things to get out of control. As a result, they now had a powerful weapon that was on the Brotherhood's radar.

Damn.

Ah well. Some things were out of his hands, and as he watched Toby escort Jacqueline out of the bar, he knew that she would soon be his. No doubts about that existed. No one could resist him.

The man frowned as he watched Toby Williams start up the woman's car and drive off.

Toby is another little problem I can't wait to deal with.

But even as he thought that, unease grew in his belly. Toby would be tricky. To deny his talent as a wizard was unthinkable. In fact, most wizards knew to keep their distance from the formidable bartender.


But he wasn't most wizards. He was Derek Spark, son of the great Jonathan Spark, who was head of the high council of the Brotherhood. No one would dare classify him as any ordinary wizard, even if he were an outcast.

Derek Spark was special. And soon, everyone would know it.



****



She fell into a deep sleep.

But it wasn't peaceful. All sorts of images clustered around her in the dream, and Jacqueline couldn't quite get free of them. She replayed pieces of the night Eric died; only in her nightmares, she saw herself turning into the terrible hag that had been outside Merlyn's Bar.

She woke up, barely able to stifle the cry threatening to come release. Taking a few deep breaths, Jacqueline struggled for control. After a moment, her heartbeat slowed, and she lay back against her pillow.

Banshee. The word rolled around in her head.

“I'm a banshee,” she whispered.

It sounded too silly to be real. In fact, it couldn't be real. No normal person would call themselves a banshee. Jacqueline was normal. But most normal people didn't go around singing when someone died.

Can you say freak show, Jacqueline?

Frowning, she pushed back the covers, tiptoed to her computer.

Banshee. She typed the word into her search engine and scrolled through the information that came up. Pages of results displayed and Jacqueline clicked on Myths and Legends of Ireland.

A banshee is a feminine spirit seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Underworld.

“Great,” she said, scowling. “I'm an omen of death.”

The banshee can take on the guise of a young or old woman and often attaches itself to a particular branch of an Irish family.

“Okay, what else you got?” Jacqueline scrolled further down and read aloud. “Banshees were originally thought to be fairies under the watch of the goddess Morrigan. Their job is to foretell a person's death and to escort lost souls to the other side.”

She sat back and hugged herself. The site indicated that banshees were ultimately spirits. Jacqueline knew she was very much alive. None of this explained who activated her banshee or why her attacker struck that night. Her belly rumbled, reminding her of her promise to make Toby breakfast.

“Let's go see if the wizard is hungry and find out what the hell is going on,” she said, her stomach tightening with nerves.

Wizards were real. She couldn't quite accept that as she descended the stairs, yet she couldn't ignore it either. Something had happened the night her husband died, and last night, outside of Toby's bar—the old hag had been real. So why was she having such a hard time accepting everything that had occurred?