Fighting the Flames (Firefighter Romance #1)(54)

“Do you know what you can do?” Toby whispered and touched a strand of her hair. “You can call out people's souls. You can take evil from the world and eradicate it. And you don't even have to wait for people to die.”

What was he talking about? Eradicate evil?

“What the hell are you doing?” The deep voice came from the doorway of the kitchen. Jacqueline gasped, turning to see who stood in the doorway

“Toby?” A glower froze on his face. Who was behind her? Who had she been talking to?

As she spun, the person she’d thought was Toby grabbed her, pinning her body to his.

“Think about what I've said, little banshee.” The voice in her ear no longer sounded like the gruff bartender. “You are only learning what you can do. Don't waste your talents by listening to the demands of the Brotherhood. You can be more.”

Mist surrounded Jacqueline, carrying the faintest scent of moss and earth. The arms holding her dissolved, but not before the lightest of kisses brushed her shoulder. The real Toby stood before her. Holding the spatula, she could only blink.

“Jacqueline, are you okay?” Gently, Toby stroked her face, and tilted her chin, so he could see her eyes. “Look at me.”

She did and asked, “Who …who was that?”

“Someone who wants you dead.”

“He looked just like …you?” Toby’s hand lingered on her cheek, but the morning’s confusion wrinkled her brow. The fake Toby liked her, but did the real Toby?

“That's his specialty, changing shapes. But he needs something that belongs to the person he wants to look like to do it.” Toby scanned the kitchen. “Wonder what he used. And how he got in.”


Jacqueline recalled the crystals he’d had in the living room and relayed the information to Toby as she turned off the stove.

“He was floating blue crystals. He might’ve left them in the living room.” His frown stretched deeper across his face. “What are those?”

“Divination tools.” He stomped into the other room, returning with the blue crystals; they rattled as he placed them on the table. “These have been in my family a long time. Anyone who uses them leaves an imprint behind. Like an essence. We can find out who he is.”

“Do you think he's the wizard who killed Eric?”

Toby met her gaze, and for a second, something flickered in his eyes. Sympathy maybe, but she couldn't be sure. Without answering her question, Toby chanted in a language she didn't recognize. The crystals shook on the table, almost as if they were fighting against an unseen force. A color of light burst forth: red.

“Just as I thought.” Toby rubbed at his beard. “This essence belongs to a Spark.”

“Spark? What does that mean? I just see red light.” The same shade she’d seen the night her husband died.

“That's because you aren't a wizard. All members of the Brotherhood carry the color of their family essence. Might look like plain red to you, but it carries a distinctive shade to it. This belongs to the Spark household.”

“Are they bad?”

He sniffed the air. “You gonna eat those eggs?” Toby pointed behind her to the eggs still on the stove. She’d turned the bacon off, but had forgotten about the second pan. With a swear, she spun the knob and slid the eggs onto a plate, adding a side of bacon.

“I was cooking them for the other you. You want them burnt?” Toby shrugged and took the plate from Jacqueline. Her brow arched as he eased into the same chair his imposter had occupied. “That's just creepy. I can't believe I was talking to… a fake you. How did he even get in? I thought you put a protection thingy on the place last night.”

Toby laughed, but the expression died as quickly as it began. “It's called a spell, not a thingy, and I'm glad I came in the room in time. If this wizard is the Spark I think he is, then he's pretty dangerous.”

A slice of fear stabbed at Jacqueline's heart. The imposter tricked her so easily, and she blushed with embarrassment.

“Hey,” Toby said, observing her. “He could have fooled anyone.”

“I should have known he wasn't you.” The low words weren’t for him. Flirtations aside, she should have known better.

Toby pressed, “The resemblance was pretty strong.”

“The way he was acting should have been enough.”

“Oh yeah? How was he acting?”

Nice. Approachable. Friendly. Flirty. All of the words were on the tip of her tongue to say, but she kept them to herself.

“Let's just say his demeanor was a little more relaxed than yours,” she said with a forged smile.

Toby grunted in response.

“Exactly.” Jacqueline picked up the pan for the eggs and rinsed it off in the sink.

“Aren't you going to eat?”

“I've lost my appetite.” She grasped a towel and dried the pan as her stomach twisted.

“You've been through a lot. You need to eat to keep up your strength.”

Jacqueline grabbed an apple and took a big bite while looking in his direction; its tangy juice did little to settle her stomach. Between learning about wizards and banshees, she hadn’t expected to an intruder into the mix too.

“Toby, what am I supposed to do with all this new information?”