Fighting the Flames (Firefighter Romance #1)(56)
“I figured he might. Considered as guardians and healers, crystals are important to the Huston clan.”
“So are all of Eric's family members… well, are they all in the family business?” Jacqueline asked unsure of the actual term.
“Most of the men, but not the women. The Hustons tend to keep their women in the dark about magic. They have the luxury of being able to do that since they aren't fighters.”
She leaned away. “That can't be true. Eric was a cop.”
“Cops are guardians, right? Sworn to protect?”
“True.” And he always had been very protective of her. Jacqueline smiled at the memory of Eric reminding her to keep her cell phone close or teaching her basic protection moves. He'd always put her safety first, even that last night.
“Do you think Eric knew about me? Knew what I was?” She studied Toby's face closely, unsurprised as he became guarded. A little like Eric—always trying to be cautious.
“I think he might have.”
So what did that mean to her? Had Eric loved her or had he married her out of duty?
“He loved you,” Toby said, as if he could read her thoughts. “It's obvious to me that he did.”
“Yeah, he did,” she agreed, unable to fight back the tears. “I know that he loved me. Maybe he got interested in me because of my heritage, but I know his feelings for me were real. You can't fake the kind of love he showed me.”
“I saw the two of you together once,” Toby admitted and Jacqueline hung on his words. She hadn’t met him until after Eric’s death. When he didn’t mention anything further, she bent closer as if they were whispering, and motioned for him to continue.
“You were in the grocery store, and I was tracking Eric. I knew another wizard was in town, but I didn't know if he posed a threat. Wizards could sense each other. So I followed both of you around for a while. I knew that by the way he looked at you that he was in love.” His hands fidgeted. “It's actually one of the reasons I never really got in touch with Eric Huston. I figured he was trying to create a normal life. Who was I to stop him? Besides, the Brotherhood would have told me if there was a problem.”
She digested his story, smiling to herself and noting that her tears had dried. It wasn’t the story itself, but the man who told it. In doing so, he’d shared a piece of himself with her. A piece she would bet few others knew.”Tell me more about the Brotherhood, Toby.”
He rubbed his neck, and she sensed that she'd touched on a sore subject.
“The Brotherhood is an ancient order. They've been around in some form since the medieval ages, protecting wizards.”
“So it's a very elite club.” Jacqueline cocked an eyebrow picturing decrepit old men in flowing robes. A chuckle escaped as she pictured Toby in the same garb.
“Very. There are only fifty known wizards still alive.”
She didn’t ask why despite the question tickling her tongue. Instead, she asked another question that had weighed on her mind. “Why is the Brotherhood interested in me?”
Toby’s eyes widened as he replied, “Because you didn't die when you should have. And because banshee blood is rare. Really rare.”
“What can it do?” None of the websites she’d visited offered details.
Toby leaned forward and ran a finger over a silver box. “A banshee is a harbinger of death.” She nodded recalling reading the same online. “They appear to people, in certain families, foretelling the passing of an important person. It doesn't matter where the family is located either. Sure, the myth may have started in Ireland, but the banshee knows no boundary. If the important person is in New York or Chicago, that's where the banshee is called,” Toby said. He kept his eyes on Jacqueline but paused as if waiting for a reaction. “The thing is—you aren't like that. You didn't die all the way, and now you see the dead soul of anyone who is about to pass on.”
“Great. I feel really blessed.” Jacqueline couldn't help the sarcasm that rolled out of her mouth. “So how does that make me a weapon? Your imposter said I could do more.” The guarded expression clouded Toby's face again. “Give it to me straight, Toby. I'm a big girl. I think I can handle it.”
“Can you?” he asked, doubt dripping from the singular word. Jacqueline arched, stiffening, and glared at him. A breath hissed through his teeth as his head shook. “You asked for it. You can kill people by thinking about it.”
Silence stretched between them like a tenuous rope as she processed that information. The idea of killing anyone was preposterous let alone doing so with a thought. Toby had to be joking.
“Nope,” she said, with a shaky laugh. “I'm not buying it.”
“It's true.” Toby rounded his shoulders. “You focus enough, and you can rip the soul right out of another being.”
“No. I wouldn't do that.” Her palm slapped the table, and the sting radiated through her arm.
“Of course, you wouldn't on purpose. But in the right hands, you could be such a powerful force.” His brows rose and fell. Blonde tendrils smacked her face as he continued, “The wizards want you because it isn't just people you can rip souls from. Other supernaturals. Other wizards.”
His face was serious, more serious than she'd ever seen before. Sitting there in the kitchen, listening to the surreal nature of his words, and despite the message, she found herself drawn to him. Toby was handsome. But beyond his looks, she saw something more than the eye-candy bartender sitting in her kitchen telling her magic was real and that she could murder people. All of that aside, Jacqueline wanted Toby. No way in hell could she ever harm someone the way he was suggesting.