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“Look,” Niko said, his voice cutting through the charged silence with the precision of a scalpel—that was his style. “We can’t sugarcoat this. Zayn isn’t just dangerous; he’s lethal.” His piercing blue eyes were hard as sapphires, reflecting a seriousness I rarely saw in him. The werewolf in him bristled, a silent growl beneath his words, a reminder that he too understood the nature of predation.
Helen stood, her towering figure casting a long shadow across the worn carpet. She flicked a lock of blonde hair back. “And again—if Zayn is set loose, we’re not just talking about a back-alley scuffle. He could turn Dallas into his personal inferno.”
“We need to get to work. We’ve got ourselves a royal problem to solve,” I said, locking eyes with each of my team members in turn. “We’ve tangled with vampires, ghouls, and things that go bump in the night. A djinn king is just another notch on our paranormal utility belt.”
Riker’s lips quirked in reluctant amusement, and even Niko’s posture relaxed, as if conceding to the audacity of my plan.
“We’ll follow your lead,” Riker conceded with a nod, his protective instincts still simmering beneath the surface, “but let’s not forget Zayn is a full-blown inferno, and we’re not exactly fireproof.”
“True,” I said, “but remember, we’re not just hunters—we’re survivors. We’ve each got our own strengths. And when we bring all that together...” I trailed off, letting the idea hang in the air.
“Sounds like you have a death wish,” Niko remarked coolly, though a hint of admiration laced his words.
“Only on days ending with ‘y’,” I shot back with a wink. “Now, let’s get to work. We have a djinn king to outsmart, a girl to rescue, and a city to save. Who’s ready?”
My gaze swept the room, meeting the eyes of my team. Helen, with her quiet strength; Elijah, whose bravery had saved us more times than I could count; Riker, the rock I was rapidly learning to lean on; and Niko, the werewolf who was becoming increasingly hard to resist.
“Okay, I’ll bite,” Helen said first, her voice steady as always. “I didn’t sign up for mundane.”
“Knew I could count on you,” I replied, a grin tugging at my lips.
Elijah simply nodded. In that silent promise, I saw every battle we’d fought side by side. Another nod, another battle ahead.
“Fine,” Riker grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest as though preparing to wrestle with destiny itself. “But if we end up singed—or worse—don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Warn us? You’ll be too busy saving our hides, as usual,” I said, earning a reluctant smile from him.
Niko leaned against the wall, his eyes scanning the room—a wolf gauging the pack’s readiness before a hunt. “I’m in,” he said finally, his tone nonchalant. “Besides, someone has to keep you all from getting roasted.”
“Your concern is touching,” I deadpanned. “Really, I’m warmed by it.”
Laughter broke the tension, even in the face of potential immolation.
“Thank you,” Cairo blurted out, his British accent more pronounced in his emotional state. He bowed deeply, the gratitude etched into every line of his face. “You have no idea what this means—to me, to Poppy.”
“Hey, no need for theatrics,” I said, waving off his thanks. “We might do it for the thrills, the glory, or just because we’re a little bit crazy, but at the end of the day, we’re doing the right thing. And that’s what counts.”
“Plus, let’s not forget about the reward,” I added with a wink, eliciting nods and smiles around the room. Despite the risks, we were ready to face the fire.
I spread out a map of Dallas on my desk. “Let’s go hunt ourselves a king—because if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s a romance getting snuffed out by some power-tripping pyromaniac.”
“Agreed,” Niko rumbled, his eyes turning their werewolfy silver with the promise of a fight.
“We’ve got a damsel in distress and a pyromaniac king of the djinn trying to burn down our city,” I continued. “But hey, we’re a ragtag bunch with questionable skills and an affinity for the supernatural. I say we show this Zayn character what happens when you mess with Dallas.”
My fingers traced the city’s veins, each road and alleyway a potential battlefield.
“Zayn’s lair has to be fortified, magically protected,” Helen mused, her voice a soft hum as she peered over my shoulder.
“Which is why we hit him where he least expects it,” Riker interjected, his military background shining through. He tapped a seemingly random spot on the map. “Every fortress has its blind spots. We find his, we exploit it.”
“We’ll need distractions, illusions, and a fireproof exit strategy,” I said.
“And let’s not forget Zayn probably won’t be alone. He’ll have his minions, his lackeys... whatever you want to call them,” Niko reminded us. “They’ll be just as eager to turn us into barbecue.”
“Which means we’ll need to divide and conquer,” I concluded, tapping the map decisively. “Helen, you and Elijah work with Cairo on the magical defenses. Niko, you’re on recon—find us those blind spots. Riker, you and I will handle the physical approach. Let’s meet back here tomorrow afternoon. I want to hit him tomorrow night--actually, right before the next morning.”
“Just before dawn,” Riker echoed with a nod.
