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“Uh, sure,” I replied, trying to keep my tone light despite the churning in my belly. “Just let me warm up first.” A nervous chuckle escaped me as I rubbed my hands together, feeling the now-familiar tingle of heat in my fingertips.
Everyone’s eyes fixed on me, expectant, curious...and in Riker’s case, dark with something unreadable.
But I couldn’t focus on that now. I took a deep breath, concentrating on the ember of power nestled deep within me, coaxing it gently.
“Okay, here goes nothing,” I muttered and flicked my wrist. A small flame danced to life above my hand, casting flickering shadows on the walls. It was beautiful, in a ‘wow, I really can start fires with my mind’ kind of way.
“Damn, chica,” Elijah whistled. “That’s some hot stuff.”
“Thanks,” I said, allowing myself a moment of pride before I snuffed out the flame. My heart was racing, but not from fear. There was a thrill there, too, an excitement that I was loath to admit.
Riker, however, didn’t share the sentiment. His jaw was clenched tight enough to crack walnuts. He glared at the spot where the fire had been, then shot a look at Niko that could’ve frozen lava. The air between them crackled with a different kind of heat, one that had nothing to do with my newfound pyrotechnics.
“Your control is improving,” Niko observed, seemingly oblivious to Riker’s silent fury. “With some practice, you might be able to turn that spark into a wildfire.”
“Great,” I drawled, “because what I need in my life is more potential for chaos.”
“Controlled chaos,” Helen chimed in, her bangles jangling as she gestured expansively. “There’s a difference.”
“Right,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Because setting things on fire is all about nuance.”
“Enough,” Riker cut in, his voice low and gruff. “We have a plan to focus on. We can admire Tessa’s... talents... later.”
“Of course,” I agreed quickly, eager to move past my moment in the spotlight—and away from the storm brewing behind Riker’s scowl. “Let’s get back to the matter at hand. Supernatural monster hunting waits for no one, especially not fire-starting bounty hunters with questionable expertise.”
“Agreed,” Niko said, giving me a nod that I chose to interpret as admiration rather than concern. “Let’s get ready to turn the tables on King Zayn.”
I grabbed a marker and strode toward the whiteboard. “Okay, folks, it’s time to plan our very own Trojan horse scenario, except there’s no horse, and Troy is actually a ruined underground garage full of pissed off djinn.”
Elijah snorted. At least I had one other supporter in the room.
“Zayn thinks he’s sitting pretty in his lair, right?” I drew a rough sketch of the cavernous structure veined with tunnels and sealed with magic. “His place might be locked up tighter than Elijah’s skinny jeans on karaoke night,” I said with a nod to my best friend, “but we’ve got something no lock can hold back—fire of our own.”
“Here’s the deal,” I continued, tapping the board, “we need to be stealthy, clever, and unpredictable. We hit him where he doesn’t expect, rescue Cairo and Poppy, and then get out before he knows what’s hit him. We’ll need distractions, backup plans, and all the firepower we can muster.”
I looked around at the faces of my makeshift army. Niko with his inner werewolf, Helen with her whip, Elijah with his unwavering loyalty—and Riker, whose muscles were practically their own weapon.
Assuming he was still speaking to me.
I glanced down at my trembling hands, the ember of power within me flickering to life.
“This place is going to be booby-trapped worse than my Aunt Mabel’s mystery meatloaf. “It’s gonna take all of us working together to pull this off. So, y’all have any ideas?”
Elijah leaned in, his brow furrowed in concentration. “We could consider using illusions to bypass some of his security. I’ve been itching to use some of the stuff I got from that witch.”
“Good thinking,” I said with a nod. “We’ll need all the smoke and mirrors we can get.”
“Maybe literally,” Helen chimed in, twirling her whip with a flourish that made even Riker raise an eyebrow. “I say we give ‘em a show they won’t forget.”
Riker unfolded his arms. “Fine. I’m in. But only because you need someone who knows how to navigate a minefield without blowing us all to kingdom come.”
“Your selflessness is truly inspiring,” I said, but inside, relief washed over me in a cool wave. Despite his reluctance, Riker’s skills were invaluable, and we’d need every ounce of them to pull this off.
“What are our entry points?” Riker asked. “If we want to rescue Cairo and Poppy, we need a solid point of infiltration.”
“Right.” I traced a path with my fingertip. “There’s only the one, as far as I know.”
“Traps are going to be an issue,” Elijah mused, tapping the map. “Zayn’s got a penchant for fire pits and spike drops. Cozy little home decorations.”
