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“Which is why we need Niko,” I said decisively, the gears in my head turning faster than a hamster on a wheel. “His nose for trouble—and other things—could give us an edge.”
“Plus, his wolfy senses might pick up something you two missed,” Elijah pointed out, nodding in agreement.
“Right. A werewolf’s sniffer is second to none.” I pulled out my phone, calling up Niko’s number in my contacts. “Let’s hope he’s in the mood for a supernatural scavenger hunt.”
The line rang twice before Niko’s deep, smooth voice answered, “Tessa, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Hey, Niko. Hope you’re sitting down,” I said, getting straight to the point. “We’ve got an ifrit in town heating things up, and we could use your...talents.”
“An ifrit?” There was a pause, and I imagined his piercing blue eyes narrowing in thought. “What is that? Sounds serious—and dangerous.”
“A type of djinni,” I clarified. “Fire-wielding. Ugly.”
“A genie? Like, ‘rub my lamp, get three wishes?’ That kind of genie?”
“Genie’s a cute term for wish-granting Disney characters,” I said, rolling my eyes. “This one’s more ‘burn your house down’ than ‘grant your wishes.’”
“Fire-wielding. Have something to do with the fountains earlier?”
“And the extra hot summer heatwave.”
“So you’re on a hunt?”
“Understatement of the century,” I replied, leaning against the wall as the others listened in. “We need to track it down before it turns the city into a BBQ pit.”
“Count me in,” he said without hesitation. “When and where?”
“My office. Thirty minutes? Bring your game face—and maybe a fire extinguisher,” I joked, though part of me wasn’t kidding.
“Actually, give me a couple of hours to sniff around, see what I can find out.”
“Sounds good. That’ll give us time to grab dinner.”
“Your whole team there?”
“Yep. We’ll be waiting when you get here.”
“See you then. And... I’m looking forward to working with you again,” he added, a warmth in his tone that sent an unexpected shiver down my spine.
“Likewise, wolfman,” I said, trying to sound casual before hanging up. My heart did a little salsa dance in my chest, but I quickly quashed it. No time for flutters when there was a fiery djinni on the loose.
“Pack’s still intact,” Riker commented, his gaze lingering on me for a moment too long before he glanced away.
“More like a motley crew,” I said. “But hey, it’s not the size of the posse that counts. It’s how you use it.”
Riker rolled his eyes.
“Let’s just hope this isn’t a wild goose chase,” Elijah said.
“Wildfire chase, you mean? Let’s go grab something to eat. I suspect this is going to be a long night.” I moved toward the door.
* * *
“Any luck?” Riker asked, his brow knitted in the kind of frown that usually preceded bad news or a particularly nasty brawl.
“Actually,” Niko began, “I caught wind of something hot—literally.”
“Spill it, Fido,” I said, trying to keep the mood light despite the sinking feeling in my gut.
