“Of course he is.” Carter shoved his laptop in his bag.

“Once we get Spencer’s approval to move forward with an investigation, I know just the guy we need to contact.”

Carter glared. “I don’t need anyone’s approval.”

Flint laughed again. “That’s not how things work in this town. Nothing gets done without the Alpha’s seal of approval. But even after you have it, I went to school with a guy who can definitely help.”

“I need the best. I’ve got some guys on the case, but they’re not great.”

Flint took a breath. “Listen, Carter, we can take care of this together, or I can take care of it alone. I don’t get the fireball, but the second it tried to take out Emma, it became my responsibility. Do I make myself clear?” Flint’s wolf was crackling under his skin, and for sure his eyes were glowing. It was then he realized he was standing in his hospital gown, covered in little wolves howling at cartoon moons. But he didn’t care.

“Okay, Larsen. You want to solve this and so do I. I’m not sure what’s going on with you and my employee. I’ve grown quite fond of Emma, as a dear friend, over the last six months. And yes, this whole business prospect is riding on her, but I care more about her health and well-being than my bottom line. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes. We’re united on this. Give me your phone. I need to find a number.”

Carter gripped his phone and then passed it over.

After a few seconds of searching, Flint found the firm his friend from school worked at, and he dialed.

“Stone Security,” a cheerful voice answered.

“Hi, I was wondering if Oak North was available?”

“You can leave him a message if you like. He’s not in the office right now.”

“I’ll text him later.” Later. Flint didn’t like the idea of later. He wanted this solved, and now. He didn’t like the idea of Emma going back to her townhouse by herself. And he sure as hell didn’t like the idea of her going and staying with her friend on the other side of town, where he and his wolf couldn’t watch over her. Yeah, he had wanted to get away from her, but that no longer felt like a good idea in his gut. And he always trusted his gut.

21

Flint hadn’t come back into the room with her. But the doctor had ten signatures, and three hours later, Emma was loaded into one of Carter’s black luxury cars and driven home. Luckily, Daphne had headed home to her kids, or Emma would have been forced to go with her. Everyone wanted to stay with Emma. Absolutely everyone. She wanted to be alone, and with a lot of convincing, she’d gotten her way. Although the Spring Ridge cruiser outside her house made her feel a little better.

The one good thing about the entire week was her stocked refrigerator and pantry. There was more food in it than Emma would be able to eat in a week. Someone had put the load of clothes she had left in the washer on Monday morning into the dryer. Emma turned them back on again to fluff. And when she took the load out of the dryer right before she went to bed, the Hundsburg Fire Department T-shirt she’d taken from Flint had been too tempting not to put on before she crawled into bed. Who didn’t love warm pajamas, especially warm pajamas that smelled lightly like oranges?

The stupid, cranky, frustrating firefighter. Her heart thudded in her chest. But she found the silk eye mask Daphne had left and put it on, then pulled the covers over her shoulders. A week of sleeping, and she was still tired. Who knew sleeping could make you feel more tired?

She wanted to be alone. It had taken a lot of convincing to get what she wanted from her friends, to make it clear to them that she was healed. Dr. Swan said her energy looked good. New Emma didn’t go limping to someone’s spare room. New Emma pulled up her thrifted designer pants and took care of herself. She never imagined she could fall asleep, not after sleeping for days, but she did.

Her visions started off as normal. Strangers and unfamiliar places. And then the scene shifted, morphed. Instead of watching the movie, she was in it. Surrounded by it. Her skin was boiling hot. She couldn’t breathe. She wanted to cough but couldn’t. She turned her head. Flames shot up the wall. Her feet were hot. Flames. She was in a burning building. Printed curtains of hunters in red plaid surrounded by dogs and dead ducks were on fire. The door, she had to find the door. But it was gone. Four walls, no door.

She bolted upright. Goddess. That was the thing about being a seer. She couldn’t control what she saw. But it also meant, as a general rule, that she didn’t see anything which had anything to do with herself. But this dream-vision-nightmare was all to do with her.

The sleep mask had come off. Her clock announced three a.m. in blazing red numbers. Hateful thing. She reached for the glass of water next to her bed, but it was empty, and bathroom water never tasted the same. With care, she made her way down the stairs. When she rounded the corner, she could feel eyes settle on her. They glowed from the other side of the slider. The brown eyes of her egg-eating wolf. Emma opened the door, and Flint’s human feet hit the linoleum of her kitchen.

“Did you learn nothing? You almost died. And you let a strange shifter into your house in the middle of the night.”

Emma squeezed her eyes tightly shut and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Flint continued. “How do you expect to get through life, Emma, if you can’t protect yourself? I could have been a serial killer.”

“Are you done?” Emma leaned against the counter. She was fine, just a little weak from inactivity.

“No.” He stared at her hair. “Yes.”

She wrangled it into a spare ponytail holder she’d left lying on the counter.

Flint watched her hands, and then his eyes rested on the logo on her chest. The night air was frosty and the slider sat open. Goosebumps formed on her legs, and her nipples were tight in the chill of the late winter night.

She closed the slider and held her hand up. The shirt rode up her backside. “Do you think me a fool?”

“What? No,” he drawled.

“You think I didn’t know that was you? The first night I fed you eggs?”

“You didn’t know it was me.”

“Maybe not a hundred percent, but I had a hunch. And after we . . .” They hadn’t slept together. He’d made her float and then sent her on her way.

“After we what?” He took a step closer to her.

She held her breath. “What were you doing outside my house? Again?”

“How did you know it was me?” In the dim light, his pupils and brown eyes bled together.

She put her hand up and ran it down his cheek. Their power blended, dancing up and down her bare arms. “You didn’t answer my question.”

His hand tilted her head up. “You didn’t answer mine,” he growled.

“You’re not like anyone else. You could shift into a raccoon and I would recognize you.”

“A raccoon, huh?” He walked her backwards, and with his knee, he nudged her legs apart and lifted her onto the counter.

“You didn’t answer me, Flint. Why are you here?” Emma’s breaths were shallow. Touching him gave her zings of not only magical energy but a buzz in her core that left her wet for him.

“I needed to know you were safe.” His nose trailed down her neck. He barely touched her skin, and she gave a whole-body shiver.

“I’m safe. I’m here. I’m absolutely fine. Spring Ridge PD is out front,” she whispered.

He huffed. “Maybe you need to be better than fine.” His lips brushed her skin, and he licked down her neck to the hollow spot on her collarbone.

Her lips sucked in air, and her knees spread wide as she gasped. “Flint.” Her legs curled around his hips, bringing him closer to her. His cock was hard and hit her in the right spot.

He moaned. “Emma.” His hand hesitated at the hem of her shirt—actually, his shirt that she had on.

For a brief moment, she considered swatting his hand away, but she couldn’t, even if she wanted to. Her skin pebbled as he ran his fingers up her stomach to the underside of her breasts.

“Please,” she said. Her pulse thumped in her core.

His lips encased hers, and his tongue teased her mouth open. She hadn’t wanted that kiss to end before, and it wasn’t ending now. He wasn’t pushing her away. He played with her nipple, his other hand in her hair. His body forced her legs open wider. His tongue slid along hers, pulled it in and let it go. Her hands slid around his neck, and she tangled her fingers in his silky dark hair. She tried to keep up, but his lips controlled every movement they made.