“I can take it back from you.”
“Good. I didn’t take it on purpose.”
“I didn’t say you did.” Her blue eyes flashed at him.
“First, I’m going back through the door. You’re going to release them, and afterward you can have your power back.” He let out a breath and ran the palm of his hand over his face. He didn’t want this power, but he didn’t trust the little witch not to do something else to his crew.
Flint had his hand on the door handle, his back to the little witch, when she spoke up.
“You can’t tell me what to do.” Her voice shook behind him.
Flint pivoted so quick the gear on his back shook and clinked together. “What now?”
“I said you can’t tell me what to do.” She tilted her chin up, so that if they were standing in front of each other, it would almost come up to the middle of his chest.
He clenched his molars together. “No, I suppose I can’t. But unless you have unlimited power, eventually you’re going to run out. And then what? I don’t think you want me standing here. Do you? And I still have your excess power. Don’t I?” Get this over with as fast as possible was what went through his head.
“Yes. But I can’t have them searching the building.” She cocked her head at him.
Flint let his shoulders relax. “Is that it? Fine. I can get them out of here without much fuss.”
“You can?”
“That’s what I was hollering about when I came in the first time. So absolutely.”
“All right.” She smiled at him. And it traveled right to his cock. What the fuck was he thinking? He didn’t need an attachment, and he certainly didn’t need a witch. Anything but a witch.
“You ready to try this again?”
“Yes. You promise you’ll take them right out?”
“I don’t make promises I can’t keep. I’ll do my best.” Making promises you couldn’t keep was something his parents had done.
“I bet your best is better than most.” She nodded at him. And shit, he didn’t want to like the petite witch with her intoxicating curls. His body had other ideas, though, a lot of other ideas. He turned away from her with a grunt. Chief Ledger’s mustache was fluttering in the wind even more now. The little strawberry had pushed a lot of power at Flint. Under his glove, he could feel the magical flames reaching out, calling to be used.
If she didn’t take it back? It might not wait until he got back to his house with the door shut. To fill a power orb and lock it away with the rest of the ones he’d filled in the last three years. The space was getting full, and quite frankly, at some point he was going to have to do something with it. There was too much power. But right now, he had to get through his shift. He’d gone years without using any magic. He could go another few hours.
“Ready?” he called through the closed door.
“Ready for what? Did you find a fire?” Chief pushed the door open.
“Nope. Place is clear. Ready to go?” Flint crossed his arms over his chest. “I checked out the kitchen to see what overheated. We’re good to go.” Flint held the chief’s glare.
“I’m sorry, what is your name?” Chief Ledger asked the little strawberry.
“Name?” The witch shivered.
“Yes, name. We need it for the report.” Chief had out his little notebook.
“Oh, right, sure. Emma Davis.” She stuck out her hand, and the chief juggled his notebook and pen to shake it.
Flint growled, and the chief’s head snapped his way. The chief wasn’t Flint’s alpha. He didn’t even belong to Flint’s pack. But Flint’s black wolf respected him like an alpha. And other than the one time last Fourth of July that Ledger had made him pull an extra duty, he’d never even so much as thought a bad word about the chief.
“Flint? You okay?” Maddox had come up behind him.
“Yup. The burritos from last night aren’t agreeing with me. Hey, I’ll take Ms. Davis back to check out the kitchen. Make sure she orders a new microwave.” Flint nodded at Emma.
Beck laughed. “Trying to get out of drying the hoses?” When the alarm at the old Hundsburg elementary school had gone off, they’d been in the middle of flushing and drying the hoses. A necessary part of their job, and one Flint never shirked. The station was next to the school. It was faster to walk than drive, though, which was why the rest of the team had been coming over on the engine. The rear door of the school backed up to the station, but the main driveway and front door were on a side road on the opposite side of the building.
“Nope, I’ll be right over.” Flint tapped Beck on the head. Beckham’s mom was Flint’s dad’s youngest sister. Flint would pick Beck as a friend even if they weren’t cousins.
“Okay then. I know it’s not your first rodeo, but check out the circuit breaker box too before you go.” Chief Ledger inclined his head to Emma. “Let’s go, cubs.”
Maddox and Beck took the long way around the room, looking at the amazing play structures. Flint’s nieces and nephews would love these things. Chief’s radio squawked on the way out as he canceled the engine. The chief and the guys headed out of the room, Maddox with his go-get-it smile that he normally saved for the Easy Rabbit, the local Hundsburg bar where most of the pack hung out.
Beck slapped him on the back as he walked out. “I’m sure you’ll find the heat.”
Flint shook his head at them. The guys were acting like they had when they’d all been together in this room in sixth grade. He opened his coat, letting the air rush into his T-shirt beneath. When he did, the top of his coat moved far enough away from his nose that he could pick out the scent of cut pine boards, which had been overpowered by the smoky residue of his coat. But under those scents, a tinge of cinnamon and apples floated to him. Little Emma smelled good enough to eat. He swallowed hard because the pull to her shook him. He took another breath in to confirm she wasn’t his fated mate. Lungs full of cinnamon, his wolf took notice but didn’t give him the green light. Thank fuck. Flint wasn’t ready for a mate, and certainly not a witch.
She had followed the other guys out of the room and was standing in the corridor, watching them go. “Okay. You can stand here until they leave, then you need to go too. Like skedaddle.” She looked up at him, her hands on her hips. Sawdust covered her wet socks.
“Miss. I need to see the source of the fire.” Skedaddle? Who used that? He glared at her. She looked thirty, but maybe she was older.
Emma glanced down the hall. The guys were gone. “I’m the source of the fire. Wait, no. I didn’t make fire but smoke. I was focusing on the well, and the next thing I knew, my notebook caught fire.”
“Smoke was pouring out of the well?” The poor female was bonkers. “How do you set water on fire?”
She bit her lip and then turned around. With her index finger pointed, she did a chopping motion with her hand. “What are you?”
