Page 2 of Fight Fire With Fire
She reached up and patted my cheek with a smile. “Of course, it is. I love you.”
“And it turns out that your training will pay off in a way you never expected.” Damien gripped my shoulder and squeezed. “Seth asked me if you’d be interested in an enforcer spot for the council. I’m hoping you’ll take him up on the offer since I’m stepping back from my duties.”
Although I understood why he wanted to stick closer to home now that he and Soleil were parents, I was still surprised by his news. Damien had worked with the shifter council for so long that it felt like forever. “You’re really taking a step back from being an enforcer?”
Soleil cleared her throat and cast a knowing look at her mate. “What he should have said is that he’s taking the ultimate step back. Otherwise known as retiring.”
Now I was flat-out stunned. “Damn, I never thought I’d see the day. It’s the end of an era.”
“My focus needs to be on protecting this little guy from now on.” Damien cupped his son’s tiny head with his palm. “But maybe this is the start of a new era with a different member of the Veles hold at the head of the enforcers.”
“So what I’m hearing you say is that you’ve handpicked me to step into your shoes.” My mom elbowed me in the side, and I held my hands up in a gesture of defeat. “Sorry, habit. But seriously, I’m damn happy for you, cuz. You’ve given so much to the shifter community and have more than earned some peace and quiet with your family.”
“Does that mean you’ll meet with Seth to discuss becoming an enforcer?” Damien asked.
I’d only met the wolf shifter who was the head of the shifter council once before, so the man barely knew me. “What does the interview process involve?”
“It’s usually pretty damn grueling, so we can ensure that new members of the team are up to the challenge ahead of them. We test their fighting skills and run prospects through a bunch of psychological evaluations to ensure they won’t crack under pressure.”
His answer was pretty much what I’d assumed, except for one word. “Usually?”
Damien flashed me a cocky grin. “Lucky for you, my recommendation allows you to skip past all that crap. I’ve known you your whole damn life, so I’m more aware of your fighting skills and mental fortitude than I have ever been with any of the applicants that I’ve given my stamp of approval to. You’ve put a hell of a lot of work into becoming a damn good fighter, so it was easy for me to vouch for you with Seth. If you want to be an enforcer, all you have to do is tell him yes.”
2
Ember
“Hey, Ember!”
I smiled and waved at the neighbor who’d called out a greeting as I walked past their house. One of the things I loved the most about living in Brandenton was how friendly everyone was with each other. Blake Aldebrand wouldn’t have it any other way.
Most of the people who lived in the area were either part of the Aldebrand coven or connected to them somehow, and Blake ruled over us all with an iron fist. As he should since most of the witches in his coven were fiery-tempered—which was especially dangerous when you could conjure a flame in the palm of your hand as easily as you could blink.
Outside his family, I was one of the few coven members who got to see Blake’s softer side. I lived under his roof, and he couldn’t keep up the stern façade twenty-four seven. No matter how big the compound was.
I wondered if people were especially nice to me because they were worried about how Blake would react if word got back to him that I was being mistreated. I wouldn’t ever throw someone under the bus that way, but there was no way for anybody else to know that. Plus, I had heard a rumor about Blake laying down the law about me with the coven members when I first moved in with him.
Apparently, a few people had kicked up a fuss about him taking in an orphaned teenage witch, but it had blown over quickly, and everyone had welcomed me with open arms when I attended my first coven meeting. I hadn’t even known about it until four years later. I’d built solid friendships since then, and the passing of time helped soften the blow, so knowing their acceptance of me had been pushed by Blake hadn’t bothered me as much as it would have if I’d found out earlier.
I exchanged greetings with a few more people as I made my way to the big house, my mind wandering while I traversed the familiar path. I didn’t realize we had visitors until I stumbled to a stop after barreling into the living room and spotted Blake running through a spell with his great-granddaughter while her mother, Opal, watched on. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“This is your home. You don’t need to apologize to me. I don’t live here like you do,” Opal reassured me with a soft smile.
If I had been paying closer attention, I would have noticed her car in the driveway, but my head was in the clouds. I’d actually been daydreaming about finding my consort. Again.
Ever since my twenty-first birthday three weeks ago, I had been plagued with thoughts about him. Not that I actually knew who he was or where to find him, but I had no doubt the man who visited me in my nightly fantasies was the one who the goddess had paired me with. Between my recurring dreams and how my wrist had been tingling over my pulse point from time to time over the past few weeks, I hoped the universe was trying to let me know that I would meet him soon.
But I hadn’t shared those details with anyone, so I didn’t blurt out any of that. “Right, yes. I only meant that if I wasn’t so distracted, I would have been a little quieter when I came inside.” I glanced at Opal’s ten-year-old daughter. “Then maybe I wouldn’t have messed up that spell.”
Oriana sent a sweet smile my way. “You weren’t the one who messed me up, Ember. That was all me. Grandpa has had me try this spell ten times already, and I just can’t seem to get it straight no matter how hard I try.”
“If I may?”
My question was directed to Blake, who answered, “Please do.”
I crossed the room to stand in front of Oriana as he took several steps back. Crouching until I was eye to eye with her, I said, “I flubbed plenty of spells when your grandfather was teaching them to me, and I was a lot older than you when he started working with me. So you can trust me when I tell you, there’s no reason to be embarrassed.”
Oriana’s gaze darted toward Blake and back to me before she whispered, “But he’s so good at all the spells.”
