Page 31 of Firefighter Midlife Wolf

“Good. I’m sure that’s where I’ll end up after high school, anyway, so I can get a head start on knowing my way around.” He paused at the door to the front hall and turned around. “You know I must be bored if I’m willing to get out of bed to go to a school.”

Hayden sighed. Things definitely weren’t going his way today. “Fine. Let’s go.”

The ride to the university consisted of a lot of speculation about elves and fire elementals, plus a lot of enthusiastic exclamations from Jack in the back seat. Hayden glanced at Jessica every now and then. His wolf was pleased to have her in his vehicle, even if only for a short time. He had no idea what he was doing. He knew plenty about fire, but elementals? Amulets? It was all new to him. The only thing he really understood was that he wanted to help.

“I’m glad you called when you did,” Sean said when they arrived at his office and Hayden made the introductions. “It gave me a moment to review my books and see what information I have. I’m afraid there hasn’t been much written about elementals in this country compared to cryptids, but we do have some tales from Europe and other places in the world. Please, have a seat.”

“But if those are just stories, how do they help with this?” Jack asked, gesturing at the box that Jessica held delicately on her lap.

Sean smiled at him. “That’s a really good question, one that gets covered in detail in some of my classes. We might view these tales as fictional, but they all came from somewhere. For instance, I’m sure you’ve heard of Paul Revere and his midnight ride?”

Jack nodded.

“It really did happen, but the way we all think of it was based on a poem written by Longfellow over forty years after the actual event. Fascinating stuff, really.” Sean sat down at his desk and smiled happily. “Anyway, we’re here to talk about elementals. Do you mind if I take a look at the amulet?”

“Sure.” Jessica set the box on his desk and opened the lid.

Sean peered inside. “Do you mind if I touch it?”

“That’s up to you,” she replied. “Hayden already told you what happened when I was holding it.”

“But you were wearing it before that, correct?” Sean reached in and carefully took the bauble by the chain, holding it up to the light.

“Yes. Since yesterday, actually,” Jessica admitted. “I tried to tell my patient I couldn’t keep it, but she was so insistent. Then I got paranoid about what might happen to it if I put it down. It feels a little weird just to be carrying it around in a box, honestly, but I don’t want to accidentally cause any more damage.”

“It’s carnelian,” Sean concluded after a moment. “That’s not a particularly rare stone, although it looks to be of good quality. Its powers probably have a lot more to do with whatever magic it was imbued with.”

“What do we need to know about these fire elementals?” Hayden pressed. There was so much to understand here, and he needed to know everything that would keep Jessica safe.

Sean put the necklace back in the box. “There are several kinds of elementals, and they each have their role in mythology and legend. Fire elementals absorb mankind’s hatred and toxicity. They’re a balance to the emotional and physical pollution that humans generate. They can even cleanse the Earth of such things, in theory, but hardly any of them are left anymore. The burden of all that negativity gets to be too much for them. That’s when they take on darker energies, especially if they’re already predisposed to have them.”

“Like Darcy does,” Jessica stated. “That’s Verna’s niece.”

“The amulet,” he went on, “is meant to give elementals more power so they can handle absorbing all that energy. The intention of the amulet is to keep an elemental from going dark.”

“Then it seems like Darcy would need this stone,” Hayden pointed out.

“This is where things start to get muddy, and there’s a bit of speculation in here on top of my research. A dark elemental is going to carry around generations of rage and bitterness over all that humans have done to this planet. In that case, the amulet might not be enough to protect them.”

“And then it could be used as a weapon? Verna mentioned that it was dangerous.” Jessica pulled the box down onto her lap, studying the necklace.

“I don’t doubt that in the slightest.” Sean rubbed a finger over his lips as he considered the amulet again. “Unfortunately, there’s just not much information about it. Perhaps it had some leftover energy from the last time it was used, and you accidentally discharged it. There could be something more, but it’s hard to say. Does Verna know anything about how to activate it?”

Jessica shrugged. “She didn’t say anything about that. She just put it on me and told me to keep it safe.”

“Then that’s what you should do,” Sean confirmed. “You already wore it without any consequences, and it’s going to be much safer if you know exactly where it is. Items like this have been used in history in many ways, but whether you need to use a certain word or thought to unlock it, I can’t say.”

Hayden drummed his fingers on the desk. “These dark elementals like Darcy, are they dangerous even without the amulet?”

Sean’s face was solemn as he nodded. “Most likely.”

15

Jessica glanced at Hayden behind the wheel. “As soon as Darcy finds out I have what she wants, she’s going to lose her shit. I never should’ve taken it.”

“You didn’t have a choice, and Verna was probably right.” Hayden checked for traffic and then made the next turn. “Darcy was getting closer to figuring out where Verna had the amulet, and she was going to some great lengths to get it from her. If you have it, then she can’t find it.”

“Somehow, I’m just not sure.” The stone was cold against her chest. It felt different than when Verna had initially put it on her. She hadn’t been entirely sure that wearing it again was a good idea, but she did it anyway. So far, nothing wild had happened. They’d all agreed to go to Verna’s place afterward to check in on her, and Sean had volunteered to go along.

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