Page 34 of Firefighter Midlife Wolf

“No. That won’t do me any good.” With surprising strength, Verna forced the amulet back around Jessica’s neck. “I can’t tell you why, but trust an old elf. This is precisely where it belongs.”

Darcy screeched to a halt on the shoulder of the road behind them and barely had it in park before she was standing on the asphalt. “Come on, you old hag! You can’t hide behind a bunch of wolves forever. Not unless you like the scent of roasted dog, anyway.” She rolled her hands in the air, producing a plume of fire from each palm.

“I’ve had enough of this, young lady.” Verna exited the car and moved over into the grassy field they’d parked next to. “What is it you want from me, anyway? I’ve taken care of you for years after your parents died, always doing my best for you and trying to help you find the right path. You refused! You’ve always got to be so damn difficult.”

The fire in Darcy’s palms burned brighter. “Don’t give me all that bullshit about how wonderful you were to me. I don’t need a mother. I need the fucking amulet. This is your last chance to give it to me voluntarily.”

Everyone else was out of the car except for Jack, who remained in the back seat. Jessica felt the stone at her neck start to warm, and fear trickled down her spine. She didn’t know how to do anything with it except ruin some of Hayden’s kitchen décor. Verna wouldn’t take it. If Darcy knew how it worked, she sure wouldn’t show Jessica. She felt Hayden at her side. She could sense the wolf inside him and knew he’d do everything he could. Would it be enough against fire?

Verna held a wand in her hand, a twisted bit of wood with several crystals dangling from it. She stood with her feet apart, grounded on the earth. “And if I do, what will you do with it?”

“You don’t get to decide!” Darcy roared as she sent a ball of flame toward the old woman.

A gasp escaped Jessica’s throat, but Verna was ready. She swept the wand in a wide arc in front of her and deflected the sphere of flame, though the scent of singed hair filled the air.

“It belongs to me,” Darcy snarled as she advanced. “It came from my mother’s people. You’re not an elemental. You don’t know how to use it. It’s up to me, and I know exactly what to do.”

“What?” Verna’s voice was surprisingly calm. “Take out mankind, or at least a decent chunk of it? They’re people, Darcy, just like you and me. You can’t just destroy them. That’s not what your mother or ancestors would’ve wanted.”

“Yes, they would!” Fire filled Darcy’s eyes now. “Don’t you get it? That amulet has been calling to me my entire life! It knows what I can do and wants me to do it. It’s the only way I can bring the world back into the balance it needs!”

“It’s driving her mad,” Sean murmured. “The connection between her blood and that stone must be strong. Almost like it’s possessing her.”

The heat under Jessica’s shirt continued to rise. What was she going to do? She couldn’t let Darcy have the amulet, but Verna’s life was at stake. She was trained to save everyone, but right now, she faced the choice of saving one special woman or risking the lives of multitudes.

“I’ve had about enough of this.” With a quick breath, Hayden shifted. The tall, handsome firefighter that’d stood next to Jessica was rapidly replaced. He fell forward onto all fours as his paws hit the earth, and deep gray fur sprouted from his skin.

Sean did the same, twisting his head to the side a little as his bones shifted and accommodated his new form. The wolves stepped up next to Verna.

“She’s in trouble now,” Jack commented.

But Darcy only laughed. “Do you really think you’re going to stop me like that? I’ll burn the whole world if that’s what it takes to find that amulet.”

Hayden charged. His paws dug into the grass, thrusting him forward. Darcy tossed fire at his feet, sending him leaping off to the side. Sean was on his tail. The initial attack from Darcy missed him, and he leaped into the air. In his wolf form, he was far bigger than the lean fire elemental, and his weight easily knocked her back.

Darcy clapped her hands down on his shoulders. Sean leaped off of her, whimpering, with two handprints singed into his fur.

“Stop!” Verna cried, performing a complicated twirl with her wand. A blast of violet light rippled out from the end of it just as Darcy was getting up, sending her flat on her back again. “You’ve got to see what you’re doing, Darcy. This is wrong! If it was supposed to happen, you would’ve been able to do it a long time ago.”

She wheezed, the air knocked out of her lungs, but as she caught her breath, the sound turned into a laugh. “Is that the only determining factor? How hard it is? You’re so full of shit, Verna. Both your arguments and your magic are weak. I’ll give you one final chance. Hand over the amulet, and I won’t cremate you on the spot.” Darcy had gotten back to her feet now.

Hayden and Sean took advantage of her distraction and charged once again. The grass at their feet burst into flames, and little pops of explosions followed them as they danced back to escape the heat before it burned their paws.

Darcy laughed, a sound that suddenly grew deeper. “Thanks for the fun, boys, but I’m not interested in playing games right now. I’ve got more serious matters to attend to.” With another laugh, the flames took over Darcy entirely. The ends of her hair caught fire, and the flames worked up each strand like a thousand little fuses. Her clothes incinerated, falling away in little clumps of burned fabric, giving up their hold and leaving her thin body naked. Darcy was no longer a woman who could control fire. She was fire. It flashed in her eyes and danced along her skin. Her fingers were like candles, a little flame at the end of each that no one could dare to blow out. She strode forward confidently, leaving blackened footprints in her wake.

“You see, Verna? You’ve stolen that amulet from my people. I’m going to get it back, and your whole life will be useless. Tell me where it is, or die.” She stretched her hand out toward her aunt, no longer concerned in the least about whatever magic the elf might be able to send her way.

“Fuck off!” Verna spat.

“Have it your way.” Darcy inhaled deeply as she ran her fingers across her collarbone, making the fire all around her build higher.

“No!” Jessica ran forward. She knew it was useless to protect Verna. She knew that Darcy’s flames would burn right through her as they had everything else. She sent up a silent wish that Paige would understand how much she loved her because she probably wouldn’t make it out of this alive.

Her wolf took over midstride. She felt the familiar stretch and pull of her muscles, allowing herself to revel for a moment in just how good it felt to let her other form out. It might be the very last time, so she paid attention to the way her spine lengthened and her muscles grew stronger. The sound of Darcy’s flames turned up in her ears as they stretched into points and her vision sharpened. It was all right there in front of her in high definition. Darcy, the embodiment of fire itself, so consumed by her hatred that she would sacrifice the entire world for the madness that drove her. Jessica, knowing she would likely die, put herself between the other two women.

Darcy’s flaming eyes widened, and she flung her finger out toward Jessica. “You! You have it!”

Jessica realized instantly what she meant. She’d shifted, so anything she was wearing should’ve disappeared, but the amulet remained around her neck. The chain sank down into her fur, and the amulet dangled at her chest. How the hell could that happen?

---