“I know, Firebrand. I do understand. Trust me, I would take them all away from Talon if I could.” Riley straightened, sliding his hands up my arms. “But slow down for me a little. I know you want to save the world, but there are only three of us. We can’t take on Talon, or St. George, by ourselves. We’d need an army for that, and they’re not just lying around for the taking.” One hand rose to the side of my face, brushing a curl aside with his thumb. “Just trust me a little longer, okay? Let’s figure out where we’re going, what we’re doing next, before we go charging the organization’s front door. Can you do that, without burning the hotel down in the meantime?”

I swallowed, then took a slow breath. It didn’t cool the heat of the wild surging flames within. “I guess so,” I muttered, relinquishing the fight for now. He exhaled in relief, and I gave him a faint smirk. “Though I can’t promise not to set anything on fire, especially if St. George kicks my door down.”

Riley grimaced. “At least there are extinguishers by all the exits,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I can see the headlines now, though. Vegas Casino Mysteriously Ignites on Twelfth Floor. Strange Creatures Seen Flying out Window. That wouldn’t catch Talon’s attention at all.” He shook his head. “You certainly keep my life interesting, Firebrand.”

“You love it. Just think how boring life would be without me.”

A grin tugged at one corner of his mouth. “My old trainer gave me a bit of advice once,” he said. “Not that I listened to his ramblings most of the time, but this one stuck out. He said, ‘A flame that burns twice as bright lasts half as long.’ Any idea what that means?”

“Um. That you’re a secret philosopher who writes poetry between car heists and jailbreaks?” I guessed.

He snorted. “Normally I don’t break out the metaphorical crap, but I thought I’d make an exception.” One hand rose, knuckles very lightly brushing my cheek, searing and tingly. My heart leaped, and warmth bloomed through my stomach. “You remind me of that flame, Firebrand,” Riley murmured. “You burn so hot, and so bright, you set everything around you on fire. And you don’t even realize what you’re doing.”