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Conn grunted. “Leaving your body for days on end can disrupt your human life cycle. The connection of your energy body to your physical one is complex. It takes demons years to learn enough physiology to control their change from form to form. There are a million details to get right. Humans are not equipped. If they were, they could alter their physical forms and most would.”

I picked up my tea and sipped. “How do I keep this from happening? Ya know as well as I do that scrying is the surest way to locate our targets.”

Conn’s gaze cut to mine. “Rasmus was your unconscious target. You need to resolve your need to know where he is and why he’s not with you. That can be accomplished in several ways.”

I nodded, understanding what Conn meant. If I trusted Rasmus completely, I wouldn’t need to know where he was and I probably wouldn’t feel so abandoned. Another option to ease my thoughts of him is when he left me, Rasmus could ask someone to let me know what he was doing and how long he’d be gone.

Guardians didn’t think like we did even when they walked among us in human form. For Rasmus, it was probably like he left me a few moments ago. His work kept him too busy to miss me or question how much human time was passing.

I rubbed my forehead. “I’ll do what I can. I like yer idea of calling The Dagda to teach me about the stone.”

Mulan’s phone dinged with a message. “Gale says come home. She will send dinner to your new room.” Her confused gaze met mine. “Did you change rooms?”

I shook my head. “No. They’re making me a private sitting room next door to my bedroom. Henry calls the connecting rooms myquarters.”

“Good idea,” Mulan said. “Powerful woman needs private space and big bathtub.”

I chuckled at her comment. “I agree with ya.”

Mulan snorted. “First time for everything,” she said rudely.

I grinned and rose. “Thanks for looking out for me. I’m fine walking back on my own. The two of ya need some rest.”

“What is next step?” Mulan asked.

Honestly, I had no idea. So I said the first thought that popped into my head. “We’ll look into caves and check out any we find. Fiona helped me research covens in Salem but I think we need to do that again. I may go see Sarah Templeton about the scrying necklace. She has a coven and might know one with a tall witch.”

“Conn and I do cave research. You visit witch. This gets research done fast.”

I nodded. “Yes. Splitting up the research does sound like a good idea.”

“Now we rest and sleep. No more scrying,” Mulan ordered. “Tell ancestor stone to behave.”

Smiling, I hung my head and nodded. “I’m sorry I scared ya, Mulan.”

“At least you scare somebody. Next time scare snake man.”

Feeling blessed to have Mulan and Conn in my corner, I said my goodbyes and walked back to the main house.

My sitting room had been painted in a fresh off-white color while I was out. Near the lit fireplace was one of the magickal chairs from the library and a small round table with a tray of food on it. The fire was only a gas insert but the flames and heat gave the still barren space a cozy feel.

Best of all, the coziness chased away my need to dwell on my surreal scrying experience.

I lifted the lid of the tray and found a big bowl of soup and two sandwiches. I ate like a starving woman and dreamed about the furniture I wanted to buy. Before I finished eating, I had it all planned out.

I’d buy a rocker to go by the fireplace and a large reclining chair for Rasmus to use when he could pull himself away from guardian duties long enough to lower himself to visit me.

I wanted to find a small sofa—a loveseat really—for guests like Mulan and Conn when they visited. And I’d wanted some sort of coffee table for tea trays and evening meals when I ate alone.

I also wouldn’t block the light with heavy draperies like the ones that had come with the house, but maybe a few layers of sheers to filter things in the evening would be nice.

Before I gave myself up to sleep, I said a prayer of thanks for coming back from scrying safely and for all the blessings that found their way to me. My life wasn’t perfect but it was good.

A year ago I was still in prison. Now I owned a mansion.

As I was slipping under, I thought about how my prosperity never looked like the picture I carried around in my head.

Chapter Nineteen