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“Write the note and I’ll see it gets done,” Conn ordered.

A thought occurred to me. It wasn’t a pleasant one, and it was risky, but it would set the tone for what I was about to do. “Show him yer true self, Conn. If ya deem it safe enough, of course. I’m not hiding ya from him. Just remember that no one but Jack promised not to kill ya.”

“Ooo... a brush with death. I haven’t had one of those in years.” Conn tapped his fingers on the table. “Let’s call Katie. She’ll put us up for the night. It’s going to take a while for you to get your kidnapped demon hunter to see the wisdom of your plan.”

In Rasmus’s case, it could take forever or never happen at all. It felt good at least, to be takingsomeaction. There was nothing worse than feeling helpless.

“I’ll make the call to Katie. I can pick up some supplies for a bribe and meet ya at her place. Should we put Rasmus in chains or in a cage? Both options delight me.”

“Cage,” Conn said with a laugh. “Using chains is too much like what Jack did to capture you. Don’t project your feelings onto your hostage… and don’t become your ex.”

“Okay, that’s good advice,” I said with a sigh. “Good goddess, I can’t even trust myself at the moment.”

“It’s okay. I trust you enough for both of us,” Conn said. “Call Katie while I’m gone.”

Conn disappeared from the table without a goodbye. I looked around to make sure no one had seen him evaporate into nothing. Normally, he walked out of a place and then disappeared discreetly.

I pulled my dreaded phone out of my pocket and glared at it because I didn’t know Katie’s number. A text from Conn came through before the thought even finished.

I added Katie’s info to my contact list and made the call.

* * *

Katie didn’t lookone day older, much less seven years older. Not only did she not have a single silver streak showing in her hair, but she also still looked as young as Fiona.

Oddly, the attractive woman I looked at was the only female I never saw Conn give a lusty glance to. She was blue-eyed, blonde, and perfectly proportioned. His reaction to her was like his reaction to me—very brotherly. His reaction to Mulan, though, was totally different.

Why had I never noticed Conn’s discretion with women before? Maybe I was so besotted with my own relationships in the past that I never paid much attention to anyone else’s. Maybe I was clueless back then like Fiona was choosing to be now.

I stopped musing about everything when Katie’s lilting voice caught my ear. Unlike me, who never lost the Irish in my voice, she’d picked up a pleasant American accent with nearly no effort. She spoke like a New England angel, with proper diction and a total lack of idioms.

“You and Conn can use this room. It has two twin beds. I know it’s not huge, but it’s all I have free at the moment. A fairy family is coming tomorrow and they don’t adhere to check-in hours. I need the rest of the rooms to be ready whenever they decide to show up.”

I nodded to let her know I’d heard. “We didn’t intend to disrupt yer business and appreciate ya putting up with us and our shenanigans at the last moment. I promise it’s for a good purpose.”

“The entire basement is yours to use as well, so long as your hostage is not a screamer. The ceiling and walls are soundproofed because I sing there, but vibrations still get through.”

“We don’t want to put ya out, Katie. We’ll be as quiet as we can be.”

She turned her flawless face my way and gave me a soft smile. Katie had chosen a virginal look for running the inn, instead of the grandmotherly one she used most when keening for the dead. I knew changing her appearance was something banshees could easily do, but she had mastered that skill to perfection.

I never asked Katie about her age or her history, but Conn had told me she had suffered a pain so great that she had to stop death singing. Mental damage happened to witches too, but it had never happened to me. Magick was like breathing, and I didn’t give it any thought. If I needed to do it, I waved my hand or thought a spell into existence.

“I didn’t mean I was put out, Aran. You and Conn are the closest thing to family that I have on this mortal plane. You’ve both made my time here tolerable. Another twenty years and maybe I’ll be able to go home.”

I hung my head. After being stuck at the cottage for seven years, I well knew what it was like to not be able to go home. Katie chose to stop keening and heal her mind, which led to her seeking another profession in order to make a living.

Conn told me Katie sang at a death that broke her mind, heart, and soul. He never said if it had been someone she’d personally loved and lost, or if it had just been one death too many.

Maybe Conn didn’t even know because he’d clammed up after that. Her family considered her too weak to stay with them and sent her away. I knew she still missed her sisters because sometimes it would slip out in conversation.

I reached down and dug through my duffle to find the treasures I brought her. “I found the original music for that modern opera ya told me about. The man said he wrote this copy for an American mezzo-soprano with a beautifully smooth tone. I know it’s in yer range. Hopefully, ya can follow the singer’s notes.”

“It’sCarmenby the French composer Georges Bizet.”

“I sure hope so because that’s what I paid for.” Her joy humbled me. Katie was a banshee without a tribe until her mental state rebounded. I didn’t fully understand her gifts, but I understood that not using them would lead to voice atrophy. Any gift from the gods was worth protecting.

“I also brought ya some healing tea for yer throat. Astrid over atEnchantedsaid it would soothe yer vocal cords and not let them get strained too badly.”