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“Has Sgott been informed?” Surely if he had, he would have said something—although maybe that was what the meeting with Ruadhán was about. “And your father is breaking all sorts of rules by sharing that information.”

He shrugged. “As you said, that blast almost killed us. He understands my need to track down the perpetrator. Which reminds me—did Nati ever contact you about the blue dust sample you asked her to trace?”

Tracers like Nati—who was a friend, even though we hadn’t caught up for a couple of years—could not only analyze and unpick the spells connected to both gold and blue pixie dust, but also trace its origin. Which wouldn’t give us a name, but there were only two lines who used the dust, and each bloodline had specific magical tells. It was a starting point, and better than nothing.

“No, I actually forgot all about it.”

“Too busy spending time with Cynwrig, I suppose.” It was evenly said but there was an annoyed light in his eyes.

“No, I was in Scotland trying to get rid of the goddamn sword.”

“You didn’t tell me that.”

“Because you and I are no longer an item, and even when we were, you had no need or right to know all my movements.”

He sniffed. It was a disparaging sound. “The four of us—five if you count Darby—are a team, remember? We’re supposed to be sharing information so we can find the Claws and bring these people down.”

Most people would have called them bastards, but Mathi, like most light elves, considered swearing to be the purview of the coarse and uneducated. He’d spent a good part of our ten years trying to wean me off the habit, with little success.

“True. Sorry.”

“No, you’re not.”

I grinned and didn’t deny it. “Did they manage to ID the body?”

“It was Peadar Bhàsa.”

“Who is?”

“Jalvi’s husband.”

Shock rolled through me. “Has Cynwrig been informed?”

“I would imagine my father has done so by now.” He shrugged. “Cynwrig or indeed his family are unlikely to grieve for the man.”

I frowned. “Peadar was kin by marriage—”

“And hiskinalmost killed his sister. Hewillseek revenge. He is not what he appears on the surface, Bethany.”

“No elf is,” I said dryly.

“I am, of course, the exception.” A smile teased his lips. “On the surface, I’m a virile and extremely sexy manwhore, and that’s exactly who I am underneath.”

I snorted and shut down the computer. “I will grant that you have a little more depth than that.”

He gave me a mock bow. “I am honored that you think so.”

I rolled my eyes. “Where are we going?”

“Earl’s Court in Curzon Park.”

Which was a very posh area on the other side of the river. Rogan lived there, but I wasn’t sure if it was Earl’s Court or not. He wasn’t only secretive when it came to his love life, but just about everything else outside of work.

Of course, hedidlive for work. More so than Lugh, in fact.

“How can a second-rate mage afford to live in a place like that?”

“He wouldn’t have been employed by the Looisearch if he was second-rate.”