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I smiled. “I refuse to answer that question on the grounds I may incriminate myself.”

“Just remember what happened to your mother and be careful. You and Lugh both.”

“We will. In fact, caution is one of the reasons why I’m ringing.”

“Meaning you need IIT help in regard to a distraction?”

I smiled. The man knew the workings of our minds very well indeed. “The attack on us yesterday was more or less proof someone at the museum is working with the Looisearch.”

“Rogan?”

“Possibly, although we’re not sure if he’s a willing participant or being blackmailed in some way. But we’re going to tell him we’re heading to Cwmorthin, and we were wondering if you could send a couple of shifters up there to intercept whoever might turn up.”

“Easily done. I can run a background check on him, too, if you’d like.”

“You might have to do it off book, because it’s likely the Looisearch have sympathizers within IIT, and we can’t risk warning them.”

“I’ve been doing this sort of thing for a very long time now,” he said, with just a hint of amusement. “I don’t need a whippersnapper to be telling me what to do.”

I laughed. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re really not.” The amusement was stronger. “By the way, I have permission from the pixie council to go see your aunt. You do not, which is just as well given your decision to lay low.”

I hesitated but couldn’t help asking, “Did they say anything about their decision on my punishment?”

“No. But they wouldn’t, as I’m not a pixie.”

“There’s a bit of me that wishes they’d just hurry up and get it over with.” Even if the more sensible part said the longer the better.

“No council works with any sort of speed.”

“They did with the red knife.”

“That was an entirely different matter—they had Deva’s council riding their asses.”

Which suggested Deva’s council did have some sway over ours. I wasn’t sure why, but that news had all sorts of trepidation stirring through me. “Just be careful when you’re talking to my aunt. She’s unstable enough as it is, and this might well break her.”

“I have the council’s protection and blessing, lass. She can’t and won’t hurt me.”

Which didn’t mean she wouldn’t try. “Are you going to run a search through Vincentia’s things?”

“I’ve warrants to search her two properties—we might turn up something there.”

“One of those properties was recently blown up.”

“Yes,” he said, in a heavy sort of way. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“You’ve read the reports, surely.”

“Yes, and that did not answer the question.”

“Because there are some questions that are better left unanswered.”

He harrumphed. “You’ve still got my private emergency number, haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

He’d given it to me when I’d first started dating, with strict instructions that I was only ever to call if I felt threatened or needed immediate help. I’d only used it once, back when I was eighteen. I’d gone to a weeklong “school’s ending” celebration, and a half elf I’d been semi-keen on had herded me away from the rest of the group. He’d wanted a whole lot more than the kiss or two I was willing to give and had been so angry at my rebuff that he’d locked me up in a dingy room and said I could rot there until I complied.