Simon was glad that was all over and done with.

As for Nellie, Simon had been a bit wary of one raised outside Salem even if she was one of the family and a blood heir of the direct line, but his caution had very soon been laid aside. She definitely knew what she was doing, just as clearly had no intention of enriching herself at the expense of the rest of her family, and he approved of both her shrewd financial decisions and the calm, friendly way she dealt with everyone around her.

He thought all the Cavendish cousins at the bank liked her and approved of her, a few conditionally since she was still new in Salem. There had been plenty of quiet discussions around the topic of who she’d choose as her likely successor; Simon knew himself to be in the running for the job given his own experience and skills in the family business, and while he wasn’t an overly ambitious man and doubted in any case that his lovely cousin would prove to be the last of the direct line (especially if Finn had anything to say about it), he was as ready to assume the mantle of authority over his family as he was to allow someone else to should she choose otherwise.

Either way, he expected to continue his career in finance, which he enjoyed very much. He was already an elder in the family at twenty-eight, being in possession of an extremely strong Talent and a shield that had been partly innate to him and partly constructed carefully through training from other elders so that he seldom had to even think about it, far less concentrate to keep it up.

Which was a very good thing now, he knew. Aylia Blackwood’s farseeing had spread, the gist of it at any rate, and even with his shield up, his telepathic Talent had caught more than a few worried, anxious, and even frightened thoughts. He also knew that the federal agents Finn had called to Salem were already making their presence felt, even as calm and laid-back as they seemed, and that even those citizens of Salem without Talents were nervously aware something unsettling was going on, despite Finn’s reasonable cover story for their presence.

Evidence of that was the fact that the downtown streets were practically deserted, unusual on a not-too-cold, pleasant Tuesday evening, and he saw at a glance that the three restaurants on Main were considerably thin of customers. Simon debated briefly as he walked but in the end decided he’d rather scramble a couple of eggs or maybe broil a steak in the neat kitchen of his comfortable bachelor condo and enjoy his music or a movie than eat his supper in one of the restaurants.

It was a night to be at home.

So Simon’s steps quickened as he turned off Main onto a side street that would lead him home. It was dark, of course, but with the streetlights, his route was nearly as bright as day, and despite everything he had no concerns walking briskly home as he did virtually every night.