I understood why Elliot had asked whether it was safe. The boys didn’t play like human children, not exactly. They chased each other, tussling and scuffling and rolling on the grass, accompanied by yips and yelps and playful growls.

“They’re cute kids,” I said to Jeanne. “Very . . . energetic.”

“Yes.” She smiled ruefully. “They’re too young to shift, of course. In some ways, it will be easier when they are older. When they are able to give true voice to the wildness inside them. But of course, that brings its own dangers.” She glanced in the direction of the grill. “The clan is lucky to have Cody in a position to protect us.”

“No doubt.” I racked my brains for a topic of discussion. “So, how do you like living in Pemkowet? It must seem awfully small after Montreal.”

“I like it,” Jeanne said. “I find it peaceful here. I like the seclusion.”

Beside her, Caleb nodded. “City’s too big. Too busy.” He shuddered. “Too many eyes watching.”

Oh-kay.

“Are the boys in school yet?” I asked.

“Oh, no!” Jeanne gave me a startled look, green glimmering behind her eyes. “No, I do not think that is advisable. We will homeschool them.”

“Pemkowet’s school system isn’t so bad,” I said. “Look at Caleb and Cody. They turned out okay.”

“Boys’ll be safer at home,” Caleb said briefly.

Okay, point taken; that was the end of that discussion. Even though it was none of my business, I was just trying to make polite conversation. I tried and failed to suppress a returning surge of irritation. “Did Cody tell you we ran into an old girlfriend of yours, Caleb?” I asked. “Rosalind says hi.”

“Rosalind?” He looked blank.

“Rosalind Meeks,” Cody supplied. He was in the process of placing six obscenely large T-bone steaks on the grill. “I think you dated her toward the end of your senior year. She’s tending bar at Bazooka Joe’s.”

“Oh.” Caleb shrugged. He and his wife held an unspoken exchange that consisted of a faint glance of inquiry on her part and a slight, dismissive headshake on his.

I sighed inwardly.

No matter what Jen said, the rules and codes of the eldritch community were rigid and ingrained, and it was evident that the Fairfax clan was a closed society, even to other members of the community.

A little later, we dined on the ridiculously oversize steaks, cooked rare and bloody, the Fairfaxes holding them with both hands to gnaw on them. Steaks, and nothing but steaks.

“Would it have killed you to serve a little potato salad?” I asked Cody. “Or maybe a green vegetable?”

He grinned. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

I felt guilty. “It’s okay. I’m being an ungracious guest.”

“I don’t usually have guests,” he admitted. “I guess the lack of practice makes me a thoughtless host.”

It made me feel better. “So we’re even?”

Cody nodded. “Definitely.”