Zed raised his hands. “I accept defeat, Miss Siobhan. I’ve had your spatula smacked against my hand enough times to know when I’m beat. I just wanted to bring Miss Danica over here to survey the pie and let you get a feel for what sort of pastry she might need.”

“I really don’t get to choose my own pie?” Dani asked.

“Oh, sure, you could pick your own pie, and it would taste fine. But it wouldn’t have that magical spark that Siobhan’s choice will have. It’s a fairy thing. Siobhan makes her pies to soothe a troubled soul, to heal a grieving heart, to ignite romance. She can tell just by looking at you what sort of pie you need. It’s better to let Siobhan choose.”

“What if my soul doesn’t need soothing?” Dani asked.

Zed’s smoky eyes twinkled. “Then she’ll sense what your soul does need and give you that instead.”

“Well, how do I turn down an offer like that?” Dani smiled at Siobhan. “I’ll be back to visit you after dinner.”

“See that you do. You need more than you think.” Siobhan sniffed, nodding toward the house. “That one didn’t think she needed my guidance and she regretted it.”

Zed turned to see Jillian walking into his maman’s backyard. She was damn near glowing at the side of the Asian man who seemed familiar to Zed somehow. Jillian was chatting animatedly with him, pointing to the various food stations. Zed glanced toward Bael, who did not move between Jillian and the unknown male, despite being in his dragon form.

Zed was about to cross the grass to ask about the man when a whippet thin girl with dark hair and pale skin popped into view like a damn ghost in an internet meme. The girl dressed in unrelieved black and the way she stared at Dani made Zed a little nervous. He liked to think the shriek he let loose was a manly sound of warning, but it sounded like,

“Gah!”

“Hi, I’m Ivy Portenoy. I’m a lab assistant in the forensics department. Did Dani mention me?”

Zed frowned. The girl who looked like Wednesday Addams worked for the newly installed county coroner? Did his beloved Jillian have no sense of irony?

“No, I hadn’t had the chance to bring you up in conversation, Dr. Portenoy. How are you?” Dani was keeping her social shit together in a much more impressive fashion, extending her hand and greeting Ivy with a handshake.

“Oh, you have to call me Ivy now, Dani. We’re practically old friends. Have you had a chance to think about game night, Dani? Dr. Aspern mentioned he’d invited you.”

Dani looked vaguely uncomfortable. “Oh yes, I’m not really much of a card game person.”

“Well, we’d love to have you come by on Saturday, even if you don’t play.”