Her back straightened, and she wiped her scaled hands on her apron in preparation for my request. “Name it, it will be done.”

“A group of reapers were set upon us. Thankfully, they failed to carry out their task, but I’m not convinced there won’t be others sent in their place. I resent bringing darkness to your doorstep, but for my mate’s safety, I had no other choice.”

Her flat nose wrinkled in disgust. “Reapers are nasty little bastards, but easy enough to kill if they don’t catch you in their thrall. You did the right thing coming here—” She reached under the bar, withdrawing a bow and quiver of arrows. “As I am fully equipped to deal with them, should they decide to swing by for a drink.”

“Glad to hear it, though if it can be helped, I’d rather use your abilities as a barkeeper than those with a bow,” I said, and she tilted her head, listening to my proposition. “My scouts are doing what they can to track down the culprit, though I believe we’d benefit from more eyes and ears in the places where secrets are often spilled and the gossip is rife. As the owner of such an establishment myself, it’s something of a common theme for drunken souls to put their trust in the ones who pour their drink.”

At the beginning of our time in the human realm, Teighan would often complain about the nights he’d have to suffer through the rambles of an intoxicated patron who’d lounge on one of the barstools, sharing their life story and lamenting their greatest woes, uncaring that my brother couldn’t have given less of a shit about them or their recent breakup. Despite it often being a fruitless endeavor—Tee had limited patience—it had become a useful way to learn the inner goings on of my people, a tool to gather any information that would offer me an advantage in certain situations.

A tool I was counting on now.

The naga made a sound of realization, her slitted pupils expanding. “I understand completely, and I will make you aware of anything we hear that may be of interest to you and your cause.”

“Thank you.”

“May I be so bold as to advise that there is also power in the circulation of whispers?” she said, and I gestured for her to continue. “If a specific rumor—say, a royal guard being on its way to drag those responsible back to the palace—was to spark here and be carried from one drunken creature to the next inn, then the next, then the next, perhaps you’ll startle your opponent out of hiding much quicker. No one makes foolish missteps quite like a scared little fox that believes it has been cornered.”

My face split with a wicked grin. “Oh, I like you.”

She laughed. “I am merely an old soul, doing whatever I can to help.”

“May I know your name?”