“I don’t know if she’s anything to them,” Patrick said after a moment of silence. “But the fact you’ve had the vision must be significant.”

“And the nature of the sluagh?” I said. “Are they confused with the Cŵn Annwn because they also take souls?”

“We’d better leave that answer to my books,” Patrick said. “On this case the truth comes best from the source. So you can be sure neither of us is misleading you.”

“I would never—” Ioan began.

“Which includes unintentionally misleading you, through our own misunderstandings. Finish your mocha, Liv. You can read my books when you pick up the hound. I know you’re both eager to get on the road for your vacation.”

“They can’t go on vacation,” Ioan said. “If the sluagh have made contact—”

“Through a vision,” Patrick said.

“Which is the realm of the sluagh. To them, it’s no different from making contact in this plane. And it’s just as dangerous. If they’d attacked Liv and Gabriel there…”

“We’d be a pile of bird-gnawed bones?” I said.

“Unfortunately, yes, which means as much as you want this vacation, you cannot leave until we’ve figured out why the sluagh made contact. And no, I’m not saying that because I want to stop the two of you from spending time together, though I suspect that’s why Patrick is being a little less cautious than he ought to be.”

I glanced at Gabriel. His lips pressed in a thin line, but he said nothing.

Patrick stayed silent for a moment and then said, with obvious reluctance, “Ioan’s right. You should stay close until we figure out what’s going on.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I dropped Gabriel off at the dealership. His car was fixed, so he was driving that back to Cainsville. He would pick up Lloergan at Rose’s, giving me time with Patrick.

As Patrick led me into his living room, I said, “I didn’t try to tap into your personal memories. But, yes, I knew there was a chance I might. Had I known what I’d access, I wouldn’t have done it.”

“Is that an apology?”

“It’s a Gabriel-apology. Which means that I’m acknowledging having done something that upset you and regretting that outcome, while not completely agreeing that I did something wrong or that I won’t do it again.”

“That’s sort of like an apology.”

“Which is what I always say to Gabriel.” I sat. “We needed that information. Gabriel asked for it, and we both know how hard that was for him to do. You owed him an answer. Not necessarily the full story, but some form of an answer.”

“Is that why he isn’t here? He’s upset with me?”

“No, he’s coming. He’s disappointed that he put himself out there and you rejected him, but that’s what he’s used to, parentally.”