“Because he’s only half. His mother was human who was killed in a Annwfyn attack some five years ago.”

“You know, given that is becoming a major theme when it comes to the Looisearch, it might well be worth tracking down the families of all those who have been attacked or taken in attacks over the last decade. We might just find the names of everyone involved.”

He smiled. “The council is already onto that. What do you wish for dinner? Henrick will return to take our order in a few minutes.”

I studied the menu for a few seconds and then put it down. There were too many perfect-sounding choices. “You’ve obviously been here more than a few times, so how about you decide for us both?”

“There is no dish that could ever be called bad in this restaurant, but I would be honored to choose.”

I smiled. “Meaning, I take it, that previous guests picked their own?”

The sudden heat in his eyes had my toes curling. “It would be safe to say that the appetites of previous guests were not as... hearty as I might like.”

I smiled. “Perhaps they simply preferred not to exercise on a full belly.”

He laughed and, when Henrick glided over, proceeded to order what amounted to a banquet. It was just as well I hadn’t eaten all that much over the day. And that I’d never suffered reflux or anything else more violent from “exercising” after a good meal.

Conversation moved on after that, and we talked about everything and anything, from weighty subjects like the current political situation to lighter ones like our weird dealings with the public during the course of our work. I might have found Eljin easy to talk to in the brief time I’d been with him but sitting here with Cynwrig really was on another level altogether.

It was just such a shame he was elf rather than pixie.

The meal ended with coffee close to midnight, and my offer to pay my share of the hefty bill was brushed aside. As we followed Henrick back down the stairs to collect our coats, he said, “Do you wish me to call the car? Or would you prefer to walk?”

I knew without even looking that, despite the chill in the breeze and the clouds shrouding the stars, there was little risk of rain. Not tonight, anyway. “Walk. But the bigger question is, to your place or mine?”

He smiled and slid his hand from the middle of my spine to my rear, briefly cupping it. “I’ve been doing nothing more than admiring your lusciousness all evening and I really, really need to touch. Which means my place. It’s far closer.”

I laughed. “Smooth. Real smooth.”

He raised an eyebrow, his expression curious. “Why is it that you always greet a compliment with sarcasm and disbelief?”

Henrick held out my coat. I handed my purse to Cynwrig and shoved my arms into the sleeves. “I don’t know.”