Only a pixie could have gotten past the wood fiber alterations I’d made to the door to lock it in place, and it didn’t take a fucking genius to guess who the likely intruder had been.

But even if Vincentia wasn’t behind tonight’s break-in, even if she’d guessed I’d put the call on speaker to hear what was being said, with the voice modulation in place, she was unlikely to guess I’d recognize her. And if she hadn’t changed past habits, she’d leave Deva and let the hullabaloo settle down for a few days while she regrouped and replanned.

And that gave us an advantage.

A big one.

I swung my purse over my shoulder and walked across to Sgott. He was a big bear of a man—fitting given he was a bear shifter—with thick, wiry brown hair, brown skin, and an untamable beard.

“At least all this explains why you didn’t respond to the alarm at your tavern.” He planted his big body in front of me and scanned me critically. “I take it that blood isn’t yours?”

“I was attacked by a shifter, but he soon regretted it. I gather you didn’t catch whoever set off the alarm?”

“No. We believe they went out a rear window as we were coming in. Bird shifter most likely, because there was no sign of a rope and no easy means of getting down to street level from that window.”

Vincentia wouldn’t have needed a ladder. She could simply have created her own from the building’s ancient oak framing.

“Anything damaged?”

“Not that I could see, but it’s obvious they were searching for something.”

I suspected that something was tucked in silk under my left breast, especially given what Lugh had recently told me about Aunt Riayn.

“You’d best give me a statement for this attack, then go home to check if anything is missing.”

“The latter can wait. I’ve got to see my aunt.”

Sgott’s eyebrows rose. “At this time of night? Why the sudden urgency? She basically cut you all off decades ago.”

“I know, but we got some information that makes me believe she may have a book that’ll help me understand the workings of the Eye.”

“If that were true, your mother would have retrieved it. She did want you to continue her work after her death.”

Except that she didn’t. Not for most of my life, anyway. It was only toward the end, when I’d finally began exhibiting the signs of second sight, that she’d started talking to me about it.

“I still need to see her. If she hasn’t got the book, then maybe she knows what happened to it.”

He frowned. “Then why not just ring her?”

“Because she can ignore a phone call. She can’t ignore me turning up unexpectedly on her doorstep.”

“I wouldn’t bet on that.” He cocked his head slightly and studied me through slightly narrowed eyes. “The book isn’t the only reason behind this sudden urge to go see her, is it?”