“And that’s what you’ll do?”
“That’s what I’ll try. No money exchanged if I can’t.” Maybe I was hiding the fact that I was an empath and not a psychic, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to do my damnedest to make sure I was a net positive for my clients and my mother’s rep.
“I don’t think what I need is a reconnection to magic.”
I didn’t let him ruffle my feathers. I got the distinct impression that this guy wasn’t being antagonistic, just thorough. “Then what do you need?”
“I need to know if whoever murdered my father and brother is still trying to kill the rest of my family. And, if the fates are especially willing, maybe even who the hell murdered our alpha and alpha-heir.”
Oh.
Uhm.
That ruffled my feathers.
“I think your issues might be a little above my pay grade,” I blurted, horrified right down to my core. Sure, dealing with cheating and whether dead loved ones had any last regrets wasone thing, but an active murder case? That was a whole different stratosphere.
“I trust your judgment,” he said, rising from his seat. “I read that Ophelia often helped with such cases, but I respect if it’s beyond the scope of your abilities.”
Beyond the scope of my abilities!Where did he come off?
I don’t even know the scope of my abilities!
While there were some general rules and trends it tended to follow, trying to nail down my abilities to an exact science was a lesson in frustration I didn’t need. Sometimes the range of what I could see was impossibly far, making the world such a dense amalgamation of colors and sensations that I’d get a migraine. Sometimes, especially with particularly neurodivergent people, I could misinterpret things or make mistakes. Sometimes I could see even through the most guarded person in the blink of an eye, and sometimes it took a little probing.
But you know that’s not what he’s actually asking!
I mean… itisbeyond my scope of abilities as an empath, butHEdoesn’t know that.
“That’s not what I meant,” I said quickly, although part of my mind reminded me that wasexactlywhat I meant. “It’s just that a double homicide is a very serious matter, and the police should be involved. Not just a psychic.”
“The police are involved. In fact, they were my first call when all of this was discovered.” Hmm, something about the way he said it made my brain itch, and I got the pretty strong impression that he had been the one whodiscoveredwhat had happened.
How awful.
“I see,” I said slowly, and it did help ease my conscience. If the cops were involved, I wouldn’t be hindering an actual investigation. But maybe I could help give the man closure? I didn’t know what his relationship with his family was like,but losing my mother peacefully had been traumatic enough. I couldn’t imagine stumbling across her...
No, I wasn’t going to think about that. Sometimes it was far too easy for my mind to conjure up a situation, and some paths simply weren’t worth treading.
“If you have professionals on it, then I don’t mind lending a hand to give you clarity. It never hurts to have extra eyes on things.”
And if I stopped to think about it—Hah, when do Istopto think?—havingHaus de Donmoue’sname tied to a double homicide of an alpha of what seemed to be a well-to-do wolf pack was exactly the sort of thing that could get people back in the door.
“No, I suppose it doesn’t. And I suppose I should be forthwith, the police?—”
“Don’t think someone’s trying to kill the rest of your family and you’re being paranoid?”
His eyes went wide, and I felt a sliver of satisfaction. “How did you—” Then realization settled on his handsome features. “A teaser of your ability?”
“That depends, do you feel like you’re being teased?”
Maybe I was outright delusional, but I swore I saw the corner of his mouth perk up. Some of the bricks at the top of the wall surrounding him shook slightly with an interested pink.
“If I did, that might just be unprofessional.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “It would, wouldn’t it?”
Although his tone was amenable and his face entirely placid, I took that as his polite way of telling me to move it along. Fair enough. I was probably being insanely rude, anyway. We were talking about a very serious matter, and not everyone handled grief and negative emotions with humor.