“Is it really that hard?”

“The Cŵn Annwn …” He straightened. “Explaining further might be seen as a violation of our contract. May I explain, on the understanding that your willingness to listen does not mean you are nullifying the agreement?” When I hesitated, impatience crept into his voice. “I’m not trying to trick you, Liv. That’s their way, not ours.”

I glanced at Ricky. He nodded, and I said, “All right.”

“Good. Now, you know the Cŵn Annwn pursue killers who murder those with fae blood. There are additional restrictions. We are hunters, not assassins. We must set the hounds on our prey. We cannot take lives ourselves. Nor can we set the hounds on them in any milieu other than a traditional Hunt.”

“So you need to lure your prey into the forest? That’s a little complicated, isn’t it?”

“We have ways. Charms and compulsions, like the Tylwyth Teg. They do not always work, so we have sought other methods. Loopholes, if you will.”

“The brainwashing experiments with Chandler.”

Ioan’s lips tightened. “Not one of our finer moments. The theory was sound, allowing us to turn murderous partners against one another. It would also have allowed us to target those without a fae connection.”

“Why?”

He looked surprised. “Because it’s justice. The purpose of our existence.”

And that, I suppose, was the only answer I’d get. The only one he could give. Their jurisdiction might be limited to crimes with a fae connection, but that did not keep them from seeing injustice elsewhere and wanting to correct the balance. Which is why they’d made the deal with my mother to kill murderers they couldn’t touch.

Ioan continued. “My dealings with Chandler bore fruit, as you know, but they also caused the deaths of innocent people. I will not forgive myself for that. No more than I forgive myself for the danger he put you in. I knew Chandler was not a righteous man, but I thought he could be controlled. I allowed my zealousness to overwhelm my prudence. It won’t happen again.”

“And Halloran?”

“He appears immune to our compulsions. We’ve been seeking other remedies.”

“But I had a vision of him being pursued by you guys.”

Ioan frowned and then said, “We haven’t caught up to him. Possibly that’s a prognostic vision? Have you had those?”

“No, just visions of the past.”

“I don’t know what to say, then. I can only hope that it is a vision of the future, and we’ll catch up to him soon. As for his interest in Ricky, though, that’s very concerning. It seems—”

“Awfully coincidental?” I said. “Yep. Whatever’s going on, though, I am going to investigate, because I can’t take the chance of ignoring it. I’m here to ask for everything you know about Ciro Halloran.”

“What about him?”

“Whatever you learned in the course of your investigation. Background info, current info, anything pertinent.”

“None of that is pertinent,” Ioan said. “He’s killing fae. That is an undisputed fact. Details would simply get in the way. I can provide his home address, though.”

“Already got it. How about the crimes, then? Begin with motivation. Why’d he do it?”

Ioan looked confused. “We’re not a court, Liv. We know he’s guilty. Why he’s done it is meaningless.”

“Can you tell me anything about the murders?”

“The facts, yes.”

“Do that, then.”

It was two blocks back to where Ricky had found street parking. He was quiet as we walked. When we reached the bike, I caught his hand, and he looked over and said, “I’m okay.” When I kept giving him a look, he pulled me into a hug and whispered, “I’ll be okay.”

I eased back. “I know you suspected Ioan was your grandfather, but having it confirmed is a different thing.”

Ricky made a face. “Yeah. Not in the way he thinks …”

“What’s pissing you off is what he did to your grandmother and your father. He helped them financially, but there’s more to supporting your kid than that. Which is a lesson your father learned well.” Don had raised Ricky from birth, letting his mother continue med school and then go on to lead her own life and build her own family.

Ricky said, “When guys screw around and leave a kid behind, it’s a thoughtless, stupid mistake. But the Cŵn Annwn do it intentionally, and I can’t wrap my head about that. My grandmother was an unwed mom in the sixties. Ioan fucked up her life, and now he stands there, telling me the truth like I’m going to get all misty-eyed. I wanted to—” He broke off.

I hooked my fingers in his belt loops and tugged him closer. “You’re angry. You have a right to be angry. Accept it. Redirect it.” I leaned to his ear and whispered, “I kinda like the way you redirect it.” I reached into the saddlebags and waggled a skirt I kept stuffed in there. “Ride?”

He chuckled and nodded.

We lay in a patch of forest, the temperature plummeting as the sun dropped. Ricky pulled me against him, his warmth wrapping around me.

We weren’t dozing. The sex hadn’t been strenuous enough for that. We just rested, as we usually did, finding a bit of forest and catching our breath, enjoying each other’s company. The last time we’d been out, Ricky had joked that we should squeeze a blanket into the saddlebags, as the days grew shorter, autumn settling in to winter. I would, too, if it meant holding on to these moments for a few weeks longer.