"Thanks," I said, even though tea wasn’t high on my must-have list. "So you can see the reapers?"
"Well, technically, no. Not like I see you, for instance. But sometimes when I’m dream walking, I cross their paths. As I said, they don’t scare me. They seem to be mostly benevolent beings."
I supposed they generally were—even the moody ones who carried swords. I watched her pour the tea, then nodded when she mentioned the sugar. She stirred in several spoons, then offered me the cup. I took it gingerly—I was a mug girl at heart, and bone china always seemed too delicate for me. "By dream walking, do you mean astral traveling?"
She nodded. "I find it beneficial when it comes to dealing with some clients’ problems. It is human nature not to be entirely honest, but there are no lies on the astral plane."
"So do you watch them go through their daily lives or do you walk through their dreams?"
"Mostly the latter. Dreams can be interesting—and sometimes dangerous—places." She studied me for a moment. "But you know that. You’ve walked the astral planes yourself."
"What you call the astral planes, I call the gray fields. But I’ve never walked through anyone’s dreams."
"You could. You have many more of your mother’s gifts than you think."
I did? That was certainly news. I took a sip of tea, then said, "Did Ilianna mention why I wanted to see you?"
She nodded. "Catherine Alston ordered the protection spell three years ago. She mentioned that there was some nasty business going down in the council, and she wanted to be sure she was safe at home."
I hadn’t thought to ask Alston why she’d wanted such strong magic guarding her. "I guess she didn’t clarify what the nasty business was?"
Adeline shook her head. "Vampires of her vintage usually work on a need-to-know basis. I didn’t need to know. I just needed to make the spell work."
"So what sort of spell was it?"
She took a sip from her cup, then said, "Full protection. It should stop anything or anyone wearing flesh who intended her harm."
"What about Maniae?"