"As in most fairy tales, there was a kernel of truth in the myth of a banshee’s tears. Created to serve as a conduit of emotions, they let a banshee feed from a safe distance or simply store the emotion for later consumption. For though banshees were predators thriving on death, they were also fragile. Much like a rattlesnake, they left their poison, then sat back to feed in safety while others fought, loved, or killed each other.
Psychic vampires was what the psychology texts called them, a definition that Mia could not find fault with.
"
Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond - Kim Harrison

Mia in Dirty Magic