Chapter 2

Ben shook his head, stared at the frozen Ezra statue, and cursed with the f-word under his breath.

I stood to the side watching and grinning as he repeated the same reaction over and over. Nothing dampened my hurt, but the powerful reactions to Ezra being frozen lightened my mood enough to see the humor.

“Aren’t you afraid the fairy might use that energy sword in his hand to escape his situation? It looks primed for use. You can see it rippling with power. Looking at it makes me want to shoot him. I don’t think I could sleep with him in my house.”

Chuckling, I shook my head. “Despite being a professed pagan, I trust the angel who did this to him. Tony said Ezra wouldn’t thaw until he was beyond the veil again. I have many reasons to believe him.”

Ben grunted in response. “And what would those be?”

“He saved my life and he’s training my daughter to use her magick. Plus, he saved Fiona when she needed saving. The angel has so much power, Ben, that I thought he was a guardian when we met. He glued my feet to the floor with a simple thought. I have a spell to do the same, but he never chanted a word. We were not an equal match in power.”

When one of Ben’s eyebrows rose, I shrugged. “Ya also could say the angel and I had a bit of a disagreement about killing Hisser outright. He refused to allow me to do it. I couldn’t defy him.”

Ben snorted in disgust. “If he’s an angel, Tony can’t be his real name. Angels have fancy Abrahamic names like Uriel, Gabriel, and Raphael. They’re mentioned in the holy books of many religions. Even guardians have fancy names. Tony is Italian. I know the Pope lives in Rome but angels come from all over. I’m not a complete plebeian.”

“Do ya honestly think Rasmus is a fancy name? I never thought of it as fancy. My guardian grandfather’s name is Orlin. I suppose that’s rather unique.”

I laughed at the look on Ben’s face. His disbelief made me laugh. It was a very different reaction from Henry’s “don’t-be-stupid-about-angels” remarks.

I thought of my discussions with Tony about his wickedness and smiled at the memory.

Ben grunted. “I’m just saying the Shadow Breakers could research what people wrote about him if we knew his real name.”

And I figured that was why being an enigma served Tony so well. People talked about his odd name more than what he did. Ben hadn’t even mentioned the massive level of power it would have taken to freeze Ezra and all of his secret energy. The fairy had drawn a sword out of the ether. Ezra’s level of power was way more important than some angel’s name.

“Conn has asked his friend Murray to help us send Ezra home.”

Ben nodded. “I remember him. He’s the other fairy—the one who helped us fight the monsters your ex-husband helped create.”

I nodded back. “Yes. He was the one who protected Fiona. Murray can travel back and forth across the veil. Murray said he’d be in touch once the details are worked out.”

“Will Ezra’s people punish Ezra for what he’s done?”

I wished I could say yes, but I couldn’t lie. Ben might as well learn now that some paranormals never got what they deserved.

“It’s doubtful Ezra will get anything except a smack on the hand for trying too hard. Despite his failed plans to steal the Dagda stone from me, he’s still bringing them a lot of power. After he froze Ezra, Tony transferred some energy back into Dylan’s artifact and gave the far darrig the gift of speaking to it as well.”

“It’s a miracle you survived what happened, isn’t it?” Ben asked.

I laughed at his question. “Aren’t miracles what humans expect from angels?”

Ben’s sigh was loud, but he finally turned away from my statue of Ezra. “Are you planning to keep him here until you arrange his return?”

I blew out a breath. “Yes, I think that’s best for now. Henry and his crew are keeping a watchful eye on him for me.”

Ben grunted as he looked around. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Aran, but I never saw you as the mansion type. I saw you as more of a cottage woman.”

I pointed beyond the foyer. “My personal space consists of two rooms down that hallway. The rest of this place is Henry and Gale’s to manage. We have a business arrangement that meets both our needs. This place is a real estate investment.”

Ben frowned as he stared at me. “I remember you admiring my backyard. After all you’ve suffered, you deserve a true home. But it does look great in here.”

Laughing again, I grinned at him. “Ya don’t have to kiss up to me just because I almost died. I know this room looks like the lobby of a hotel. We’re currently using it like one.”

His chuckle rolled over me. “Are you miserable in this place?”

“No. I’m happy enough. Conn and Mulan get to cohabit in their own little house. My daughter has a home on the property as well. The two rooms of my quarters suit me fine. Henry and Gale feed me daily. What more could I want, Ben? If anything, I’m getting spoiled by all these people taking care of me.”

A grinning Ben shook his head. “Well, don’t worry. Being a lady of the manor doesn’t show on you.”

I sighed softly to play along. “I thank ya greatly for saying that. I was starting to get a little worried.”

Ben looked around. “So, where’s your shadow today?”

“Conn and Mulan are off shopping for office furniture. We’re turning the third cottage on the grounds into a meeting place to discuss work. I want to keep it out of my house if I can.”

Ben glanced back at frozen Ezra. “That’s going to be quite the challenge if you keep bringing work home with you and turning it into art.”

My smirk and headshake made him laugh. “Ya were gone, Ben. Was I supposed to dump him off at yer office with no one to watch over him? Ya had to cut yer leave short as it was.”

“I was fine coming back early. But I was talking about Rasmus, not Conn. Did you even hear anything from the guardian?”

I pointed at the stairs. “Yes. He and Zara are upstairs in their rooms. They’re siblings now.”

Ben’s eyes widened as he turned to glance in the direction I pointed. “It was wise of you to take a hiatus from work until your life settles down.”

I nodded. “Plus, Mulan’s parents are coming late next week. I can’t be getting all bloody while they’re here. My hope is I get Ezra out of the foyer before they arrive.”

“What are you going to do if you don’t?”

“I guess I’ll get Henry to cover him with a sheet like they do in museums.”

Ben’s chuckles echoed around the giant space. And he kept them up as I walked him out to his car. I waited until he got in and rolled the window down.

“Can I ask ya something personal, Ben?”

“Of course.”

I stood close to his window. “Were ya on vacation or were ya working when ya left? Ezra was vague about it. Ya have no reason to report yer business to me, but I was worried because ya never said anything about leaving. After Ezra showed his real colors to me, I was concerned that he might have prompted yer departure.”

Ben’s mouth twisted as he looked out the front window. “Ezra was present when I had an emergency come up. He recommended a solution that I thought had some merit so I left to investigate it for a couple of days. That turned into a week the deeper I got into it. One day soon I’ll tell you about it. We might need to break out your emergency booze to get through the story. Coffee won’t cut it.”

I nodded and chose not to tease him. “Are ya okay now?”

“I’m as okay as I can be. I’m sorry I worried you, Aran. Ezra said he would explain and I let him.”

“He deflected attention away from yer absence. Ya might consider that the same thing.”

Ben’s smile was relaxed. “I normally would. I’m still not used to being so deeply involved with my co-workers. Meeting you has changed a lot for me and I’m still processing it.”

“Ya’re fine, Ben. I’m the only one obsessing and ya don’t have to give me details. I just wanted to know Ezra did nothing to ya.”

“No, the fairy didn’t cause me any fresh problems. Go enjoy your time off. I’ll talk to you in a month.”

I nodded and waved as he drove away. As much as I would have liked to satisfy my curiosity, I also dreaded how complicated it would make working for Ben if I knew his secrets. Learning Ezra’s had made me question all the memories I had of my Shadow Breakers work in Ireland.

How much of what we did together did he orchestrate? Given the magnitude of his betrayal, it was hard not to wonder about such things. I’d broken up with him personally but we had remained excellent business partners. Nothing in our relationship could have caused his determination to kill me and carve the stone from my chest. He must have considered me expendable all along.

Everything I learned about Rasmus only made things harder with him as well. The new things I learned about Jack made me hate him more than I already did.

The only exception I could think of was that everything I learned about Conn made me love and respect him more. The same was true of Mulan.

There was a good reason people said ignorance was bliss because it truly was.

Henry caughtme just as I was heading back to my room. I had wanted to switch shoes before checking out the greenhouse Gale was overseeing. The ground was still a muddy mess the last time I looked.

“The guardians wish to talk to you when you have some time for them,” he said.

I sighed loudly and nodded. “Fine. I know I can’t avoid them forever. My early session with Rasmus didn’t end well so I’m not looking forward to justifying myself to his counterpart.”

“Were you actively trying to avoid them?” Henry asked with a frown.

“Yes, but ya didn’t know it. I promised to deal with them both and I will. I was just stalling as long as I could.”

Henry smiled at me. “If you want alibis for a few days of avoiding them, I could help you create them. Can you reschedule your meeting for a week from now?”

I was so moved by Henry’s offer to provide me with alibis that I put a hand on his arm and gazed at him adoringly. He looked down at my fingers resting on his pressed shirt sleeve in shock. I withdrew my touch to keep from getting emotional. Only Conn had ever offered to ease my mental burdens.

“I need courage not alibis, but thanks for asking. Will ya see if the guardians want to meet me on Fiona’s back porch?”

“Certainly. Should I have someone move some outdoor furniture there?”

“Fiona’s house came with outdoor seating made for tall people. Rasmus and Zara are both tall enough for the chairs. I’ll sit on the storage bench. We’ll be taking a walk after introductions so there’s no need for too much comfort.”

“I see. Is physical discomfort part of your intended punishment for them?” Henry asked with a snort.

I lifted my gaze to study the foyer ceiling. Someone had painted a pastoral scene on it. The scenery wasn’t my style but I could appreciate all the work it had taken. Even if I wanted to replace it, what would I put up there?

“I’m not intending to punish anyone. What I plan to do is worse than punishment. I’m going to incorporate the guardians into our strange family group and normalize their presence here. I would appreciate it if ya put the word out to keep a close eye on Zara. I have no idea what behavior to expect from her.”

“The young demons love spying on people. I think taking precautions with her is wise. The rouge ancient ones weren’t known for being helpful, no matter what they claimed. Guardians were feared for their sweeping actions and questionable judgments. I have always believed their neutrality was a myth.”

I chuckled without humor. “As soon as I figure out what normal is for her or Rasmus, I promise to let ya know. The male guardian is truly here on vacation. However, Zara is here for rehabilitation. Their vacations all seem to be working ones. Rasmus will be helping me manage her training program.”

Henry grunted. “So you’re her warden and this house will be her prison.”

I made a face. “Yes, but I don’t enjoy thinking of it like that. Let’s say Zara’s a brand new computer I’ve purchased and I plan to program her to be useful to me.”

His snickering over my computer analogy threatened to get out of control when I glared at him. I bet Dylan would have understood it. Mulan would have as well. I’d have to remember to tell her later. She told me to come over for tea after dinner and we’d chat.

Henry sighed loudly. “I guess I’ll tell Gale to hold off serving you your pride for dinner. You’ll be eating it soon enough about the guardian sharing your bed, but for now, we have to wait.”

I pointed a finger at him. “Rasmus is no longer sharing my bed, as ya well know. And I wasn’t lying about him being here on vacation. Every few hundred years the guardians are required to vacation here as humans. They feel it keeps their information updated about the inferior species they serve.”

“Ah...” Henry said. “He didn’t return for you and you’re offended about him having multiple reasons for being here.”

“Oh, I’m much more than offended. I’m coldly livid after talking to him this morning,” I answered.

Henry gave a mock shudder but kept grinning.

“Give me ten minutes to switch my shoes and get over there before ya tell them.”

This time he gave me a mock salute before wandering away.

I rolled my eyes over how entertained he was before jogging to my room.