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Chapter 5

“I’m sorry to interrupt your lurking, but there’s a fairy at the gate who claims you asked to see him,” Henry announced.

I jerked at my demon caretaker’s sudden presence but managed not to squeal. Was Henry transporting across the yard? I never heard his footsteps approaching and my awareness was nearly as good as Conn’s.

Goddess, fighting Hisser and Ezra had taken a toll on me. I hadn’t been the same since Conn and I had lost contact with each other. Maybe I should have blamed my jumpiness on the Dagda stone but I was trying to not think about it. I was afraid if I pondered it too much it would start talking to me and I’d have yet another being trying to run my life.

“Damn ya, Henry. Wear a bell or something. Lately, I never know when ya’re around.”

I’d been spying on Rasmus and Zara who were visiting the demon wolves.

“Is the fairy’s name Murray?”

“Yes. He came on foot.”

Murray had probably felt the wards and hadn’t been sure about crossing them. He’d popped up at the gate and played the game I’d laid out. Fairies had trouble with boundaries. I appreciated Murray not violating mine.

Sighing, I turned to walk back toward the house with Henry. He fell into step beside me. Unlike his son, Henry towered over me. The demon felt no urge to shorten his stature to match mine. Of course, Gale towered over me as well. I’d quickly gotten used to their tall heights but was still struggling with many of their caretaking ways. I wasn”t accustomed to so many people going out of their way to please me.

“Murray’s here about our fairy statue. Let him in, please.”

Henry nodded and pushed a remote on his wrist. In the distance, I heard the loud clank of metal gates swinging open.

“I’ll meet him outside the house and be his escort. Thanks for letting me know he was here, Henry.”

“Of course. I’m sorry to have interrupted your spying.” Henry’s mouth twisted at one corner. “I’ve scheduled people to sew sheets together to hide the threatening fairy from the Wu Shaman’s family. Should I cancel that work? The measurement is done, but they haven”t begun sewing yet.

The idea of covering Ezra with a giant sheet to hide him made me chuckle. “Tell them to make it. The fairy folk don’t work fast. Getting rid of Ezra before the weekend would astonish me.

“As you wish,” Henry said. When he noticed Ezra patiently waiting for me, he hustled off to do more Henry-esque things.

I lifted my hand in a friendly wave and smiled at Murray. “Hello, Murray. Welcome to my new house.”

“Hello, my Irish beauty,” Murray said in greeting. “I wish ya were calling me here for a different reason.”

“Yes. So do I,” I murmured, stopping to stare up at the tall, silver-haired giant. “I swear I’m not happy to involve ya in this mess at all, but I couldn’t think of what else to do. I could wait until Ezra’s family came looking for him but they won’t allow me to keep him that long. The Shadows Breakers in Ireland want me to send him back home to be incarcerated. I opted to keep Ezra here for sentimental reasons. Not that I intend to ever forgive him. That won’t be happening.”

“I hope ya don’t find this a rude question, my lovely, but was the wicked fairy one of yer lovers?” Murray asked.

Since everyone seemed able to read my bloody mind, I didn’t bother trying to deny it. Instead, I simply nodded. “Long ago, and before I married Fiona’s father, I slept with him. But Ezra and I were also work partners and friends for years before and after our carnal fling. I didn’t resist my urge to watch over him until he was safely back home. I’m hoping ya’ll ask his people to retrieve him.”

Murray grunted over my explanation. “Ezra of Airing Dale was a fool to toss a relationship with a child of The Dagda away. Power can be obtained from many sources. A loyal friend is not so easily attainable on either side of the veil.”

We paused at the door of the house. I didn’t fully trust Murray. Like many fairies, his pretty words could be nothing but air. I cared more about the next three minutes and his reaction to Ezra’s statue. That would tell me for sure if I could count on his help.

“Brace yerself for a bit of a shock,” I said in warning before we walked into the foyer.

Murray’s gaze swept the formal space and then looked at me. “This is a grand house. Did someone die and leave a fortune, Aran? Are ya woman of leisure now?”

Rolling my eyes over Murray’s teasing, I walked to Ezra. A normal-sized sheet barely covered the top third of him. Whoever had draped it had worked hard to cover the sword and his face. I could see why Henry was having something custom-made. With the sword extended Ezra took up a lot of space.

“I wish I had something dramatic to say for the unveiling, but I guess his condition is dramatic enough.”

Then I pulled the sheet off.

Murray’s mouth dropped open. He walked closer to the statue—his eyes never leaving Ezra’s sword. He touched the point, which was shielded by a clear thin layer of what looked to be ice but wasn’t cold to the touch.

A purple spark zapped his finger and Murray yanked away. “What magick is this? It’s not yers or Conn’s.”

“No, it isn’t. Nor is it guardian magick.”

Murray made a face. “Good Goddess, Aran. Tell me it wasn’t an angel who froze him.”

I crossed my arms. “Do ya want me to lie to ya instead? I’d prefer not to do that.”

Murray shook his head and turned away to pace. He walked nearly back to the front door before turning on his heels and returning to where I stood. Both his hands fisted on his hips when he stopped and stared at Ezra again. “The bloody idiot stole something from an angel, didn’t he?”

I thought of Dylan’s artifact. “Yes. He stole a sacred stone and used the power it contained to turn a snake shifter into a full-blown naga the size of a twenty-story building. Didn’t Conn tell ya this?”

“Connlander talked to me but I was having a pint. Who wants to listen to dull work stories when they’re drinking? I figured one of ya would tell me again when I saw ya.”

Murray’s honesty made me laugh. I might not trust this fairy but I liked him. I liked him as much as I’d once liked Ezra.

“Goddess, Murray. Ezra planned to help Hisser kill me so he could carve the Dagda stone from my chest. And somehow he’s learned to draw energy swords from the air. He also tried to kill my daughter, which is why the angel did this to him.”

”I understand now, you”re talking about Fiona receiving angel training to become the guardian of the ring.”

My mouth dropped open. “That’s our family secret. I’m not even sure Ma knows the truth about it.”

Murray grinned. “And I’m a well-connected fairy who loves chatting with people. Are ya judging me for my natural skills?”

My lips flattened as I glared. “Saying ya’re well-connected tells me nothing.”

Murray snorted. “A compulsion stronger than any ya can imagine prevents me from talking about how I know such things. Ya need to let this go, Aran. If I tried to explain it to ya, I’d end up writhing on yer floor like that giant snake ya talked about.”

“Fine,” I said as snidely as possible. I understood, but I wanted to make it clear that I didn’t like it.

Murray blew out a breath. “Angel magic drains my people of their power. Afterward, it dissipates into the air like summer rain on a hot day. The fairy elders won’t be letting Ezra cross the veil in this condition, no matter how much power he’s been storing away. The way they will see it is that he’s been poisoned.”

“He tried to take my life and someone stopped him. What do ya mean he’s been poisoned?” I yelled.

Murray pursed his lips and thought. “Would ya understand me better if I compared his condition to a deadly disease?” He pointed at Ezra. “As far as the fairy folk are concerned, he’s been exposed to something as evil as yer Black Plague. If they let him across the veil, he might thaw from his angelic prison but the remnants of it could affect his entire village. Why do ya think angels have been charged with ending the world?”

Now it was my turn to fist my hands on my hips and look indignant. “Ya can’t seriously believe that myth.”

Murray swiped an agitated hand through the air. “I met two of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Aran. It’s not a myth. Their god worked for eons to give them the power to do that no matter what the guardians might try to do to stop them. Before humans and fairies ever came to be, the gods, the creators, and the watchers fought over controlling our planet. Yer boyfriend’s people won, in case ya didn’t know.”

“Goddess, that can’t be the truth, Murray.”

He shrugged. “It’s the truth as I know it.” He waved at Ezra again. “And it’s a truth yer fairy betrayer is learning the hard way. Ya never want to fight with an angel. It’s best to walk away no matter how powerful ya think ya are. It’s a real toss-up between them and the watchers—I mean, guardians.”

I had expected Murray to bring me a day and time to toss Ezra through a portal. I did not expect him to relate some story about Armageddon along with a warning about angel wrath.

I rubbed my face and groaned into my fingers. “I’m not keeping him in my foyer, Murray. I’ll be sending him to the Irish branch of the Shadow Breakers until someone among yer people comes up with a solution we can all live with. Ezra’s power is as large as Conn’s. I’d rather cut the statue into pieces and bury all of them on separate plots of consecrated ground. That’s how a witch thinks.”

Murray held up both hands. “I know ya mean that, Aran, but don’t do it. Please—as a favor to me—don’t kill the fairy out of anger or malice. I’m not excusing his crimes or yer right to hold him accountable. Our people sorely need his collected power. The fairy folk use it to create the sky over their heads as well as all the trees and food sources. It’s a known truth that our people need yer people.”

“Yet you betray our trust by stealing from us.”

“Our ancestors—the Tuatha de Danann—left this world for the sake of keeping the peace. Before that, though, we were of this world and needed its energy just as much yer people do. I’ll keep looking into Ezra’s dilemma. Trust me. This falls to those like me to resolve.”

“Why should I trust ya, Murray? Yer people keep yer need for power a dirty secret even while ya’re using us as batteries.”

“Yer heartless comparisons wound me, Aran. I do not think of ya as a battery. Nor will I, not even when that relic inside ya wakes completely up. The Dagda’s creations are nothing to be trifled with,” he said with one hand covering his heart.

“Damn yer pretty speeches,” I said, glaring at Murray for even pretending to care because I wanted to believe him. I couldn’t let myself trust Murray was telling the truth, but it was nice that my swearing at him prompted a smile.

Murray turned to me. “Come and walk me out. I have to go report this to the powers that be.”

Was he talking about the fairy court of elders? Or the people he was under compulsion to never mention? I sighed as I trudged out with him.

“Don’t think my reaction to yer unpleasant news is a reflection on our friendship, Murray. I’m still grateful ya guarded Fiona while I fought the man-made guardians, and I’m grateful ya joined in to help take them down. Ezra’s a separate issue and I won’t hold yer news against ya. I appreciate ya looking into things.”

“And I’m grateful ya didn’t kill the messenger. Next time, I’ll set down my ale and listen more closely to Conn’s ramblings.”

My chuckle turned into a giggle. “Conn loves his drama. I think that’s why he loves Mulan. She’s walking drama in high heels and a short red dress.”

Murray looked off behind me. “Speaking of drama, I thought ya said yer guardians prized their neutrality above all else. Rasmus is looking rather murderous at the moment. I’d best be taking my leave from ya.”

“Come back when ya got better news,” I told him.

“Indeed, I will,” Murray said.

Then he leaned down and stole a kiss. I was too startled to offer a single complaint. Snickering, Murray waved a hand and popped away in a sparkle of silver mist.

I grunted at his nerve but enjoyed his reminder that Rasmus wasn’t the only male who was interested in me. It soothed my soul a little. Murray couldn’t be trusted—no fairy could—but my ego didn’t care about that detail. The fantasy of bedding him was enough to lift my sagging spirits a little.

“What did the fairy think about your statue?” Rasmus asked when he stood in front of me.

I blew out the breath I’d been holding while I waited to see what Rasmus would say. “Murray let me know his people view angel magic as a contagious illness. I don’t know where this information is written. It seems I learned nearly nothing important about fairies in school.”

“I can understand him coming to give you that information, but why did he kiss you goodbye?”

“Oh, I think he did that to upset ya. It’s what male fairies do. Just like Ezra, he wanted to make ya jealous. Did it work?” I asked.

Rasmus grunted. “Every human species on this planet loves to play games, don’t they?”

I thought of the oblivious version of Rasmus who had comforted me after my fight with Orlin over Zara. That version of Rasmus understood the trauma of my human emotions. That version had rubbed my back and held me. I gave myself a few moments to mourn his loss because now I realized it was one.

My opinion of his right to be himself hadn’t changed, no matter how mad I’d gotten over his obstinance. The surly version of Rasmus in front of me was the being Rasmus truly was. That other one was more human in the same way Zara was now more human. Both human versions were illusions, though.

Goddess knew that the surly Rasmus was not an easy male to deal with. Yet the surly Rasmus was the version I’d eventually slept with and the one I still wanted even now. But I needed him to drop his “I’m-superior” attitude and at least try to understand why I was so upset.

I needed something more from him than pale platitudes.

I glared up at him. It was my default expression lately when he was around. “It’s comments like that one keeping ya from my bed, guardian. I’ll not share myself with a male who thinks so little of me and my kind.”

“You forget I’m not a human male. I don’t have feelings like one.”

My snort was loud. “And ya know I disagree with yer cold, scientific conclusion about this human form ya put on like a suit of clothes. Ya think as a guardian that ya don’t have any feelings but that’s simply not true. The only feeling ya allow yerself is angry arrogance and it wears on my nerves. I honestly don’t have it in me to tolerate it every day. So if ya have nothing kind or helpful to share, leave me alone.”

When all he did was frown down at me, I turned to go back into the house.

“Aran... wait.”

Sighing with frustration I stopped and turned back. “What now?” I demanded.

He eyed me with not a shred of warmth in his gaze. “We agreed to be monogamous.”

“Which, as I recall, was my idea. Did ya bother to notice that I didn’t kiss him back?”

Rasmus crossed his arms. “No. Jealousy makes me violent. I don’t think well when other men hover around you.”

“Well, I guess that’s two emotions ya count as real. Keep me informed if ya get to feeling any others, Mr. Scientist. I’m waiting anxiously for the moment ya realize that yer human body feels human emotions whether or not ya’re in denial about them.”

I waited a moment for a response. When it didn’t come, I walked away.

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