Chapter 6

Mulan had rented a van to pick up her family at the airport. I was on my morning walk when she left early to retrieve them from their red-eye flight from Boston. Conn was not in the seat beside her. Things were tense between the two of them because Mulan was tense. No matter what arrangements we made to help her, Mulan remained churned up about their arrival.

The large rental van got parked in her single-car driveway where it completely hid the cute little two-seater ride she and Conn enjoyed. I’d offered her my car to pick them up because it had room for them all to sit if they fastened some of their luggage on top of it. The shocked face she’d made at my suggestion had made me laugh.

Like my daughter, the Wu Shaman hated my car. True, it didn’t match my house at all, but it got me around when I needed to go somewhere. I felt no need to prove my value by owning fancy electronics or the latest version of some vehicle. I had better things to spend money on—like the teacher who was coming to help me keep everyone out of my head.

Besides, Henry had stashed his limo-sized vehicle in the limo-sized garage made for such a machine. He’d offered to pick up her family but Mulan had declined his offer. She didn’t want her relatives to think she had money to spend on such things. She also didn’t care if they knew the truth of what she’d accomplished alone in America through sheer grit. But I sure did. I wanted to educate them about a great many things.

I shook my head as I wandered over to the grove of trees where my sacred space was coming to life. A tent still shielded my firepit, but the greenhouse was on the verge of being completed. Gale had ordered a kit. It arrived yesterday and someone had assembled the frame already. They’d probably finish it today.

To get all the plants and blessed dirt I needed, a shopping trip to the Black Cat Nursery was necessary. I’d also need to make a trip to a big box store for gardening gloves, pots, and all the implements. I had no idea if Jack still had my original gardening stuff but it wasn’t worth the headache of asking for it.

On my way out of my sacred space, a giant shadow darkened the sky above my head to where I couldn’t see daylight around me. I exited the trees to stare at the enormous creature. Black scales covered him and large black wings possessed a red-feathered symbol. His shaggy mane, a deep shade of red, made my unkempt locks seem tame in comparison.

The creature landed near me and folded his wings against his back. The dragon was as big as Mulan’s cottage and stood nearly as tall. His large dragon mage head bowed to me. “Greetings, Aran of The Dagda.”

Goddess, I hadn’t seen a dragon mage in ages. “Greetings, dragon mage. How did ya get by my wards?”

He shook his red hair out of his eyes to better stare at me. “Is that what tingled when I landed? I thought my phone was buzzing against my scales. I can’t use the phone when I’m in dragon form. I have to carry it in a bag.”

“Ya’re trespassing, dragon. What’s yer purpose in coming here?”

Ignoring my question, his colossal head turned toward the house. “Are ya entertaining angels in there?”

I stiffened at his amazing instincts. There would be no fooling him. “The only angel I know has come and gone. There are a couple of guardians in residence. Ya might be feeling them.”

He turned back to gawk down at me. “I thought Henare of the Fir Bolg was joking about the Ancient Ones vacationing here. Ya must be special to them, Aran of The Dagda. Those ya call guardians are very reclusive. They are like my dragon sire who watches over my kind from beyond the veil.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Are ya descended from the first dragons who existed on this planet? One guardian told me a story about how dragons were here first.”

“Aye, lass. I’m one of those. To my eternal regret, I slept through centuries of dragons dying out and ignored all the many millennia of creatures who came after us. I woke only after humans had taken over the Earth. Yer kind was so primitive back then that I thought ya were only good for food. Fortunately for ya, I don’t think that way anymore.”

“What’s yer name, dragon?”

“Zenos.”

My eyes went wide. Could it be the same Zenos I’d studied about in school? Rumor had it he’d been Merlin’s pupil—or teacher. The stories I read were still unclear.

“Why are ya here, Zenos of the One?”

“Henry said a daughter of The Dagda needed a teacher. Since I owed him a few favors, here I am to pay back one of them.”

I stared open-mouthed at him. So this dragon was the teacher Henry had gone on and on about hiring for me. Nothing could have surprised me more.

“By the Ancients, ya’re easy to read, woman. Now I see why the demon called me for help.”

The dragon chuckled as flames erupted all around him. When they died down, a very large male with long red hair remained. He was even larger than The Dagda who I’d never seen take a form less than seven feet tall. Zenos dressed in clothing from the Middle Ages that had been made to look as contemporary as possible. He presented quite a romantic picture. Saying he was good-looking didn’t cover it. He was regal and raw all at once.

I lifted a hand and pointed at him. “I read about ya in school, Zenos. Ya’re a dragon mage.”

“Aye. I needed something productive to fill the eons so I learned magic. I’m quite good at it too. Truly, lass, I’m quite good at a lot of things. If ya weren’t pining for that watcher ya drew to ya, I’d be tempted to show ya more of those things. My mate passed a century ago and I’ve yet to find her equal.”

I ran both my hands through my hair. First, it was Murray flirting and now this dragon mage hinted at wanting to bed her. Was there some sign on my forehead that announced I was sleeping alone these days? Every time I thought life couldn’t get any stranger my life proved me wrong.

“I was heading back to the house for breakfast. Are ya hungry, Zenos? I’m sure Henry and Gale would be happy to feed ya.”

“Yes, I’m famished,” Zenos declared. “Flying takes tons of energy and requires a lot of fuel.”

“Will ya be staying long with us?” I asked.

Zenos stopped and turned to stare down at me. He studied me for a long while and then grinned. “It seems I’ll be staying a few weeks. Ya got some unlearning to do first. It’s all that formal education. If magick isn’t explained in a book or a scroll, witches rarely bother to investigate it.”

I resented the lecture. I’d learned plenty from watching others. What kind of teacher was he?

“How can ya teach something not in a book?”

Zenos chuckled. “Have ya always had this problem of people reading yer mind?”

I frowned at the question. Now that he mentioned it, no, I hadn’t always had this problem. It hadn’t happened until I got out of the demon hunter’s prison and merged with the Dagda stone.

Good Goddess, could that be what had unlocked my mind? Was the stone messing with my body? I put a hand over where the stone pulsed under my skin.

“No, I haven’t always been like this, or not that I knew. I worked among all kinds of paranormals over the years. One of them would have said something if that had been the case. It’s been happening a lot since I merged with an ancient artifact. I can’t keep anything a bloody secret.”

“Well, at least ya’re a quick thinker.” He waved a hand as we approached the house. “Why did ya leave Ireland, lass? Salem is the place where they killed all the witches.”

Laughter burst out of me. Feeling snarky, I lifted my lip in a sneer. “I married a bloody Yank who put a babe in me so I had no choice but to follow him here. We parted ways after I got out of the prison he put me in. I’m talking about an actual prison and an actual bad marriage. I escaped from both but it took a while.”

Zenos snickered. “Ya can’t trust most men when there’s significant power at stake. And now ya’re bedding someone with more power than even ya possess.” He held up a hand when I glared. “Don’t freak out on me. Ya’re not broadcasting yer sex life. I only know what I know because Henry warned me about yer relationship to the guardian.”

I grunted in disgust. “Rasmus is here in a mostly human form and not his usual formidable self. I’ve not tested his powers yet but if he keeps annoying me, we’ll all be finding out.”

Zenos entered the house and smiled at Henry. Then his smile fell away as he turned toward Ezra who was now covered from head to toe with several sheets sewn together to make one large drape. The dragon mage looked at the statue and then back down at me. “I smell fairy mixed with a bit of angel. Ya’re quite the little warrior, aren’t ya?”

I glanced Ezra’s way. “Yer nose is correct, dragon. A powerful fairy tried to kill me. The angel ya smell froze the fairy to save my daughter’s life and saved mine. Please don’t read my mind about the details. It’s a long story containing a family secret and not one I can share.”

Zenos held up a hand to show he would heed my demand. “It sounds like a story that requires many glasses of ale to properly enjoy.”

I didn’t want to anger him since he came here to help me so I shrugged as I offered him a wicked smile. “It takes a shot or two of Jamieson’s to make me forget about the statue. The frozen fairy is a problem for me to solve but it won’t be one for anyone else in the house.”

“Like yer Chinese visitors won’t be a problem for anyone?”

He glared at me for teasing. “I see Henry warned ya of them as well.”

“Oh, aye... he warned me. Ya might say he warned me off. I enjoy a good prank but I promised to behave.”

Henry interrupted us and swept the dragon mage up in a man-hug. Zenos turned into the hug and grinned. I waited politely for the two long-time friends to say their hellos before rejoining the conversation.

Henry was still smiling when he looked at me. “Lunch for you and Zenos will be served in the dining room. I invited the guardians and your far darrig friend as well.”

“Thank you, Henry. Have ya seen Conn today? I didn’t see him in the car when Mulan left.”

“I haven’t seen him yet but he’s coming to lunch as well. The Wu Shaman sent word that her family got detained in Boston for sneaking illegal herbs through Customs.”

I rubbed my face. Poor Mulan. “So she’s still waiting at the Salem airport for them.”

Henry nodded. “New connecting flights had to be arranged. Conn said they would be here later today.”

My sigh was loud. “Or she might shake her Shaman stick at her parents and put them asleep for a week in the rental van. Goddess knows, I wouldn’t blame her.”

Zenos rubbed his chin. “I knew a Wu Shaman once. We had quite the time together until she decided to try time travel as a path to immortality. I warned her it wouldn’t work the way she imagined.”

It was obvious this dragon mage got around. “Yes, I heard a similar story. The shaman mastered traveling but her body died the moment her spirit returned to the timeline she left.”

Zenos nodded. “Death is necessary for most creatures. Even those ya call gods eventually change forms.”

I turned and looked up at him. I could tell I’d be doing that a lot in the next two weeks.

Zenos chuckled and held up a hand. “I wasn’t speaking of myself, lass. I made a bargain long ago that guaranteed I would live forever. That’s how I met Henry. Every so often I have to die and regenerate similar to the way demons do. Henare of the Fir Bolg acted as my teacher. He showed me how to get through the transition in the best way possible.”

I smirked as I shook my head. “I don’t want to live forever or hang my hopes on who I’ll be next time. I just want to live my current life with no regrets and as much peace as possible.”

“Ya’re a warrior and a witch, Aran. Are ya sure peace is what ya want?” Zenos asked.

“Yes,” I answered with a smile. “It’s what I truly want.”

Zenos wagged a finger at me. “I find that middle-aged women don’t always know their own minds. Age makes them fascinating yet unpredictable creatures. We’ll discuss that more when we start our training.”

Before I could challenge his misogynistic statements, Henry interrupted.

“Let me show you to your room,” Henry said, tugging on Zenos to move him away from me.

I grinned at the dragon mage. “Henry rules all our schedules. Ya should do what he says. Things will go much easier for ya if ya don’t rebel.”

I snorted when my alleged teacher walked away laughing. I also wondered what in Danu’s name I’d gotten myself into.

Rasmus glaredat Zenos over his couscous salad while I worried if the food was substantial enough to satisfy the dragon mage. Would I have to buy whole cows to feed him? I made a mental note to check with Henry. He probably knew anyway. That demon knew everything.

I’d explained to everyone that Zenos was a dragon mage here to help me. Still feeling protective of myself, I did not go into the details of what I intended to learn. Or “unlearn” as Zenos had put it.

I fished a set of car keys from my pocket and pushed them across the table to Dylan. The far darrig stared at them until I waved my hand at him and them. One blond perfectly groomed eyebrow arched in question. I smiled and wondered what Fiona would think of his appearance. He and I had discussed him remaining in his human form while Mulan’s family was visiting. He had done that while working with his family so he claimed it wasn’t a hardship to hold it that long.

Of course, I hadn’t known about Zenos coming at the time we’d talked. I didn’t want Dylan to feel overwhelmed by all the strangers milling about so I gave him the only freedom from it I could.

“Ya’ve seen my car so ya know it’s not much to look at, Dylan, but ya’re welcome to use it. If I need to get somewhere, I’ll get Henry to drive me. Mostly I plan to stay put while Mulan’s parents are here.”

“Thank you, Aran. That’s very generous of you and I appreciate it,” Dylan said.

I waved away his thanks. “It’s only fair that ya can escape for a few minutes when the need hits.”

Dylan smiled as he pocketed the keys. My good deed done, I turned to Rasmus. “The same goes for the two of ya. Henry can help if Zara or ya need a lift somewhere.”

“We won’t be going anywhere. Who would help you with the fairy if everyone was gone?” Rasmus asked.

I supposed that was his way of letting me know he wouldn’t be making the mistake of leaving me again. Men would do a lot for sex, but it surprised me that the guardian would stoop to making promises.

“I believe Conn and I have him covered. If I get concerned, I can put out a call for help. Ben’s offered a guard but I’m not keen on having some agent with a weapon camping out in the foyer while Mulan’s family are staying here. My insurance doesn’t cover sniper fire.”

Conn looked grim as he agreed. “I imagine I’ll be running a constant intervention between Mulan and her family for the next few weeks.”

Sighing, I nodded at Conn’s summary. “I know this is a lot happening at once when we rarely have anything going on. Please, just do the best ya can to tolerate things. We’ll all get back to work when Mulan’s family is gone.”

I looked at Zara. We hadn’t spoken about the demon wolves since our initial talk. “I noticed Rasmus and ya visiting the wolves yesterday. Are you deep in thought about their situation?

Zara looked upset that I’d put her on the spot but she answered me anyway. “Yes, I thought we agreed that was my task.”

I glanced around the table before looking back at her and shrugging. Except for Zenos, everyone here knew about everyone else. There were nearly no secrets left to hide. “I’d rather ya not help them if ya’re not compelled to resolve their problem. No one’s tampering with yer free will or twisting yer arm to make ya lend yer aid to them.”

Zara looked at her arm. “I understand the reference but must you speak in metaphors all the time? I prefer you to be more to the point.”

I wanted to answer her snark with some next-level smack of my own but Zenos beat me to it. The dragon mage smiled at Zara. She was a beautiful woman who only smiled in rare moments. The female guardian had great physical appeal if the widower was hunting for a female to bed.

“Aran and I hail from the same motherland,” Zenos explained. “We’re taught from the womb to tell a good story and not just recite the boring details. Perhaps our manner of speech seems frivolous to ya guardians but remember that ya are on vacation here. To get the full human experience, ya might want to focus on the intentions of Aran’s words rather than yer expectations that she will learn to communicate like she’s one of ya.”

Zara looked up from eating to glare at him with all the disdain her expression could show, which was a lot.

“I know what you are, dragon. I know your kind,” she said.

“And I know what ya are as well, watcher. I also know the sins of yer kind as well as I know my own. For Aran’s sake, I hadn’t planned on reciting the list of them to her. We both know it would be a very long list if I did.”

Zara dropped her gaze to her salad. “I’ve not heard us called watchers in a long while. It reminds me of what I chose all those ages ago.”

“I wasn’t trying to bring up terrible memories. Would ya rather I call ya a guardian instead? I know Aran calls both of ya by the more neutral moniker ya chose.”

Zara shrugged. “I do not care what humans call me.”

“Ya might if one ever got angry enough to become inventive,” I said, smiling to ease the sting of the statement. “Some of us don’t mind being rude. It lets people know what we’re thinking.”

Zenos ignored my interjection and studied both guardians as he ate. “To answer yer blunt question about my business here, I’ve come to educate the daughter of The Dagda and haven’t yet decided what form my teaching will take. There are a few things I could share about yer kind that I think Aran would find interesting, and more importantly, that she would find useful in dealing with ya.”

“Please excuse my sister’s irritated attitude,” Rasmus said, calmly addressing the dragon mage. “Zara is still recovering from an accident that required a lot of healing. She suffers daily and the discomfort makes her churlish. We’re grateful to Aran for hosting us. Zara is here to heal but I’m here because Aran is important to me. I am here to spend time with her because I value her greatly.”

Zenos glanced up from his meal to stare boldly at Rasmus. “Is that right? Well, that explains everything critical, now doesn’t it? The two of us are both here to make Aran’s life better.”

Conn, Goddess bless him, broke the rising tension by reading a ranting message on his phone from a very agitated Mulan. When he was done reading, he shook his head. “Her parents finally boarded their flight to Salem. They insisted on waiting for a plane with four openings in first class. I need to warn Henry about what he’ll be dealing with.”

“Goddess, help us all,” I said as I palmed my face, leaned an elbow on the table, and laughed dryly over our prima donna guests.

Dylan chose that moment to excuse himself and I didn’t blame the far darrig one bit.

I wished I could have gone with him.