Chapter 5

Chapter Five

D espite Mulan's efforts to keep them blood-free, the covers and sheets got ruined. The next day, Rasmus carried me into the bathroom to soak in the tub.

While I was getting clean, Henry's people swiftly removed the bloody bedclothes and replaced them. By mid-morning, I felt nearly strong enough to get up and walk around but decided not to chance it. I was too tired to protest when Rasmus told me I needed more rest. And he was right.

I put a hand on my chest and sent my gratitude to the mages of the stone, particularly to One of The Three. True to his word, he'd healed me faster than I would have said was possible.

A mild vibration tingled my fingers in response to my whispered gratitude. I sighed at the drama of it all, but things could have gone much worse.

Henry brought in several pizzas that evening for dinner and arranged them on the bottom of our enormous king bed. Rasmus propped himself on the pillows beside me, his long legs folded under him.

Everyone else carried in chairs from the sitting room.

Conn looked me over. "Are you sure the being you met wasn't a near-death hallucination?"

"The mages in the stone were as real as you are, Conn. The one I talked to said he exists as a light being. I don't exactly know what that means, but I know it's a thing."

Mulan stopped eating and sighed. "Since Aran talked to it, shaman staff never shuts up. It is as bad as nagging family was. There is no peace now. I must clear house energy every day."

I ate my pizza in silence. There was nothing I could add. The light beings of the Wu Shaman's staff always spoke kindly to me. I had no clue why they were giving Mulan a hard time.

I looked at them all. "My scheduled vacation time is nearly over. Ben would probably give me an extension, but I've had enough of this chaos. I'm ready to do something normal, like chase a troll down or bust up a dark coven of witches."

"That's fine, but you still owe me a date," Rasmus said around a bite of pizza.

My mouth twisted at the reminder. "We'll have weekends still, and there will be downtime after we close cases. I'm sure we can work a few dates into our schedule."

"That's all I needed to know," he said and went back to focusing on his food.

Rasmus had taken care of me non-stop since I'd gotten shot. I couldn't justify teasing him about his one meager ask of me. He was trying to court me and wanted to be more than my bed partner. I appreciated his efforts, as any woman would.

Zara waved her half-eaten slice of pizza in the air. "Would your witch friend talk to me about her husband's talisman? I understand her magick differs from yours, Aran."

I chuckled at the thought of Felicity Benson and me being friends. "She's not really a friend, but I'll ask her. I'd like for her to talk to you as well. Maybe she'll do it because she feels bad about destroying our property."

"Thank you. I'm excited to learn her secrets."

I smirked, knowing for sure the female guardian spoke the truth with those words. Zara soaked up magickal knowledge like a sponge. It was the application of that knowledge that concerned me. Rasmus would need to keep close tabs on that conversation if it happened.

I turned to the one person I always called my friend. "Have ya recovered from yer family visiting, Mulan?"

"Yes. Good riddance, they are gone," she said, wiping pizza sauce from her mouth. "Brother-in-law makes them treat me with respect now." She grunted in disgust. "Family fears my Wu Shaman power, which is improvement over their disgust."

"So, are ya ready to get back to work?"

"More ready than you, witch. You still look near death. I can go back to hair shop if I get bored. It is no big deal to me what you decide."

I grinned at her rant and looked to the demon who loved her. "What's yer vote about going back to work, Conn?"

"I just hang around for the food," he said to make me laugh.

And that's what I did. I laughed at myself for having felt the need to even ask. "I guess I'll call Ben tomorrow then. Where's Dylan?"

Conn grinned. "The far darrig had a date tonight."

My eyebrow arched. "Well, that's nice. Is it with anyone we know?"

Conn dabbed at his still-grinning mouth. "Sort of... she's one of Gale's people."

"Are ya talking about her DNA people or Gale's demon tribe?" I asked.

"Both, actually," Conn said with a chuckle. "Her name is Rachel."

I chuckled at the idea of Dylan mustering up the courage to date a demon. "Well, I did push on him to be social. He needs to make new connections after his parents sent him away."

Everyone stopped eating at my announcement. I winced before explaining.

"Sorry. I thought ya all knew, but I guess Dylan's not the type to gossip about his life, is he? So yeah... the far darrig went home after he disposed of Hisser, and his parents threw him out. Dylan said they were highly upset when he told them the artifact talked to him. Poor guy was devastated by their outright rejection. He never even got a chance to explain about working with an angel or that he'd found a magickal calling."

Conn frowned at his last bit of food before wolfing it down and shrugging. "Disappointed parents can change their minds. I hope the far darrig remains open to them."

I nodded. "I told Dylan the same thing. Then I called Ma and told her that I loved her. I'm also grateful my daughter and I get along. These are among the many things I no longer take for granted in my life."

Henry appeared in the doorway and looked directly at me. "I'm sorry to interrupt your meal, but could I speak to you about a business matter when you're done?"

"Absolutely," I said. "We were just discussing getting back to business ourselves."

"Let me know when you're available," Henry commanded, and then he left.

I sighed at Henry's non-reaction and went back to eating.

Conn's thoughtful throat clearing got my attention. "Henry and Gale have scheduled their first retreat guest. The spa and pool are being finished this week."

I lifted my chin. "Thanks. That explains his formal request."

Conn shrugged. "Some of their guests are not easily confined to their retreat areas, Aran. Are you truly willing to have a bunch of magickal strangers walking around the house? What good are wards in that instance?"

"Don't ya trust Henry and Gale to vet the guests and keep them from intruding?"

"Yes, but their concept of acceptable risk might differ from yours. I think you need to run your own security checks on the guests. I would volunteer for that task, but it would cause a familial disturbance none of us would want to hear about. I doubt Henry and Gale would ever forgive me."

"Why? Because ya're their king, and they have to obey ya?" I asked.

"No. Because I'm their child. They still think they know better than me in every circumstance not associated with making kingly decisions. It's an illusion they refuse to give up and one I decided long ago wasn't worth fighting about. I simply do what I want and let them fuss."

I chuckled at the demon drama going on under my roof. Of everyone in the room, I could definitely claim having had the best parents. "I don't want to insist on doing my own checks. That makes it seem like I don't trust them when they've done nothing so far to make me question their judgment."

"And this is why they adore you," Conn said. "They consider you gullible and easy to persuade. This is why I brought the subject up. If you take the head of one of their guests, their retreat hosting career will be over for good."

Conn's summary made me laugh. I gave Rasmus a look. "Do ya remember yer parents, Rasmus?"

"I do," he said, studying the amusement on my face. "Not all beings on my native planet chose to procreate and raise progeny. My father and mother had fifty-seven children born over their six hundred years together. As far as I know, all of us became scientists. My parents complained because none of the children they created chose to be poets or musicians. Both were flatly against my pursuit of enlightenment after only living a single lifetime on our planet. Their wish was for me to incarnate many times and experience other professions."

"So ya were a rebel even back then," I said with a smile.

Rasmus arched one eyebrow. "Not in the manner you mean, but I did evolve into a light being against their wishes. They sent me off with sadness when I surrendered my physical life. I held hope that my parents would understand once they experienced it themselves. I was not present to witness their evolving, nor have our paths crossed again."

"Did ya truly have fifty-seven siblings? Where in Danu's name were ya born in that lineup?"

"Is that all you heard of my explanation?"

I laughed nervously. "Mostly."

"I was one of the last four children they created," Rasmus said.

Zara sighed. "I wish I could remember my time with them."

Rasmus and I both turned to her with wide eyes. He cleared his throat. "One day, you will remember both the good and the bad of your childhood, Zara. I hope your memories of it are filled with experiences that make your heart glad you were born."

"Do you not remember what they thought of me?" she asked.

Rasmus shook his head and smiled warmly. "You were older and already evolved into a light being by the time I was born. You lived your original life without me ever being part of it."

"How intriguing it is that we are together now," Zara said quietly. "I'm not sure I enjoy being your older sibling. That has not been the impression I carry about our relationship."

"Ya might be the older sibling, Zara, but ya're not the most serious one. Rasmus is far more serious than ya are. I'm sure that makes him seem older. It's also the fact that he's male. I can say that because Conn has been like a brother to me, and he's hundreds of years older."

"Not that anyone can tell I'm old at all. I make sure they can't," Conn said with a smirk.

Zara chuckled as she rose. "Thank you for saying all that, Aran. I appreciate the moral support."

I winked at her. "Don't get me wrong, though, I do like your serious brother. I wouldn't let Rasmus be a bad sibling. I'd fuss at him until he did right by ya."

"I'm quite sure your fondness for my brother makes Rasmus much less serious than he would be in his normal state," she said.

I smiled but didn't reply. I think it was the nicest thing she'd ever said to me.

After everyone left for the night, I texted Henry. His people discreetly popped in and cleared our dinner remains with impressive speed.

I looked at Rasmus after they left. "Any chance ya could carry me to the library? My tired butt feels the need for a different chair. Ya can put me in the one that adjusts to my size."

"I'll do that so long as you let me return and carry you back."

"That's a good deal," I said, grinning up at him.

The guardian lifted me from the bed and carried me out of the bedroom in his arms. It would have made any princess green with envy.

Henry arrived alone, carrying a tray with two mugs of his special hot chocolate. It was a decadence he plied me with often. If the demon laced it with some special magick that made me more accommodating, so be it.

Now that Conn had made me wary, I'd have to ask Henry about what was in it one day. But I'd nearly died this week. The drink was delicious and reminded me why being alive was such a wonderful thing.

I happily sipped as I smiled at Henry. "I'm guessing ya want to tell me about the guests ya have coming to stay."

"Yes. The two of them are a clandestine couple. He's a centuries-old warrior centaur who is having an affair with a diplomatic fairy sent to broker peace between his herd and another. They are hiding the recent turn in their relationship from both centaur herds. Discretion and privacy are their primary requirements."

"Did ya tell them our wards were broken this week? Ben's wife laid some down, but Conn said they weren't strong enough to prevent attackers from getting through. Rasmus said he stopped the bowman and those who sent him, but his idea of solving a problem is very different than mine. Conn and I think aerial attackers are still a risk."

"Yes, I did go over that with them. They have agreed to remain in their quarters and on the floor for the duration of their stay. The pool and spa will be finished by that point. As the only guests, they will have complete privacy. Their meals will be served in their suite."

I nodded at the explanation. "I saw a centaur herd once. They were all growly and stabby with their magickal spears. I found them combative and unfriendly."

Henry shrugged. "I strive not to judge my guests. It's part of the allure of staying with us. The centaur agreed to stay in human form the entire time he was here. I informed him we would not clean horse waste out of the pool."

I couldn't see a fairy turning herself into a horse, so human sex was their only choice. Henry promised me his contracts carried ironclad clauses about guests being on their best and most modest sexual behavior.

"How long will they be here?" I asked.

"Three days and nights. They will depart on the fourth day."

"Sounds good to me," I said. There was a brief knock on the door, and then Rasmus entered. I finished my hot chocolate and set the cup on the table beside me. "By the time your guests leave, we'll be back to normal."

"Do you need help getting back to your room?" Henry asked.

"I arranged for a lift. Thanks for the hot chocolate, Henry. It was yummy."

Rasmus grinned at Henry as he scooped me up into his arms. It nearly made me believe he had a sense of humor.

Henry inclined his head to my guardian and held the door open for us as we left.