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Chapter Five

“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 playedthe 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 allowme 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.”