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I sipped my coffee and quietly fumed while I pretended not to want to run after him. Goddess only knew what the guardian was thinking because I sure didn’t.

Chapter Two

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 hisrealname.”

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?”