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“No,” Conn said. “You just need some furniture and time to adjust. This space will suit you one day.” He directed my attention to the couple with his eyes. “Aran, this is Henry and Gale. They’ve agreed to help us.”

I blew out a breath and sighed. I didn’t know whether to feel relieved or sorry for them.

“Hello, Henry and Gale. Please choose any bedroom ya want on any floor that suits ya. I’m afraid we have a bring-yer-own-bed situation at the moment. I apologize for not providing ya with a warmer welcome. We closed on the house three days ago and haven’t fully moved in yet.”

Conn shoved his hands in his pockets. “Henry and Gale have amassed quite a few possessions. Perhaps you might allow them to help you furnish this place with their things.”

Henry turned to me. “We could certainly do that. What are your tastes, Madam?”

I shook my head. “Oh, no... there’ll be none of that madam stuff. Ya’re not to be my butler and maid. Conn might have talked ya into being museum keepers, but ya must call me Aran like everyone else.”

Henry looked at Conn. “Aran of The Dagda is just as you described.”

Gale grunted. “She certainly needs a lot of help with this place. It is too much for one person.”

Conn sighed. “We all need your help, Gale, but only Aran needs your house expertise. Mulan is going through the small home we plan to share like a tornado. She’ll be completely moved in before the sun sets.”

“Will we be expected to help your consort as well?” Henry asked.

Conn shrugged. “Not with caretaking, but I would like you to meet her. Mulan means a lot to me.”

Henry blinked at him. “We will, of course, make time for her then.”

“Of course,” Conn replied, waving a hand. “There’s no rush.”

He sounded strangely casual when addressing them—almost too nice and not very kingly in his answers. The only other demon I’d ever heard him talk to like that was Lilith.

“So how do ya know Conn?” I asked.

“Connlander of the Fir Bolg is our one true king,” Henry said, sounding proud... and something else I couldn’t quite name. Perhaps it was his weird tone because he talked like snooty butlers did on television. He sounded irreverent but subtly so. Goddess, Henry nearly sounded as snarky as Conn did when he was giving me a hard time.

Wanting to know the truth, I looked over at Gale. Men would lie for days but a woman would usually tell ya straight. “Tell me something, Gale. Why would Henry and ya be willing to give up yer normal lives to be caretakers for the woman who commands yer king? I’m honorable enough to hear the truth of the matter and not hold it against ya. If ya tell me, I won’t put Henry on the spot.”

Gale looked at me before moving her gaze back to my empty cavern of a foyer. “You’re right, of course. We did not come here of our own accord. Connlander emotionally blackmailed us. He promised we would see him more if we agreed with this caretaking arrangement.”

I shook my head in disgust before glaring at Conn. “Ya can’t use yer kingly status to force these poor people into becoming servants, Conn. I won’t have that under any roof I own. Consider whatever deal ya made with them to be void. They can stay or go as they please, but if ya want to welcome them here, there will be no strings attached to their residence. So long as they don’t try to kill me in my sleep, I’m good with putting them up until they figure out another situation that suits them. As big as this place is, I probably won’t even know they’re around.”

The bane of my existence rubbed his nose hard and kept his head down. Finally, he burst out laughing.

“Yer laughter is getting on my last nerve, Conn. Ya didn’tactuallyblackmail these people, did ya?”

Rasmus walked up behind me to stand. Henry and Gale flinched at the sight of him and backed away.

Henry glared openly at Conn as he fussed at him. “You never said the witch bedded with one of the ancient ones. Who is this woman you serve? Did she steal The Dagda’s power? We deserve to know the truth.”

“Hey now,” I exclaimed, interrupting the insult. “The Dagda’s my ancestor. And I’ll have ya know that this version of Rasmusis notancient. His body is practically brand new. Also, Connlander of the Fir Bolgdoes notserve me and never has. Conn is mypartner. It took me seven years in their prison to prove it to the damn demon hunters. I won’t be wasting my breath arguing with a couple of strangers about our relationship. There’s a good reason Conn looks like me in human form. It’s because we’re family.”

Gale stared at my outburst with wide eyes.

Guilt hit me immediately. My sigh was loud as I rubbed both my temples. “I’m sorry I ranted, Gale. It’s been a stressful couple of weeks. It always makes me tense when someone I don’t know talks about Conn like he’s property and I own him. Trust me, that is not the case. Yer king and I are partners.”

Rasmus put his hands on my shoulders. His touch immediately calmed me down. Knowing I owed another apology, I turned to look at Henry. “I’m sorry, Henry. I didn’t mean to go all fishwife on ya. Insults to Conn are a touchy subject for me.”

Snickering, Rasmus massaged my tight shoulders. Why did he always have to find my embarrassment funny? He never failed to find the humor in me making things right that I’d done wrong.

“Aran? Did you notice they share Conn’s energy signature?”

I looked at them closely and then turned around to look at Rasmus. “So? All of Conn’s original caste reads like him. Are ya saying they’re related to him by blood?”