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I stopped and turned to Rasmus. “Okay. This is where I’m going to say goodnight to ya. It’s been a long day and I’m still not over what I went through.”

Rasmus stared down at me. “I’d like to hear all about it.”

I shook my head. “Not tonight. Tonight, I’m going to respect my own needs, which is to sleep alone and be grateful that ya’re not the person responsible for my happiness… or my safety.”

“I want to be,” Rasmus said softly.

I shrugged at his statement. “Yer decisions don’t show it, Rasmus. I admit that I don’t know what tomorrow holds. I’m tired tonight and I need some space. What I don’t need is ya warming my bed and not understanding what I’m feeling. I can’t explain it ya sufficiently and don’t want to try. I’m done with that and with letting ya put me last.”

“I know two weeks can be a long time in the human realm.”

I snoreted. “The two weeks ya were gone gave me experiences that showed me how out of balance I am.”

“I don’t understand,” he said.

“Well, yer scientist brain is going to have to wait to learn it. It’s yer turn to know what it’s like to feel shut out. And until I feel differently about yer repetitive abandonment, ya’re sleeping upstairs withyer new sister. Everything else stays the same between us. I’ll train ya for yer job with the Shadow Breakers. I’ll train Zara too if ya can interest her in it. Ya’re welcome to stay here for now. That’s the best I can do.”

Rasmus looked at the woman in his arms. “I’m not that easily discouraged, Aran. I came back here for you.”

I snorted at his declaration. “No, ya didn’t. Ya came back to finish yer guardian vacation and spend yer nights in my bed. That may seem okay to ya but it’s not okay for me. I deserve to bed a man I can count on to be there.”

We glared across the distance between us until my lingering tiredness caught up with me.

“I need sleep. Let’s see what happens tomorrow. I have to send Ezra back to his people and I have teachers coming. Plus, Mulan’s parents will be here in a few weeks. We’re still not moved in yet as ya can tell. And frankly, I need a vacation from my life.”

The demon at the stairs cleared his throat. Rasmus glanced at him and nodded. His gaze stopped to stare at a frozen Ezra on its way back to me. “No one told me about this. The fairy looked like he was going to attack someone before he got stopped. That’s an energy sword in his hand.”

I snorted. “No one told ya about it because it wasn’t a guardian who froze him. An angel did this to save Fiona. He indirectly saved me while he was saving my daughter. Everything is fine for now. Ezra’s betrayal has been handled. I’ll be sending him across the veil soon.”

Rasmus shook his head. “I’ll have to disagree with you, Aran. Everything is not all right.”

“Suit yerself,” I said with a shrug. “I’m sure Gale will send food up to ya later. Henry moved yer clothes to yer new room already. Goodnight, Rasmus. I’ll see ya tomorrow.”

I was very proud of myself for not looking back. Even better, I got to my bedroom and didn’t feel any need at all to swallow my pride and go chasing after him. It helped that I found something better in my sitting room to swallow. The drink wouldn’t drown my sorrows completely but it might at least help me sleep.

Contentment flowed through me as I sat by the sitting room’s fireplace in one of the perfectly-sized chairs from the library and sipped a glass of Jamieson’s.

Goddess, I was a lucky woman.

Henry could be a bear at times, but when I hit my lowest today, he’d been every bit as thoughtful as his son. Ya couldn’t put a price on a man who made it his job to give a woman what she needed.

Maybe he could give the guardian I still loved some lessons.

— THE END —