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I suddenly knew what he was planning to do and I had to stop him. I wrestled free of Conn’s hold, jumped up, and ran.

“Rasmus, no! They helped ya. They’re not your enemies. Don’t hurt them.”

His blazing gaze switched from the demons to me. He lifted a hand and I knew that lightning he’d stored was headed my way. My right hand flew up on its own to shield my face. King Solomon’s ring buzzed madly on it.

Rasmus saw the ring, reflected its glow, and then raised his own arm to shield himself from the sight of it.

Surprised, I lowered my hand and looked at the ring. It glowed now with the same blue of Rasmus’s transformed eyes. He didn’t recognize me—that was obvious. I doubt he even knew himself yet. But Rasmus recognized the ring, or at least, he noted the power it held.

What did that mean?

I had one angry thought about what I would do to Jack when I figured this all out, but then the creature Rasmus had become seized in place where he stood. His mouth screamed silently like he was in some sort of terrible pain. I took one step toward him before a giant pair of wings burst from his back. They were a gradient dark gray with feathers that looked translucent.

He launched himself into the night sky, his wings flapping one time as he shot up like a rocket. I watched him fade from sight and then lowered my hand. The ring instantly turned back to solid gray stone.

None of what happened to him made any sense to me, but Rasmus was gone now no matter what I believed or thought.

Conn walked over and turned me to face him. “Why did you run to him? He could have killed you.”

I held out my hand with the ring. “He was going to hurt Lilith and I couldn’t let him do that. Da’s ring stopped him, Conn. I think he recognized it.”

Conn looked down at it. “Is the gray stone magickal?”

“It’s a holy relic in disguise,” I whispered.

Conn shook his head. “No, Aran, look at it. The ring is just a plain stone and you’re probably in shock. I saw you kissing Rasmus in the kitchen. I know how you must feel losing him that way. His total change into that creature was a brutal ending to your flirtation.”

I could see I wouldn’t be convincing Conn—not today, at least. And once I did, it would only worry him to know the truth of the ring I wore and how it cloaked itself. Once again the ring had chosen to hide from all the demons I knew. Yet it had showed itself to the creature Rasmus became. That had to mean something. I just had to figure out what.

“Is Lilith okay?” I asked.

Conn nodded. “She is weak from the magick she spent, but fine.”

“Do you have any idea what that creature was, Conn? What Rasmus transformed into looked like the angels Ma always talks about.”

“You were never slow,” Conn said vaguely, not really answering my question.

I walked over to Lilith. “I don’t know what happened, but I appreciate what it cost ya to free Rasmus from his bonds. Call me if the demon hunters or guardians return. Conn and I will protect ya as best we can.”

The demoness looked up at Conn. “You saw what he turned into. If what we saw is true, you know what the humans have done. Tell the daughter of The Dagda what you know, Conn. Her gods are different. She might never guess.”

I looked between them. “What are ya talking about?”

Conn looked in the direction the winged Rasmus flew off in. “The humans may have trapped a Nephilim, which is a human-angel hybrid. They may have made a serum from his blood that gives them a boost of power. That would explain the near insanity of the fake human guardian threatening Lilith’s caste. Humans aren’t meant to wield that level of power, Aran. Most Nephilim weren’t able to handle it themselves. They succumbed to madness and had to be killed.”

I shook my head. “Rasmus never acted insane. His reaction to his change seemed more like one of total confusion.”

Conn shook his head in disagreement. “The Rasmus you knew was only a vessel for his true form. The man we knew was never real.”

I refused to believe that the Rasmus I knew was no more than a shell with a magickal ghost inhabiting it. Like most paranormal and supernatural creatures, Nephilim had once existed on our planet, but they died out during the great flood.

But what were guardians?

The creature Rasmus became seemed to be something far more mysterious than a human-angel hybrid. I felt it in my bones.

* * *

Lilith leftto return to her home and one of the demons drove us back to the rental house. I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened. Rasmus had been nothing but trouble, but I was going to miss him something fierce.