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“On some level, Jack’s soul—that divine spark inside all of us—knows what you did to him and why. Guardians and humans both have souls, Aran. It is one of the main things we have in common with your kind.”

“Ya didn’t tell Da about Jack being a guardian child, did ya?”

“No, but only because I didn’t know it then. I would have told him if I had known.”

“I’m grateful ya didn’t. Da had enough to bear knowing what ya were and what had happened to him.”

Orlin sighed. “It was about timing. My lineage was traced first. Jack’s father was one of the last to be checked. His guardian father still hasn’t adjusted to the shock of finding out he created a hybrid child. Jack’s birth resulted from his first time mating with a human.

I rubbed my neck, which felt too tired to hold up my head. “But if Jack were to do a DNA check, would he find his father’s name? We tried that before and no one showed up.”

“It will work now. We made a collective decision a few human years ago to claim our accidental offspring and monitor their lives. With Murieann and your father gone from this plane of existence, I accepted it was my responsibility to monitor you and your child.”

I blinked in shock. “I’m Da’s only descendant. That’s why ya came to see me.”

“Not only for that reason. I was already trying to figure out how to approach you with my story. I came to you initially because you stepped in to save Rasmus when you didn’t have to. It was a wonderfully unselfish, yet dangerous action to take. No other hybrid offspring have done anything of that sort. I am quite proud of how you conduct yourself.”

“Ya can’t claim credit for how I turned out. Grandmother Murieann’s people—the O’Malleys—were from the lineage of theTuatha de Danann. I’m a child of The Dagda. That’s my strongest influence. The Dagda is the one who trained me.”

Orlin nodded. “I know. Who do you think helped The Dagda incarnate in human form again so he could do it? I helped create a human body for him because I felt partly responsible for you never hearing the truth from Murieann or your father. Your family tree is varied and unique. Murieann stood out just as you now do. The difference is that you are more powerful than she was.”

“And don’t forget I’m a witch,” I declared, even though that barely counted in this discussion.

“Yes, you inherited strong witch magick from your mother’s side of the family.”

“Good goddess...” I scrubbed my face. “What am I supposed to do with all this information? It wasn’t like Da or anyone ever even hinted about ya. I only have yer word that all this is true.”

Orlin pulled my hands from my face. “As hard to believe as this story is, I’m hoping knowing the truth of your life helps you deal with the rest of what I have to tell you.”

Terror gripped me and I couldn’t utter a sound. I think I’d heard too much. Orlin sighed and sent a warm current through my hands that traveled into the rest of me.

“Don’t panic on me now, Aran. You’ve heard the worst already. We’re nearly done.”

“Haven’t ya confessed enough? What else could ya possibly have left to tell me?”

His gaze dropped to our joined hands. “The rest is good news. Rasmus is returning to you, but there was a strict condition that he willingly met before he could join you for the rest of your natural life.”

“Oh Goddess, ya took his powers away as Jack and his cronies did. How could ya do that after what he went through?”

“We did not take his powers away... or rather, we didn’t takeallof them. We converted him into a sterile human male and gave him a revised identity so he could start fresh. This included new memories about his past. He will show up in your life in his new role, but not in either of the two forms you previously knew. Since he had such deep feelings for you, it shouldn’t be hard for the two of you to rekindle your interest in each other and make a life together.”

I blinked at the unbelievable, heart-stopping news.

And then I realized the guardians, especially the ones I’d met, didn’t understand humans at all.

“After all we survived together, how could Rasmus make such a monumental decision without consulting me first? That’s not how love works with humans. I would never have asked him for such a sacrifice. I feel less respected now than I ever did. And by the way, I already had ginormous problems with that superiority complex all of ya wear like a cloak. Ya may be eons older than us, but it hasn’t made ya smarter.”

I watched Orlin’s mouth turn downward. I honestly don’t think he or Rasmus gave any thought at all to me having a negative reaction. Orlin likely assumed I would want Rasmus back however I could get him. While that was somewhat true, it was still insulting for my compliance to be taken for granted.

What if I hated the new Rasmus?

What if he was a total arse? He’d certainly been an arse when he had amnesia and forgotten his true guardian self.

Good Goddess, this was the worst nightmare I could ever imagine happening. Only it wasn’t a nightmare. According to Orlin, the deed was done.

The new Rasmus wouldn’t remember anything about me—not the moments we spent kissing, not me sitting in his lap, not him asking to sleep with me. He wouldn’t remember our arguments. He wouldn’t remember me challenging his superiority.

Was I supposed to pretend none of what we went through ever happened? I sure wished I could sometimes, but without those experiences, I wouldn’t have learned to care for him.