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The man looked youthful and lean. His snug jeans and even snugger shirt were nearly the same shade of blue. Black pavement marks from his fight with the troll now crisscrossed them, but other than that, what he wore looked no different from my clothing. Nothing revealed his true origins—not his haircut, his facial features, or his beard.

Goddess, I should have heeded Conn’s strange reaction to him earlier and made him tell me what he was sensing. Any sort of warning might have helped lessen the shock. I felt like such a fool for not being more wary.

“Are you always so inquisitive when you meet someone new?” Rasmus asked.

I rubbed the knot forming in my stomach while shaking my head in dismay. The guardian’s return had been staged perfectly and I hadn’t seen it coming. Was his fight with the troll staged as well? It wouldn’t surprise me to learn the troll had owed the guardians a favor. For such a mysterious species, they wielded a lot of influence with manner of creatures.

I pulled my attention back to Rasmus when I realized this new version of him was explaining the backstory his guardian brethren had given him.

Not that Rasmus knew it was new, but I knew it. And I couldn’t unknow it and pretend I didn’t. Just like I also couldn’t unknow the real him. And this version wasn’t the real him—not really. Goddess, it was all I could do not to scream the truth in his face.

Rasmus lifted an eyebrow in challenge as he directed his answer to me. “Like most people, my genetics are mixed. My father was mostly Indian. My mother was a blend of Middle Eastern cultures. Gupta is a Sanskrit name and means one born to be a protector. I’m trying to live up to it.”

“Why did ya agree to be shipped over here to the States, Rasmus? Or is that too personal to ask as well?”

He stared at me for several long moments before calmly replying to my nosy question. “The Shadow Breakers are working on erasing an unfortunate part of my life which resulted in my need to wear a full face mask in public. I hear they have some method of making people forget my involvement. I look forward to that happening.”

I blinked at his youthfulness, his serious expression, and then let my eyes roam the rest again. My hair was as much silver as any other color now. His was dark as coal without a silver strand in sight. What happened to his silver temples?

At forty, I looked like the mature version of the woman I knew I was. I was in great physical condition in some ways, but I didn’t heal as fast as I used to from injuries. Exertion of any sort reminded me daily that I was aging.

I stared at Rasmus Version 3. It was impossible not to. I had seen him when he wasn’t himself—when he thought he’d been someone like Jack—and I’d seen him after he became himself again. He’d been visibly older than me in both cases, and his older appearance had matched his maturity.

Unlike Orlin who looked Fiona’s age, Rasmus had looked nearly the same whether guardian or human. What did his brethren do with the version I remembered?

The world spun in a circle as I tried to come to terms with what my eyes were seeing. They eventually closed because my brain kept denying the truth. Conn stepped up behind me and ran his arm past my stiff body to shake Rasmus’s hand. I felt Conn’s other hand rub the small of my back, which proved he knew why I was so shocked.

“Please excuse Aran. She’s had a hard week. It’s very nice to meet you, Rasmus. We both look forward to working with you.”

Rasmus shook Conn’s hand but kept his eyes on me. I couldn’t tell if he was concerned or appalled.

Frowning, I turned and looked at Ben. I needed to know how complete this ruse was. “How well do ya know this man, Ben?”

Ben’s eyebrow rose in surprise. “Not as well as I know you, but only because he wasn’t here when we fought the fake guardians. Rasmus was vetted by the people you worked for in Ireland. Do you want me to gather his references and send you a copy of them?”

I swallowed hard and shook my head. I didn’t want to see their fake proof. What would be the point of that? I was stunned enough by the power they had used to change him.

I stared at Ben. “Rasmus reminds me of someone I used to know. Logically, I know it’s not that same person because that person would be at least my age. Maybe I’m having one of those senior moments people talk about..”

“At forty?” Ben asked, then laughed at me. “Forty is not that old, Aran.”

“Forty feels absolutely ancient today,” I said, meaning every word.

It was clear to me that Orlin had altered Ben’s memories about Rasmus. I’d specifically and carefully chosen not to do that, but the guardians had overridden my decision.

I rubbed my forehead. “I think I need to go home and catch up on some sleep.”

My excuse to flee sounded like I was faking a headache to leave a party but the least of my concerns was what they thought about my strangeness. And as Orlin had warned me, the changes had already been done.

Ben tilted his head. “Are you okay, Aran? Did you get another visit from one of the real guardians?”

I dropped my hand from my head to stare at him. So Ben remembered that guardians existed but had no recollection of Rasmus being one. I hadn’t felt this betrayed since Jack sent me to prison and stole The Dagda Stone.

I blinked my suddenly stinging eyes and had to clear my throat. “Yes. As ya can imagine, I didn’t sleep much after he left.”

Ben reached into a pocket and pulled out a small sheet of paper. “Rest sounds like the only cure. Before I forget, this is what you came for. I thought we’d get in a tour of the facility today, but that can wait until it’s calmer around here.”

My groan was loud as I shook my head and ignored his hand. “I hate it when ya pass me papers with writing on them, Ben. Last time I took something from yer hand, I ended up with this job.”