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When I glanced over, I noticed Conn’s smirk was reflected in the window. I rolled my eyes in response. “Isaiah was civilized because of yer presence. If ya hadn’t been there, he’d have been leaning into my space while spouting poetry. And he would have been the one sitting beside me on the swing.”

Silence fell in the car at my summary. I felt Conn straining to hold back his thoughts, but that never worked well for either of us. The quiet lasted a whole two minutes... if that long.

Conn grunted before he spoke. “If you keep rejecting every male that crosses your path, you’ll never get your needs met. If you hate men so much now, perhaps you should try a female you admire. Maybe you’re in sexual transition. Some people go through that during midlife.”

Surprised laughter burst out of me. “I don’t desire women, Conn. If I did, I’d lure yer Wu Shaman girlfriend away from ya because she’s the most interesting woman I’ve ever met.”

Conn shrugged. “I can’t argue that when I agree with you. Mulan’s the most interesting woman I’ve ever known who wasn’t related to me in some manner.”

I chuckled over our mutual admiration of the Wu Shaman. “I love ya like a brother. There’s no saying otherwise without lying, though it pains me when ya’re being nosy about my love life.”

He turned his most serious gaze on me. “You’re going to blow something up with all that energy you’re repressing and that will be bad for everyone. I’m nagging for your own good.”

I grunted as I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Maybe I’ll buy myself a battery-operated boyfriend then to release the tension. Maybe Mulan can help me pick one out. I wonder if she owns one. No... what am I saying? She has all those well-trained boyfriends.”

Conn covered his ears with his hands and sang “la, la, la,” while I laughed.

ChapterThirteen

We’d barely gotten settled inside the house again when the doorbell rang. Someone obviously had been waiting for us to get there. I glanced at Conn who’d backtracked from the hallway to see who it was. Usually, I could tell who was at the door, but what I got at that moment was a confused reading.

I sighed. “Should I risk answering it?”

Conn’s eyes turned red, and then a wicked smile spread over his face. Shaking his head, he walked away without saying a word. I had no idea what his actions meant, which confused me even more.

I had worked up a full glare by the time I opened the door to our visitor. He was wearing an old jacket, a pair of broken sunglasses, and a hat that had come from a second-hand store... or he’d found lying in the street. Rasmus looked as derelict as Orlin had. What was with the guardians adopting a poverty look?

Conn’s laughter made sense to me now because my wicked familiar loved to see me squirm.

“Ben sent me to see you,” Rasmus said.

My fury nearly spilled out at the news, so I griped instead. “Why can’t anyone I know say hello when they see me? Not saying hello is rude.”

His cough-laughed into his fist. “Sorry….hello, Aran of The Dagda. Colonel Benson sent me to see you about something,” Rasmus said, grinning as he corrected himself.

I stood there staring like an idiot while I debated whether or not to let him inside. He’d been there many times before, and without invitation, but never in this form. I couldn’t judge what the wards would do with Version 3 of the guardian. Would my magick be as dumb about this man as my heart evidently was?

His grin fell away as he braved my stare. “Why do you always look at me like I killed someone you loved? I wish you would explain your reaction to me.”

I shook my head. “I have good reasons and I’d just rather not have to deal with ya.”

“Well, that’s inconvenient given I was sent to deliver this. Ben asked me to wait for your answer and return it,” he said, holding out a large envelope.

Sighing loudly, I snatched the wretched thing from his fingers. “Ya might as well come in while I see what fresh new torture Ben’s come up with for me. How am I going to work for the man? I’m already sick of him and his paperwork.”

“He said you’d offered to be a trainer for his Salem Shadow Breakers branch. The main organization told him to pay you whatever you asked because you were worth it.”

I rolled my eyes as he crossed my threshold. The wards tightened on him for a moment and then released. I looked Rasmus over and saw what I saw when he’d pulled off his face mask. This version was a stranger, but a strong sense of déjà vu settled in my body. It made me want to send him away, but Ma had hammered manners into me.

“Would you like a cup of tea? I was about to make some for Conn and me. Ya can drink it while I read Ben’s tome.”

Rasmus looked at me. “It’s only six pages. That’s long for a contract, but I wouldn’t call it a tome.”

“Ya would if ya hated paperwork,” I said, marching off without waiting to see if he planned to follow.

In the kitchen doorway, Rasmus paused and looked around before swinging his gaze in my direction. “This is a very homey kitchen. I feel like I’ve been here before.”

I turned from filling the kettle to lift an eyebrow at his revelation. “The friend ya remind me of was here many times.”