Sticks and Stones

Chapter Forty-Four

The air around them was wrong. Thick with tension. And with the crackling sounds coming from behind, Sofia feared to turn around. Worse, Rosa was staring at something above their heads. The look on her face did nothing to comfort them.

The look on the barmaid's face spoke a thousand words. We're screwed. Something bad had just happened they'd find no way out of.

Mouth dropping into the shape of an O, the redhead muttered, "Fucking shit."

Sofia had a feeling she knew who'd just arrived. If a warlock had impregnated Rosa—Ronan no less—then he'd be stupid not to check up on his baby mama.

Which meant Caspian and Sofia were possibly in the presence of the deadliest warlock of them all.

No pressure.

Except they were probably, definitely, most certainly about to die.

No pressure at all.

"Cas..." Sofia trailed off.

Lord only knew what was going through the demon's mind. His posture didn't change at all. No, he remained as casual as ever. Except she thought—and maybe she was wrong—that he'd angled his body somewhat in front of her own.

"Ronan," Rosa greeted. Her smile was tight, stretching from cheek to cheek, her eyes pained.

They sensed the greeting was for their benefit more than the warlock's.

The barmaid was advising them to tread carefully. They weren't just dealing with a warlock—they were dealing with the King of them.

The King who'd no doubt come from whatever chaos the allies had thought up.

Worry for his friends flittered through Caspian's mind. He pushed those thoughts away. They had a danger of their own to deal with right now. The worry could come later. Assuming we live long enough to see a later.

One problem at a time.

"You didn't tell me we'd be having guests, Rosa."

Sofia wasn't sure about Caspian but she knew she tensed. She'd never heard a voice like it. A voice so guttural and deep. A voice that spoke with such a cool, casual anger. A voice with an expectancy. A power that chilled its peers to their bones.

How was Rosa able to look at him?

Even she seemed to struggle to do so. The woman carrying his children could barely bring herself to look in his eyes.

She cradled her stomach, eyes shooting from Caspian to Sofia, searching for a way to save them "Yes, well I thought you'd be out for longer. You were a little preoccupied earlier."

"Yes, it seems King Claudio and his friends wanted my attention," Ronan answered.

Sofia didn't breathe as the warlock strolled past her, further into the villa. He almost acted like they weren't there. As if they were completely unimportant.

"Oh?" Rosa asked, voice rising a pitch.

"So these are your friends, are they?" Ronan asked. With heavy feet, Caspian and Sofia followed behind Rosa who awkwardly stumbled towards the kitchen. Ronan—whose face they could actually see—stood behind a breakfast counter where he boiled a kettle.

Caspian and Sofia took a long moment to stare at him.

This was the first time either of them had seen a warlock without a hood on. Hell, it was Sofia's first time seeing a warlock at all. As for Caspian, he'd met this man before. This man hadn't said a word, standing dark and solitary in Greece.