The wards tingled against my skin. I smiled over the rim of my cup as one of the Lords appeared.
“Hello, Rowan.”
The handsome Lord grinned. “Hello, Evie.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked up the back steps. “Any more of that left?”
I held out my mug. “Take this. I’ll get another.”
Rowan took the mug and lifted it in a salute. “Thanks.”
I hurried inside to get another mug. When I walked back outside, Rowan had made himself at home on the outdoor sofa.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming.”
His eyes twinkled. “I wanted to surprise you, but I can tell Caelan spilled the beans.”
“Guilty.”
He sighed and sipped his cocoa. “This is delicious.”
“Thanks. I simmer a chipotle pepper with the milk.”
“That’s what I taste!”
We fell into a comfortable silence for a while. “How are things?” he asked after a while.
“Heating up,” I said with a sigh.
One of his eyebrows rose. “Oh? Anything I should be concerned about?”
I waved my hand at him. “Nah. Moira accidentally let a trickster god loose, and Caelan has an old lover staying with him.”
Rowan blinked. “An old lover?”
I knew he’d be more concerned about that one than the errant god. “Rachel.”
Rowan’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“You know her?” I sat up straight, interested in any information he could give me.
To my disappointment, he shook his head. “I’ve only heard of her. And what I heard wasn’t good.”
“Caelan said he has to keep her here five days before he can dump her in a hotel.”
“Mmm. True. But he can make things difficult for her.” He smiled. “And so can you if you’re so inclined.”
I sighed and curled my feet underneath my thighs. “She’s lying about why she’s here.”
“Unsurprising. She’s the spoiled and entitled daughter of one of the European Lords. As far as I know, she’s unmarried.” He said the last word with emphasis, and one of his eyebrows rose.
“Oh,” he said. “You think she’s here scoping out Caelan as marriage material.” His teeth flashed in a grin. “What do you think about that?”
I think I’d like to rip out her spleen through her belly button, but I said, “I think Caelan is old enough to choose who he wants to be with.”
But Rowan was too smart to take my words at face value. “You want to scratch her eyes out, don’t you?”
“He’ll make the right decision,” I said quietly.
“If he doesn’t, he’s a fool,” Rowan answered.
