Page 32 of Adversary to the Villain

Blade raised a careful hand. “In all fairness, she didn’tbringus; we ran into her. Literally. Who’s this?”

It was a crime against nature that Alexander didn’t have the voice to tell Blade how many times he’d sat on the man’s shoulder. For the deadlands’ sake, he knew the view from the top of Blade’shead.

Alexander merely waved at them instead, which was not nearly as funny. “Hi,” he said roughly. “I—I—am—”

“Prince Alexander Kingsley,” Rebecka Erring finished, the eyes watching from behind her glasses flying wide, her hand coming up to grip Blade’s arm for support. “Dear gods.”

“What?” Blade bellowed. “He’s— How do you know?”

“There were portraits of each of the royal families on the magical continent within the Fortis library.” Ms. Erring still appeared to be catching her breath. Another pause. “This man is an exact likeness.”

Tatianna nodded, staring at him the way she had in the laundry room, before he’d taken off running. “It’s really you. Isn’t it?” Her brown eyes were hopeful, her hand reaching for him. She ran it carefully over his face before her trepidation crumbled and she threw her arms around him with a sob of joy. “I’m so happy I could burst! Look at you!” Tatianna backed away, grabbing his hands, beaming at Clare. “Isn’t it grand? Wait until Trystan sees you!”

“He cannot!” Clare objected, shattering the illusion of reunions and happiness. “Trystan has far too much to contend with right now with Evie. Alexander’s transformations are unstable at best. I have no clue what turned him human. Or what’s keeping him that way. I want to figure it out first. Fix what I broke.”

“The ‘what you broke’ being…Alexander?” Tatianna raised a brow, a hint of a smile tilting her lips upward.

Alexander said but one word.

“Rude.”

Well—that was much fucking faster than writing it down.

Blade still stared at him in shock, Ms. Erring doing much the same. “How did it happen? Did Winnie’s attempt to change him back actually work?”

Alexander’s head snapped up, his mouth forming the words before he could think better of it.“Win-ni-fred.”

“Winniewas also an option, buddy.” Blade winced, patting Alexander on the back. “Might be easier on the pipes.”

“We have to take him to Trystan at once,” Tatianna urged, spinning Alexander around. “He’ll be… I can’t imagine how happy he’ll be to see you.”

The words sank into his skin, drifting down to touch his now overly large heart.

His best friend.

What have I done?

It was Alexander’s final thought before he doubled over in agony, falling to the floor, feeling a wave of nausea as everything constricted.

And shrank.

He blinked over and over, his world growing larger again until Alexander Kingsley…was once again a frog.

Well.

What the fuck.

Chapter 15

Evie

Anger was an unpleasant thing. It radiated beneath the skin, enflaming the body as well as the mind. But for the past few hours, Evie had reveled in her anger, sitting alone in her bedchamber with nothing but gray mist and her dagger for company.

The magic stirred above her, taking the shape of a storm cloud.

“Hilarious,” she murmured, rolling onto her side. The room was empty, the only light coming from the fire one of the interns had come in to start for her, but still, the shadowed mist twisted around until it was in front of her face. “Leave me alone!” she growled, turning to the other side, relenting in frustration when it appeared in front of her again.

Her scar pulsed against her shoulder, pulling painfully from whatever hopelessly numb feeling was festering inside, glowing an iridescent light strong enough for her to see.