Page 50 of Adversary to the Villain

Trystan frowned. “No.”

Evie coughed into her hand, drawing the rest of the room’s attention to her and Lyssa’s arrival. “What’s in chapter six?” Lyssa asked, twirling in behind her older sister.

“Nothing!” Evie, Tatianna, and Edwin all chimed in at once.

“It’s definitely not nothing,” Lyssa grumbled under her breath.

“My lady! You’re looking well!” Malcolm swept up from the table, coming before Evie in a sweeping bow, eyeing her up and down. “And my…little lady! Hello there.”

Tatianna saw the danger ahead and cozied up in her seat. This was going to be entertaining if nothing else.

“Malcolm?” Trystan spoke quietly.

“Yes, brother?”

“Return to the table before I put your head through it.” Trystan proclaimed this very casually, eyes burning into Evie’s reddening face.

Lyssa didn’t appear to care about any of this. Just what she’d been called.

“I’m not a lady; I’m avillain.”

Malcolm laughed, clapping Evie on the shoulder. “A family business in the Sage household, according to that beautiful wanted flyer I saw on my way over.”

Evie paled.

And Tatianna sighed.

Trystan’s fist flew at Malcolm’s face, knocking him to the ground.

“Trystan!” Evie objected, grabbing the top of his arm and pulling him away.

“Can you teach me how to do that?” Lyssa whispered at Trystan’s hip.

Trystan took a break from his anger to look down at her softly, nodding, before returning to glare at his brother. Lyssa ignored the man flat on the ground to jump up and down in excitement.

A tenderness crept its way into her heart when Tatianna saw it. The likeness between the sisters, the invisible cord tying them together.

This really was going to be a horrific conversation.

Malcolm remained the good sport he always was during rows with Trystan, thank the gods. It was good. Considering he tended to instigate them all.

“Apologies,” he said, pulling his cheek from the floor. “I thought perhaps the promotion was a good thing. You were due for a rival villain; you were getting too big for your britches.”

You absolute buffoon.Tatianna rubbed at her eyes. How they’d kept Malcolm alive in Trystan’s presence for so long was either a miracle or a stroke of luck they’d run out of.

“She’s not my rival,” Trystan gritted out. “Sage, ignore him.”

“Icouldbe your rival,” Evie objected, narrowing her eyes. It appeared she was taking Trystan’s dismissal of her as an insult.

Tatianna adored that about her.

Trystan did a double take in her direction, and a barked rasp from Alexander followed the action. He’d been watching the exchange with a rather large grin, the sight dear and familiar but changed. He looked older than when Tatianna had seen him last.

Ten years passed for him in human time. And he got to experience none of it,she thought with a pang.

“I did so miss your warm greetings, brother,” Malcolm said as Edwin helped him to his feet. “And Alexander! I thought I was here to mourn my father, but I see there’s something marvelous to celebrate as well.”

Alexander responded to the heartfelt declaration by…ignoring it. Too distracted by a strand of hair falling over his forehead, the sensation appearing so startling to him that he flailed his arms, ready to fight his invisible attacker.