Page 56 of Adversary to the Villain

“It lives at your jugular and vital arteries. One strike, and that person’s life is over.”

“Should I really be practicing on you?” she asked, the magic stopping just before it touched him.

“I trust you.” He said it so confidently, like it was a simple fact of his life and not a complete rattle to her sense of self.

Because there was the problem.

She didn’t trust herself.

The mist crept back to her, and she squeezed her eyes shut, feeling bathed in shame. “I’m too afraid I’ll hurt you. Please don’t make me.”

“I would never make you doanything,” he said with sardonic humor. “I’d have to be several days postmortem to attempt something so foolish.”

Alexander Kingsley knocked on the open door just then, staring down at his knuckles like they were miracle instruments. “Hi.” He spoke with a slightly clearer tone than yesterday, waving with a sweet smile upon his face. “Lionel.” He pointed out the door, rubbing at his throat.

“Has Lionel arrived, Kingsley?” she asked.

With eyes shut, he nodded with happy relief. “Indeed.” Evie wasn’t certain what she had expected his voice to be like, but it was still a shock to hear such a deep lilt, pleasant, like honey spooling into tea.

“Wonderful,” Trystan said. “Lionel and Malcolm all in one day. What did I do to deserve such company?”

Evie blinked. “You have killed, like…a lot of people.”

“Oh. That.” It was incredible that so soon after her mother departed, she didn’t feel like the world was going to collapse on her. Her world stood on its own now, with or without Nura. With or without her father.

It was occurring to Evie, through all her turmoil, that she’d been parenting herself since she was small. Little orders here and there, things she wished someone had told her. But she’d learned them, and she’d passed them on to Lyssa, who was braver than all of them put together.

Evie had learned to get by all on her own.

The magic stirred within her on the way to the office.

Chapter 26

Becky

“I don’t see why I’m getting the silent treatment when you all went along with the idea. Including you, squirt.” Blade bumped Lyssa with his elbow, maintaining the reins as Fluffy soared above the clouds, out of view from the Valiant Guard or any King Benedict loyalists.

“Because I told you not to,” Becky gritted out, unable to look at him without her blood pressure spiking. “I knew Evie wouldn’t approve, and you went behind her back! You used what I told you against her. How could you do that?” she seethed, and Blade stared. “There! Better than silence?”

“Would you think me sick in the head if I said yes?” Blade asked seriously.

She groaned, head tilted up toward the sun, begging for aid from the gods so she would not throw this man she somehow loved over the side.

“In all fairness, Rebecka, it was me who pushed for it,” Tatianna chimed in.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m also mad at you.” She huffed, folding her arms.

“Wonderful!” Tatianna replied brightly, leaning her head on Clare’s shoulder.

“Are you mad atme?” Lyssa asked curiously. “And Blossom?” She held up the small clear enclosure with Lord Walter inside, and Rebecka groaned.

“Yes. I cared so much less about things before you showed up. Now look at me.” Frantic and worried about a ten-year-old girl. “And, Lyssa, you cannot keep calling a lord of the realm ‘Blossom.’”

What madness was her world descending into?

“But he’s not a lord of the realm anymore. He’s a snail.” Lyssa patted her arm, explaining this slowly, then quickly pulled away when a low growl worked its way out of Becky’s throat. “Oh dear.”

They landed as quietly as Fluffy could manage, and the beautiful animal nuzzled his large head into Becky’s neck when she dismounted. “I’m not mad at you; don’t worry.” She patted his scaly snout with the tenderhearted feelings she’d always had for dragons.