Page 77 of Adversary to the Villain

The key to the large wooden door was turned, and in she went, unsheathing her dagger with each step forward.

It was inconveniently arousing.

“Good morning, Calvin.” Sage greeted the son of Otto Warsen with kindness. It made her even more unsettling.

And even more arousing.

Damn it.

“What do you want, wench?” Calvin was considerably weaker than when they’d last seen him.

Probably because Trystan had broken his kneecaps.

“Idon’t want anything,” Trystan replied evenly. “But my partner might have a few questions.”

“I wasn’t calling you a wench, you loon,” Calvin spat.

Trystan felt that cold rage rise to the surface. “How strange, because Iknowyou weren’t callingherone.”

Calvin shuddered, shaking his head. “What do you want to know?”

“When I found you in the kitchens and you attacked me—you were trying to take apart the window. I thought it was because you didn’t want us to find the prophecy when we put it against sunlight… But that wasn’t why, was it?”

Calvin laughed, throwing his head back with the force of it. “He was so sure you’d never figure it out. Poor sod.”

“Who? Benedict?” Sage asked, the dark magic spilling out of her fingers and pooling around the floor.

Calvin stared, his face unreadable. “Sure.”

“Thank you for cooperating. Perhaps we can do something with those chains soon.” She gave him a soft smile, but Trystan found this highly unreasonable.

“The minute I’m out of these chains, Ms. Sage, I’m going to squeeze the breath from your lungs,” Calvin sneered.

Sage’s smile grew. “I did not say you would be alive. Did I?”

The man froze, and so did Trystan.

Deadlands, she was exceptionally good at this.

“How did the second book of Rennedawn become part of the window, and how do we undo it?” She asked the straightforward question, playing with the tip of her dagger, walking back and forth.

“I don’t know.”

“Of course you do, Mr. Warsen. How else were you going to remove it?”

“With my arse.” He leered.

“And here I thought you only spoke out of it.” Sage rolled her eyes before sighing, an authenticity to her piteous expression. “Calvin, I’m going to level with you. One, because we don’t have a whole lot of time and two, because I really do not like you.”

Calvin’s lips parted, his eyes looking to Trystan like,Does this belong to you?

He merely folded his arms. And smirked.

“What were you going to use to take out the book? And I’d strongly advise you not to give me an insult for an answer. Unless you’d like this interview to end…early.”

Calvin glanced up, something breaking in the way he shook his head and then his rattling hands. “I want a healer for my kneecaps.”

“Done,” Evie said before Trystan could object.