“Yes. I remember the woods, and the centipede, and the library, and the evil lair.Yourevil lair.”
“It’s not mine.”
“Wilde!” the imps shouted as they flew into the room.
Not this again.“The master’s gone, I’m in charge, tell the applicants to come back tomorrow.”
The imps paused, looking between Delilah and I, then saluted. “Yes, ma’am, Mistress Wilde!” And as one they fluttered out of the room.
I scowled and pulled my wig and glasses off. The disguise was useless if Delilah could recognize me by scent alone.
Delilah pushed herself up on her elbows and arched a meaningful eyebrow at me.
“It’s a disguise,” I grumbled, suddenly embarrassed to be standing in front of her in makeup and a skirt.
“Oh, I don’t care about that. I have a mother who is sometimes my father but usually is just my parent. I’m looking at you meaningfully because those are clearly your minions, and this is clearly your lair.”
I sighed and sat on the floor a few feet away from her. “I don’t want it to be.”
“Well, sometimes we don’t get what we want. Likeme. I was perfectly happy to have two husbands, but you took that from me, you thieving mage!”
I flinched, expecting her to lunge at me again, but she just pointed an accusing finger. Without her collar, the nails were blunt, with ragged edges as if she’d bitten them off in frustration. “Did you expect me to watch Treasure marry Angelica?”
Delilah shuddered. “Alright, that was a bad match. They’d probably kill each other within a month. But he’s my cousin, soIcertainly wasn’t going to marry him.”
“Exactly. No one has to marry anyone. I thought I’d killed that idea the first time, but apparently you came up with a creative solution,” I muttered.
She perked up and crawled toward me on all fours. “What do you mean, the first time?”
“I—” I scooted backwards, then remembered I was a mage and teleported to the other side of the room.
Her head swiveled around as she tried to find me. When she finally did, she scowled. “That’s cheating.”
“Evil,” I reminded her, pointing at myself.
“Yes, about that.” She remained on all fours, ready to pounce. “You’re evil. You’re also Trey’s boyfriend, unless you were lying about that as well. Since you interfered with his marriage, I suppose you weren’t.”
I pursed my lips but didn’t comment. Our relationship was more complicated than that. He’d called me his boyfriend as a desperateexplanation for why I was ‘helping’ them, but we’d also made love. Then he’d abandoned me to save the champions. To save the woman in front of me.
“Tell me about the first time,” she said.
“It has nothing to do with you—”
“Do you want me to help you or not?”
I glared at her.
She smirked back and I could almost see the canary feathers sticking from the cat’s lips.
“Princess Gwendolyn and Genevieve were originally supposed to participate,” I begrudgingly explained.
She blinked several times before admitting, “I have no idea who they are.”
“Fitz’s older sisters.”
“Oh.” And then longer the second time, “Ohh. I remember now! They were engaged right before the first meeting.” She gasped, a mix of delight and outrage. “Wilde, did youseducethem?”
My face involuntary scrunched in disgust. “Gods no. They already had a handful of idiots in love with them.” Who would have been doomed to admire the princesses from afar if everything went according to the Good Wizard’s plan. “I simply suggested their suitors act before anything was finalized.”
