“How—”
Now, Aus. They’re coming.
My attention went to Violet. “How do you know?”
Hide your shadows. Now.
I did as she asked, hoping I’d get some kind of explanation as to what the fuck was happening. The witch knew who we were and called Violet Nightshade, like that was her villain name, like she was speaking of our future. And Violet knew people were coming for us? Instead of running, she was turning to the open door. Why would she?—
“Well, well, well. What do we have here? I knew you were a liar, V.”
I must be hallucinating because there was no way that voice just said those word. Except that I turned to find Amber standing in the door way, ten guards behind her—all guns pointed at Violet.
I grabbed her hand and pulled her behind me. I didn’t have time to think about the promise I made to never stand in front of her. I would beg for her forgiveness later. When we were safe, whenshewas safe.
“Aw, how adorable. The big, bad ice monster has a heart.” The traitorous bitch grinned at me. “You know, she insisted she didn’t know you. Over and over and over.I barely know him, I’ve only seen him a handful of times, I spend more time with Hemlock.But you killed that guy right outside of Crossroads for her, so I figured she had to be lying. I saw him drug her drink and thought to myselfthis will be the best test. Except, I didn’t see the kill, so Chris wanted more.
“It was a shame that I had to screw up that girl’s treatment, but he wanted to see for himself if you were a threat. He saw your little love confession in V’s office and knew he had to get rid of you. So he rushed the attack on the judge. I told him it was a bad idea, but he didn’t listen. Luckily, Eva felt all guilty about your misery, or she would have smelled the trap from a mile away.”
“You let her be drugged? You nearly killed Scarlett? You used my best friend against me? To see if I was a threat? To what?”
“His idiotic plan to marry her, obviously. Keep up. Are you slow or something?”
“Why pretend to be her friend this whole time?”
Amber tilted her head trying to look at Violet. “You didn’t tell him about my involvement? Even now, you can’t talk? God, so fucking pathetic.”
The walls frosted from my boiling anger as the bitch fucking laughed. I usually wasn’t one to zone out during an evil tangent—professional curtesy and all that—but I needed to figure out a way out of here. Now. I was staring down the barrels of fifteen guns, more joining the party every second we were stuck in here. The witch just sat there, studying me like she was trying to see into my soul. She wouldn’t be any help. I could turn everyone inmy sight into icicles but that would drain me too fast, not like last time in the forest where I had snow to help me. I could use my shadows to travel, but that would leave all these witnesses. My two-power secret would?—
What the fuck did that matter? If it got my wife to safety, I would scream my name from the fucking roof tops. As long as she was?—
“I should have killed you ages ago. But Chris wanted you, so I tried pushing you in his direction. I didn’t think it would be so fucking hard. You’d always been a slut, but you won’t open your legs forhim?Fucking useless, if you ask?—”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Dr. Bitch blinked at me before her face twisted in disgust.
“Don’t—”
I cleared the room in three steps, wrapped my hand around her throat, and lifted her off the ground.
“I said shut the fuck up,” I growled.
“Shoot…him…” she gasped out, clawing at my hand.
Before a single trigger was pulled, the torches on the walls in the hallway flared. The guards closest to the back caught on fire, causing everyone to panic, scrambling to get away.
“Don’t fucking touch my husband.”
I dropped Bitch Face and turned to Violet. She stood behind me, engulfed in flames, eyes blazing orange and locked on her ex-friend.
My Nightshade. Beautiful, dangerous, deadly.
Wildfire.
48
THE VILLAIN
