Page 17 of Apprentice to the Villain

More screams cut through the space. Fighting and destruction surrounded them. The room was on fire, literally.

She made to step away from him, not noticing the large shard of glass until her foot was nearly upon it. With a gasp, she was swept up atop The Villain’s shiny boots. His large hand splayed against her midsection, and the mere sight of it caused a jolt of excitement that made her cheeks flame. His other hand fell to the curve of her hip.

She angled her head back toward him, and he took her wide, panicked eyes as a sign of confusion, which was preferable to explaining that his hand felt as if it was burning through her clothes.

He spoke gruffly. “I did not think you wished to be impaled.”

She couldn’t help it—she snorted, clamping her lips shut to keep the inappropriate response in. But he saw, shaking his head and sounding annoyed.

“You are unbelievable.”

But his hand tightened on her waist.

And for a moment, it was only them.

Until Blade appeared in front of them, cheery and joyful amid the chaos. The sleeves of his fine shirt were torn, revealing his large, muscled arms. Evie pulled away from The Villain, and then Blade was gripping her by both shoulders and planting a kiss on her cheek. “Thank the gods you’re all right, Evie! We thought—” Blade suddenly cried out in pain, leaning down to grip his shin, then turned accusatory eyes on The Villain. “Nice to see you, too, boss. Might I ask why you just kicked me?”

He continued to stare, expressionless. “My foot slipped.”

Becky appeared behind Evie’s shoulder, causing her to jump so hard, she almost gripped the woman for balance.

“Hello,” Becky said flatly before glaring at Blade. “We’re off schedule, Mr. Gushiken.”

Blade saluted her, already disappearing into the crowd. “Can’t have that, lovely Rebecka! I’m on it!”

The Villain furrowed a brow. “On what?”

“We need to leave, sir—there are more Valiant Guards coming.” Becky did a double take when she looked at Evie. “I am…glad you are not truly dead.”

Evie put her hand to her chest, absurdly touched. “Oh, Rebecka, I didn’t realize you were so sentimental.”

“I take it back,” she said with a huff before following Blade into the crowd.

The screams were dying, the room was sufficiently destroyed, and the boss had a weary, shadowed look that made her heart twinge. There was no telling what nightmares he’d endured. There were no words sufficient to express how she was feeling right then, so she simply clasped their fingers lightly together. The jolt of electricity at the contact was like a shock to her heart. He looked at her, startled.

She softened as she said, “Let’s go home.”

His throat bobbed, his eyes darkening as his hand relaxed inhers. “Sage, I—”

“Leaving without saying goodbye, my boy? And without your companion? I thought I taught you better than that.” The voice chilled her as The Villain dropped her hand, the gentle look on his face replaced by a scowl.

Companion? What companion?

King Benedict stood there, a far cry from the glorious picture he’d made at the beginning of the night. His crown was gone, along with his fur-lined cape. A furious vein pulsed at the top of his forehead, which matched the fevered look in his beady eyes. But what made them both pause was the small green animal Benedict had gripped in his fist.

Kingsley.

Chapter 10

The Villain

The stupid godsdamn frog.

Trystan resisted lunging for Benedict and snatching the amphibian from his harsh grip. The magic living beneath his skin begged to be unleashed, to hurt, topunish, but it would only take the king a second to squeeze the life from Kingsley’s body. He couldn’t risk it.

“Sage, why is Kingsley here?” Trystan asked, attempting leveled calm.

“He likes cream puffs.”