Page 28 of Apprentice to the Villain

She placed both hands on the curve of her hips. “You throw it, um…really hard.”

Unamused, he replied coolly, “Perhaps I’ll test the theory.”

Office pixies floated past them, murmuring about the commute as one of them pulled at the ends of Sage’s hair. “Ow!” They darted away, cackling. “Don’t you all have copies to make? Expense reports to file?” she yelled and then sighed as they fluttered away. Looking directly at him, she completely disarmed him as she asked, “Are you angry, sir? I’d hoped you’d be impressed.”

In fact, he was feeling a plethora of different emotions in that moment. Frustration, confusion, and yes, seething anger—but only because he’d realized her pulled-back hair perfectly showcased the fading bruises of fingerprints around her neck. Impressed? He supposed he was impressed as well—even though he shouldn’t be, even though it was alarming that she wanted his praise in the first place.

“What occurred after they took me? What happened to Warsen?”

“I…I cut off his head,” she said bluntly, clapping a hand over her mouth like she couldn’t believe she’d said it. He couldn’t quite believe it, either.

“Yes, I gathered that. My question is more pertaining to when and why.”

She swallowed, and the nervous motion of it made every muscle in his body stiffen. “After you were taken, h-he tried to kill me.”

Trystan’s power came out in curling waves around his feet, looking for a place to land, looking for someone to hurt. Sageeyed it, then gave his death magic a little wave like it was a blasted newborn. It curled around her hand in greeting, and she squealed in delight.

“Oh, it’s so sweet!”

Sweet?The woman had no sense of self preservation. “Come back to me, you deviant!” Trystan growled, calling the magic back, and it came…very slowly.

Sage must have mistaken the murderous look in his eyes for disappointment, because she fumbled out, “I’m sorry if I overstepped by, you know…having it, uh, hung up with the other heads. I was trying to prove myself capable. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

Mind? I want to take the head down just so I can kick it and then pass it along to the rest of my employees so they can kick it, too.

Likely not what Ms. Erring had in mind when she’d suggested more office morale–building activities, but he could feel his own enthusiasm boosting at the prospect.

He shook his head, refocusing on the crinkle at the top of Sage’s nose. “I mind that the man hurt you and I wasn’t there to prevent it.”

Something dark glittered in her light eyes. “But he didn’t hurt me, sir.” Her lip twitched. “I hurt him.”

Goose bumps rose on his arms, and he was grateful his long sleeves covered them. He shouldn’t be proud of the wickedness emanating off her like a dark aura, should be trying to distance her from him lest he taint her good nature any further. And he would—he had to.

But right now, he’d allow her this victory. As he leaned down toward her, their faces mere inches apart, he murmured, “Good.”

Blade called out then, breaking the spell between them. “Time to go, everyone! Fluffy’s getting restless, and we can’t riskanother bunny rabbit frightening him.”

Tatianna was gently patting the animal’s side. “He eats goats. How can he be scared by a tiny fluffball?”

Trystan cleared his throat, gently taking Sage’s arm and guiding them back out in the open, toward the waiting group. “So let me see if I have this correct,” Trystan said, watching her pop a vanilla candy into her mouth. “You killed Otto Warsen, crafted and executed a plan to smuggle every woman in my Malevolent Guard into the king’s castle, faked your own death,andrescued me with a nearly flawless escape. Did I leave anything out?”

She nodded earnestly. “The knitting.”

He turned her around and hoisted her atop the large saddle, hoping she didn’t see the wide grin on his face. It wouldn’t last anyhow.

As soon as this pride faded, he would be back to worrying. Evie was being corrupted by him.

This was unacceptable.

Chapter 16

The Villain

They flew in silence for more than two hours, then landed just before the border of the northern kingdom, Roselia. The air was cooler this far north, refreshing like crisp water as opposed to the sometimes-damp heat of Rennedawn. Hickory Forest’s trees thinned, making the area a more difficult place to hide. Odd, considering this part of the land was one of the few in Rennedawn that was thought to be brushed by the gods. The creators of their world had laid their hands all over Rennedawn, painting a once-gray earth in vibrant shades of color, but there were points rumored to have larger drops of magic, places where gods spilled extra, places they had once even lived. This was one of those places.

Upon landing, Trystan was given four separate questioning looks—five if you counted the dragon. “We’ll take the rest of the journey on foot,” he explained, dismounting. “It’s just up that path, and I don’t want to risk being spotted by Roselia’s men. Our welcome would be less than warm.”

Clare slid off after him, fiddling with the flowered headband pushing the dark hair from her face. “Because it’s cold there.” When everyone stared, she clarified, “That was a joke.”