Accomplice to the Villain (Assistant and the Villain Book 3)

Evie

Evie read the prophecy aloud to the group as they gathered for their second meeting in a two-day span. She’d had nightmares about such things, but since she’d also been physically attacked and slapped with a frog in that same two-day span, a stacked meeting schedule really was the least of her problems.

At least this one came with fried dough rings.

Although they came with the risk of choking, particularly Gideon. Particularly loud.

“I’m sorry.” He coughed, crumbs expelling from his mouth, and Becky wrinkled her nose at him in distaste. “The heart of the true prince?” Gideon’s eyes fell to Kingsley, who sat in the middle of the table.

“What is confusing you, Gideon?” The Villain asked, dropping another tray of dough rings on the table.

“The part where you think it’s the frog?”

Tatianna snorted, and Clare jolted next to her, like the sound of her ex-betrothed’s laughter sent a shot of electricity along her skin.

“Kingsley is not just a frog,” Evie said gently.

Blade tilted his head, his shoulder-length hair pulled back with a strip of leather. Bright-yellow leather that matched his vest. “Yes, Gideon. Kingsley is far superior to the average amphibian. Haven’t you seen his signs?”noveldrama

“No, that’s not—” Evie began, but they continued like they hadn’t heard her.

“Aha! Which brings me to my next point.” Gideon looked serious when he added, “How does he have so bloody many? And where does he keep the damn things?”

Trystan cut in. “We have a carefully crafted system when in office, but when traveling—”

Evie put two fingers in her mouth and let out a whistle so loud she nearly shattered another window. “I do understand that men derive enjoyment from interrupting women mid-sentence, so I’d hate to be a spoilsport, but could you all unkindly shut your traps so I may continue?”

Becky snapped her fingers in agreement without even looking up from her notes.

Trystan’s face went so red Evie began to worry.

“You may, uh, breathe, though,” she said, and she swore she saw Trystan’s chest begin to move again.

“So generous of you, little sister. Please continue, with our apologies.” Gideon beamed with pride, which Evie shouldn’t enjoy but of course did anyway.

She smoothed a hand down her cherry-colored skirts, straightening herself up as she spoke again. “Alexander Kingsley, prince of the southern kingdom, is the frog before you.”

Blade’s jaw dropped, Becky looked up from her notes with astonished eyes, Gideon held out a hand like he needed a brief pause to process, and Keeley’s normally golden skin went wan.

Tatianna raised a skeptical brow, adjusting one of the bows at the top of her dress as she looked around the room. “You all can’t be that shocked. We call him Kingsley.”

Everyone stared at her blankly.

Clare tried next. “He wears a crown?”

The room was so silent, if Evie closed her eyes she’d swear she was standing there alone. “He holds up little signs and can write words!”

Blade scratched his head. “I just thought he was really well trained.”

Becky looked down her pert nose at the trainer when she said, “Not a trait you share, clearly.”

Blade’s eyes turned smoldering when he looked back at her. “Rebecka, please don’t flirt with me in front of the others; this is a work meeting.”

Becky scoffed, but a little smile tugged up her lips, and Evie felt an unfair spear of envy. These two could joke and hint and hope without fear the other would find some monumental reason to stay away.

Evie was so very tired of being denied what she wanted. And unfortunately, she still wanted to kiss her boss the way she had the night before—just as much as she wanted to throw a pot of soup at his head.

“I think the point is that once we get the guvre and her baby back, we will have all the pieces to enact the prophecy and save the magic in Rennedawn,” Keeley said. “Right?”

“Starlight magic—that’s my mother. The Villain with a blackened good heart… We all know who that is,” she said with a small smile in Trystan’s direction. “Fate’s venom is the guvre. And the human prince saving his fated love.” Evie stated it plainly, since the entire room seemed to be slowly piecing it all together.

Becky stood, narrowing her eyes at the frog. “Are you saying…we have to figure out how to turn Kingsley back into a man?”

Trystan nodded, saying with a hard, emotionless voice, “I’ve tried unsuccessfully for years. The only known way to break a curse this strong is for the enchantress who performed it to be the one to break it. Enchantresses’ magic is unique to them; they can’t undo curses cast by someone else.”

This was new information to Evie. She hadn’t asked about her boss’s efforts to turn Kingsley back into a man, but she somehow had known he’d tried, and tried, and tried. It was the way he looked at Kingsley, like the frog was haunting him.

“And where can we find this enchantress?” Gideon asked.

Trystan shook his head. “We can’t.”

Tatianna chimed in, looking grim. “She’s imprisoned on charges of murder by the king and queen of the southern kingdom…for killing the crown prince.”

“Not for turning him into a frog?” Gideon asked with a quirk of his brow.

“No. But the southern kingdom has a fortified magical barrier. Going straight to the enchantress isn’t a viable option. There is an alternative,” Trystan admitted, “but it involves taking a risk and also involves…Sage.” His dark eyes found Evie’s, and the irritating organ in her chest started pinging around like a rubber ball. The mere hint of being needed made her ready to leap to action like a—well, like a frog.

Stop being needy, Evie!

Gideon followed Trystan’s gaze and frowned. “I don’t like the word ‘risk’ and my sister in the same sentence.”

Evie smirked and crossed her arms, scrunching her nose when she replied, “I do.”

Trystan’s gaze didn’t move from hers, and the hairs on the back of her neck rose in response. She swallowed hard, watching his eyes go molten on her. “So, what now, sir?”

He looked haunted when he replied, “We need to see the Curse Consultant.”

There was a collective gasp around the room, which didn’t seem to bode well for what was ahead. Or for whatever the deadlands a Curse Consultant was.

“It’s our only hope of finding a way to break the curse, and we don’t have the luxury of time,” Trystan added. “We’ve wasted too much already, and we still have the guvre giving birth to worry about.”

Tatianna interjected. “You’ve tried the Curse Consultant before, Trystan. If you recall, he wouldn’t see you?”

Trystan shut his eyes tight, closing himself off from Evie once more, and it felt like a fist had slammed into her stomach, punching the wind out of her. “It’s different,” he gritted out. “I have what he asked for now. I didn’t before.”

Tatianna’s lips parted, and her eyes went to Evie. And then everyone else’s did, too.

Evie sputtered for a second, pointing a finger at her chest. “Wait, me? You have me?”

Trystan nodded, still not looking at her, and though she knew she should let go of hope, the optimism deeply entwined in her soul refused to die. Despite the world’s unspoken mission to beat it out of her.

Trystan was clearly alluding to something Evie had to offer the Curse Consultant; it had nothing to do with him. But she read into it anyway when he said, low and gruff:

“Yes, Sage. I have you.”