โI think theyโre done,โ Gushiken whispered above the dripping quiet of the downstairs cellar, just a floor above the torture chambers. This time of day, his prisoners were exceptionally loud in their dramatically painful-sounding moans.
Trystan was unsure of how the guvres slept so soundly through the noise. It was as if they were lulled by the agony of others. In all fairness, he often was as well.
โAs long as theyโre content, their magic should stay mild enough to keep them contained,โ Trystan said. His thoughts were not nearly as focused as his words. They were a tangled riot, reviewing all the events that had transpired in the last few weeks and the chaos they had wrought.
But at least both guvres were back in his possession. Bladeโs leather ropes had proven shockingly usefulโฆeven if the man himself wasnโt.
How heโd ever thought this man was a certified animal trainer was beyond him. He really needed to fact-check rรฉsumรฉs before hiring going forward.
โIs that why you had me remove the wall in there?โ Blade asked, tapping his chin and nodding toward the cage.
โWhy else?โ Trystan asked sharply.
โI donโt know.โ The dragon trainer adjusted his vest. โI thought perhaps you took pity on them.โ
โI donโt feel pity. Ever,โ he said, trying to sound authoritative, but he knew how juvenile it came out.
The male guvre curled closer to the female, and they sighed quietly together.
โI justโโ Trystan paused.
Last night, he had heard the male give off a low-pitched cry and watched as he raised his clawed foot and lightly scratched it against the wall separating him from his mate. As if he knew any attempt to get to her would be futile but he couldnโt find it in himself not to try.
The Villain was still in denial that he possessed a heart, but if he didโฆit might have cracked. Just a little.
โHow is Ms. Erring?โ Trystan asked, changing the subject and walking toward the stairs that ascended back into the office space.
โSheโs fine. Back to breathing fire with the best of them.โ
โThat was a joke?โ Trystan was doing his best to appreciate humor in others rather than rail against it.
โYes, sir.โ Blade smirked, walking up the stairs beside him. โVery good.โ
โThank you?โ Blade asked hesitantly.
Trystan walked into the office, which had been completely cleared.
Sageโs desk was empty, her cloak and bag gone.
The sun had set beyond the trees, and the last rays of light shone through the window, painting the room with a warm glow. It didnโt feel quite right when she wasnโt sitting there.
Tatianna appeared around the corner, his sister following closely behind her, and suddenly, it all flooded back.
Him outside the door, hearing Sage scream. It was the sound of nightmares, of all his fears coming together to brutalize him.
And therein lay the problem. He was The Villain. He couldnโt afford to fear anything. Least of all be afraidย forย someone. His feelings for Evie would surely fade with time, as most things did. His heart began to quicken, as if telling him what a lie that was.
โShe went home,โ Tatianna said. โShe needed to rest.โ
Yet again, his fear flared like a fast boil. โWas she all right? What didโโ โShe was fine. Little progress was made, but she didnโt seem
discouraged. I sent her home with the dagger.โ โWhat?โ he roared.
โIn its box!โ Clare added, rolling her eyes. โYou are worse than when we were children, with this mother-hen thing.โ
โI am notโฆa mother hen,โ he gritted out.
Bladeโs ears looked perked, but he became very distracted when Ms. Erring appeared, moving across the floor to her desk, her severe bun yanking her features tight.
โEvie was fine.โ Clare put a hand on Trystanโs arm. The warmth from their childhood came through in the gesture, right past his skin and bones and shooting straight for his soul.
Tarnished as it was.
Gods, he was turning into a sap.
โYou should tell her what the gold mark is, Trystan,โ Clare murmured quietly.
Tarnished indeed.
โItโs not right to have her agree to something like that without understanding what it is.โ
โIt doesnโt affect her at all,โ he argued, fearing that the first good thing heโd done in years was an atrocious overstep.
Heโd sincerely intended to give her the employment bargain, which, if she broke the bonds of his trust, would seep into her body like a poison. Heโd only known her a day at the time, so there was no reason to veer down any other pathโฆbut then there were her eyes.
They were so honest, so open. They made him feelโฆafraid.ย So many things could happen to her, so many people she could trust who could turn around and destroy her. Heโd hated at the time that it mattered, couldnโt figure out why this woman with a loud voice and a plethora of energy could evoke such strong protectiveness.
So instead of the green ink used in employment bargains, heโd used the gold, because unbeknownst to the public, its main purpose was protection. It warded against the strongest of evils, and when sheโd face them, heโd know. Heโd had the same gold ring placed around the circumference of his biceps, so that when she faced any true threat of death, it would tell him one way or another. Gold ink was a fickle sort of magic; it catered to its own rhythm, letting him know in different ways when she needed him. The unpredictability was inconvenient, but it was better than nothing.
His gold ring had burned him both times she was exposed to the dagger, when they were menaced by the guvre, and when she was on the parapet with the bomb ticking away, though the effect there was delayedโthe magic in the ward was more unreliable after heโd just used so much of his own. Protection magic wasnโt very fond of his. A popular opinion. Each instance of Evieโs peril caused a burning sensation in his arm so great that he felt her pain with her.
Heโd justified the practicality, telling himself that knowing when his assistant was in trouble was essential.
And heโd live in that denial if he could.
โNo, it doesnโt negatively affect her, but it is permanently on her body.โ Clare raised a brow, waiting for Trystan to understand her point.
But he already did, and he knew he was a bastard.
โThat aside.โ Tatianna leaned closer. โAre you any closer to determining who here is selling you out?โ
โItโs nobody in the manor,โ he said flatly, feeling more lost and frustrated than ever.
His guards, who had the best kind of loyaltyโforcedโhadnโt uncovered a single ounce of guilt among his one hundred and two employees. There wasnโt much else to do but turn to his other conclusion: that someone was getting in and out of the manor right under his nose. And it didnโt escape him that the person whoโd been doing this always struck hard when he wasnโt there to sense them, to find them, to eviscerate them.
There were just too many variables, and they were no closer to answers.
โIโll simply murder King Benedict, and then I wonโt have to worry about it anymore.โ Trystan seemed to be chronically accompanied by a headache lately, and the one person who helped to relieve that symptom had gone home for the day.
โSounds good to me,โ Tatianna said cynically, rolling her eyes when Clare glared at her.
โKilling someone is never the answer.โ Clare frowned.
โI admire your moral heart, little sister,โ he said. โBut killing is often my favorite answer.โ
Clare remained quiet for a moment, assessing him with such familiar eyes. โI was surprised to see how much you care for yourโฆemployees.โ She used a plural word, but they both knew she was referring to a single person. โAt first I thought Malcolm was exaggerating.โ
โHe wasnโt.โ Trystan didnโt have it in him to lie. โIn fact, Iโm sure he understated it.โ
Clare nodded. โWell, I hope thatโโ She halted.
โSir!โ MarvinโTrystanโs favorite, if he had favorites, which of course he didnโt; he was evilโhisย notย favorite guard barreled through the doors, sweat from sprinting up the stairs running down his forehead. โA missive came! Keeley told me to give it to you urgently!โ Marvin reached out to hand it off but doubled over his knees to suck in a breath.
โI know.โ Blade walked over and slapped Marvin on the back. โThose stairs are their own form of torture.โ
โFunny,โ The Villain said dryly, reaching a hand out for the message, then quickly sliding the envelope open and scanning the page. The words etched there froze every muscle in his body.
โWhat?โ Clare pressed. โWhat did they find?โ
โClareโฆโ He trailed off, confusion numbing him. โThe knight who bought the blue ink, who bought the timepiece from Malcolmโฆโ
โYes?โ Clare said, sounding nervous. The rest of the room stood at attention, Marvin included.
โHeโs dead.โ
โWhat?โ Clare staggered, pulling a hand through her short, dark locks, perhaps even pulling out a chunk. โSo someone got to him first?โ
โNo, you donโt understand,โ The Villain said. โThe knight, Lark Moray, perished a day after purchasing your ink. He couldnโt have been the one to get the clock from Malcolm. He was already gone at that point.โ
Trystan felt like he was outside his body, like he had separated from himself while his mind filed through what this meant. โWeโve been following the wrong trail this whole time.โ
โIt wasnโt him, then, who set the bomb,โ Clare said incredulously. โBut thenโโ Clare threw her hands over her mouth in shock. โEast Marigold.โ
โWho?โ The Villain pressed.
โHe always asked so many questions about me, about my family. He was so kind, though, I never thought.โ Clareโs eyes watered.
โI donโt understand,โ Blade cut in. โSo itโs a different man? Whatโs the big deal?โ
โThereโs more, isnโt there?โ The Villain pressed further, feeling like a disaster was looming right over them.
โY-Yes.โ Clare stiffened her lip, looking haunted. โThe man who comes to see me, he uses a fake name. I mean, we all knew East Marigold had to be an alias. Itโs ridiculous. But he came drunk just the other night and accidentally gave me the real one. After he left, I checked the town registry to be sure he wasnโt some sort of criminal, and it was there.โ
The room was so quiet, a strand of hair could fall from his head and theyโd all hear it brush against the stone. โAndโฆโ Trystan didnโt recognize his voice; it was higher pitched than he thought possible.
โIโฆI.โ Clare looked at him, visibly holding herself to keep from shaking. โI didnโt think it mattered, I swear!โ
โSpit it out, Clare!โ Tatianna said, exasperated.
โHis name was Griffin Sage,โ she said finally.
Sage.
No.
But there was Kingsley at his feet, holding a sign: FATHER.
And suddenly it whooshed through him like a wave. The horror.
Tatianna finished his thought for him. โThatโsโฆ By the gods, thatโs Evieโs father.โ
โOh myโโ Rebeckaโs head whipped up from her desk. โHer notebook.โ She stood and stalked over to Evieโs desk. โWhere is it?โ She ducked down, digging through her drawers.
โShe always takes her notebook home,โ Tatianna said, confused.
Becky pulled an ink vial out with a determined strike, nearly shattering it. โEvie and I were having one of ourโฆfriendly chats. I may have said something about her ordering subpar office supplies, and she bragged about her father gifting her this special ink.โ
The vial was a vibrant purple, almost artificially so.
โWhen was that, Rebecka?โ The Villain stalked over, grabbing the vial out of her hands and passing it to Clare.
โAbout a week after she started working here, sir.โ
โWhen the ink was purchased,โ Clare confirmed, hand once again wrapped around her mouth, eyes wide with surprise. She turned the bottle over and nodded, tears watering her eyes. โThis ink has been dyed. Someone mixed a few drops of red ink in here to make it look purple, but itโs blue and contains all the magical properties.โ
Becky nodded, looking right at Trystan. Her hazel eyes were serious and resigned. โWhatever Evie wrote in her book, her father was able to see it. Our plans, our safe houses, even how to get in and out of the manor undetected. She was always writing everything down.โ
โHer father tricked her,โ Trystan said, his voice devoid of all life, though in his heart, a tiny flicker of hope that Evieย hadย been unaware of her fatherโs machinations started to grow. โHe knew she worked here all along, and he used her.โ
Since The Villain had met Evie, he had felt himself changing in new ways, perhaps even better ones. But now he didnโt feel better. He felt destructive.
โLetโs calm down,โ Clare said, putting a hand on his tensed arm. โHeโs her father, Trystan. Perhaps thereโs another explanation.โ
โHe put a bombย in my desk.โ He attempted to keep his words level, but the last three came out in a roar. โHe nearly killed herโย He would have killed her.โ
And now she was there, alone with him.
โFuck,โ The Villain growled, breaking for the stairs just as thunder roared to life outside. He halted in his tracks for a moment, listening to the rain whip against the window. โOne of you go make sure this isnโt because a guvre once again found themselves outside of their cage. Tatianna, youโre with me.โ
He continued quickly for the exit as Tatianna called after him, โAnd what are you going to do?โ
The Villain gripped the door, taking a deep, aching breath. โI donโt know yet.โ He tore it open and stomped out, whispering harshly under his breath, โBut I know who I want to kill.โ