Page 92 of Apprentice to the Villain

Just then, Tatianna and Clare burst into the courtyard, looking bedraggled and furious. “Lyssa Sage! You are in big trouble!”Ah, at last—allies.

Lyssa dove toward Fluffy, who hovered his head over her, prepared to safeguard her from all harm. Evie got a peek at Kingsley atop the dragon’s head—he was holding up a sign that read,Innocent.

Not likely.“What did you do tothem?” Evie asked her sister.

Tatianna seethed, her normal composure frayed, clothes wrinkled, hair tousled. “She locked us in a cupboard!”

“Lyssa!” Evie turned to her.

“I was trying to help them fall back in love! I’m sorry!” Lyssa winced. “I wanted to do it with Ms. Erring and Blade, too, but sometimes it’s hard to tell if she actually likes him, so I wasn’tsure if I should.”

Clare glared. “Oh, and with us it’s so obvious?”

The Villain arched a brow. “Clare, do you have pink lipstick on?”

Clare coughed, rubbing the fuchsia color from her mouth—the same one Tatianna was wearing. “No.”

Oh, when this was over, Evie wasdefinitelylooking into that further.

Lyssa had taken the distraction as an opportunity to slowly creep away, but Evie tugged her back by the collar of her dress. “Oh, no you don’t. Who else did you ‘help’?”

Her sister’s face got red; she looked like she’d swallowed something that burned her throat. “I may have…helped you a bit, too.”

Then it clicked. Her missing journal appearing on her boss’s desk. She’d thought it a prank by one of the interns, but no, it was her little sister on a matchmaking spree. “Of all the ridiculous things! Lyssa, I understand that your intentions were good, but it is not nice to meddle in other people’s lives.”

Lyssa’s mouth turned down. “But this group does it all the time.”

This struck everyone silent. Until Rebecka Erring stumbled into the courtyard next. “There was a fire? Did they find Lyssa? I can’t—” The HR manager stopped in her tracks when she saw them huddled, shoulders dropping when she found Lyssa in the middle, safe and sound. Instead of appearing relieved, Becky somehow knew to look suspicious instead. “You started the fire, didn’t you, Lyssa?”

Lyssa approached Becky with a sheepish grin. “Technically speaking, it was Fluffy.”

Blade bolted out next; this was beginning to feel like a poorly done skit. “Yes it was!” Blade picked up Lyssa and spun her around. She giggled, small hands around Blade’s neck in a sweethug. “Lyssa Sage, you little genius. How did you do it?”

Lyssa shrugged, replying gleefully, “We just worked on his confidence. Kingsley helped, too!”

Kingsley hopped toward Lyssa, hiding behind her when the boss began to glare.

Becky seemed put off by the whole thing. “Wonderful. And where were you two”—her accusatory gaze landed on Evie and The Villain—“when she was helping ‘build the dragon’s confidence’ and setting fire to the architecture?”

Evie answered first, knowing they had to keep their friends and coworkers in the know. “We were discussing Renna Fortis.”

Becky stiffened, color draining from her face. “What? Why?”

This was an odd reaction from her. Evie stepped closer, feeling concerned, as she said carefully, “Renna Fortis was the woman in the painting with my mother. They were best friends. We believe she’s with her now at the Fortis Family Fortress, but we have no means of finding it.”

Becky swallowed, but the boss cut in to say quietly, “You do not have to if you do not wish, Ms. Erring.”

Oh, what am I missing now?

Blade’s eyes sharpened on Becky. “What’s going on?”

Becky smoothed back her bun and pushed her glasses up her nose before addressing them all. “I can get us to the fortress.”

Tatianna didn’t look surprised, but Clare’s jaw slackened. “How? It’s inaccessible to the public.”

Becky’s eyes found Evie’s, and what she observed there was so reminiscent of what Evie saw in the mirror every day that she almost took Becky’s hand: Fear. Reluctance. Worry. But also…strength. Conviction.

All warred in Becky’s expression as she said, “It’s not inaccessible to me…because Renna Fortis is my mother.”