Page 152 of Accomplice to the Villain

It was a lie.

“Mind if we check the wagon, milord?”

Oh well. There goes the whole thing. Alexander would slowly lose himself, hop away fully frog. Maybe at this point, it was a blessing. At least he got one more look at his home before he lost his mind completely.

“Of course! But while I have you, would one of you be willing to check my back wagon wheel? It got a little wobbly at the last fork in the road.”

“Anything for you, core healer!” Several knights stumbled over themselves to assist.

The back of the wagon lifted, and Arthur swung his arm for the entrance to the castle with large, silent, sweeping motions.

No one waited.

While the knights busied themselves at the back of the wagon, the stowaways all rushed out of the front, heading for the closest door, opening it, and bolting down a set of stairs, shutting them in the dark.

They were in the basement.

But they were home.

Prince Alexander Kingsley was finally home.

Chapter 77

Evie

“How are we going to find the enchantress if we can’t see?” Tatianna questioned before yelping. “What was that!”

“My foot,” Winnie whispered.

“Well, move your foot, you mind-reading imp,” Tatianna grumbled, stumbling now into Evie, who did her best not to be amused by the circumstances.

“Kids?” a voice called down, and a silhouette holding a torch appeared at the top of a long staircase.

“There are no kids down here, but there are fully grown bloody adults,” Trystan bit out.

Evie looked side to side. “Where?”

He lifted a brow, his gaze turning to a smolder that made her cheeks pink.

“The coast is clear. Come,” Arthur hissed, and the group hustled for the exit, spilling into the grand hallway. Arthur put a finger over his mouth, motioning for them to follow him down the corridor. Side by side, they moved along the ornate walls. Gilded mirrors reflected worn versions of the group who had started this journey only three short days ago. Evie took the tail end, until Trystan moved behind her, scanning the back to be sure no one followed, his arm in front of her in a protective gesture, as he’d done in the barn, as he’d—

No.Don’t think about being naked with the boss, Evie!

“What happened to your neck, Trystan?” Arthur asked, snapping her from her torrid thoughts and mortifying her with the question so much she almost melted into the floor.

Trystan’s fingers brushed against the bluish bruise at the spot on his neck where she’d bitten him. “It rained,” was all he said, and that entire lack of explanation raised eyebrows down the line. Evie was too busy moaning into her hands to get involved, praying for one of the spears stuck to the wall to have an ill-timed fall.

Kingsley hopped off Evie’s shoulder, and his chain dragging on the floor made a horrible screeching sound. “Alexander! The guards will hear!” Clare screeched, scooping him up into her arms. “What now?”

“Arthur?” Trystan asked his father, and the core healer’s red beard swayed a bit with the almost bashful dip of his head.

“We hurry, son.” The Villain’s father clapped a hand onto his shoulder. Arthur went from a slow trot along the wall to a sprint. They made it down the other corridor quickly, passing an empty courtyard covered in ponds and plants. “The main entrance to the dungeons is just down this next hall, but it’s magically warded with an enchantment like the lock on your mother’s cell, Winnifred. We’ll need you to open it with the wand.”

Winnifred nodded, paling as the sound of knights’ armor clanging began echoing down the corridor. They sprinted across a room with an open, roofless green space in the center that boasted an elaborate fountain.

“Alexander, no!” Clare hissed, just as Kingsley broke free of her hold and the chain dropped into Clare’s hands.

Evie dove to catch him, just missing his legs, and took a header into the fountain. Her mouth filled with water when she sucked in a sharp breath of pain. Pushing up on her forearms, she was dragged from the water, hacking.