Page 124 of Adversary to the Villain

She wasn’t looking at Griffin Sage, but she could hear his chair creak as he stood, could hear his outrage as he spat, “Show some respect, you insolent little—”

“No.” Trystan was standing now, too, and when Evie saw his face, she glimpsed The Villain once again, the darkness of the magic beneath her skin cheering for it. Oh no, that washer, actually. Cheering out loud.

She closed her mouth to stop from whistling.

“I may not be able to hurt you right this second, but you’ll leave this ship eventually. Continue speaking to her that way, and I will happily spend the rest of my days hunting you. Sit. Down.”

Griffin curled his lip as he looked at Trystan with distaste, but he slowly descended back to his seat. “You are no longer The Villain, sir. I have no need to fear you. Your magic is gone.”

Trystan took a swig of his own wine, not mentioning his Core Healer magic returning to him. Or what that power entailed.

It was fair, mostly because Evie knew he had no idea the extent of its reach, either.

“Magic was never my preferred way of killing someone,” he murmured instead with lethal quiet. And then, not looking away from her father, he reached for the bottle and poured more wine into Evie’s cup.

How was a girl meant to keep a level head under these conditions?

Tatianna was on the other side of Evie, glaring at Griffin, tapping her fingers against her folded arms. Alexander was next to Tati, still a human, thank goodness. He leaned over to face the rest of them and mouthed one word.

Ew.

And then two thumbs down. Evie smiled; Kingsley had not lost his talent for saying much with a single word. And it was somehow funnier with a facial expression added to it, as his mouth turned down in a large frown.

“How good it is to see you again, Alexander. It’s been such a long time.” Amara raised an eyebrow as she buttered her bread.

Clare mimicked the movement. “Well, youwerebusy, Mother, turning him into a frog.”

Amara stood and hissed, “Apologize to me this instant.”

Tatianna opened her mouth, but Clare grabbed her hand, motioning for her to stop. The tensions were growing so fraught, no one was touching the food now being served to them by the crew.

Evie knew that even in a state of righteous turmoil, she still had finely honed skills to call on. Villain or royalty or assistant, it mattered not.

She would always know how to make a bad situation…worse.

Taking a bite of her salad, she chewed slowly, then remarked, “The chicken is dry.”

Charles stared daggers, his fork rattling on his plate when he pointed at her. “Your manners are abysmal, Ms. Sage.”

She leaned over her plate, holding up the vegetable on her fork, twirling it. “So is the asparagus.”

Trystan squeezed her leg under the table, but when she looked at him, impossible amusement was shimmering in his eyes.

“Enough unpleasantness,” Griffin ordered, shifting forward in his seat.

Evie deadpanned, “Oh, are you leaving?”

Alexander laughed into his fist, and Clare passed him a napkin, pulling back her own grin.

Her father frowned. “I hardly recognize you, Evangelina.”

“That is typically the case when you’re speaking with a stranger.” Evie took a hearty swig of her wine, letting the warmth spread down her throat and into her stomach, dulling the heartache stirring at facing the man again.

“What an interesting collection of people we have here to celebrate the life of Arthur Maverine,” Captain Jones chimed in from the table’s head.

Interesting, yes. Like an unexplained rash.

“I’m sure he’d be pleased to have at least one of his children here.” Griffin sawed at the meat on his plate, a snideness to his tone.