Heartless Villains (Ruthless Villains Book 3)

Cheerful music drifted over the courtyard as a group of people in colorful clothes played flutes and tambourines and a couple of other instruments. Candles in glass jars hung from strings between the buildings, casting a cozy glow over the outdoor tavern area as well as the open space beyond it, while citrus plants added spots of dark green and bright yellow against the white stone buildings. From my seat at a worn wooden table, I watched a man bow in front of a woman in a blue dress and hold out his hand. She laughed and took it before they started an impromptu dance in the middle of the small courtyard.

“Is there something you want to say?” I asked as I slid my gaze to Lance.

He tore eyes full of wonder away from the musicians and blinked at me in surprise. “What?”

“You heard me.”

Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms and raised his chin so that he could look down his nose at me. “So, I’m suddenly allowed to speak now?”

I gave him a sharp smile. “If you watch that tone.”

“Of course,” he scoffed. But then he shrugged and pushed a hand through his now black hair. “I was just thinking that I’ve always wanted to visit Castlebourne. Though, I never expected that I’d do it together with da—” He cut himself off before he could finish saying dark mages, and instead changed it to, “You.”

Callan swirled the ale in his mug and let out a huff of amusement. “Yeah, we don’t really want you here either. But you just couldn’t mind your own damn business, so here we are.”

“I was minding my own business. You’re the ones who decided to…” Blowing out a frustrated breath, he shook his head. “Actually, let’s not get into that. But just look at this.”

“Look at what?” Paige asked from where she sat next to me.

Lance spread his arms wide to indicate the whole area around us. “This.”

The musicians continued playing their flutes and tambourines in the corner of the small stone courtyard, and more people had joined the first couple in a lively dance. At the tables around us, other patrons of the outdoor tavern chatted and laughed with their friends while they ate. A scent of herbs and citrus hung over the whole area.

Henry scowled at the dancers. “What about it?”

“This is what a real city should be like,” Lance said. There was genuine hope in his eyes when he met each of our gazes. “Even you have to see that, right? People shouldn’t have to hide behind walls for fear of attack. They should be able to eat and drink and dance out in the open like this.”

“You’re not hiding behind your walls for fear of attack,” I countered.

“Yes, we are.”

“Really? Then tell me, when was the last time a dark mage launched an actual attack on Eldar?”

“Two years ago. A fire mage who was a couple of years above me at the academy burned down an entire city block.”

Amusement pulled at my lips. That had been Sienna. Suppressing my smile, I instead said, “That wasn’t an attack. She was trying to escape before your precious Chancellor could steal her magic.”

“And it was actually two city blocks,” Callan added.

I shifted my gaze to Callan, who was sitting opposite me, and found that a small smirk ghosted across his lips. When he met my eyes briefly, I could feel a smile returning to my own lips. It sent a spike of panic through me and I forced it away from my mouth while snapping my gaze back to Lance.

The Binder had apparently not noticed our exchange because he just harrumphed and crossed his arms once more. “It was an attack. And there have been many more like that. Not to mention all the people you kidnap from their homes and take to your mansions as slaves.”

I let out a groan and rolled my eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you? We don’t take slaves.”

“Of course you do. Where else would you find all the people who serve you?”

“You really don’t know?” Paige interrupted. She had scrunched up her pale brows in genuine confusion. “Do you seriously think that everyone in Eldar is happy with the magic distribution?”

“Yes.” When he saw our exasperated expressions, he shrugged. “I mean, of course there a few people who don’t like that they have to share. But selfish people will always exist.”

A bang echoed across the courtyard. I whirled towards it and instinctively brought my hands together.

Surprise rose inside me when I realized that Henry was the one responsible for the noise.

He had slammed his fist down into the wooden table and was glaring at Lance with gray eyes that pulsed with rage. “Selfish? You think it’s because they’re just selfish that they don’t want to give up their magic?”

“Well, yes. Why else would it be?”

Henry squeezed his other hand into a fist, but before he could say or do anything else, Paige reached across the table and put a hand on his arm. It startled him enough that he blinked and shot his gaze to her instead.

“We’re starting to draw attention,” Paige said through a well-crafted smile. “And people are staring.”

As I flicked my gaze around the tavern, I realized that she was right. The tables closest to us were stealing curious glances at us while a couple who had previously been dancing had stopped to see what the loud noise had been.

Wood scraped against stone as Paige pushed up from her chair and slid her hand along Henry’s forearm until she reached his wrist. He stared at her in utter bewilderment as she pulled him to his feet.

“Oh I agree, we’re definitely better dancers than the two of you,” she said in a loud voice before laughing and winking at Henry. “Come on, honey, let’s show them how it’s done.”

The people at the tables around us chuckled while a few others called out encouragement.

And just like that, the tension and suspicion we had attracted evaporated into the warm evening air.

“Uhm,” Henry began in a confused voice while Paige led him towards the open space where the others were dancing. “I don’t dance.”

Paige flashed him a grin. “You do now.”

A small laugh escaped my lips as I watched them.

When they reached the edge of the makeshift dancefloor, Paige spun around and then promptly placed Henry’s hands where they should be on her body. It made a deep red blush creep into Henry’s cheeks. After shooting him another grin, Paige moved the two of them into some kind of strange dance that didn’t really follow the beat of the music. I laughed again and shook my head at them.

“That was a nice save,” Callan commented.

“Yeah, she’s good like that,” I answered without turning to look at him. “We were good together.”

The moment the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. That had sounded very vulnerable, and I couldn’t let Callan think that I was weak and sentimental.

However, when I snapped my gaze to him, I didn’t find any mockery on his features. In fact, he wasn’t even looking at me. Which was odd, because I could have sworn that I had felt his eyes on me when I spoke earlier. But now, he was just watching Paige and Henry as they danced across the pale stones.

And all he said was, “Yeah, I bet.”

Out in the courtyard, Henry stumbled as he accidentally moved in the wrong direction. Since he was so tall and muscular, he yanked Paige with him as well when he staggered and then flung his arm out. It made her crash into his chest.

The red on his cheeks reached almost all the way to his ears as he placed two large hands on her shoulders and moved her upright again. From over here, I couldn’t hear what he said, but Paige just laughed and waved a hand in front of her face. Then she grabbed his hand and pulled them into another dance.

For a while, I just watched the two of them as they danced under the golden glow of the lanterns. A warm evening wind swirled between the buildings and made the citrus plants rustle faintly. It caressed my cheeks, bringing with it the scent of herbs again.

“I still think you’re wrong,” Lance said, shattering the cozy atmosphere like a broken mirror.

Dragging my gaze to him, I shot him a cold stare. “Your speaking privileges have been revoked.”

Lance looked like he was about to argue, but when I raised my eyebrows in challenge, he crossed his arms and threw himself back in the chair instead like a moody teenager.

From across the table, Callan chuckled as he turned to look at me.

“What?” I snapped, suddenly feeling in a bad mood.

“Nothing.” He drank some more ale before jerking his chin towards the inn connected to the outdoor tavern. “But we should probably head up to our rooms soon. Before something else happens.”

“Yeah.”

“I got us four rooms, so we all get our own. And then Henry will have Lance in his room.” His dark brown eyes shifted to the Binder. “But I suspect it’ll be the floor for you. Unless you’re brave enough to share a bed with Henry?”

Lance glared back at him, but said nothing.

When it became apparent that the Binder was going to abide by my order not to speak, Callan let out another chuckle and then drained his mug before turning to me. “Alright, let’s get to it then.”

My gaze drifted back to where Paige and Henry still danced to the flutes and tambourines. She was laughing as they moved through the steps out of tune, and her eyes glittered in the golden glow from the lanterns. As I watched her, I couldn’t help but wonder what her life had been like these past six years.

When I had met her in Eldar a few weeks ago, she had told me that she was happy with her choices and that she didn’t want to be a dark mage. And then I had shown up and ruined her life. She had been caught and branded a traitor because she had helped me, and now she couldn’t go home again. It wouldn’t surprise me if she resented me.

But as I watched her dance with Henry between the rustling citrus plants, I could have sworn that she looked happy. At least in that moment.

A small smile spread across my lips as I glanced over at Callan and replied at last.

“Let’s just give them one more dance.”