Page 47 of V for Vindictive

The world throbbed violently, and then my power hit the four Hunters hard enough that several went scuttling back.

Donna’s eyes widened. “So, it’s true…” Her next whisper confused me, enough to get an eyebrow. “You have the magic of the ancient Chaos Fae.”

Chaos Fae?

My thought was cut short as the first Hunter tried to summon his magic. At least, that was what I gathered when the dude made a fist and lifted it like he was aiming for the Douche-Bag of the Year Award, fight-movie version. But when nothing happened, the four stared openly at me. Like with the Siren, I somehow knew they couldn’t use their magic like before, so I took advantage of their confusion.

I dashed forward and sliced the one nearest me to literal pieces before ending with a swift decapitation. It was the way Phillip would want it, and even though he and I rarely agreed on anything, this was the one time we did. Slice and dice them so much they couldn’t recover.

And that was the motto I now lived by.

Poor Donna was caught unawares by the bloody spray, her eyes perpetually wide, while the rest of the Hunters moved into action, trying to take me down as a group. But as if in response, my power throbbed again and suddenly they were on fire. Not just fire, they were burned to ash in seconds by fiery red flames that destroyed everything they touched. It took me a moment to figure out what was happening, but when I did, I grabbed Donna and dragged her away from danger.

The room quickly filled with thick smoke, and the fire detectors screamed in my ears. But my training kicked in, and I hurried the woman out of the room and down the hallway to safety. She tripped several times, looking back over her shoulder. But when she realized where I was headed, she started to fight my hold on her.

“The others—”

“I’ll get them. You’re going up first, Donna. I won’t have your death on my conscience, and I’m not about to let you die over some misguided sense of justice for my mom. I’ll send you up, then I’ll grab the others,” I quickly explained, finally pushing her into the elevator. “Wait for them and hide somewhere.”

Donna’s curly silver hair fell over an aging almond-colored face, glittering blue eyes staring on in confusion. “It’s dangerous…”

Finding my smirk, I eyed her through the closing elevator doors. “I’m much more dangerous, Donna. I’ll be up in a jiffy.”

Once I knew she was safely fleeing to the surface, I turned around. Shutting my eyes, I breathed in deeply. Only four more Hunters to go, and then I’d get the captive scientists out of here. No one who wasn’t already meant to die would on my watch.

Not today.

I fled down the same hallway I’d come through and turned the direction where the fire was already crawling up the walls. The rate at which it incinerated and how fast it destroyed whatever it touched didn’t match regular fire, and I figured out quickly it was likely hellfire like that one fox bastard. But this fire came from me.

If it came from me, then it shouldn’t hurt me, right?

Testing the theory, I reached out and ran my hand over the flames. When it didn’t hurt or burn my flesh to ash, it was crystal clear that whatever power this was, I’d survive it. Unfortunately, the scientists wouldn’t, so urgency was crucial.

This power didn’t seem to discern between friend and foe like all the other times I’d used it. This power was hungry and destructive, and it scared me to think I’d summoned it without ever truly meaning to. But I’d take my time freaking out about it later. Lives were at stake, and I couldn’t waste any more thought on the total fuckery my power was these days.

A Hunter covered with a gas mask and wearing nothing but black rounded the corner, their bulky, obscenely large frame somehow avoiding the flames eating away at the walls. Guessing from their size, it was most likely male. And when he lifted his hands into the air like he was putting on some kind of lame-ass magic show, it didn’t take much effort to figure out what sort of Hunter this one was.

But I was faster.

I closed the space between us, swinging my sword up, and then came down on him like vengeance personified. I cut through bone and muscle, the sword slicing through like it was no task at all.

Blood Slayer didn’t feel like a normal weapon now that I’d used it. Even Hunter blades didn’t cut straight down through a body like this. It was surreal to watch the Hunter split into two pieces and fall to the ground in a mess of blood, innards, bone, and muscle.

I scowled, not prepared for the visual of a man cut in two.

I hadn’t gone up against someone like myself in this capacity before, and it wasn’t a pretty sight to look at. It made my stomach twist forebodingly, but I focused on getting the innocent lives out of this death trap my magic created.

Might later plead Sloan or Kris to procure a dreamless tonic just to avoid the nightmares I’d have after this little escape adventure.

Jumping over the mess, I fled around the corner. The crackling of my hellfire followed me just as fast as I could run, my boots thudding loudly over tile. The flames ate through the walls and smoke filled the air, smothering out most of the corridor light. But finally, a door came into view and I yanked it open. The sound of bending metal and broken hinges suggested the thing had been locked. Thankfully, not much of an obstacle for my superhuman strength.

I’m awesome.

A few men and one woman were crouched in a corner, wearing white cloaks and clearly afraid for their lives. Seeing how I was forced to break the heavy door just to get into this death box, they’d probably been locked into the room when the sirens went off. Which was all the more reason to haul ass to get everyone out.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” I rushed to explain before a Hunter from outside the hallway tried to stab me with their dagger.

I evaded it, swinging my arm down and breaking their outstretched one. Then I sent the asshole flying into a burning wall with a hard kick to the stomach. In seconds, they were burned to ash; weren’t even given time to cry out before they were dust.

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