Page 12 of V for Vengeance

Gah, I’m obsessed with her, and I don’t even know what to do about it anymore.

After the initial confusion, I remembered the job we were here to do. We’d come looking for that slimy bastard Four and his merry band of Blood Mages. I’d leave overanalyzing every detail about this night and what teenage boy fantasy occurred in that corridor until we were safely back at the hotel, planning where to go next.

Safe—I don’t think that word exists for me anymore.

Bringing down the Weasley Asshat Twins was as easy as it had been cutting through two wolves who betrayed me. Just with less hesitation and guilt.

Jo motioned for me to do the honors, and I pushed the immobile two into an area where their discovery wouldn’t lead to an all-out scream fest in the club.

People tended to respond pretty strongly when two dudes were suddenly dead and bleeding out right in front of them. It also didn’t bode well for us if we wanted to attack Fredrick unawares. If the general public was losing their fucking shit, it’dprobably give us away, so getting the two douche-canoe beef-boys to a secluded area to bleed out in peace was a necessary first move.

I made sure neither one was visible to the outside world, silently thanking my super strength because the two were unnecessarily large and awkward to carry in their present state of frozen.

Jo deemed me pitiful enough trying to figure out logistically how I might do it all in one go—sort of like the overdetermined person who carried all their groceries inside no matter what the cost to their dignity to do it. She threw me a bone by taking one of the frozen beef-bros so I only had to hoist and lug the other one. Once we got behind a staff-only door, it was my explicit duty to get both douche-canoes posed and ready for their decapitation.

Channeling Jo’s prankster attitude, I worked quickly to pose each frozen bro for the occasion—their imminent demise. I heard the other woman stifle a laugh when I took a second to make them hug each other, bent ghoulishly with their butts out, mouths agape for dramatic flair. It was the cutest the two oversized trolls had looked since we first laid eyes on them.

If anything, I’d done them a favor.

Since meeting the terrifying but funny Fae, I’d really leaned into my dark humor. She brought it out in me the same way Kate dragged out my thirsty side. In the last few weeks, I found myself enjoying the revenge part of my fucked-up existence a little more. Some might call that a red flag, but I’d never felt so free to be a little bad. Not since Phillip encouraged me to embrace a different future, one where I got revenge on the people who made me.

Looking at the two cutely posed twins, I was suddenly not sure if decapitation was enough for a pair of Blood Mage assholes. “So like…cut their heads off and call it a day?”

Jo’s lips twitched, hinting at a smile, and she crossed her arms before leaning against the wall. “Blood Mages can call on the forces of darkness to mend their injuries, but decapitation is basically an end-all for most creatures, so I’d say you’re safe to assume so. They aren’t exactly in apositionto call on the dark forces, are they?”

Trying not to smile at her pun, I shrugged my shoulders and eyed the two frozen bros with skepticism. “I don’t get the appeal to muscles like these. Is there an appeal? Like, for real? I mean, they’re even bigger than Phil, who I’d argue is a touch too big for my liking. But this size is seriously gross.”

Stealing a glance over my shoulder at the silent woman, I noticed her amber eyes were on me rather than the pair of assholes I was about to kill. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t find men attractive at all. My tastes run more to…”

The seductive onceover she gave my backside made my stomach flutter obnoxiously. Shit, I wasn’t ready to revisit the kiss, but her look was already making me want to. My eyes chased her tongue as it swiped across her bottom lip, and a very inappropriate pulse hit between my legs.

Am I seriously this thirsty right now? Here? When I’m about to cut the heads off some oversized beef-boys?

The sexual tension I’d nearly forgotten about returned with a vengeance befitting Pothos himself—the god of sexual longing, yearning, and desire. Another little informational treat thanks to Kate.

I turned my head so quickly it hit my neck weird, and I rued the fact that even as an all-powerful being, I could still suffer the sharp, debilitating pain of pulling a muscle. It wasn’t fair. I shouldn’t have to deal with normal-people pain. I got stabbed by something sharp on nearly an everyday basis. I’d even been the lucky survivor of both poison and a collapsed lung. That was enough.

Grumbling, I walked closer and took out my weapon. I didn’t want to try my luck and waste my power by spending too much time talking to Jo like we were on a midnight stroll and not in the middle of frozen time. Besides, I wasn’t ready to figure out whatever this weirdly sexual thing between us was. So, ignorant bliss and shameless distraction with violence it was.

Without further ado, because I was worried I’d say something stupid—well, stupider than I already had—I cut through one bro, then the other. Like it had been with Tiff and Topher, the moment felt too easy. Their heads didn’t go anywhere, so I punted both into a corner, unfortunately used to seeing all the gnarly decapitated flesh.

Still not a fan.

I turned around to find Jo directly behind me. “You did well, V. I’m sure I don’t need to say this, but you’ve impressed me. And you’ll only get stronger from here.”

Time moved again. A second later, a woozy sensation so strong it actually scared me hit my head. Something about it was different this time.

I floated between consciousness and unconsciousness but managed to blink it away. I held on, stubbornly refusing to pass out. Still, I was weak and my limbs were leaden. After fighting for several minutes to remain strongly upright, my legs gave out and I stumbled into the wall. Jo slung my arm around her shoulders and led—or some might even saydragged—me over to a door that was marked as an exit to the parking lot.

“Hey asshole,” she called out over the ear piece, leaving it to the rest of the group to figure out which asshole she meant, “V’s too weak to do the next little bit. Unless you need me to take out a rogue Blood Mage for you pansy-ass Hunters and useless Fae tagalong…” The ghoulish cry of Cash through the ear piece was worth every effort I made to stay awake. “Then I’m just going tosit this one out and make sure she gets back to the hotel before anyone takes advantage of her current state.”

I blinked and tried to shake off the lure of unconsciousness, but it was different from all the other times I’d used my power. Maybe something to do with bringing Jo into frozen time or how many things I’d done in one night? I couldn’t pinpoint it, but I’d used too much, and now I was a liability.

Fuck, and I wanted to be there to see the bastard squeal.

“We’ve got it here,” came Phillip’s brusque reply. “V, I’ll come to you later. Be waiting.” The low rumble of his voice was all bedroom.

The hair on my body stood on end, and the part of me that submitted to him was already crying out to do whatever he wanted, no matter how shameful.

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