Page 63 of V for Vengeance

Play nice? Cash? That got me.

Laughing with my forehead dropped on his chest, I shook my head. “The horror.”

“You haven’t the faintest clue what sort of torture awaits me being even remotely pleasant to anyone who could bugger-off for all I care. Especially that brute and she-devil. Savages. I’ll be in agony every day, doomed from this very moment because nothing has ever been more important than being by your side,”he complained with a shameless squeeze of his arms. I think I even caught the bastard sniffing my hair.

“My condolences,” I sassed, not the slightest bit sorry.

His saucy little huff made me laugh again. But then my Hunter brain kicked in. Shit. Right. The whole fucking reason a witch was now dead.

“Wait. Should we go back and check out the cave? Do you think she’s left anything?” My arms were still weirdly trapped at my sides while I talked to the Dark Fae holding me like he never intended to let me go.

My head was a mess thanks to all these assholes playing with it. I’d started to head back without thinking. I’d forgotten the most important part of the mission—information gathering. And like an ass, I let my emotions control my actions. I’d already made it halfway back to camp by the time I thought of it.

“I doubt it. Harmony kept very little with her. Everything important was cleverly stored in different places. But lucky for us, we still have Magnus to coax information from. With the wicked witch gone and his freedom guaranteed, something tells me he’ll be a little more than amenable about giving us what we need.”

Pushing away, I scanned the area before gesturing to the overly tall nuisance to follow. “Then we better get back to camp before they come looking for us. It’s going to be a fight to convince Phillip you’re worth keeping around and not a danger to me.”

But before we got far, I sensed him. And he wasn’t alone.

“Fuck,” I cursed.

Chapter 31

Holding Onto Pieces

Phillip had a contraption in his hand and didn’t hesitate to toss it at Cash the second he cleared the trees. I intercepted the small metal ball and quickly deactivated it before it could hit me with a magical shock that would paralyze whatever it touched. His furious vampire eyes were out for the first time since he last attacked the Dark Fae, ready to kill him over the Serine debacle.

I got between them, pushing Phillip into a nearby tree and trapping the oversized Hunter to it. Jo propped herself up against another one, enjoying the show. Then someone else caught my eye. Sloan appeared out of nowhere, headed straight for Cash. Time came to a stuttering halt, and both men were immobilized. I couldn’t explain how I’d done it, but everyone could move their heads.

Jo peered around in confusion, frozen in a perpetual state of casual and couldn’t be bothered. “You’ve learned how to freeze parts of us?” she asked in wonderment. “That’s…incredible. I’m fucking impressed right now. This will definitely come in handy.”

Phillip snarled, ignoring the assassin’s nonchalance about my return. “What the fuck, V?”

Sloan didn’t say anything, but I knew with a single look his direction how upset he was. No, upset wasn’t the right word. He was disappointed, which was somehow worse.

Fuck my life.

But I couldn’t blame him. He’d come back, worried about me, and I’d done this to all of them the minute they tried to attack Cash. I needed to explain myself or I’d make the situation worse. Not only did I not want to hurt them, but I sensed my power was already breaking in some areas.

“Harmony’s dead. Cash killed her. I agreed to go because it was the plan that made the most sense at the time, and I didn’t want to lose our chance. She would’ve gotten away if we waited. I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be, but this isn’t on him. This is on me.”

The world shuddered violently, falling out of the time freeze. I didn’t have good control over my power. I was frantic and not focusing properly. Jo would argue this was a perfect time to practice, but my heart which was ready to crash its way out of my chest would beg to differ. What could I say to make them understand? What would it take? How did I fix this?

I lost grip over my power for another beat, and Phillip moved, his hands on my arms, pulling. Reading Phillip’s cues, Sloan tried to come over to me with his insane speed, but time slowed to a stop before he made it far. Sweat beaded my brow, the hold on so many powerful creatures in one time-stall harder than it’d ever been before.

Jo’s words rang in my head:“You can’t be afraid of what you’ll lose when you use your power, or it’ll cripple you. Never lose sight of your goal.”

I refocused on why I had to do this. I needed them to listen, and this was the only way to make sure no one got hurt while I did.

“Are you fucking kidding me, maus?” Phillip spat, frozen from the shoulders down again.

The term of endearment was not affectionate; it was full of vicious betrayal. He couldn’t fathom my actions, and I couldn’t blame him. I was so desperate to convince them to let Cash off the hook for this one that I was willing to do anything to make it happen. This was about more than just Cash, though. This was about the future.

I wouldn’t let this moment destroy all that we’d done. But most of all, I didn’t want this moment to destroy what we all had together. It might be youthful ignorance parading as hope, but everyone had to be on the same side to do what we planned. We couldn’t let the fighting between us do what would ultimately benefit the Organization and no one else. This was a test, and we couldn’t afford to fail it.

“You’d side with that dummkopf when you haven’t a fucking clue what he’s done? He’s a killer, V. He’s more dangerous than you could ever know. But clearly, he’s already gotten to you. You’re not thinking straight, and I can’t watch you destroy yourself for that drecksack. I don’t care who you go with, but not him, maus. Sloan—”

Before I could say anything, Cash decided to cut in, frozen like the others, “I’ve told her everything. All of it. Things I’ve never revealed to any of you. I’m hers to command. You think I have any power over her? You think you do?Ha!I thought you were meant to be clever, Hunter. No, we’re nothing but hopeful wankers following her around.”

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