Page 8 of V for Vengeance

Blonde-jerk’s eyes shot from left to right, clearly confused by her comment. I wasn’t, though. It was the entire reason the killer Fae was here with me. It was why instead of killing him, Jo bound him to the floor. If not for the perfect opportunity this offered for me, this horrible bastard would be sliced up and deader than dead by now.

This was training.

I exhaled a shaky breath, afraid of the tremendous power dwelling within. But then I centered myself on the feeling in my core. Her hand touched mine, and my eyes jerked open. She nodded once in encouragement. It calmed my pulse, which had already reacted to the fear that always lived inside of me when I called on my chaotic, all-consuming power.

Ever since I nearly killed everyone with my hellfire, I was having a lot of trouble trusting what I could do. Jo could protect herself, but I didn’t want to be the reason she had to. It scaredme to think that I might never get a handle on it, or I might be the reason someone was seriously injured in the future, and that fear stayed with me every time I used it.

“Don’t overthink it. Feel it. Let it guide you,” she whispered, her hand squeezing around mine.

I moistened my lips, eyes falling shut again. “Okay.”

“You’ve got this, V.”

Her words were the reassurance I didn’t know I needed.

“What the fuck is happening? You know they already know you’re here, right? Even without me, you don’t stand a fucking chance,” Blonde-jerk barked out, attempting to rattle us. It wouldn’t.

Knowing my crew, I wasn’t the only one who’d gotten my mark. No doubt, Jo would make quick work of the other two she was responsible for killing once we finished off this asshole.

The chick was seriously powerful, and after what I’d seen, these bastards couldn’t hold a candle to her. She’d end them quicker than any of the others could. Honestly, I was grateful she was on our side. She’d be one terrifying enemy to have. Worse than Eros from what I knew about the femme fatale.

This jerk wasn’t anyone important. We didn’t need him. All he was to me was a living, breathing dummy to practice my power on.

The sensation in my stomach erupted a second later, a violent hum drowning out every other sound. Jo and I separated as Blonde-jerk caught fire. In seconds, our enemy was burned to dust. A breath later, the flames vanished, leaving the shape of the unlucky bastard as a black stain on the cement floor.

Jo’s eyes caught mine, and her dazzling smile made me smile, too. “You did it, V!” was all she said before we were inches apart, her hands cradling my face. “How do you feel? Tired?” She checked me over as if she could see everything there on my body.

“Surprisingly…no,” I responded, not the least bit tired. “But I didn’t use that much.”

“That’s the point,” she said, laughing. “You controlled it, used it for what you needed it for, and then ended it when you were finished. The time-stall will be the biggest challenge because of how much you’ll have to control while in it, so we’ll do that one next. You should also be able to control your ability to manipulate a target and deactivate their abilities, though, in theory.”

“In theory?”

The gorgeous Fae who still had a hold on my face shrugged. Her amber-ignited eyes fell to my mouth for the briefest moment before they connected with mine again. “We have two more we can practice on, so don’t worry. I’m sure you have a lot on your mind right now.”

Was she taunting me? Holy hell.

“I—”

Her thumb swept across my lower lip, silencing me. I tried not to show it, but I was already suffering with one little caress. “You’re not the only one.”

Say what?

Another bulldozer and I was struggling to get answers. Sort of tough when your mouth didn’t work and your brain lost its function—just started screaming “Oh my god!” oddly in Kate’s voice every time I tried to form a thought. Not that Jo ever gave me a chance to form one.

Her fingers were already laced with mine, and she towed me away from the room where we’d ended a Blood Mage’s life.

Chapter 5

Asshat Twins & Unwanted Kisses

After leaving Blonde-jerk—now “the floor stain that had once been Blonde-jerk”—we made our way back out to the main room of the club. Jo lifted my arm and led it over her shoulder, then took me straight to the dance floor.

I matched her energy and followed her lead. I swung my hips from side to side with the music, then nonchalantly swept my eyes across every corner of the room, checking for our targets. The beat and strobe lights distracted my gaze, but I’d trained for this. Grams was thorough when it came to distractions we’d encounter on the job, and I was grateful my mentor was a goddamn hard-ass who prepared me for everything.

Well, everything with vampires, that is.

A sensuous beat pounded through the air, and when Jo wrapped her arms around my waist and dragged me closer, I was back to the war I’d been waging with myself since we kissed. Her sway matched mine, falling perfectly in sync. The tension I’d only just smothered came back with a vengeance, and I swallowed a small sound bent on leaving my throat.

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