Page 22 of V for Vengeance

Her lower lip was pushed out in mock pouting—something she did a lot and I couldn’t help but find absolutely adorable. But her skin was a gorgeous soft red and her pulse thrummed in my ears. The little Hunter wouldn’t put up a fight. She wanted me as much as I wanted her.

Chuckling huskily to myself, I stepped closer and crowded her against the tree, not at all sorry for what I was about to do. Because what I told her next made it worth her nan’s wrath. “Oh, don’t worry, love. You’ll look proper tired when we return. Might struggle a little on those powerful legs of yours.”

Her eyes rolled, pretending that her face wasn’t a fierce red after my sexy insinuation. “You’re sounding more and more like Phillip every day.”

“Oi,” I growled, hiding a smile. “Are you taking the piss? That’s just plain brutal, V. Take it back.”

I laid the accent on thick because I’d seen what it did to my little darling. I rarely leaned into it with anyone other than Phillip or Kris, and only ever when I wanted to taunt them. But with V, it made her giggle and smile so cutely I couldn’t help wanting to see more of it—to use whatever was in my arsenal to get the cheeky thing snickering in that enchanting way of hers.

V rubbed her lips together and crossed her arms over her chest, trying desperately not to laugh. She knew the minute she did it’d be my win. Her eyes stole a look before she pushed my chest with her tiny hand, finally laughing. “What, you want me to lie to you?”

I captured her hand, feigning hurt. “And here I thought you and I had something special, love. Something written in the stars.”

“Oh, shut up. Christ, you and Phillip were made for each other. I totally get why you’re friends now. You almost had me fooled,” she sassed, grinning in spite of her complaints.

I wanted to savor the moment where she was all smiles and sassy quips, but if I prolonged the inevitable, I’d have less time to apologize and whisper promises so she’d forgive me. I wasn’t sure if it excited or devastated me more should the statement glean a smidgen of sadness from the terrifying beauty, but it needed to be done.

Because tomorrow I’d be gone.

Brushing my thumb across her lower lip, I dipped my head down and hovered close enough that if either of us shifted, we’d collide. “We don’t have a lot of time, love. This is our last night together for a while.”

The beautiful Hunter’s mouth dropped open in surprise, her ethereal, heart-stealing gaze shooting up from my mouth to my eyes. Surprise quickly morphed to outright devastation, and while I thought it’d make my heart sing to know she’d miss me, instead I felt like a villain for even saying the words.

She looked as if I had…betrayed her.

“You’re leaving? Why?”

It hurt more than I thought it would to see her eyes tear up and that strong stare and spirit of hers try to mask that she hadn’t. My throat seized in an instant, making it impossible to speak at first, so I kissed her instead.

Our tongues dueled for several seconds, lips and teeth clashing. My hands sunk into her silky red hair, and hers twisted the fabric of my shirt. But then she pulled away and turned her head, putting a halt to everything, and my heart squeezed for a second time.

“Don’t you fucking dare try to distract me, Sloan.” V’s searing eyes cut over to me, accusation beaming in all the dazzling color. My chest and throat burned as if I’d truly betrayed her when it couldn’t be any farther from the truth. “Why are you leaving me?”

And there it was. She thought this was me leaving her.

It took longer than I cared to admit to form a response convincing enough for the powerful Hunter—a woman who I adored more and more with every breath I took, with every kiss I stole, with every collision of our bodies and whispered promises of tomorrow.

I thought walking away from her so she and Phillip could be together was difficult, but nothing prepared me for leaving when I didn’t know how to function without her nearby. When I craved her taste, her body, her everything so much it was air in my lungs and the blood that pumped my heart.

How did I ever think I could leave this sweet creature? In what world did I believe I’d ever be okay without her near me for any stretch of time?

But our options were limited.

“Someone has to go with him,” Phillip muttered to me when we returned to Rose’s home.

The rest of the group ushered the wolf inside ahead of us, and it was just the two of us left standing outside. When I looked over at him, I immediately knew why Phillip was conflicted. He’d left her before, and it had nearly destroyed V when he did. The committed player-turned-boyfriend couldn’t be the one to go, and the other two were tied up with collecting Hunters for the future clash.

Unfortunately, Phillip was painfully familiar with the witch we were after and had better control over Cassius. He was better suited for that task than this one. It only solidified the reality that the only person left to go with Nigel was…

“She needs you, mate,” I finally said, sighing. “I’ll go with Nigel and collect the necessary information to convince the rest of their wolf society that their leader is a traitor, yeah?”

The blue-eyed wanker didn’t speak, barely even reacted, but I’d known the surly Hunter for a very long time. He was relieved I’d offered. It was all there in his sidelong glance before he headed into the house without another word.

Phillip didn’t want to leave her. He might’ve convinced everyone else he was perfectly happy without anyone by his side, but I saw how afraid he was; how terrified it made him not to be with her.

Sinking a hand into my hair and brushing it away from my eyes, I stared at the door to my little darling’s childhood home and swallowed the burn climbing into my throat.

He wasn’t the only one scared…

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