Page 56 of V for Vengeance

“Sense her unease?”

“Being what I was, the blood I shared with her left a sort of stain on my body. A faint connection of sorts. Whenever I’m close enough, I can sense her emotions. I’ve evaded her for years thanks to that connection, but that’s also why she doesn’t trust anyone but her favorites with her blood. And it’s why if they betray her, they die. She can’t possibly risk another me being out there somewhere, now can she, love?.”

That last little bit seemed to give him the most joy.

“You could say that she’s particularly weak to the thought of tying herself indefinitely with the ones she adores. Albeit through forcible torture and confinement…and compulsory physicality, but she’s someone who vies for the same things you humans do. Love.”

“That’s not love. That’s vile,” I hissed. “You’re saying that she…hurt you? Forced you? Tortured you? What, until you did what she wanted? Until she convinced herself what you shared was love? That’s…”

Nodding, Cash brushed a hand through his hair like it didn’t bother him, but it had to. I wasn’t an authority on PTSD or trauma coping, but stuff like that people just didn’tget over, supernatural or not. It marked them.

While the Dark Fae played his part well enough, he touched me as if he was worried I’d disappear if he didn’t. Like I was the anchor keeping him from drowning in the nightmare she’d created all those years ago. My heart ached watching him act as if it was ancient history when his haunted eyes suggested otherwise.

“Nothing I do to her will come close to what I endured for centuries under her so-calledlove,but I’ll take whatever revenge I can get. And I won’t let her slip through my fingers this time. Not when I’ve dreamt of this moment since I escaped all those years ago.”

I couldn’t hide my disgust. The thought that Cash had been forced to be someone’s plaything sat in my stomach like lead. Yet, he’d vowed to let me use him. Why? How could he give me that sort of power after it’d been used to exploit him so horribly? My stomach twisted, and the subtle hum of power in my core scorched the floor at our feet.

He noticed it and came closer, touching my face. “You needn’t let it bother you, my dove. It was a long time ago, and the things I did before I was captured some would argue earned me that sort of punishment. My hands aren’t clean. What is it your humankind likes to say? Oh, yes. That’s called karma.”

A little laugh slipped out before I pulled a Cash and landed a hand on my hip. “Why would you give me power over you after she—”

“Because I know you won’t misuse it, or am I wrong to think so?”

His trust in me made it impossible to speak at first. I couldn’t name the feeling, but it was the first time anyone put so much trust in me. Even Sloan and Phillip didn’t trust me like that. So, why did Cash? How could someone who’d spent centuries enslaved to a witch put their full faith in me after only months together? Did I even deserve that kind of unwavering conviction?

What I did know was that Cash trusted me not only with his past, but with everything that made him vulnerable now. And it was just another reason I knew I was in trouble. Because I couldn’t hate him anymore. Might even like him. I’d never felt anything like this. It was different from the relationships I had with Phillip, Sloan, and Jo. It was both terrifying and comforting. New but weirdly familiar.

It felt right to be with him.

What could I even call this feeling blooming inside my chest when Cash vowed himself to me in every way he could without expecting anything in return? How did a girl even respond to something like that?

“I know we didn’t met under the best circumstances…” I started, finally finding my voice.

“Which was entirely my fault, love. You had every reason to be wary and upset. I ran when I should’ve explained myself, and I regret it. I regret that I was there when your parents were murdered in cold blood. Nothing I say will make up for how much of a coward I’ve been in the past, but give me this chance and I’ll earn my place beside you.”

I couldn’t keep up with how goddamn endearing and compassionate the normally whiny Dark Fae was being. If I hadn’t known better, I’d think it wasn’t actually him. But his smell, the way his magic felt wrapped around me, the feel of hisskin as my hands skimmed the length of his naked arms, were all reasons I could confidently say this wasmyFae Karen.

“The thing is, I do trust you, but the last time we did this without the other two, I nearly—”

“You’re right,” he said to my surprise. “But she’d use them to hurt you. Her pheromones are too powerful. She can turn the ones you love against you, and I care too much for you to watch you suffer like that.”

I hadn’t considered that possibility. And he wasn’t wrong. It would tear me apart to fight them. Even just the thought of it made me physically ill.

“It’s that face, darling. I can’t stomach seeing it. While they can’t resist her pheromones, I can. Believe me when I say that Iwillprotect you from her power. And they wouldn’t understand. They’ll try to stop us. They’ll argue I can’t be trusted. Only you can decide what happens here tonight. I’m yours to command, but that’s why I’m begging you to put your faith in me, V. If we wait, she’ll be gone. Not just for revenge, but she’s a powerful ally to the man out to kill you. I can’t let her go, not when her very existence puts yours at risk.”

I wanted to argue, but I couldn’t. Phillip wouldn’t understand. Jo wouldn’t either from what I knew about the assassin. They’d tell me he had nefarious intentions. I’d trusted my gut up to this point, and it was telling me to go with him; to trust Cash when no one else would.

“She uses pheromones? How are you immune?”

The arrogant smirk I’d grown obnoxiously fond of appeared on Cash’s face. Holding up the necklace he’d shown me once before, it clinked and bounced directly in my eyeline. “The same way I’ve repelled any you might’ve unintentionally released, love. I designed it myself and counteracted the power of pheromones. Sort of like an antidote. It took me decades to figure out.”

I’d nearly forgotten about how I could possibly enslave others with pheromones. You know, being an Ancient Fae hybrid. The uncomfortable squeeze on my stomach was back, but I ignored it. It didn’t help anything to worry about that now. I didn’t have time to question my entire existence, not with Harmony ready to ditch her hideout and disappear again. I’d deal with that spiral another day.

“And you’re sure it’ll work? Have you been around her since…you know, you got away?”

He removed another necklace that looked similar to his but was the color of my eyes. Still smirking, he fitted it around my neck. I looked down at it in confusion.

“Confident.” I stiffened when his forehead met mine. “Will you come with me? Will you give me a chance to prove I’m yours to command, love?”

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