Page 60 of V for Vengeance

For the first time, his eyes dropped to the ground, remembering the things he’d done under the influence of her pheromones. It was all there on his face.

This bitch.

She’d gotten to him. I’d seen it before with Kate and her previous douche-canoe boyfriend when he broke down her confidence. That gross asshole convinced my strong, quirky but brilliant friend that what he did against her will was something she liked. Like Harmony, he made it her fault. I’d made a promise not to attack this witch bitch, so I couldn’t punish her like I had Kate’s ex-boyfriend—with every weapon I owned—but Icouldget through to Cash. I knew I could.

Saying something to him wasn’t enough. Instead, I reached out and took his hand. His eyes shot over to me in confusion at first, but when I squeezed his stupidly soft hand to let him know he wasn’t alone anymore, his smile was the most radiant it’d ever been.

Strength returned, Cash pulled me closer. “Believe what you want, slag, but you didn’t break me. I still found the very thing you couldn’t conjure with all that blood magic you’re so fond of.”

Her steely-eyed gaze narrowed, anger twisting her features unattractively. “You’re dreaming if you think those necklaces will save you from what I have waiting on the other side of that barrier. With a snap of my fingers, they’ll use the power I give them without hesitating. You might’ve figured out how to rebuke my pheromones with those trinkets, but they won’t protect you forever. You’ll be mine again before the night is over, andthatwillbe dead.”

I’d never been called “that” before, so it took me a second to figure out what she was referring to. But Cash was right—her desperation to enslave him again made her irrational and reckless. She didn’t see me as a threat, and she hadn’t sensed the return of his magic. Everything was falling perfectly into place, but I kept my wits about me. I’d learned my lesson, and I’d never underestimate another enemy.

But, um, why the hell did every villain I crossed paths with insist on monologuing? Why did they ramble self-importantly as if this was a cut scene in a video game? Did they not know how incredibly stupid that was? Attack first, talk later. It was practically fighting 101.

Not that Cash was any better. He suffered from a villain complex. He monologued with the best of them. Guess we all had our flaws. I’d keep my promise. I’d let him handle her, but I wouldn’t hesitate to freeze time and decapitate her if she got even the slightest edge on him. She’d given me plenty of reasons to want her dead. Guess I should be happy that, like everyone else, she’d underestimated me from the jump.

My young girl appearance had served me well.

Crossing my arms, I tossed the man at my side a sarcastic look, and he laughed to himself. My ridiculous Cash was back, totally in his element. His sassiness had returned, and fuck, I’d missed it. He wasn’t Cash without it. If the gorgeous man wasn’t talking absolute shit with a hand on his hip, were we even really fighting?

The rock in his palm levitated higher as he landed a hand on his hip. Oh yeah, there it was. My Fae Karen had returned.

“As much as it pains me to say this, if not for you, I would’ve never crossed this one’s path.” Our eyes met, and the smile he gave me had my stomach instantly in knots, butterflies fucking fluttering like this was a goddamn rom-com. “It hasn’t been long, but I’ve found something I never thought I would, so Iguess I should thank you for that. If not for your forcible removal of my magic, I might’ve never met her. But play time’s over, witch. You’ve gotten…boring. Pity. I expected you to have more to say after all these years.”

That was the second time he’d mentioned that he found something. What had he found? I was normally perceptive when it came to the people around me, but why did I feel like I was missing something important right now?

Harmony quietly seethed, her magic dancing around her body, ready to do damage but not attacking. What was she waiting for? Was she really that desperate to have him back?

“As it turns out, this beauty and I have an enemy in common, so here I am. My darling wants you dead, and I couldn’t be any more tickled that she’s given me permission to be the one to do it. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Magnus is given the freedom you’ve never given anyone in your entire bloody fucking life.”

I hated to say it, but Cash cursing and flipping his fuck-you switch was a major turn-on. The normally whiny baby of the group transforming into a terrifying killer was a personality gap I never thought I’d be into. I couldn’t help but wonder how it’d translate to the bedroom.

The nympho returns…

Probably most surprising was how much monologuing had occurred without a single attack. I’d journal this as one of the more…unusual encounters I’d had.

The rock in Cash’s hand cracked after Harmony sent her sparkly magic spiraling towards it. I’d never felt a sensation like it. Her magic even at this distance scorched my flesh. The stone became sand in his hand, but he didn’t seem bothered by it, and that gave the witch pause.

Finally. It was time to give her hell.

Harmony’s confident grin slipped away as Cash poured the sand out and a black sea of magic flooded the space around us,wrapping around her so fast that both she and I hadn’t seen it happen. Her luminous eyes widened before she tried and failed to call on her magic to save her. I wasn’t familiar with the witch the same way he was, but even I knew she was frantic to fight back. The cave behind her shuddered with activity, and I looked over as a flood of creatures appeared.

“You can’t fight them all,” she screeched, her body mummifying before our very eyes. “You’re no match for my collection.”

Her collection?

I eyed the army coming out of the opening, all different shapes and makes—some I’d never seen before, and some that looked oddly familiar but different. Both beautiful creatures and terrifying ones headed our direction, ready to defend their captured queen.

Again, really wished I’d bothered to read through the endless tomes Sloan gave me so I could name a few of the creatures pouring out of the cave, but I wasn’t sure I’d remember them well enough to know off the cuff how best to fight them.

Retrieving my crossbow, I picked off a few at a distance. They crashed to the floor before more took their place. My arrows couldn’t take out this many, so I started to call on the power in my core.

I seemed to be the only one panicking. Cash wasn’t rushing to do a fucking thing. If anything, the Dark Fae was back to his middle-of-a-photoshoot ways, preening and messing with his gorgeous, always-perfect hair. His purple eyes glided over, and he smiled at me so beautifully it kept me from reacting to the monsters clamoring towards us, hellbent to maim and destroy.

The black liquid lake that had formed around Harmony grew enormous, overtaking the entire area. I’d never seen anything like it as it crashed into the bodies leaving the entrance. Like a tsunami wave of dark magic slamming onto shore, countlessbeasts heading our way were now drowning in a sea of black. Every single one was sucked down into it, then wrapped and mummified like their queen.

“I don’t need their power, but I’ll take yours,” Cash said, eyes on Harmony. His tone was much more sinister than I’d ever heard on him. “I’ve imagined countless ways to make you suffer like I did, but with her here, I think I’ll just have your power and be on my way. Much to do. My dove is after the Seven, and I wouldn’t want to hinder her progress with your slow torture. Though, if she commands it, who am I to deny her?”

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