Page 14 of V for Vindictive

“You were in danger,” I muttered quietly.

His eyes tracked back over to me. “Me?”

“The hellfire, it…I thought it’d get you,” I managed to piece together, heart and soul on full display. “I—”

My face was already in his hands, and his hot breath bathed my kiss-swollen lips. “It was all going according to plan. I would’ve evaded it, V. I thought you knew me better than that.”

Thoroughly chastised, I dropped my gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry.”

His thick laughter rumbled between us, and my eyes were forced back to his before our mouths met in a much gentler kiss. “No apology necessary. It’s on me, this. It’s my burden to prove to you I’d never be overcome so easily.”

I opened my mouth, but Sloan pulled away and made a call.

“We’re not safe here. It’s time to move.”

Chapter 5

Evil World’s Most Wanted

“It’s too rushed,” Nigel complained, trailing us. “My pack needs time to prepare for that sort of move. We can’t do whatever you Hunters say whenever you say it. We’re not at your beck and call.”

It was silly because I always envisioned wolves on the run. No true home. No single place to call their own. The forest, really all of the land, was theirs, and it was crazy to think Nigel was more like a human in that respect. He set down roots. He made a home, in a cave of all places, and he was being more of a girl about this than I was.

Sloan loaded a few more packs into a less conspicuous car—a 2011 Toyota Corolla that’d seen more action than I probably had—and I followed my companion with Nigel hot on our heels. The rest of the pack hovered near the dense line of forest, keeping watch for anything that may be following us.

Because it wasn’t even minutes after we arrived at the cave before Sloan was packing our shit into a car, which had practically materialized out of thin air. But knowing Sloan, he’d probably made a call to the Organization well before we made a victorious return to the forest.

The dude had that kind of pull.

We’d left the car we went out with because Sloan didn’t want to use anything we could be tracked in. Instead, we took the scenic route back to our cave base.

“If it’s the Organization, why are you going back? Why are you putting V in danger over and over?” Nigel demanded when Sloan didn’t say anything.

It was difficult to keep silent. I wanted to reassure Nigel that Sloan was one of few people we could trust; to tell him all about our plans to corrode the Organization from within. But first we needed to find out who was pulling the strings.

Sloan sighed and brushed back stray dark hair before flicking his eyes over to the irate Shifter. “Do you expect her to run away and hide for the rest of her life? Or do you want her to learn to fight for herself and make it so she never has to?”

Nigel opened his mouth, the stark contrast of pearly white teeth and an olive complexion distracting my gaze. “If you have the Dark Fae and those bastard Foxes after her, or really any powerful foe ever to cross over, she won’t survive long enough to learn.”

My partner let loose another irritated breath, clearly at the end of his patience. Not that I could blame him. Nigel was relentless when he wanted answers. Finally, Sloan shut the trunk before his eyes strayed over to me for a heartbeat, searching for something. His mouth glistened in nothing but moonlight, and I couldn’t stop my eyes from straying even if I wanted to.

Memories of our kiss, of his fingers between my thighs, his body shuddering, his tongue in my mouth, his throbbing cock buried inside, his lustful whispers saying my name, stole my thoughts for a second, and I rushed to distract myself by looking away. The blush had unfortunatelyalready reached my face by then, and I didn’t know how I’d explain it to Nigel if he pointed it out.

“You underestimate her strength and power, as you do mine, Shifter. V was never meant to be a treasured gem locked away in a box. This situation was only ever meant to be temporary.” The car creaked as Sloan pivoted and settled his weight onto it.

The two men stared each other down, and it was the first time I’d seen Sloan look at Nigel in any way that wasn’t low-key cordial or generally apathetic. The tension in Nigel’s body was obvious as his jaw clenched and his nostrils flared. He didn’t say anything. It was clear he wanted to, but this was the life of a Hunter.

“Come or don’t. The choice is yours, mate.” Sloan tossed Nigel one last look before getting into the driver’s seat.

“This is what my life is right now,” I finally whispered, offering the awaiting group of Shifters a glance. “The more people I have on my side the better, but you don’t have to put your pack in danger for me, Nigel.”

His beautifully dark eyes dropped to the floor before he took my hand inside of his. “I made a promise to Grams and I intend to keep it, V.”

Smirking to myself, I nodded. “Grams would tell you to find someone else to use as an excuse.”

Nigel chuckled lightly, and the tension in his body finally eased. “She’d be proud of you, you know.”

I swallowed around the painful lump of emotion in my throat. “I hope so.”

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