Page 29 of V for Vindictive

And then the air around me throbbed and jolted.

Caught off guard, I panned the area before everything came to a screeching halt. Sloan still had his sword arm thrown out, ready to cut a deadly line across the Siren’s throat. But it was the Siren, who was eager to escape, that I was focused on. Somehow, the Siren’s eyes managed to track my movements as I took steps its direction. But it didn’t move.

It couldn’t.

Time had stalled out again, but it didn’t occur while I was worried about someone dying. This time it happened without rhyme or reason.

Still, I’d count it as a blessing and end things here.

I wasn’t sure how I knew it hadn’t been able to harden its skin, but I did. Just got the sense it couldn’t anymore, not after whatever burst from my body happened. I’d somehow weakened or completely incapacitated all of its abilities.

Weird intuition is a nifty new trick, no lie.

But before I could cut through the Siren’s throat, time started again and Sloan decapitated it with his long sword. Neither of us expected it, so Sloan paused, clearly surprised.

Unlike with other creatures we fought, its body caved in on itself and crumbled to the ground like pieces of broken stone. No blood, no ash, merely sat there like we’d poured a pile of gravel onto the forest floor.

“It didn’t harden its skin or use pheromones,” Sloan said to himself, standing after giving our surroundings another sweep with his eyes.

I chose not to mention the time stall and stood beside him. “Whatever magic I used seemed to disable its power,” I commented, a bit unsure of how else to say it.

Sloan offered me a curious look. “Did you intend to use it?”

“Not even a little bit. I don’t really think that’s how it works. It’s like a defensive mechanism. It somehow knows when I need it and what I need it to do.”

I sounded crazy, but that was the only way I knew how to explain it. Ever since Cassius unlocked my magic—summoned it?—it came when I needed it.

Sheathing his sword, Sloan walked over to me. His eyes glided down my body before he eased closer, toying with a large, open flap of fabric near my breast. That would be where I was stabbed by a painful-as-fuck blade. My very less-than-sexy nude bra was exposed beneath, and I covered it after batting the other Hunter’s hand away.

“You’ll need to change if we keep heading to the location.”

“That’s all you have to say in this situation?” I asked, perplexed. “I just disabled a Siren’s abilities, and you’re worried about my bra showing?”

His dashing smile disarmed my rage, and he dug out a unisex tank top from his pack. “I may look cool and unruffled, but inside I’m a screaming mess.”

“Bullshit,” I snapped, snatching the shirt and tossing my jacket and all its weaponry to the floor.

Sloan sucked in a breath when I unceremoniously tore the shirt off my body and quickly put on the new one. His eyes were lustful orbs by the time I slipped my arms through my jacket and fixed my weapons.

“Guess I shouldn’t be surprised that we nearly died at the hands of a rare creature assassin and are right back at it like nothing happened.”

Branches and dead leaves crunched with every step as I carried on like we hadn’t been attacked by a beast of an enemy. The fight felt like hours, but it was likely only minutes in human time, so we hadn’t lost much daylight.

At least taking on a coven of vampires would feel like a vacation after that little dance with the Devil.

Sloan easily matched my pace and stole a glance at me. “You seem upset.”

“Upset ain’t it, Sloan. We just survived an attack with an opponent that even Phil struggles to defeat. I’m counting my blessings right now.”

“Yet, you don’t seem all that chuffed that you did,” Sloan countered, lush lips lifted some. “Even I’m at a loss for what to say. It’s not often I fight Sirens. If anything, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen one come out of nowhere like this. But you made fighting one look effortless, love.”

Sighing, I picked up the pace. “Was it me, though?”

“What do you mean?”

“This power…it’s not something I was trained to use. It’s not me. It’s luck, honestly. Today, I only survived because whatever thing lives inside my blood decided to help.” I stole a look at Sloan, and his eyes met mine with intensity. “But it feels dangerous to rely on it. I can’t explain it, but I don’t trust whatever this magic is. Whatever the Organization fiddled with, it’s definitely something they shouldn’t have.”

Nodding his understanding, Sloan turned his gaze ahead. Beams of renegade light hit his body as we walked, and he seemed to take a moment to carefully choose his next words. Wind whispered in my ears and the nearby wildlife went back to their day as if nothing happened.

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