Page 61 of V for Vindictive

Although, that’d never be true of us. Phillip lived for getting under my skin, and I lived for punishing him for it.

Even should the Dark Fae pick up on the sexual tension between us, he’d never believe that the love allergic Austrian would ever fall in love with some sassy teenager, and that worked in our favor.

It was also pretty damn hard not to give into the desire to continuously berate the pale-haired Fae, but I was given a mission, and I’d do it the way I had any other—with the skills I’d cultivated over the years. First, I’d be a little prickly. Then, I’d let the Dark Fae think I was warming up to him on some level. And finally, when he was effectively convinced I didn’t totally hate his guts—which was the real obstacle here—I’d convince him to take me to the Fae cross-over spot under the cover of night to “seal my power.”

The true challenge was to give the man a reason to believe I hadn’t any control over my powers and that I worried I’d hurt someone I cared about. Granted, that wasn’t a far-off worry of mine, but I trusted my gut. It’d gotten me this far in life. It told me I had more control than what everyone believed.

Still, we’d need to find a way to give the impression it was out of control. That meant fighting something in Cassius’s presence. Of course, Phillip already had a plan in place for that very occasion. Not far from here was a known vampire coven, a pretty powerful one seeing how it hadn’t been dealt with yet. Two birds, one stone. We’d take out the problem coven while pretending my powers had become uncontrollable.

By burning the entire fucking place to the ground.

I barely contained my glee picturing Cassius’s face when I went vampire loco with hellfire and Phillip’s lame-named sword. It almost made it worthall the cozying up I’d be forced to do with a man who was planning to offer me on a silver platter to that bastard, Eros.

In our theatrical play of a woman scorned after a fight with her criminally sexy but very domineering partner, it would become painfully clear to Cash that there was trouble in paradise. From what Phillip said about Cassius, the coward capitalized on a woman in distress.

But really, don’t they all?

To get back at Phillip for all the shit he’d put him through and to steal away his prize before hand-delivering it to the very bad, seriously psychotic Dark Fae, Eros, Cash would need to coax me to trust him and follow his lead. Being the innocent and vulnerable young woman I was, I’d hum and haw for a day or two before giving into his suggestion, all for the sake of the ones I loved. Then after taking a stroll through the woods with the sneaky bastard, Phillip would set the trap.

Apparently, all the new knick-knacks Phillip spent the last two weeks making were for that very event. And he was confident this would be the final hurrah for the vicious reign of the Dark Fae, Eros.

Well, that was the gist of it, anyway. I’d taken creative liberty to describe the numerous steps in our plan, but I preferred my dramatic version.

“Let’s get moving,” I demanded loudly, flicking skeptical eyes over to Cash. “We’re sitting ducks out here, and I’d personally like to get out of this dark and depressing forest, thanks.”

Cassius’s pretty eyes glinted and his lips slid up. “Ladies first,” he gestured politely.

I sensed the movement of his magic and glared spitefully at him. “Keep your magic to yourself. Unless you want me to cut something off you value in exchange, Dark Fae.”

The slits in Cash’s eyes thinned and the purple irises shined for a half-beat before he nodded. “Very powerful, indeed.”

“And one to keep her word,” Phillip added, smirking. “So I’d be careful not to test her patience. Take it from someone who’s been on the unfortunate end of it a time or two.”

Cassius chuckled lightly, clearly having fun with the idea, and then we started on our trek back to civilization.

To say I was surprised we hadn’t encountered some kind of assassin hired to take me out would be putting it lightly, but I imagined that Eros was keeping a close eye on our trio from somewhere nearby.

With what I knew about the elusive and terrifyingly strong Dark Fae, he wouldn’t want some assassin Lux hired to ruin his trap. Eros knew perfectly well how powerful the two of us were together, so he’d likely wait until he could get me alone before doing whatever it was he planned to do.

I eyed the sword strapped to Phillip’s back, remembering its weight in my hand as I sliced through two people I’d made the mistake of trusting.

It wasn’t that I regretted killing them—they hadn’t given me much choice in the matter—but the sword and their deaths were a reminder to never forget what I’d lose by getting too comfortable with my own limited view of the world and the people in it. So, I’d never underestimate what Cassius or Eros might do. I’d be ready at all times. But I’d move the way I’d been told to until there wasn’t any other choice but to improvise.

Cassius always seemed to find a reason to look over his shoulder as we headed for town, finally finding a road to walk adjacent to in the forest, buthe was quick to pretend he hadn’t. Neither Phillip nor I reacted or made any mention of it, but we both noticed it was far too often even for a man on the run like he was.

Seeing how he was a crafty devil with escape, I seriously doubted it was because Cash thought he might get caught at any moment. No, it was the actions of a man fully aware he was being watched—and closely.

“So how many is it?” I asked out of nowhere, and both men comically stared at me in outright confusion. I sighed loudly and tapped my face, insinuating the marks on Cassius’s. “How many did you kill to get all of those?”

Phillip tried unsuccessfully not to grin, and if Kate had been here, she’d admonish me in a mockingly sweet voice, “Oh my god, V, you can’t just ask someone how many people they’ve killed!” Well, you know, if she wasn’t totally oblivious to the world of supernatural fuckery literally at her doorstep every day, that is.

Cash absently touched his face, and then his eyes found mine. “More than I care to admit, little one.”

Phillip made a sound in his throat, knowing I was about to lay the man out for treating me like a child. But I couldn’t choose violence today. Instead, I’d opt for sass.

“That’s not an answer, old man,” I quipped.

The crestfallen face Cassius offered me immediately after the comment was reward enough for choosing the physical high ground and deep-diving into my teenage ridicule.

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