Page 71 of V for Vindictive

Like, what the fuck, V? Are you really the girl who finally gets the person you’re supposed to love back, only to realize you have feelings for someone else? Are you really that thirsty?

It was like I hadn’t any fucking clue about my own feelings at all. Granted, I was new to adult relationships, and really options in general when it came to having them, so it wasn’t like I’d suddenly understand how this all worked. But I thought I was mature enough to avoid—I don’t know—falling for more than one person at a time.

Could this be the Siren in me talking?A convenient excuse, but one I was desperate to blame. It seemed a little too high of a hurdle to blame youthful hormones at this stage, though I’d shamelessly fall back onto that excuse if that time came.

I’d lied to myself for less.

Still, I couldn’t help myself anymore. All I could think about was if Sloan’s feelings were real from the beginning or influenced by pheromones? Was there any way to find out for sure? Would I ever see him again?

He’d gone with Grams and Kris after I burned down Lux’s hidden underground lab of horrors. I hadn’t really given the dude any reason to stay because I was the real asshole here.

Ugh, I’m the worst.

I thought I’d done away with my feelings for Sloan, blaming misplaced emotion from when Phillip abandoned me, but the memory of the man’s solemn face when I left him in the desert and his gentle, welcoming smile every time our eyes met suggested I’d only let the excitement of Phillip returning hide all the feelings that still lingered for the sultry-sweet Brit.

Once the passionate haze of Phillip’s return eased and the reality of my situation came a-knocking, those stuffed-down feelings came bubbling back up.

I wanted to see Sloan again, to touch him and hear his husky laughter, to learn more about who he was now and in the past. And when I was really honest with myself, I wanted to kiss and feel his hands on me again—to finally do everything I fantasized about doing with the gorgeous Hunter.

Shit was complicated.

Okay, so it was complicated from the start, but now I wasn’t sure what was still there when it came to Sloan. I felt like I owed it to him to figure it out. Really, I owed it to myself because I’d promised myself not to forgive Phillip so easily after the shit he pulled.

And then what did I go do? I got lost inside his addictive caress and dutifully followed Phillip’s lead yet again. He played me like a well-tuned instrument, and it was time to acknowledge I wasn’t going to be confident in my relationships until it was me taking charge and not the other person.

The question of my Siren blood aside, Phil came swooping in, evading true punishment, and worked his way back into my heart. The arrogant bastard shouldered the other man out of the way, and I just watched it happen.Again.But the fact that Phillip kept something so important from me after promising he’d tell me it all, saying it was out of misguided protection the same way Nigel once claimed, something the Austrian made damn sure to call out, made my stomach twist and knot uncomfortably.

Like the definition of insanity, I continued to expect different results with Phillip, sure that the Austrian would be a different person today than he was yesterday.

It was a reminder that Phil didn’t truly regard me as a fellow Hunter, and that at one point he’d abandoned me for that reason—that he’d gotten away with breaking my heart to pieces, taking me for granted, and then reclaiming me as his with a pushy personality the minute he returned. Worse, I’d forgiven him without putting up a fight.

I’ve been bamboozled by a blue-eyed bastard.

I’d let Nigel take the lead. Then Phil. But I was the main chick in this fucked up tale of a vengeful woman looking to overthrow the people whomade her, and I’d be damned if I didn’t take charge of my own story from here.

I looked at the bastard in question, and his cocky smile hit differently after the thoughts in my head soured. Phillip’s eyes flitted away and my jaw clenched down in spite, angry he was an oblivious asshole when it suited him. Cassius grumbled about walking before our gazes connected. Then Phillip was pointing to a tree, and I wandered over to it with Cash in tow.

“I’ll take a little peek at what we’re dealing with. Shouldn’t take me more than a few minutes, so keep an eye on this saucy wanker while I’m gone,” Phillip ordered, making the Fae beside me swiftly vocalize his outrage.

The Austrian didn’t stay long enough to hear Cash whine about it, so we both went silent for a moment. I was still pissed at the Dark Fae jerk for swindling me into a favor, but I didn’t have anyone else to blame but myself.

“There’s a way to temper a Siren’s influence,” Cassius volunteered out of nowhere, and my eyes shot over to him. “It’s not an easy task, but you’re lucky enough to know an extremely talented enchanter,” he gloated before pulling a bracelet from his pocket. “Consider this a peace offering for tricking you into helping me. Truth be told, I couldn’t ask anyone else, and I’m grateful you’ve kept it to yourself.”

Dangling the dainty piece of jewelry in front of my face, the Dark Fae offered it to me. And when I only stared at the bracelet with understandable doubt, Cassius sighed dramatically and bent over towards his leg, showcasing his impressive flexibility and absently making me wonder if he was a dancer.

Lifting the hem of his pants, he revealed a similar bracelet locked around his ankle. “I told you there was a way to ensure I wasn’t influenced, love,”the purple-eyed menace explained. “If you want to know Phillip’s or…perhaps, someone not presently here,” the presumptuous bastard uttered, and it took all my Hunter training not to let the shock show on my face, “then you should wear it and see if their attitude changes towards you.”

The desperation to know exactly what Sloan felt for me should I ever come back in contact with him—and even Phillip—overpowered sense. Disregarding the fact that I’d ignored my partner’s advice twice now about not trusting Cash, I took the bracelet and stared down at the delicate chain with sparkling gems placed every half-inch.

Cassius stood, smirking, as I put it on, no longer hesitating like a smart-ass Hunter would. I’d blame youth for this short-sighted indiscretion. I was too far gone with the yearning to know what the men in my life truly felt for me, and I’d pretend I wasn’t warned vehemently to never trust an evil bastard like Cash by both Grams and Phillip.

I’ll regret this someday.

Before I could say anything else, a sensation hit out of nowhere and I spun around, crossbow in hand, only to find a familiar figure of a man I’d spent all day thinking about. “How—”

“Didn’t think I’d leave you and Phillip alone for too long? Besides, you removed my ring,” Sloan said, his voice like a fantasy come to life. His eyes flicked over to Cassius, and the Dark Fae straightened, fear in his eyes. “I’ve come for a much-needed row, and I see there will be plenty of opportunity.”

“Row?” I asked, not understanding British terms in the least. “Like, as in a boat?”

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