Page 23 of V for Vengeance

I stared at the angry redhead pinned to the tree, my pulse racing, the urge to stay making it impossible to speak. I didn’t want to leave her either, but we needed to work quickly to bring down every person Lux relied on. I couldn’t be selfish when her life was at stake. Phillip would take care of my little darling. He’d keep her safe and distract her in my absence.

He always did.

Her fuming gaze had strayed, probably concocting ways to convince me to stay, so I cradled her face and silently forced the gutted little thing to look at me. Her snarling lip and mumbling petulance brought a smile to my face even when my chest hurt so fiercely I worried I wouldn’t fool her; that my voice would give me away the second I said anything at all.

But she needed to hear the words. She needed reassurance. She might have her nan and Phillip back, but she’d lost people, been betrayed by friends, and her heart was wavering. Despite being the driving force of a rebellion, V was young and fragile. Fierce, strong, and beautiful, but frighteningly fragile with the people she cared most about.

I might lack an understanding of love relationships like what she and I shared, but my sister, one of the strongest women I’dever known, had given me a similar look the night she left. And like Raquel, V was scared. Scared of losing someone she cared about while trying to hold onto another. But unlike the night my sister left, I could promise that wasnothappening here.

I was hers for as long as she wanted me.

So, I put every ounce of feeling—of adoration—into my stare. “I’m not leaving you. Phillip is the only one who can take on the powerful witch we’re after. He’s the only one who Cassius genuinely fears, and that Dark Fae knows her better than anyone in this group. Nigel can’t do this alone. I have to go.”

A tear escaped her eye, but I quickly wiped it away and dropped a kiss on my sweet darling’s forehead. I couldn’t fathom a pain stronger than making this lethal beauty sad, but I promised myself I’d do whatever it took to avoid doing it to her again in the future.

Suddenly, V took strong hold of my wrists and tugged. Her violent gaze stole the air left in my lungs. It wasn’t wavering like before. Then she whispered, her voice tight and noticeably afflicted by emotion, “If you die, I’ll find a way to bring you back with my mystical-as-fuck ancient Fae magic so I can kill you again, asshole.”

I laughed so loudly it made V crack a smile. “Promise, darling?” I taunted, moving in on her, desperate to have one last night with the charming minx before I had to go. It wouldn’t be enough—it never was—but I’d savor this moment with V and make her promise me one when I returned.

The beautiful Hunter’s eyes dropped to my mouth before she licked hers, the sight going straight to my always-ready knob. “Well, not if you’re going to be so happy about it…”

For fuck’s sake, this woman is going to be the death of me.

I captured her lips in a soul-stealing kiss and lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her arms around my neck, opening hermouth to my seeking tongue, and I worked quickly to get the little minx out of her clothes.

I didn’t want to waste any more time.

V’s nails raked over my stomach before she lifted my shirt and tossed it onto the ground. “You’re not being fair,” she whispered between kisses.

“Perhaps not,” I growled softly into her ear, teasing it with my tongue and teeth. “But forgive me, love, I don’t give a fuck right now.”

Her body quivered against mine, and she moaned loud enough to cause the birds to flee the branches they were perched on.

I rarely cursed, but I did when it mattered. And right now it mattered. I was out of patience. I wanted her before the others came looking. Before that obnoxious Dark Fae found a reason to ruin my last moment alone with the alluring little rebel as he often did. Because I’d have to be blind not to see how desperate the Dark Fae wanker was to turn her head.

It wasn’t clear when it happened, but what initially appeared to be bored interest quickly turned into genuine affection. And I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Which was partly why Phillip didn’t want to leave her alone anywhere with his longtime informant.

The clever wanker might be helping us find Harmony, but there was a motive. There always was with Cash. That necklace being one, and now V was clearly another. Just another reason it had to be Phillip who stayed.

For fuck’s sake…

I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath through my nose as V trailed her soft lips across my jaw and down my neck. Her little nips and clever tongue made me forget I didn’t need to breathe at all. It bore repeating, but I was completely mad for this little darling.

Smirking, I drop V to her feet, finally naked the way I liked her. Then I whispered an order, “Turn around and put your hands on the tree, darling.”

I rarely gave orders, and it showed because she wasn’t sure what to do with the sudden command. V stole a glance at our surroundings, but I grabbed her around the waist and twisted her towards the tree. Stunned but compliant, my adorable Hunter planted her hands on the bark like instructed. Kicking her legs apart, I dropped to my knees.

She was already indecently wet. I wanted to savor the visual. Shamelessly, I’d take it with me everywhere I went—my sweet darling here, wet, waiting, with her legs spread and at my mercy.

My prick throbbed in my trousers as I slid my hand over the perfect round curve of her bum, then across her tailbone where she was unexpectedly sensitive. V’s breath caught, and she didn’t breathe again for the several minutes it took to release my hard cock from its denim prison and stroke myself a few times. Touching her thigh, I caressed everywhere but the one place I knew she needed me to touch.

“What fresh level of Hell…” she bemoaned angrily, about to move, but I caught her hip and kept her from turning. “Sloan, please…this is embarrassing.”

Bloody hell.

I squeezed around the base of my prick, staving off another hard throb threatening to take me over the edge. It wasn’t something I thought would get my blood pumping so much—V’s voice bottomed out, husky with need, her face red with mortification yet still compliant. But as I was quickly learning, there were plenty of things about myself only she could draw out.

I hushed the desperate little Hunter and pressed an apologetic kiss to the back of her thigh before making my way to her wetslit. Her moan echoed in my ears as I tasted her like it was the first time. Like I’d been starving for ages.

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