Page 1 of V for Vilified (Hunter V #4)

Villain Vibes

I expected a fight the second I arrived on location, but I wasn’t greeted with one. The decrepit house near a vast expanse of forest was empty. I searched the space for anything out of the ordinary, and just as I was about to give up, I sensed magic appearing out of nowhere.

My core panged in alert, and the dagger I brought to Kate’s like always was already lifted. It was special-made with three different metals: silver, gold, and iron. It was a great way to cover all my bases.

A weird dark portal split and shifted the colors in front of me, warping the area around it. Out of it came a woman I’d never seen before, but my Hunter instincts told me I didn’t want to attack this one just yet, not unless I wanted to die before saving my friend.

Major villain vibes.

“You’re…smaller than I expected,” the stranger said out of nowhere, towering over me with her model height, all legs and curves. Her glossy pale green hair was oddly perfect on her with her fiercely pink stare.

She definitely wasn’t of this world. Her pointed ears suggested some sort of Fae. A creature from another world—literally, if the portal was anything to go by. No surprise, this chick was also gorgeous. They all were, especially the dangerous ones.

She wasn’t dressed for a fight, but that didn’t mean much. I’d fought a tragically fashion-challenged villain wearing latex once. There wasn’t such a thing as dressing for a fight in this fantasy world unfolding around me every day after Phillip strutted his way into my life.

Shit, he’d be so pissed I’d gone out on my own and ditched my phone and tracing rings at Kate’s house. But what was a girl supposed to do when her best friend was in the clutches of an evil mistress who could possibly be a goddess of another realm?

She might not look the part of an evil villain, but magic didn’t require an outfit of choice, just a desire to kill, and I’d keep my special power close to my chest until it was worth exposing what I could do. I wasn’t sure what would or wouldn’t work on whoever and whatever this psycho hottie was.

I gave my body a little cursory sweep before smirking. “Not sure what that means, but thank you?”

My guard was all the way up when she stepped out of the portal and it stayed open. “Your chatty little pink-haired human pet is unharmed and well cared for. If anything, it’s because of me that she is. I just wanted to talk a bit and show you something.”

Because of her? What did that mean?

I didn’t move back when she took another step. I kept my cool despite the swirling thoughts about Kate. Guess Sloan, Phillip, and Jo were rubbing off on me.

Badass Hunter level unlocked.

“I don’t know who you are, lady, but I think you and I both are smart enough to know nothing good ever comes from someone saying those words. It’s basically the start of every poorly scripted horror movie, ever.”

A smile ghosted across her mouth before she snapped her fingers and the black portal showed an image instead of oblivion. The visual moved like it was in motion, a camera on a track, until it stopped on Kate laid out on some sort of couch, though it wasn’t any furniture I’d ever seen before.

My human friend’s eyes were closed. She was in the usual band t-shirt and shorts with her messy hair in another haphazard bun.

Her military boots were on the cushion as she curled up, chest visibly rising and falling to indicate life.

A soft glow surrounded her, but otherwise she seemed untouched. No bruises or marks. No blood.

Kate was unharmed exactly like Psycho Hottie said.

I swallowed the debilitating emotion inching its way into my throat.

It’d been my greatest fear to see her taken and in the middle of the dangerous part of the life I’d kept from her.

It’d been selfish to keep in contact with her, but I couldn’t fathom letting Kate go.

I didn’t want a life without her in it. Now I had to wonder if this was my punishment.

“Come collect your pet, and we’ll have our chat.

It’s good you came alone. Negotiations would’ve broken down before they’d started had you not.

I don’t want to hurt an innocent to make a point, but I will if given no other choice,” she warned, her head tilting slightly, the sunlight breaking through the window catching a pointed ear.

The threat was said with an air of someone powerful, and I didn’t doubt she’d make good on it. I’d need to be careful with what I said and did.

The second I entered that portal, I was on my own. Something told me it was a portal to another realm, and once I stepped through, unless she wanted me to come back, I wouldn’t. No matter how powerful my friends were, I didn’t think they’d find me wherever this doorway to Hell led.

“Who are you?”

“Exactly the person you’ve been looking for.”

“And who’s that?”

Her smile grew. She turned away from me and tossed her answer over her shoulder before disappearing into the portal without waiting for me to follow. “One.”

My heart pounded to life, and despite knowing it was a mistake, I followed her into the portal.

The once decrepit location morphed into what I could only describe as otherworldly architecture.

Nothing made sense. Some parts of the walls levitated in place.

Some were constructed by color and air, translucent yet solid.

My eyes homed in on my unconscious friend before One, the Ancient Fae I’d been hunting on Lux’s payroll, got in the way.

She crooked a polished finger at me. “I promise it’ll be worth all the theatrics, V.”

Giving my friend one last fleeting glance, I trailed after the ungodly creature leading me to certain death.

I’d have to act quickly if she trapped me in a room.

My abilities were a mystery to anyone who wasn’t my team or already dead.

I’d have the advantage here, but I needed to be careful with how and when I used it.

Timing was everything in fights like these.

I was led down several corridors, all made of the same weird magical architecture. Being quiet wasn’t my style, and the more I understood about my situation, the better. So, I asked my tall, gorgeous, and absolutely lethal enemy, “Where are we?”

She didn’t look back, just walked with posh sway and unhurried strides as though we were on a casual stroll. “The Fae realm.”

Shit. Of course we were. Wait. Goth Tinkerbell Dude!

That was amazing news. I could call on my favor from Big if it came down to it.

The grumpy pixie would be my get out of jail free card.

Sloan mentioned he could travel through the realms. He’d be my ticket out of this dump.

Things weren’t as dire now that I had an out if I needed one.

“Big won’t be of any help to you against someone like me, Hunter,” One said out of nowhere.

I lost my footing and stumbled like a motherfucking amateur, but it was my enemy who saved me, not my insane badass skills. Grams would be so disappointed. Psycho Hottie kept me from a faceplant, and the double hit of shock stole my ability to think.

“Jo has lost her touch. She’s failed to teach you how to protect your mind, but that’s easy to remedy.

You’ll need strong mind defenses against some of the Fae in this realm,” she went on like I’d understand a word of what the hell she was saying.

I didn’t. I was as clueless as I’d been when she’d shown up like an ethereal nightmare brought to life.

She could read minds, and she knew Jo? Worse, that Jo was my tutor? Fuck my life.

“You can read minds?”

She scoffed as if I’d asked a stupid question. “I thought that obvious, though yours is a bit harder than most. But not impenetrable, unfortunately for you.”

“Can all Fae read minds?”

She didn’t answer me, just opened a weird door covered in vines of magic. They slithered away and disappeared. Finally, she turned to me and motioned inside. I took a peek and stopped dead in my tracks.

I might not have been around the asshole enough to make a lasting impression, but a girl never forgot the face of her enemy—not when he was the reason I nearly lost Grams and the entire reason I was orphaned and now the target of every Hunter mindless enough to follow his orders.

Lux was on the ground, and thanks to my nifty vampire hearing, I concluded quickly he was dead-dead. But what didn’t make sense was why he was here and dead with One, the chick meant to do his bidding. Was this a betrayal? A coup? What the actual fuck was I looking at?

“Have I got your interest, Hunter?”

I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, looking far from the superior Hunter she probably thought I was. “You did this?”

Her pink eyes sparked with something akin to excitement. “Yes. It was time.”

With a little wave, she went over to him and crouched, appearing oddly animal and goddess like in the movement of her head and body. “He and the remaining Seven are dead, though I was quite impressed by your cunning with the ones you already killed.”

Wait, what?!

“You killed them?”

She stood, casting her unnaturally colored eyes my way.

“As a gesture of good faith, of course. A promise, V. I will help eliminate the Organization and every bit of its network under one condition.” I couldn’t close my mouth even if I wanted to.

“You will help me destroy my enemies here, in this realm. You will become my untouchable weapon against them.”

I nearly scoffed but caught myself. Didn’t want to lose my head for involuntarily pissing her off. “I can destroy the Organization without your help,” I said instead.

“You can’t.”

“I can.”

Her eyes flashed before she was standing in front of me, a swirl of pink and green magic glittering around her. I hadn’t seen the fast as shit bitch move. Most Fae couldn’t ghost across the floor, but Jo and Cash magicked their way around, so maybe that was what this was.

“I can be your ally or your enemy, V. There’s no in between. You either work with me or against me, and I can promise you don’t want me as your enemy.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, sensation skittering across my limbs in a sudden onset of panic. “You helped the Organization. Lux. Why would I ever be your ally? You’re just as bad—”

Her voice was in my head, her mouth never moving, and I was paralyzed without ever seeing the magic she used to do it.

Helped? I was vilified by my own realm and made the Organization’s prisoner.

The Fae I’m after gave them the key to keeping me and our kind captive.

Used us for experimentation and weapons.

When I finally broke free of their chains, I spent decades carefully devising my revenge. Until I had the means.

Then she spoke. “You are the means. You and I are the same—motivated to destroy the ones who forsook and exploited us.”

Suddenly, the hold she had over me disappeared and I could move again. “Okay, say I bite. What use will I serve against powerful Fae who’ve managed to get the one up on you?”

That’s right, V. Go on and poke the bear. See how that turns out for you.

It was another shock to my system when she laughed. “Simple. You have the ability my kind fears and covets most. You’re a Time Mover.”

Still the lamest title ever…

Shifting one hip out, she regarded me like a woman who knew she had the goods. To be fair, she did. “With my help, nothing they do will stop what’s coming to them. Do this for me, and I’ll end your enemies for good. I give you my solemn vow, Hunter.”

“And if I say I need time to think?”

Her eyebrow rose. “You’d sacrifice your pink-haired human to think?”

Fuck her and every bit of her cleverness.

With a little laugh, she leaned in, her face in front of mine. “Seems I underestimated the Hand of Death you keep as a pet.”

Arms wrapped around me and a hard tug hit my stomach before I was no longer standing in front of One. Panic twisted my gut into knots as I turned inside the arms holding me before realizing Kate was on the floor, still unconscious.

“Love,” Cash growled, looking especially gorgeous without a shirt on and in a pair of tight pleather pants that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Why was I suddenly so hot and tingly? “I don’t mean to challenge your superior intellect, but what the fuck?”

His hand was on my face before his forehead pressed into mine, and the sensation was different.

Intense. Practically electric. And it didn’t make any damn sense.

I might be controlled by my libido and the resident ho-ho, but my horniness was usually pretty good at time and place.

Friend kidnapped and escape from a psycho hottie weren’t it.

“I nearly had a bleeding heart attack when I tracked you here. I’d like to think you were clever enough to never willingly enter a portal…”

“How are you so sure I wasn’t dragged into it?

” I countered breathlessly with his gorgeous face so close.

Weirdly intense sensations slithered across my skin.

His lips were so close to touching mine, and my animal brain was lost to the endless memories of how good they’d felt to kiss. “Maybe she kidnapped me and—”

His smirk was displaced in all the panic and hysteria. “Cheeky little dove. Unfortunately for you, that’s not how portals work. No one can be dragged into them. They must go willingly.”

Damn.

“Tricked, yes, but not unwilling.”

Double damn.

“But Serine—”

“Used pixie dust. It doesn’t require consent, the evil hag.”

Triple damn.

I wanted to ask him how he found me, but he went on before I could. “And now that diabolical minger has us trapped here.”