Page 25 of V for Vilified (Hunter V #4)

Back to the Future Woo-Woo

A fter nearly a day of keeping them out of my head and not having to concentrate much to do it, the two agreed I was ready. Cash still had two more favors he needed to call on. To my surprise, it was his suggestion we all go together.

I never once thought he’d voluntarily offer to do anything with Jo. I expected the two to be at each other’s throats even as we fought the Nether Royals, passing notes and mumbling insults. But my Fae Karen was finally being the bigger person and putting aside their differences.

“Must you always dress like you’re about to murder someone and attend their funeral directly afterward, devil woman?”

Jo smirked and tossed an arm around my shoulders.

She embraced her inner Fae Karen, all sass and eyebrow, and replied, “Do you always have to wear the weirdest fucking outfits you can find and whine like your husband’s just left you for a younger woman, leaving you alone to raise three kids who you’ll one day need to put through college? ”

I’d spoken too soon. Silly me. I should’ve known better than to expect these two to get along, ever.

We were wandering around another Fae city full of magic and wonder.

Jo teased me every time I gaped and ogled the surreal architecture and unique monster varieties, calling me a total tourist. I mean, I was, but after walking for nearly fifteen minutes, it was becoming painfully clear why Cash hesitated to explain why my realm and this one differed for humans.

A human was yanked and pulled on a leash, and I pressed my lips together in disgust. She couldn’t be any older than fifteen or sixteen. My hand ached for my weapon, but all I got was a pretty boy’s hand.

“I know, my love, but we can’t be distracted.”

I shot him an angry glare. “Easy for you to say, you ass. Don’t you think you should’ve warned me? This is the first I’ve seen a human. I spent my life fighting to protect them, and that doesn’t just end because the Organization is run by a bunch of dicks.”

“Well said.” Jo eyed the cloaked Fae dragging the human along and hummed to herself, tapping a finger against her mouth. “I have an idea.”

Cash cut a threatening look at her, but glittering and in those ridiculous pants, it really didn’t have the effect he was aiming for. “No, it’s best we don’t draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves here, but I guess a thoughtless barbarian like you wouldn’t know that.”

“Oh? Now you’re all for sneaking under the radar, princess? Just because you’re incapable of killing a Fae discreetly doesn’t mean we can’t,” Jo taunted.

He threw his hair back with one hand like he was the leading man of a K-pop group.

Pretty sure a blast of sparkles and hearts went flying out the minute he did.

“You can’t honestly be serious. No one, not even those blasted Nether Royals, could tie anything I did here to me or my dove. I’ll wipe minds if I must.”

It was a wonder how he hadn’t caught onto her game by now. He always rose to every challenge and danced to her tune. But maybe that was the genius of this gorgeous Chaos Fae. She played every person around her like the Devil on his fiddle.

“Perfect. You stand guard, and I’ll take this one to have a chat with our little friend,” Jo grabbed me by the hand and walked straight for the unsuspecting bastard.

Cash was quickly on our heels. “What in the devil do you think you’re doing, woman?!”

“Training. Duh,” Jo said over her shoulder like it was the most obvious conclusion one could draw.

Impressed and totally on board, my pace matched hers. “Now that’s something I can get behind. Let’s see how he holds up to a little hellfire.”

Jo’s grin stole a couple beats of my heart.

“No, no, Zescha , we do this the only way we defeat those evil douchebags and get back home. Time manipulation. Pheromones and your disabling power aren’t going to work on them.

They have natural defenses against it, unfortunately.

That’s one thing I do know. Which is exactly why they could kill us as easily as they did.

So, we need to see if you can fast forward, pause, or reverse time. ”

Confused, I stopped. “Fast forward, pause, or reverse? You mean in like, a Back to the Future crazy woo-woo sort of way?”

“Did you just call my mate Zescha, you incorrigible she-demon?! How dare you.” As always, Cash was stuck on the wrong thing.

Jo’s smile grew, completely ignoring the other Fae’s outcry. “Exactly, babe. It’s time to show you why they’re all so afraid of you.”

We stalked the Fae Jo mumbled was the same thing as the fox bastard I’d fought in the human world. The Fae didn’t call them Kitsunebis or foxes, but Tricksters instead. Green Dude had said something about being one, so I guess that was him being funny.

The name wasn’t especially imaginative, but whatever. At least I’d fought one before and knew what to look out for. Time was how I’d killed the last one, too.

“She’s never tried to reverse or fast forward time. It’s daft and risky, is what it is.” Cash’s complaints followed us, but they were whispered and wrapped in magic as not to alert our prey.

I could practically hear Jo’s eye roll. “What, you can’t keep something this low level contained?”

“Of course I can,” he barked in his usual indignant whine. “But she’s never tried anything other than freezing it. It could make her vulnerable if she expends too much of her magic trying, and who knows when Aram will come to try his hand at swaying her.”

Jo didn’t stop, but her pace slowed some. “V’s more likely to do better when she has something to fight for, and this could save her another forced interaction. Once we know what she can do and she knows the feeling, it’ll be easier to do when it matters most.”

Even Cash couldn’t argue with her.

It made sense. Attacking this asshole to save the human was a great motivator for me. It was the part of being a Hunter that I’d lost when the Organization turned out to be Bad Guys & Company. I didn’t do as well when I only fought for myself.

I didn’t know if I could reverse time, and if so, how much of it, but if Aram showed up, I could potentially get us out and stay a step ahead. I didn’t want to see what the bond did to me or him until I was ready to deal with it.

Fast forwarding time would be as helpful as foresight.

I could see what they intended to do. I could counter whatever they did simply by reversing and doing it all over again or altering their trajectory.

I could even stop it and gather what I needed.

The potential for damage was never-ending with the ability to control time, and that power existed in me.

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense why they feared time manipulation the most. A dangerous power like this could be exploited by the wrong people so easily.

“He doesn’t have access to my powers, does he?” I asked, panic in every beat of my heart. “Aram, I mean?”

Cash caught my line of thought and shook his head. “Bonds don’t work like that. Thank the bloody gods for that. But he can use your magic to power his own, and you’re an especially powerful being.” He relented with a sigh. “I’ll show you.”

I grinned at the gorgeous Dark Fae and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, which was a damn feat with the difference in our heights. Cash was annoyingly tall for a princess. “Thank you. I knew you’d come around.”

He tried not to smile, but my eyebrow waggle got him. Worked every damn time. “I don’t approve of the method, but I agree that it can only benefit our cause. And…the she-devil is right. You’re someone who’s motivated by the people you protect.”

My voice dropped and I hid my mouth behind my hand, the way he fell for every time. Cash went crazy for secrets that were only meant for the two of us. “I don’t think I’m the only one, hmm, Dark King?”

His cat irises were blown wide and his chin lifted, my rune glowing and on display. “Only for you, my love. You must realize that by now.”

“And everyone I care about,” I added.

He grumbled, but nodded. “Only because I despise that kicked puppy look on your face.”

I hooked an arm through his, smiling up at him. “How could anyone think you’re a monster when you’re this sweet?”

Jo made a noise of protest, but Cash was practically preening at my praise. “I suppose I am rather kind…”

Jo grunted a small laugh, but I grabbed her and tossed a little look over my shoulder. Rolling her eyes again, she walked ahead and kept our target in her sights.

The Trickster hadn’t noticed us as we followed him into a side street, away from prying eyes. The human he had on a leash stumbled and fell, nearly getting dragged several feet because he didn’t bother to notice. Fucking bastard. But there wasn’t anywhere he could go now.

It was an instantaneous reaction. Time slowed to a stop. The world around us froze. I’d done it without thinking. When I turned my head, both Jo and Cash were smirking. Neither one had been paused the way the world had been.

“See, easy,” Jo said, folding her arms across her chest. “Now I want you to try to reverse time and then we’ll try advancing it from there.

It won’t matter here, but if you can do it, it might mean correcting a mistake or catching something after it’s already been done.

It might mean the difference between living or dying.

” Her next words chilled my blood. “Or it can even save your human friend from death.”

I nodded, throat dry. “What should I do?”

But it was Cash who spoke first. “Magic is intuitive to us. You only need to think it. Your magic will do the rest.”

I closed my eyes, but Jo’s voice stopped me. “Just remember to stay in control. Magic this strong has a heavy cost, and you’ll need us to keep it from destroying you in the process.”

“Draw on our power to fuel your own, so to speak,” Cash added matter-of-factly, back to his proper princess mannerisms.

“You’ll need to identify the bonds you have with us and use them in a way that makes the most sense.

Don’t worry, that’s intuitive, too. Your magic knows what it needs, so it’s really only about identifying the sensation when you’ve gotten what you need.

” Jo turned to me, and a ripple of sensation I recognized as hers swirled inside me.

I glanced over my shoulder at Cash, and the feeling of his magic swelled across my body in my next breath. It was distinctly different from Jo’s. Stronger. Heat rushed my body and burned across my skin.

I gasped. “That felt stronger than Jo’s.”

Smug, he dropped a kiss on my mouth as I turned toward him. “Naturally. I’m your bond mate, love. Your perfect match in every way. It’s obvious I’d have a stronger effect on you.”

Jo cleared her throat, ignoring him again.

“Remember the way our magic feels. Practice leaning into one over the other. Use them, but only what you need. Only what your magic seems to gravitate toward. Control will be especially important, more so around Aram because using his magic could give us an edge we didn’t have before.

It could weaken him if you tap into it and drain his power.

The bond will stop you from taking too much or hurting him, but it might be the thing that tips the scales in our favor. ”

Cash landed that sassy hand on his hip. “Steady on, devil woman. It’ll stimulate their bond if she uses any amount of his power, and the more she uses, the worse the effect on both of them.”

The throb between my legs after Cash’s magic licked my skin would agree.

Jo narrowed her eyes on our target. “Aram will do it whether or not she does. He’s clever. He could be toying with the same idea as us. Better her than him.”

Holding the frozen time was infinitely easier than before, but I didn’t want to risk wasting time, so I cut in before they could argue again, “We’ll talk about it later. We’ve got a fox bastard to put down and a girl to save.”

Jo chuckled. “Reach out to our bonds and draw from them while you think about what you intend to do. Feel how much you need and only take that much. Remember, what you do here might be life or death for the people you care about.”

I focused, ready to do just that, but the ground shook and the world seemed to tip and wobble at the same time. Both Cash and Jo were holding onto me when a figure appeared in frozen time, his black-feathered wings outstretched as if he’d flown himself to the spot.

“Hello there, little hybrid.”