Page 45 of V for Vilified (Hunter V #4)

I’m Choosing You

L ast surviving royalty?

“Doesn’t that make you king if you’re the last one, though?”

He cackled. “That’s all you got from that? Leave it to you, toots. We can talk about it later. Things are a bit pressing right now, yeah?”

I looked around at the others, too confused to be mortified about them appearing right as I was getting my pussy plowed by the guy meant to be my enemy. “I knew I saw you earlier.”

“Yeah, I was canvassing the joint. Your lover boy, the wailing Dark King, has been an absolute dick since you left with Aram. Hell, all of them have. Pretty sure you’re the only reason those assholes get along.

Anyway, it’s been a while since I’ve come here, but guess some things never change.

Their security against my kind is absolute shit. ”

Big shrugged and peered around nonchalantly, ever the cool guy. “Okay, enough talking. Get dressed, and we’ll go grab our chatty human next.”

Did he just say our human?

Sex with a winged Fae god and the Season still made it a bit tough to follow what was happening.

I blinked and glanced at Aram’s frozen form, then at Tinkerbell dude.

“What’s the plan? Freeze him and let me lose my memories when we leave since I’d be breaking the contract? ” I muttered sarcastically.

Glitter swirled and the pixies fluttered anxiously.

“Boss—” one said.

“Yeah, yeah,” Big grumbled, waving the other pixie off. “It’s complicated, little vampire, but that contract of yours isn’t binding. Not against a prince like me, anyway.”

“Still don’t get why you’re not king if you’re the last—”

“Little vampire, a little urgency would be appreciated,” he grumbled, sinking a hand into his hair as the pixie wings around him vibrated in place.

The air shuddered and fear flooded our connection. Aram couldn’t look at me, but his thoughts were screaming inside my head. I hesitated and wrapped the sheet tighter around myself.

It didn’t feel right to leave. More than that, I didn’t want to.

If Hera was alive and the Nether Royals hadn’t killed their people, then they weren’t the villains everyone claimed they were.

At least not in that regard. But after everything I’d seen inside his head, it didn’t appear they were the ones running the Organization, either.

Were they really the villains Cash and Jo said they were?

So many things weren’t adding up. Jo didn’t know Lyra was imprisoned or that her mother was still alive.

Lyra was able to get out, but how and who sent her there?

The feeling I got from Aram was Hera was behind it all.

He hadn’t been the one to kill the Originals.

He coerced Hera into doing it, but it appeared she’d broken through somehow. Still, she did it anyway. Why?

I needed answers, and the only one who could give them to me was Aram. Because if he wasn’t my enemy, then I certainly didn’t want to make him one now.

My chest burned at the thought of betraying Aram in any way. Something was different. Something in our bond had changed. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I was as confident in that thought as the ones I got through our bond.

The familiar throb in my core suggested if I wanted to, I could use my ability. I could take us back, but what then? What would Aram do to Big after I used it? Would he hurt someone who was only trying to protect me?

Panic hit the back of my throat.

Big started to walk forward, but time slowed until it stopped and he was frozen in front of me, mid-speech. I wasn’t sure if it’d work on pixies, especially one who was supposedly a prince or whatever, but it did. Thank fuck.

I rushed to get in front of Aram so that our eyes could meet, but I was surprised when he turned, his wings shifting. His face was twisted with rage, his powerful body straining, and everywhere I looked his skin glistened with sweat.

He brushed back his hair with a curse. Whatever they’d done to him had taken its toll. I could sense it through our bond. It was draining his power.

“Don’t ask me, little mate. Even this I can’t forgive,” he growled. “Using ancient dust on me is a bold move.”

I glared at him. “I thought you wanted to prove yourself? Well, this is your moment, Aram. Big is my friend. He came here to save me. He promised he would, and I’m…”

I licked my lips and hoped my gut wasn’t wrong. I hadn’t seen the last betrayal coming, but I didn’t have a bond with them like I did with this terrifying dude. All I had right now were my wits. It was time to make a choice, because whatever I did now would decide what future I walked into.

I steeled my spine and said, “I’m choosing you.”

His expression softened. “You’re choosing me, little mate?”

“This time,” I amended. “I don’t have a choice right now, but we’re getting rid of this contract.

I’m sure there’s a way to do it. I’ll be here on my own terms, not yours.

And I expect you to tell me what you’re so afraid of and why you feel like the world will end if I’m not by your side.

You need to tell me everything, Aram. I’ll know if you’re lying. No more games.”

A grin tilted his mouth. “Fate has delivered me such a lovely and strong mate.” His arms crossed, and I tried not to let my eyes wander to the massive weapon that hung between his legs and had only just battered my insides.

“Thing is, little mate, I can’t lie to you.

And because I can’t trust at least one of my brothers right now, you should remember it.

Nether Fae can’t tell lies. It’s how Hera killed our clan. ”

My mouth fell open. “You can’t lie?”

“Not that I much care to. I’ve always spoken my mind.

But, no, we are quite literally incapable.

Hera tortured the ones who refused to speak.

This has always been my greatest weakness.

” He paused, staring at me as a flood of emotion swirled inside my head, both his and mine.

“That is, until you. And now you know what we’ve kept from all others. Our most protected secret.”

My pulse thundered. “Why?”

“Because I’m your mate, V. That might not mean much to you and your kind, but it’s everything to ours. Even Rayis knows it, though he’ll argue otherwise.”

His chest expanded and a flash of another woman’s face appeared in my head, one that reminded me of him but wasn’t the one I’d seen before.

“Nether Fae, especially the ones of royal blood, will do anything for our mates. Through our bonds all things are possible, but they’re also fragile.”

The dead woman who stared at the sky flashed inside my head next, then my eyes tracked to the right to find the other woman who looked similar to Aram.

Her beautiful white hair blanketed her naked back, the dress she wore covered in blood that was as blue as Rayis’s had been, her green eyes vacant of life, left staring at the other woman.

She was dead, too. Killed by Hera. Her arm was left outstretched as if she was trying desperately to get to the woman I knew was Aram’s mother. Then the word for her hit me. This was their other mother. Mates. Bonded and killed together.

A rush of grief washed over me. They’d died not only protecting each other, but their sons. Aram and his brothers hadn’t lost just one mother that day; they lost two and then everyone they cared about. Hera had taken their entire clan from them—all that was left of the Nether Fae.

She’d left Aram with nothing but unbearable grief he still carried with him to this day. His anger and desire for vengeance was so powerful that it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Both of your mothers were killed? Two women can have children together here?”

It didn’t seem so far-fetched considering magic and creatures from another realm existed, but I was still a bit shellshocked by the information.

The lines in Aram’s face were deep and dark. “Fae bonds are powerful, V. Doubly so for the Nether kind. A great deal is possible between powerful mates, but time is short, so I’ll leave it at that.”

His muscles bunched and his jaw clenched a few times, in the middle of an argument with himself. I waited inside frozen time, surprised by how little it bothered me to hold it. Was I drawing from my bond with Aram?

Then finally he blew out a sigh and nodded. “I agree to your terms. He and the other pixies here will come to no harm, but only for this first and only offense, little mate. He won’t evade consequence the next time, whether he’s the Wings Prince or the Queen of England.”

I barely caught myself before laughing. It was neither the time nor the place, but that little saying was unexpectedly funny. After all the confliction, it was a welcomed pivot.

“How will you stop him?” I asked, suddenly worried.

Aram didn’t say anything, but his amusement crawled across our bond. “You don’t become a god without having a few tricks, even against pixies, V.”

“You won’t hurt him?”

He grunted, clearly not happy about it. “I will not, but I will need to subdue him and the other pixies so they can’t try anything else. Not that they could do much after that ancient dusting.”

I stiffened and crossed my arms, noticing his eyes flitting to them when I did. “That’s the same as hurting him, Aram.”

“Temporarily. It’s a necessary evil. Pixies are incredibly good at escaping, even weakened, and I’d rather avoid the usual methods of subduing them. As soon as I’m confident in both us and our bond, I’ll release them. But only then.”

“So, more blackmail?”

His muscles rippled in agitation and his frustration bled across our connection. “Do you really think so little of me? Remember, V, it wasn’t me who attacked first.”

“But wasn’t it?” I countered angrily, glancing at Big. “You started all of this, Aram. You made a contract with me in exchange for not hurting the ones I love.”

His snarl wasn’t aimed at me. It was aimed at himself. “Because it was the only way! And it was a mistake. One I’m no doubt being punished for now.”

Acid burned my throat because I already knew he was only doing what he needed to do to honor his promise to me. I read it all in his thoughts and intentions. What he’d told me before was the truth; he couldn’t lie. So even if I couldn’t read his intentions, I’d know purely for that reason.

Aram really regretted what he did.

The massive god grunted and his wings fluttered. “I’ve given you my word to explain, and I will. I’ll end our contract after I have, and should you choose to leave...”

The naked Nether Royal snapped his fingers and a set of clothes appeared in his hand.

He offered them to me, and I used my vampire speed to dress.

I tried not to smile when his disappointment rang inside my head.

He’d hoped I would do it slowly so he could watch.

Even after being attacked, men couldn’t help being pervs.

Aram cleared his throat and was suddenly in a pair of pants. He’d left his upper half naked, and I found myself staring at it. Damn this Fae lust season. “If then you decide to leave, I’ll let you go back to them.”

“Just like that?” I asked.

His lips twitched. “Of course, but I’ll be coming with you.”

“Whoop, there it is,” I grumbled. “Yeah, that’ll go over really well with everyone. Don’t you have a kingdom to run?”

He leaned in close. “You’re my kingdom now, little mate, and I always keep my kingdom safe. If you leave, then so will I.”

“Your brothers—”

“Don’t bother yourself with them.” He huffed, a spark of jealousy hitting me. “Now, will you kindly reverse time so we can get this bloody pixie business over with?”

Hearing a god curse was oddly hot, and I tried not to swoon when I still didn’t know if I was making the right call here. Still, I’d already gotten this far, and having him on our side against someone they called the Mother of Shadows couldn’t hurt. I hated to admit it, but I believed him.

As someone who’d been vilified one too many times, I knew how quickly the truth could be twisted. After everything I’d seen, I was confident we had it wrong. He might not totally be a good guy—in truth, none of us really were—but he wasn’t the monster they said he was.

It was going to be a real bitch to convince the others, though. They’d be certain I was under his spell. Maybe they’d believe everything if I could prove Hera was alive. First order of business was to get all I could from him and figure out our next move.

Like the other time I used it, the world moved backwards with Aram still by my side watching everything unfold in reverse.

When I got far enough back to give him time to set up his trap, it was with a little apology to Big that I let time move again.

I was a bit woozy and shaky when the pixies finally showed up, but nothing I couldn’t handle.

Magic whirled around them and they all shrank to their tiny pixie forms. I heard a chorus of curses, but their outcry was silenced very quickly.

With a flick of his hand, all six of them disappeared.

My heart was in my throat, but I tried to ignore it.

I wouldn’t leave them there for long. I’d make him release them as soon as I got what I came for.

Aram strolled over to me. “Come with me, little mate. I want to show you something.”

His hand was already outstretched. I took it, and we left the room with night still casting every corridor in darkness. He led me through several hallways, up a set of stairs, all without letting go of my hand. I didn’t have the energy to fight him about it.

Finally, we stood in front of a wall. I quirked an eyebrow, but I wasn’t left confused long. The weird stone became translucent. Without saying anything, he led me into it.