Vicious (Villains, #1)

by V.E. Schwab

It perplexed him, how someone about to play God could pray to Him,

Victor Vale was not a fucking sidekick.

He wished for the first time in his life that he believed in God.

“You’re something else,” he said. “Victor died.” “We died, Eli. And we both came back.”

“No one is going to hurt you. Do you know why?” She shook her head, and Victor smiled. “Because I’ll hurt them first.”

“Victor named him Dol,” she said. “It’s a measurement of pain,” explained Victor.

“Wouldn’t You?” He cut deeper, through to bone, over and over, until the floor was red. Until he’d given his life to God a hundred times, and a hundred times had it given back. Until the fear and the doubt had all been bled out of him. And then he set the knife aside with shaking hands. Eli dipped his fingertips in the slick of red, crossed himself, and got back to his feet.

ELI didn’t enjoy killing. He did quite like the moment after. The glorious quiet that filled the air as his broken bones healed and his torn skin closed, and he knew that God approved.

“Because you don’t think I’m a bad person,” he said. “And I don’t want to prove you wrong.”

“Eli Ever is a hero. A hero. A hero.” The words echoed and followed them out. Eli followed Serena through the precinct, as the words sank in. A hero. Wasn’t he? Heroes saved the world from villains, from evil. Heroes sacrificed themselves to do it. Was he not bloodying his hands and his soul to set the world right? Did he not sacrifice himself every time he stripped away an EO’s stolen life?

“One of these days, Serena,” he whispered, “you’re going to forget to say that.”

“You’re going to come back, right?” she asked when they reached the door. Victor looked over his shoulder. “Of course I will,” he said. “That’s my favorite lighter.”

“you could pick any name. Why pick Ever?” “Why not?” “No,” said Victor, waving his drink. “No, Eli. You don’t do anything like that.” “Like what?” “Without thinking. You had to have a reason.” “How do you know?” “Because I know you. I see you.” Eli drew his fingers through a ring of water on the table. “I don’t want to be forgotten.” He said it so softly he worried Victor wouldn’t hear, not over the chatter of the bar, but he clamped his hand down on Eli’s shoulder. For a moment he looked so serious, but then he let go and slumped back in his seat. “Tell you what,” said Victor. “You remember me, and I’ll remember you, and that way we won’t be forgotten.” “That’s shit logic, Vic.” “It’s perfect.” “And what happens when we’re dead?” “We won’t die, then.” “You make cheating death sound so simple.” “We do seem awfully good at it,” said Victor cheerfully. He lifted his glass. “To never dying.” Eli lifted his. “To being remembered.”

Wondered what Victor would do to occupy his thoughts once Eli was gone. If Eli was gone.

For and ever.

Victor wondered how he could know that man without seeing his face.

He took one last breath, and said a quiet curse, which was as close as Victor came to praying,

eyes. Dol growled. Sydney brought a hand up and rested it against his back to quiet him, but didn’t take her gaze off Serena, even though it was a struggle to focus her vision around the barrel of the gun. “We used to have the same eyes,” said Serena. “Yours are paler now.” “I like that we’re finally different,” said Sydney, fighting back a shiver. “I don’t want to be you.”

“You aren’t some avenging angel, Eli,” he said. “You’re not blessed, or divine, or burdened. You’re a science experiment.”

“You can’t kill me, Victor,” said Eli. “You know that.” Victor’s smile widened as he buried his knife between Eli’s ribs. “I know,” he said loudly. He had to speak up over the screams. “But you’ll have to indulge me. I’ve waited so long to try.”

“Sydney Clarke,” he snapped. “What the hell are you doing here?” “She told me I had to go somewhere safe,” whispered Sydney, petting Dol.

He could see Victor’s dead face from there, and it seemed to be smiling at him.