Page 25 of Villainous Intent

Mine, his stance said.

We’ll see, I thought, keeping my posture deceptively loose.

Before I could enjoy the stare-down, more feeds popped up. The pristine, white-and-gold hypocrisy of the Aegis.

“As we were saying,” the center Syndicate figure continued, “You will work with Keeper Bishop and⁠—”

“Absolutely not,” Annie interrupted, her voice sharp. “I don’t work with Villains.”

I couldn’t help myself. “But you’ll have dinner with them.”

Havoc’s head whipped toward her. So she hadn’t told him where she’d been before the call. Annie’s cheeks flushed a guilty crimson as she stammered, “That was⁠—”

“Enough.” A Syndicate member’s voice thundered, cutting her off.

My hands curled into fists as a spike of rage shot through me. He didn’t get to silence her when she was going to speak to me.

I inhaled deeply, forcing the rage down into a cold, hard knot in my gut. I projected boredom, but my eyes never left her face.

“The rogue presents a unique threat,” an Aegis representative stated. “We need both League and Alliance resources.”

“And my particular talents?” I asked.

“That’s where your punishment comes in,” the Syndicate shadow said. “Your public rescue of Keeper Bishop has created a unique opportunity. We’re going to capitalize on that chemistry. The Alliance and Syndicate are drafting a contract in which you and Keeper Bishop will begin a relationship. For the cameras, of course.”

Annie’s sharp intake of breath was audible through the feed. “No. I’m not a civilian or an actor. Protocol⁠—”

“Protocol is what we say it is,” the Syndicate member cut in. “This arrangement serves multiple purposes. It provides cover for you so you can investigate the identity of the rogue and satisfy the public’s obsession with Cipher’s rescue of you.”

They thought this was a punishment? They were handing me the key to the henhouse. They were mandating that I touch her and drag her into my world.

“And what exactly,” I drawled, “do you expect Keeper Bishop to do to find your rogue? Does she have some special trick I should know about?”

Annie’s eyes narrowed. “It doesn’t matter, because I refuse to take part in this publicity stunt.”

A Syndicate member leaned forward. “Keeper Bishop, if you were League, such a refusal would result in severe punishment. We don’t tolerate insubordination.”

An Aegis member started to speak. “As representatives of the Alliance, we insist⁠—”

“That’s enough. Annie is my Keeper.” Havoc’s tone left no room for argument.

My. The word grated against my nerves.

“And while she serves the Alliance, she is under my protection,” he continued. “I will not have her coerced.”

“That may be,” one of the Aegis members said. “But Annie knows what’s at stake if a rogue Trueborn is left to roam free.”

Annie’s face paled, the blood draining from her lips.

I stopped smiling. I wanted to find the Aegis asshole who’d spoken and break his neck for causing her distress.

“Sparrow,” Havoc said, with more than a hint of warning. “Do not push me.”

Sparrow. The fucker’s name was noted.

Annie’s head turned and she started to speak to Havoc. He cut her off with a curt “no” before the audio from their feed went mute.

My fingers twitched.