Page 45 of Villainous Intent

He pulled back just enough to angle his face down toward mine, like he was searching my face.

“They didn’t,” he whispered. “In case you were wondering.”

I swallowed hard and a wicked, devastating smirk curled his lips.

“I prefer brunettes with rule books shoved up their⁠—”

I didn’t hear the rest as a shockwave hit my senses and I stiffened. I’d been gradually trying to sense the League members nearest to us now that we weren’t in the main crowd and a suffocating signature pulsed as it got closer. It drove a spike of pain straight behind my eyes.

Cipher’s body language changed with terrifying speed. He shifted, deliberately positioning himself between me and someone approaching from my right.

“Revenant,” Cipher said. His voice was stripped of all its usual amusement. “Surprised to see you here. I thought League events were beneath you.”

I peeked around Cipher’s shoulder. The man was standing too close. He didn’t even look human. Revenant wore a suit of matte, sickly gray. His mask had no eye holes, no defining features—just a smooth, blank surface that tilted toward me.

“Cipher. You brought a stray.”

The only way to describe Revenant’s voice was wet. It rattled with a deep, drowning rasp, like lungs full of fluid struggling for air. The sound made my skin crawl.

“She looks fresh out of the box,” Revenant continued, the blank slate of his face cocking to the side to study me. “I wonder how long it will take for her to break.”

He took a step closer. The foul stench of stagnant water and old blood washed over me. My instincts screamed at me to run. To hide.

I pressed against Cipher.

“She isn’t for public consumption,” Cipher growled, his grip on me tightening.

Revenant took another step forward, the stagnant smell thickening. “Once the lights go out, possession is nine-tenths of the law. Maybe I’ll find her in the dark. I’d like to hear the noises she makes when she’s frightened.”

All the air left my lungs in a panicked rush.

“Touch her,” Cipher said, “and death will be the kindness you beg for.”

“Pity,” Revenant murmured, the wet rattle in his chest vibrating. “Pretty little things are always more fun when they’re disoriented in the dark. You’d better make sure you keep an eye on her.”

Revenant bowed, a mocking thing, and slithered back into the crushing crowd, his sickly signature fading.

Cipher’s body remained perfectly squared to the crowd, his masked face tracking Revenant’s retreat through the sea of League members. The sharp, exposed line of his jaw was locked tight, a muscle ticking violently beneath his skin.

The music cut out, severing the bass. It left behind a ringing silence as the Continuum plunged into darkness.

I grabbed Cipher’s arms. I couldn’t see anything but a heartbeat later, the lighting shifted back on, but it had changed. Crimson light bled up from the flooring, casting long, unnatural shadows upward. Harsh, blue-white light cut through the haze from the ceiling. All of the shadows grew teeth.

The Villains around us were no longer guests playing at civility. They were monsters lit from below, their features twisted into demonic grimaces.

Movement rippled through the crowd. The civilians, the reporters, the donors, the un-enhanced staff, they were all being herded toward the exits by armored security. The sanitized facade of the League was being stripped away in real-time.

Cipher stood motionless in the red wash of light. The shadows carved deep, harsh hollows below the curve of his mask, emphasizing the cruel line of his jaw. He looked terrifying.

He gripped my wrist, his fingers locking around the delicate bones like a manacle.

“What’s happening?” I breathed, my lungs tight.

He leaned down. His lips brushed against my ear, the movement deliberate and agonizingly slow. “Now the actual fun begins.”

CHAPTER 10

ANNIE