Page 190 of Villainous Rise

I forced my hands up, fighting past the desperate instinct to claw at his restricting arm.

“It’s me,” I choked out. My fingers found the release points of the mask and I pulled it away. The chromatic filter deactivated and exposed my blue eyes.

Valor’s forearm froze against my throat. The cold, emptiness in his eyes fractured into shock. He dropped his arm, stumbling back a half-step.

“Annie?”

I sagged against the brick, dragging oxygen into my burning lungs.

“Yes, it’s me,” I gasped. “You need to let me go. You’re breaking at least three Alliance rules right now. Excessive force against a non-powered individual, failure to identify yourself before engagement, and⁠—“

“Shut the fuck up,” he shouted, his face twisting with fury.

I blinked in shock. “I was just⁠—”

“Just what?” Valor slammed me back against the brick wall again and I cried out as it scraped against my bare back. “Sneaking around with a Villain while you’re supposed to be my fiancée? Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me?”

“Valor, that was an assignment. It’s ending. We were never actually...”

“You think that matters?” His fingers dug painfully into my shoulders. “The entire Alliance is watching me. The Aegis is watching me. The fucking Council is watching me,” he hissed and shook me hard again. “And you’re going to make me look like a fucking fool.”

The venom in his voice made me flinch almost as much as hearing him mention the Council. Why would they be watching him?

“My ratings dropped three points after you left that fucking party,” he spat. A strobe of magenta light from the club above illuminated the vicious sneer on his lips. “Three points because the perfect Hero’s perfect fiancée can’t even pretend to be committed. Do you know what that does to my trajectory? My position?”

My cheeks burned. “I played the part I was ordered to play.”

“Bullshit.” He slammed his fist into the wall beside my head. The impact shattered a neon tube, raining blue sparks and glass down on me. “You couldn’t even fake it convincingly. You made every public appearance look forced. Every photo op looked like I was dragging you there against your will.”

I tried to push against his chest. “Valor, we were an assignment. It was never real between us.”

“And that makes it better?” His laugh was hollow and completely unhinged. “The perfect little Keeper. So professional. So by-the-book. You couldn’t even do your job right.”

“Valor, please.”

“Everyone is going to see you for what you really are.” He leaned in, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “A liability who can’t follow simple instructions. Who jeopardizes Alliance operations because she’s too busy fucking the enemy.”

Valor’s grip tightened around my arm and he yanked me roughly against him.

“Let’s go. I’m taking you back to the Tower.”

I struggled against his grip. “You’re violating Alliance code—“ I tried to plant my heels, but he jerked me hard enough to make me stumble.

Before he could drag me any further, the ground shook. Someone landed in the alleyway with enough force to crater the concrete and short out the holographic waypoint marker beside us. Valor spun us around.

Cipher straightened to his full height. He stood rigid, every line of his body coiled with cold, murderous fury.

“Well, well,” Valor sneered, his voice dripping with venom. “The boyfriend arrives. Tell me, does she call you ‘sir’ when she’s on her knees for you?”

“Only if she wants to,” Cipher replied. His hands flexed at his sides, though his body remained perfectly still.

“She’s made a mockery of everything I’ve worked for,” Valor said, his breath hot against my ear. “I doubt Havoc knows his precious Keeper has been sabotaging Alliance operations by fucking the enemy.”

“You’re breaking at least five codes right now,” I said through gritted teeth. “Excessive force. Verbal abuse of a Keeper. False imprisonment.”

The rules were my safety net. I recited them like a prayer, realizing exactly how useless they were against a Super who had lost his mind.

“Shut up.” Valor squeezed my arm and gave me a violent shake.