Page 218 of Villainous Rise

I smiled. “If you want, you could give me some of those speeches now.” I was genuinely curious what arguments he’d prepared to convince me to move in with him.

Cipher looked put out for a moment, his mouth turning down in a slight pout that was more endearing than it had any right to be. “No, I’ll just repurpose them, I suppose.”

“Repurpose them?” I laughed, shifting slightly to get a better look at his face. “I’m curious how you’re going to repurpose a ‘moving in together’ speech.”

Cipher smiled. “Well, there’s the practical benefits presentation that can easily be adapted to argue for which neighborhood we should live in.” He ticked off on his fingers. “The emotional appeal could work for convincing you which room should be converted into your office space. And the long-term advantages presentation⁠—”

He paused, his expression shifting to something more thoughtful. “That one might need to wait a bit longer.”

“Long-term advantages?” I asked.

“Some speeches are worth saving for the right moment,” he said.

I raised an eyebrow, my curiosity thoroughly piqued. “Long-term advantages? What kind of presentation could that possibly be? Is this about Villain stuff? Like how having a Keeper living with you gives you inside information on Alliance operations?”

Cipher’s expression shifted to one of amusement.

“Or wait, is it about how you can use our living situation to infiltrate the Tower more easily?” I continued, warming to my theory. “I can just imagine your presentation: ‘Slide fourteen: Annie’s access codes provide optimal entry points to secure areas.’”

Cipher laughed. “Not even close.”

“Then what?” I pressed.

Cipher’s expression softened, and he squeezed my hand gently. “Nothing villainous, I promise. And nothing I need to convince you of right now.”

I sighed and leaned against him, settling back into the warmth of his body. “Fine. But I’m holding you to it not being something villainous.”

Cipher chuckled. “I promise. Scout’s honor.” He held up his hand in what I was pretty sure was not a scout salute recognizable to any organization.

We lay there for a moment, the steady beep of the heart monitor marking time in the quiet room. The weight of his arm around me felt right. I closed my eyes, letting myself enjoy the simple peace of being with him.

Then the full reality of what I’d agreed to hit me.

I popped up, nearly dislodging one of the monitoring wires as I stared at him with wide eyes. “Oh my God. I agreed to move in with you.”

“You did,” he confirmed, his voice warm with satisfaction. He tugged me back down beside him, settling me against his side once more. “And you can’t take it back.”

I nestled closer against him, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek. Without thinking, I pressed my lips to his chest in a gentle kiss, right over one of his tattoos.

The monitor beside the bed immediately betrayed him, the steady beep accelerating as his heart rate jumped.

“Sorry,” I murmured, realizing I’d accidentally found a sensitive spot.

Cipher tilted my head up until I was forced to meet his gaze. “Don’t apologize,” he said. His voice had dropped an octave. “Just remember when we walk out of here tomorrow that it has been exactly five days, eight hours, and twenty-three minutes since I had my hands on you.”

I raised my eyebrows at the precise calculation. “You’ve been counting?”

“Every agonizing second. And I intend to collect on every single one of those seconds the moment we cross our threshold.”

I shivered. “You know you won’t have these painkillers tomorrow. Your healing is at normal human speed because of the Hammer.”

He let out a low, rough sound. “Do you think a little pain is going to stop me from wrecking you?”

His fingers tightened in my hair and he pulled me just a fraction closer. “The second we are alone, I’m going to strip you down and leave marks on every inch of your skin until you forget what it feels like to belong to anyone or anything else. The Alliance. Keepers. Havoc. None of it exists when I am inside you.”

The monitor beside the bed spiked again. His chest rose and fell in a sharper rhythm. He was looking at me like I was his favorite meal, and I wanted him to take a bite.

“I’m going to make you scream and beg so loud you’ll lose your voice,” he murmured, his lips brushing against my ear.