Page 33 of Villainous Rise

My fury was a living thing now, demanding release. I slammed my other hand against the wall, caging her between my arms. “If I was just looking for a cunt to fuck, there are plenty out there that would be less complicated to obtain than you. No rules, no boundaries, no constant moral crisis.”

I knew the words would hurt her. I wanted them to.

“Women throw themselves at me every day, as Cipher and as Thomas—all of them easier than dealing with your fucking baggage.”

Her went still.

“My baggage?” Her voice was eerily quiet as she straightened. The transformation was unsettling. From raging fury to this fucking coldness in seconds.

“You know what’s funny, Cipher? I actually believed you when you said you loved me. But now I understand. You don’t know what love is.” She shook her head, almost pitying. “You only know possession. Control.”

I should have stayed silent. Should have let her think she’d won this round.

“And you loved every second of it,” I said instead.

“I loved a lie.” Her voice broke. “I loved a man who never existed. Just a mask you wore to get what you wanted.” She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. “And that’s all you’ll ever have, Cipher. Masks and lies.”

Her whisper sliced between my ribs and twisted. I loved her with a desperate, consuming hunger. I just had no idea how to translate that into a reality that wouldn’t smother her. My version of love was total possession.

And there she was, looking so convinced of her moral superiority while passing judgment on my existence. The unbearable ache inside me morphed into something vicious and familiar. She wanted to draw blood. She wanted to map out my desolate future and leave me with nothing.

If she insisted on tearing me apart, I would gladly return the favor and ensure we both caught fire.

“And what will you have, Annie?” I asked softly. “Since we’re laying out futures.”

She stiffened, clearly not expecting the question.

I stepped closer, eliminating the space between us until my chest nearly touched hers. Her breath hitched, a tiny, involuntary response that sent satisfaction coursing through me. I reached down and stroked her jaw with my thumb.

“You’ll have your rules and your boundaries. Your little apartment where you hide from the world. Your job following Havoc around like a shadow.” I let my thumb drift down to the pulse point at her throat, feeling it race beneath my touch. “You’ll have your moral high ground and your righteous anger. And you’ll go home alone every night, telling yourself it’s what you want.”

Annie tried to turn her face away, but I caught her chin, forcing her to look at me.

“You’ll watch other people fall in love, get married, have children. You’ll smile and congratulate them while something inside you withers. You’ll tell yourself it’s safer this way. No risk. No pain.”

I leaned in closer, my lips nearly brushing her ear. Her scent filled my senses, triggering memories I’d spent months obsessing over.

“But sometimes, late at night, you’ll remember how it felt to be truly wanted. You’ll remember exactly how my mouth felt on you.” I watched her swallow hard, her throat working beneath my palm. “You’ll slide your fingers between you legs and you’ll touch yourself, hating that it’s my face you see when you come.”

She flinched. The hurt that flashed across her face made something inside me twist painfully even as hatred replaced the hurt.

“You’ll grow old following other people’s rules, keeping other people’s secrets. The perfect Keeper. The perfect daughter for Havoc.” I let contempt seep into my voice, even as my hand slid down to rest at the curve of her waist. “Never asking for what you really want. Never taking it.”

My fingers tightened slightly, possessive, remembering exactly how her body fit against mine.

“And someday, when you’re alone with nothing but your principles to keep you warm, you’ll wonder if it was worth it. If safety was worth sacrificing everything else.”

The steel in her posture crumbled.

“The saddest part? You know I’m right.”

Her eyes, those beautiful blue eyes, filled with tears. One spilled over, rolling down her cheek. A small sound escaped her, something between a gasp and a sob.

“Why are you doing this?” Her voice was barely audible, broken in a way I’d never heard before. For the first time since I’d known her, Annie wasn’t fighting back.

“Why?” More tears fell. “Why do you need to keep hurting me? You already broke me. What’s the point of continuing? What do you get out of it?”

I stared at her, at the carefully applied makeup streaking down her cheeks, the trembling in her shoulders. At the absolute devastation in her eyes.