Page 96 of Villainous Rise

“Dawn, it’s not what you—“ I started.

“HUNTER!” she shrieked, spinning on her heel and bolting down the hallway. “HUNTER, YOU OWE ME TWENTY DOLLARS! I TOLD YOU THEY WOULD SLEEP TOGETHER!”

Her voice echoed through the penthouse, followed by the sound of muffled, excited shouting.

Cipher slid a plate in front of me. The eggs were perfectly scrambled, the toast golden brown. He looked entirely too pleased with himself.

“Your breakfast, Annie.”

I stared at the food, my appetite evaporating. “They had a bet about us?”

“Apparently so.” He leaned against the counter, watching me. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“This isn’t—“ I started, then stopped, my brain scrambling for the right words. “We’re not⁠—“

What exactly weren’t we? Dating? Obviously not. Just sleeping together? That didn’t quite cover the emotional hurricane that had swept through his bedroom. Friends with benefits? The word “friends” didn’t belong anywhere near what Cipher and I had.

My left eyebrow was probably having a seizure by now.

Cipher watched me flounder with that infuriating half-smile and took a sip of his coffee.

“It’s just breakfast, Annie,” he said quietly.

He was giving me an out. A way to save face without having to define whatever this was between us.

Relief washed through me, followed immediately by a stab of something that felt uncomfortably like disappointment. Which was ridiculous. Of course I wanted an out. I needed an out.

“Right,” I said, picking up my fork. “Just breakfast.”

I took a bite of the eggs. They were perfect, because of course they were. Even his cooking had to be irritatingly competent.

“Thank you,” I added, not entirely sure if I was thanking him for the food or the escape hatch he’d just provided.

His eyes held mine for a beat too long. “Anytime, Sparks.”

Cipher’s car glided through morning traffic, the tinted windows keeping the outside world at bay. He sat beside me, one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually on his thigh. The silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable, exactly, but it felt weighted.

I watched the city blur past, trying to organize my thoughts into something resembling coherence. Last night had changed things between us or maybe it had just exposed what was already there, lurking beneath the surface of my carefully cultivated hatred.

“The Nemesis match is in two days,” I finally said, my voice sounding too loud.

Cipher’s eyes remained fixed on the road. “It is.”

“Are you ready?”

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “I’ve been planning for it my whole life, Annie. I’m ready.”

So, what are we now? The question burned in my throat, desperate to escape. I’d spent the night with him, my body, my soul completely exposed for him to see. Surely I could handle a simple conversation.

“What are we doing here?” I blurted out, immediately cringing at how it sounded. “I mean what is this? Between us?”

Cipher’s eyes flicked to me briefly before returning to the road. “Define ‘this.’”

“Don’t be difficult,” I muttered. “You know what I’m asking. After everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been through, what would you call us now?”

He was quiet for a moment, his fingers tapping a thoughtful rhythm against the steering wheel.

“I’m not sure what I’d call it,” he said finally. “But I know what I’m offering you. The freedom to let go whenever you need me, no matter what. The same thing I offered you last night.”