Page 55 of Villainous Intent

I didn’t need to look closely. The format was unmistakable. Official challenge requests. Dozens of them. Accepting only a fraction of them would book my entire afternoon and evening solid with street clashes.

“It seems the Opener was a resounding success,” I murmured, a cold smile curving my mouth.

The bottom-feeders had seen the headlines and now their tiny, ambitious brains had decided that taking down the man of the hour was their ticket up the Season rankings.

Fine. I needed an outlet anyway. A few shattered ribs and the wet crunch of bone would clear my head perfectly.

Number Thirty-one burst into the lab, looking like he’d sprinted the entire way from the communications center.

“Sir! VEN is running a segment on you right now!”

“Which channel?”

“Main broadcast, sir.”

The largest screen flipped to VEN’s signature black and red graphics. Viper’s unmistakable voice filled the lab, but I barely registered her words. My attention was locked on the footage playing behind her.

Annie in that fucking dress, moving through the Opener like she belonged there.

The camera loved her. It lingered on the curve of her throat as she tilted her head back. On her lips when they parted and I leaned in.

My pulse kicked against my ribs as the feed cut to footage of Annie perched on my lap. Her body was curved against mine as my hand slid along her thigh. The camera caught the exact moment she inhaled sharply.

That little fucking sigh.

A growl vibrated in my chest, low and involuntary.

That breath wasn’t for the cameras. It wasn’t for the audience or the ratings or the League.

That breath belonged to me.

I hated that the world had seen it. I wanted to reach into the screen and drag her out so I could hide her away and keep her where only I could witness the way she came undone. I needed to gouge the memory of her flushed skin out of every mind that had witnessed it.

I forced my hands to unclench.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

“I know, right?” Number Thirty-one said. “They got some great angles. The ratings will be through the roof.”

I didn’t answer. If I spoke, I would fire him. Or throw him through a wall.

Annie had looked perfect. She had played her part flawlessly and I’d repaid her by slicing her open with my indifference because I couldn’t handle the leash she unknowingly held.

“You’ve got it bad,” Menace chuckled.

“I have nothing.”

“Right.”

I shot him a glare, but Menace just grinned.

I ran a hand through my hair and tugged at the roots.

The camera caught a moment I’d almost forgotten. Annie looked up at me through her lashes and I brushed my fingers along her jawline.

Shit. She hadn’t been acting. I knew she wouldn’t be because I’d done my homework. I had seen the late-night searches in her browser history. I knew she didn’t want a gentle lover. She wanted a monster.

So I let the mask slip. I let her see the dominance I usually kept chained in the dark. I gave her the possessiveness that lived in my marrow. I showed her the real me because I knew it was exactly what she secretly craved.