"Don't let how glamorous I look now fool you. America's Sweetheart. Starlight. Thinking of myself as the conscience of The Seven." She gave a self-deprecating smile, picking at the tabletop. "Those first few months in New York, I wanted to buy a ticket back home every single day. I thought superheroes were supposed to save the world. What did I get instead? Shooting ads for pharmaceutical companies."
Lucian said nothing, listening quietly.
Deep's threats, the manipulation by Vought's PR department, the phony scripts, the dirty deals. The Iowa girl who had dreamed of saving the world had been shattered by reality on her very first day in Vought Tower.
"If it weren't for you..." Annie's voice grew very soft, with a hint of hoarseness. She picked up the bottle, only to find it empty, and pushed it away irritably. "If it weren't for those first few texts you sent me. If you hadn't told me how to deal with that bastard Deep. If you hadn't listened to me complain about all that crap and told me how to survive in this cesspit..."
She slowly pushed herself upright and swayed her way around the table.
The distance between them shrank to a dangerous degree.
"I wouldn't have made it this far, Lucian."
She tilted her head, her warm, malt-scented breath washing straight over his face.
Annie rested her hand on Lucian's thigh. Through the thin fabric, he could feel the warmth of her palm.
The gesture made Lucian's muscles tense instantly.
Just hours earlier, he had finished soothing Cate in the dorm, where paranoia and panic had brought her to the brink of losing control. Reassuring that girl had taken a considerable amount of physical effort.
Now this superstar Vought was promoting so heavily was leaning against him in a completely