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"Drop the act and tell me who you're working for, or I'll make sure you can't walk for a month."
Vivian Cross didn't just enter the alley; she owned it. The golden light from her magical aura hit the grime-streaked brick walls, making the whole place look like a cheap stage set. She had me pinned against a dumpster, one hand gripping my shoulder and the other humming with a concentrated spark of energy just inches from my face.
I tried to swallow, but my throat was dry. "I don't know what you're talking about, Star Girl. I'm just... passing through."
"Passing through?" Vivian leaned in. I could smell vanilla and something sharp—like ozone before a storm. Her eyes were scanning me, not just looking, but dissecting. "You're wearing a high-grade combat suit under that oversized hoodie, and you just leveled a city block with a gravity well. You aren't passing through. You're a target."
I felt the collar around my neck pulse. A warning. Silas Vane's voice hissed in my earpiece, cold and mocking. *'Kill her, Tess. Or the collar turns your brain into a smoothie. Stop flirting and start crushing.'*
"Get off me," I snapped, my voice shaking more than I wanted.
"Make me," she countered.
That was it. The trigger. I didn't want to do it, but the collar tightened, a searing heat blooming against my skin. I reacted. I slammed my palm downward, not at her, but at the ground.
*Crash.*
The gravity field exploded. The pavement buckled, cracking like a dry biscuit. The sudden surge of pressure slammed Vivian backward, but she was too fast. She twisted in mid-air, her boots sparking as she slid across the concrete, barely keeping her footing.
"Gravity?" Vivian stood up, a small, dangerous smile playing on her lips. "Now that's interesting. Most of the low-rent villains we catch these days just throw fire or scream. You've got actual talent."
"I'm not a villain," I yelled, though the lie tasted like copper in my mouth. I shifted my weight, feeling the heavy pull of the earth responding to my will. "I'm just trying to get paid!"
"Wrong answer," she said.
In a blur of gold, she was back. She didn't punch; she swept my legs out from under me. I hit the ground hard, the air leaving my lungs in a pathetic wheeze. Before I could even gasp, she was on top of me.
She pinned my wrists above my head, her knees locking my thighs down. The power dynamic shifted instantly. I was trapped, staring up into eyes that were far too bright and a face that was far too pretty for someone currently trying to arrest me.
"You're shaking," Vivian whispered. She wasn't mocking me anymore. She sounded curious. Her chest was heaving, her breath warm against my cheek. "Why are you shaking? You have enough power to flatten this alley, but you're acting like a scared rabbit."
"Get... off..."\ I struggled, but the more I moved, the more I noticed the heat radiating from her. It wasn't just the magic; it was her. The proximity was dizzying. I could see the tiny gold flecks in her irises. I could feel the rough fabric of her hero suit rubbing against my hoodie.
"You're not a pro," she murmured, her gaze dropping to my lips for a split second before snapping back to my eyes. "Who did this to you?"
She shifted her grip, and her fingers brushed the edge of my collar.
*ZAP.*
a bolt of electricity shot through the metal band. I screamed, my back arching off the pavement. The shock was blinding, a white-hot needle driving into my spine.
Vivian recoiled, her eyes widening. "What the hell was that?"
I gasped for air, my muscles twitching. "It's... a leash," I managed to choke out, tears pricking my eyes. "If I don't... if I don't do what they want... it kills me."
Vivian stared at me, her expression softening into something that looked dangerously like pity. She didn't let go of my wrist, but her grip loosened. "A slave collar? In this district? Who is insane enough to use those on a gravity-user?"
"Does it matter?" I spat, trying to regain some shred of dignity while pinned to the dirt. "Just take me in. Put me in a cell. Maybe the guys who own me will get bored and let me go."
"I don't think so," Vivian said. She leaned closer again, her face inches from mine. The tension was different now—less like a fight, more like a wire stretched to the breaking point. "I don't like people who use leashes. And I really don't like it when someone tries to flatten my city."
I looked away, unable to handle the intensity of her stare. "Then just cuff me and be done with it."
"Not so fast," she said.
I felt her hand move. She didn't reach for handcuffs. Instead, her fingers slid up to my jaw, tilting my head back. Her touch was surprisingly gentle, the warmth of her skin contrasting with the cold, metallic bite of the collar. For a second, the world stopped. I forgot about Silas, the debt, and the fact that I was supposed to be the one burying her.
"You're not a killer," she whispered, her thumb brushing my cheekbone. "I can tell. You're terrified of your own power."
"I'm not terrified," I lied, my voice cracking. "I'm just... out of practice."
Vivian chuckled, a low sound that vibrated in my chest. "Liar."
Suddenly, the collar buzzed again. Not a shock this time, but a steady, rhythmic vibration. A countdown.
*'Tess,'* Silas's voice returned, sounding bored. *'You have ten seconds to deliver a critical blow, or I trigger the surge. Three... two...'*
I panicked. I didn't want to hurt her, but I didn't want my brain to fry. I surged upward, using a localized gravity burst to shove Vivian off me. It wasn't a killing blow—it was a desperate push. She flew back a few feet, landing gracefully on her feet, but the move gave me just enough room to scramble away.
I stood there, chest heaving, staring at the most powerful girl in the city. I looked like a mess—hair wild, clothes torn, eyes red. She looked like she'd just stepped off a billboard, not a thing.
"This isn't over," Vivian called out as I backed toward the mouth of the alley.
"It better not be!" I yelled back, though I was already halfway to the street.
I didn't see her move until it was too late. She vanished in a gold flash and reappeared right in front of me, her hand snapping out like a viper. She didn't strike; she grabbed my wrist with a grip like iron, pinning me against the brick wall one last time.
She didn't look angry. She looked like she'd just found a new toy.
"You're a disaster, Fallstar," she whispered, her breath hot against my ear. She leaned in, her voice dropping to a dangerous, intimate level that made my knees weak. "But you're a disaster I'm going to keep an eye on."
She reached up, her fingers grazing the edge of the mask I'd hastily thrown on earlier, pulling it slightly askew so she could see more of my face.
"Wear a mask next time, idiot," she said, her eyes locking onto mine with a smirk that promised trouble. "Because if I see you again, I'm not letting you run."