13. Camille

Chapter 13

Camille

S omehow, after my run in with Ty, I was feeling stronger. I went for a long walk—avoiding the river, of course—then headed to the library where I took a moment to figure out what classes I’d missed in my absence. I thought about heading back to the chateau to start packing up my things, but I just couldn’t stomach having another run in with Ty. I decided the best thing to do was attend the only class I had scheduled for later in the day, my art class.

Kage and Ty had betrayed me. Who knows? Despite all his promises, maybe Dante was next. But I wasn’t going to let any of that take me down. I had a purpose for being on campus now. I was going to find out whether what Bianca had told me about the missing students was true.

On my way to art class, I ran into Simone. She looked shocked to see me but then her face lit up.

"Camille, thank God you're okay!" she exclaimed as she rushed toward me. She wrapped me in a hug that I returned, albeit stiffly.

"The news about the car accident has spread like wildfire. I tried calling you but…”

“Yeah, sorry. Things have been crazy.”

“I called the hospital so many times demanding to get information about you and someone finally caved and told me only Kage had been hospitalized. How is he?”

I felt my throat tighten, the words catching like thorns. "I hope he’s doing okay," I managed to say.

Simone's smile faltered, her eyes searching mine for something I couldn't give. "You don’t know?”

I swallowed hard and shook my head. The words tumbled out before I could stop them. "He's engaged, Simone. I left when I found out."

The shock on Simone's face mirrored the turmoil inside me. "Shit! I'm so sorry, Camille. I had no idea."

Tears pricked my eyes. "Neither did I," I whispered, the admission cracking my voice. "I was just a distraction.”

"That bastard. How could he do that to you? Want to talk about it?"

I shook my head, the thought of rehashing the pain too much to bear. "I can't. Not right now."

"Okay, but I'm here for you, alright? Whenever you're ready."

I managed a small smile, grateful for her friendship. God only knew how much I needed it right now.

We'd walked a short distance in the same direction before Simone nudged my shoulder.

“You’re still thinking about him, aren’t you?”

“Thinking what a fool I was to ever trust him.”

Simone blew out a breath. “Yeah, a secret fiancée is bad. I’m sorry I ever encouraged you to hook up with him. But let’s focus on the present, you need a distraction. The Halloween progressive party is coming up—you totally need to take part in it.”

“Halloween progressive party?” It was the first I’d heard of it.

“Girl, they’re sectioning off the old main hall into mini rooms. Participants are putting their own spin on the spooky season and people move from one room to the other. It’s going to be amazing. And to top it all off, there will be a vote at the end to decide the best room. This year’s prize is supposed to be amazing. You in?”

“I don’t know, Simone,” I murmured.

Throwing together a themed room for a party would have been right up my alley before learning about Kage’s fiancée. Now it just seemed like too much work. And after all the darkness that I had been witness to, Halloween didn’t exactly hold the same appeal. My nightmares were still haunted by Ava’s sodden, drowned corpse.

But maybe Simone was right, and the distraction would help. Not just with Kage. People were already talking. First Ava, then Kage. I bet you someone will eventually walk up to me and ask if Callum was next.

Helping with the mixer might take the focus off me and put it into something else – for a while, anyway.

“Come on, Camille. You need this. I need this,” Simone begged me. “It’s been ages since we’ve spent any real time together. This will be fun. We can even have our own little side bet.” Her dark eyes twinkled. “If you or I win the overall competition, the loser owes the winner one favor. Whatever they like.”

I rolled my eyes at my friend’s dramatics, but the truth was, I was already feeling a little better just being around Simone. Maybe hanging out with her and doing this silly competition would be enough to ground me while I packed up my stuff and moved out of the chateau.

“Fine. But I hope you’re prepared to lose, because I can get very competitive…”

“Then I better make the forfeit worth it,” she shot back playfully.

I forced a smile. “I have to go to art class.” But I was suddenly so exhausted all I wanted to do was head back to the chateau before collapsing.

“Maybe you want to skip today?”

“Why?”

“It looks like someone wants to see you.”

I immediately wondered if she was talking about Kage or Ty. When I followed the direction of her gaze, I saw Dante. Standing just a few feet away, his bright blue eyes were like beacons under his deliciously messy black hair. He’d changed into jeans and a tight black shirt that accentuated his tattoos and muscular build. Despite having just seen him this morning, the sight of him now was a jolt to the system, stirring something deep within me. My pussy clenched as I remembered how full it had felt with his cock inside me, and I shivered.

Simone gave me a playful nudge. "I'll leave you two alone," she said with a wink. Then she sobered. “If you need me, Camille. I’m here for you. You can count on me.”

I pulled her into a deep hug. “Thanks, Simone. For being such a good friend.”

“Back at you, babe.” As she left, she waved at Dante, who waved back. Then Dante's gaze held mine, a smirk playing on his lips. "Peaches. How was your day?”

I walked up to him. “It was fine.”

He cocked a brow. “Is that why Phillip Hermes got taken to the hospital after Ty was through with him? Because you’re fine?”

I shrugged. “Ty blows hot and cold, you know that. Phillip was giving me shit and Ty stepped in when really, if Ty really wanted to protect me, he’d fuck himself up.”

Something flashed across Dante’s face that made me narrow my eyes. “What is it?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. I’m just glad Ty was there to help.”

“Honestly, I’d rather Phillip have done his worst. Believe me, it wouldn’t have hurt me nearly as much as Ty did.”

“Camille…”

I shook my head. “Please. Let’s not go there. I’d much rather focus on how nice it is to see you,” I said. I started walking and Dante walked beside me.

“Then how about you come back to my place? I could make us dinner," he suggested, his voice smooth and inviting.

The offer was a welcoming one. Despite my determination to stand on my own instead of leaning against Dante, I found the thought of going back to the chateau unbearable. "That sounds really nice, actually," I replied.

And who knew, maybe our night would involve a lot more than dinner.