17. Camille

Chapter 17

Camille

T hree days had passed since Kage had fucked me inside Dante’s house, and I’d been trying my best to keep myself busy. Classes, packing, avoiding thoughts about Kage and Ty—it was a pathetic attempt to regain some control over my spiraling life. But the packing part? That was going really slow. Like, “maybe I don’t want to move on yet” slow. Yeah, there was definitely something wrong with me.

I’d bought a new phone and had been texting with Dante regularly, though I hadn’t seen him since he’d dropped me off at the chateau that night. We both used school or work as an excuse, but I knew the truth—having sex with Kage in Dante’s house had changed things, at least on his part. He hadn’t brought it up and he tried to pretend like it was business as usual, but I didn’t miss the growing divide between us.

Bianca and I were texting again, too, keeping our conversations short and vague. She’d slipped back into her student-life routine, but our coded messages still checked in on important things . “Hope your day was fine” translated to “Did you find any bugs or cameras?” and “It was” meant “Nope, nothing yet.” It was nice, but I wasn’t ready to fully reconnect. Kage’s betrayal had me on edge, doubting everyone—even my sister.

Thank God for Simone. She caught me between classes, practically bouncing with excitement.

“Camille! Guess what? We got picked to design rooms for the Halloween progressive party!” Her smile could’ve powered a small city.

“Seriously?” I blinked, feeling an unfamiliar twinge of enthusiasm. “That’s awesome! What theme are you thinking?”

“I’m torn between a haunted forest or an asylum escape room,” she said, tapping her chin dramatically. “What about you?”

I thought about it. “Maybe a witch’s lair? Potions, spell books, bubbling cauldron—something creepy but cool.”

Simone gasped like I’d just reinvented Halloween. “Yes! Dry ice for bubbling effects! And you could wear a robe, like this super-hot witch queen. I think I have some old costume stuff?—”

“Wait. Are you saying I already look like a witch? Because rude.” I smirked, shaking my head.

“No! You’d be, like, the hottest witch in CU history,” she said, laughing. “You could hang herbs, label jars of 'spell ingredients,' and make it all atmospheric.”

I grinned despite myself. “Okay, I’m in. Maybe I’ll add a corner where people can write their own spells—might come in handy for all the jerks around here.”

“Oh, like a curse corner? Genius.”

There were a few spells I wish I could cast on some of the men in my life right now – turning Ty into a frog and turning Kage into something far worse came to mind.

As we walked and chatted, it was a coincidence that Simone’s next class led me past Bianca’s dorm, and when we separated, I stared at Bianca's building. Pulling out my new phone, I sent her a text.

Have you heard of the Halloween progressive party? Simone and I are decorating our own rooms. Do you want to attend with us?

I held my breath when I saw three dots appear on the screen.

A chance to dress up? Wouldn’t miss it, Cami.

I smiled at her response. She played it off that the costumes were what she was excited about, but I knew she saw the invitation for what it was: my attempt to put the past aside and connect as sisters again.

I hearted her response and left it at that.

* * *

A few hours later, I found myself in art class. Professor Augustus was explaining our midterm project, his voice dripping with that “you’ll thank me someday” tone.

“You’ll be paired for a live nude drawing assignment,” he announced, pausing for effect.

Cue the awkward murmurs and stifled giggles. Great. Of course, he had to spice things up this year. My stomach knotted as he started calling out names, assigning partners. I held my breath until?—

“Camille and Stephen.”

I glanced toward the guy in question. Stephen was cute, with messy dark hair and glasses that gave off an artsy vibe. He smiled nervously, and I managed a polite nod.

“Hey,” he said, sliding into the seat beside me.

“Hey,” I replied, shaking his hand. “Looks like we’re stuck together.”

“Guess so,” he said, his grin a mix of relief and nerves. “First time doing something like this?”

“First time,” I confirmed.

Before I could say another word, the door to the classroom swung open. My heart dropped.

Ty.

What the hell was he doing here?

"Can I help you?" Professor Augustus asked.

"I was told by Professor Chan to come here to participate in the mid-term assignment," Ty said, his eyes roving the room before landing on me. "They’re covering stuff I’ve already done.”

"Well, this is highly unusual," the professor said.

Ty shrugged.

Augustus scowled. “Tell Professor Chan that students have already paired up for the mid-term assignment and there’s no one left to–”

"I’ll figure something out," Ty replied before he turned his back on the professor and moved through the tables toward me.

The room seemed to tilt on its axis as I registered his intentions. Paired with Ty? For a nude assignment?

My heart pounded, a mix of indignation and panic setting in. I imagined being vulnerable to him, our sessions filled with a mix of awkwardness and hostility. And beneath all that, sexual chemistry.

No way. I had a perfectly nice partner already.

Ty reached us and planted his hands on the table. I made eye contact with him and felt a shudder of emotion rush through me. I pushed it aside, determined that he wasn’t going to get to me.

"What do you want?" I demanded.

"We’re going to work together," he replied.

"I already have a partner," I shot back, gesturing to the guy beside me. Stephen shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with the way all of this was going down.

“So what? It shouldn’t matter to you. I’ve already seen all you have to offer.”

I felt my cheeks flame. "Then draw from memory," I shot back.

Ty ignored me and turned to Stephen. "You already sporting a hard on at the idea of seeing her naked?” Ty asked.

Stephen’s eyes bulged and his cheeks turned a dark red. “What? I mean...no... I…”

Ty cocked a brow at Stephen. “So maybe you’re getting hard at the thought of seeing me naked?”

"Knock it off, Ty!” I hissed.

Stephen narrowed his eyes and showed some backbone. “I don’t know what your problem is?—”

"You don’t have to know," Ty snapped.

Professor Augustus was on his cell, probably duking it out with Professor Chan. At the same time, every other student’s eyes were on us. Jesus, as if I needed any more attention on me right now.

Ty looked around, grabbed an empty chair, and shoved it in between me and Stephen so we had no choice but to scoot back from one another. “It will be an interesting trio assignment,” he said, winking at Stephen. “Maybe you’ll learn a few things about yourself.”

Stephen desperately looked toward Professor Augustus, who had ended his call. “Stephen, you have your pick of teams to join,” he said.

Stephen’s expression went lax with relief. He looked at Ty then me.

“Stephen, please,” I said.

He didn’t even acknowledge that I’d spoken. His gaze landed on two pretty girls who were sitting together. One nodded to him. Quickly, Stephen stood and went to sit at their table.

“This is ridiculous," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. Inside, my thoughts were a tumultuous storm. Being paired up with Ty was the last thing I needed. His demeanor towards me was unpredictable at best. Most of the time, he was an outright asshole, and then there were moments he completely ignored me. But there were also those rare instances where he acted as my protector, like when he'd helped save me from Silas then Phillip Hermes. Spending time with him was emotionally exhausting, like being on a relentless rollercoaster. And yet, despite all this, the attraction between us was undeniable, confusing me even further about what Ty truly wanted from me.

“Professor Augustus. Please, can I change partners?" I said loudly.

The professor looked around. "Does anyone else want to pair up with Ty?”

Crickets.

“Sorry, Camille. You’ll have to manage,” Augustus said, clearly done with the drama. “But Ty will be professional about this assignment. If he steps out of line, just let me know.”

Ty’s smirk widened. “Guess you’re stuck with me.”

I clenched my fists under the table, my blood boiling. “Why are you doing this? You don’t even like me.”

"Irrelevant," he replied, voice not giving away a hint of emotion. "Nobody else gets to see you naked."

I snorted. "It’s a little late for that," I fired back.

"Kage and Dante? That’s old news," he replied. "Or are you talking about your little stunt at Casino night? Either way, nobody else gets to see you."

"You’re acting crazy. I don’t owe you anything. I can show my body to whoever I want to?—"

"Why would you want to?" he replied. “Your bravado at Casino Night aside, I would think between the two of us, you’d be even less thrilled about stripping for a stranger than I am.”

My eyes widened at his words, the implication behind them, and the way his jaw clenched, revealing he wasn’t as cavalier about having to join in on this project as he wanted to seem. My gaze lowered and I saw the top of one of his scars, the very tip of the scar tissue snaking out from under his shirt.

Maybe this wasn’t just about him being a jerk to me or trying to control who got to see me naked. Maybe this was about trying to control who got to see him without his clothes on – who got to see his scars. He was playing it off like he was trying to control me because that was easier than admitting that he was hiding himself.

If that was truly the case, I hated how he was going about it, and I hated that I even cared about his insecurities in the first place, but given the compassion that had invaded me, I couldn’t deny that I did. Besides, Ty had already seen me naked plenty. And despite everything, I knew he still found me attractive. I'd felt it in that secret kiss in the library, the way his eyes had roved over me on Casino Night, and especially when we’d fooled around in his room. Given how he’d hurt me again and again, maybe I could give him some of his own medicine. Glimpses of my body that he would never, ever have access to again.

"Fine," I replied. “But we’ll be playing this assignment by my rules.”

Beside me, Ty smirked. “Whatever you say, Swan. Whatever you say.”