22. Camille

Chapter 22

Camille

T he door to the Dark Arts room creaked as I pushed it open. The room was dimly lit, shadows dancing on the walls cast by candles dotted around the walls. Each painting, sculpture, and drawing seemed to pulsate with an energy that spoke of unease, doom, death, and the darker sides of human nature. Figures twisted around each other, faces painted with horror and terror and longing and lust. It was as if the artists had delved into their deepest fears and laid them bare for all to see.

I moved closer to a painting that caught my eye—a haunting depiction of a figure shrouded in darkness, with only their eyes visible, glowing unnaturally. It evoked a sense of being watched, a chill running down my spine despite the warmth of the room. It was signed, “J. Hudson.”

I hadn’t known Julie Hudson was an artist.

Before I could lean in for a closer look, the door opened again. Kage, still in costume, came into view.

He shut the door behind him, leaned back against it, crossed his arms, and studied me.

I kept my chin up, trying to appear unaffected by him. In reality, my heart was pounding, by blood heating, my entire being vibrating.

“The Raven, huh? You didn’t even know I’d be here, Camille, but you were still delivering me a message. Doesn’t that prove how hung up on me you are? That no matter how hard you try to keep me at a distance, you’ll never be free of me?”

I snorted. “The message wasn’t for you. The symbolism was for me.”

He straightened and took several steps toward me. “The symbolism being that like the raven, you’re a naysayer of love. You’re announcing to everyone, me included, the fleeting nature of life and love, the inevitability of grief and death."

I was taken aback by his insight even though I shouldn't have been. Kage was well-read and whip smart. And he was right. I’d loved the aesthetics of the costume, but the symbolism was the main reason I’d chosen it.

I shrugged. “Sounds about right to me. And your monster costume? A reference to what you said to me after The Roost? About letting your monster loose?”

Kage smiled tightly. “You’ve already seen my monster plenty, and I’m not talking about my cock. I killed Silas right in front of you."

Despite myself, I shook my head. “Silas was the monster, not you.”

That set something off in him. He backed me up until I slammed into the wall, then caged my throat in his big hand. “Don’t fool yourself, Camille. I’m more monstrous than Silas could ever hope to be. My only saving grace is that you like my monster. No, you love it.”

My breath hitched in my throat. I couldn’t believe I was even thinking it, but he was right. Even now, I wanted him. Every part of him. Maybe even the monstrous parts most of all.

He loosened his grip and dropped his hand. “Admit you still love me, Camille,” he said.

“Let’s not go there, Kage.”

"Tell me," he ordered, voice low, insistent. I pressed my lips together.

“If you won’t say the words willingly, I’ll get them through your mouth another way.”

His hand moved to the back of my head, roughly pulling me close as his mouth met mine. He kissed me savagely, exactly like the monster he was dressed as. A monster that was misunderstood, lonely, craving the human contract that I could give him. His tongue plunged into my mouth again and again until I was moaning, a melody that sounded like desire but something else, too—love.

I still loved him, and he knew it.

When he began tugging at my costume, I gasped. "Here? What if someone comes in?" I managed between kisses.

“I don’t give a fuck.”

The risk, the thrill of possibly being discovered, only fueled the fire between us. His hands found my waist, pulling me closer. I wrapped my arms around him, the sound of our heavy breathing filling the room.

Our make-out session was urgent and needy, a dance of lips and tongues that spoke volumes more than our words ever could. Each touch seemed to say, "You're mine," a claim I put forth despite knowing it was a lie.

His hand caressed me over my feathers and tried to find access to my skin. When he couldn’t easily find it, he grasped my costume in each hand and ripped it straight down the center. Behind my mask, I gasped.

“Kage!”

“Fuck the symbolism behind this costume,” he said. “You love me. I love you, Camille. That’s not ever going to change.”

I was braless, and his hands roughly cupped my breasts. I gasped. "Wait, Kage. You're still recovering. We already pushed things before. Don’t do anything too strenuous."

"I don't have to," he growled. "You're so ready for me I could make you come just by breathing on you." He pressed his lips to my throat, sending a shockwave of arousal through my body. "You want to come, don’t you, dirty girl?”

Just as he asked the question, the door to the room opened. He stepped to shield me, blocking me from view, but I was still aware that a few others had walked in. Fuck, we had to stop – I had to stop this, before it consumed me. But I couldn't. Kage's presence, the heat of his body against mine, made everything else insignificant. Suddenly, I wanted everyone on campus to see how much he wanted me – how I was his first choice.

He kissed my skin, trailing soft, feathery touches across my collarbone, stopping to nibble at the sensitive spot behind my ear. “You want me to stop?”

My breathing hitched in anticipation, wondering how far he would go to convince me if I said yes. Whether I could handle it. Silently, I arched into him, my knee sliding up the outside of his leg, my body moving on instinct.

“Use your words, Rebel. Do you want me to stop?”

“No.”

Before I could even think to stop him, not that I wanted to, his hand snaked inside my panties, his fingers entering me. I arched into his touch, desperate for relief, barely holding back the moan that threatened to escape.

We were putting on quite the show, but I didn’t care. Let them see us. Let them see how badly he wanted me. Not Daniella.

Me.

I clenched my thighs, my grip on his neck tightening as my climax began to build. With a whimpered groan, I bit down hard on Kage’s shoulder as his finger circled my clit.

“I’m close,” I whispered in his ear. “God, I’m so close.”

I did my best to keep silent, but the closer I got to orgasming, the harder it became.

“Harder, Kage,” I begged him, my thigh riding up his hip, forcing his fingers deeper inside me.

“Hold on, Rebel,” Kage muttered. "They got their eyeful. Your orgasm isn’t for anyone else in this room but me.”

He slipped his fingers out of me, causing a mournful whimper to leave me. As I slumped back against the wall, Kage stalked over to the small crowd that had gathered.

“Out,” he ordered. “You’re not watching her come, but if you’re lucky, you’ll hear her.”

There was a grumble around the gathered crowd but then Kage took a step forward, his eyes darkening. The crowd took the hint. They quickly vacated the room without another word. The guy closest to the door started to protest, but Kage grabbed him by the arm and shoved him outside. He kicked the door shut before turning back to me and tearing the remnants of my costume off me. He captured my lips in a searing kiss.

“There’s nothing sexier in this world than watching you come, Rebel,” Kage growled. He propped me up against the wall and started fingering me again. I groaned with pleasure. “Fuck, the look on your face right now…I so badly want to slide my cock inside your wet pussy and fuck you.”

My body began to shake in his arms. Arousal built up inside me like a tidal wave, crashing to the shore, then all at once, I began to orgasm. He cupped my chin with his free hand, forcing me to look at him as I came

“You’re so wet, dripping all over my fingers. Everything about you is perfect.”

My breathing was labored, my body lit up like a Christmas tree.

Afterward, when I began to recover, however, my doubts and embarrassment immediately raised their heads. Tears started leaking from my eyes, and with a rough noise, Kage began kissing my tears away.

“Fuck, don’t cry, baby. I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to fight for you. Yes, our relationship is messy as fuck, but we love each other.”

I turned my head to the side. He'd said it repeatedly now. He loved me. And I was starting to believe it. But it didn't matter. “Love isn’t enough. Not for us.”

Kage laid his forehead on mine. “Maybe it’s not enough for forever, but for right now, it’s everything.” He kissed me, his mouth tender and lingering, and I couldn't help but kiss him back.

Finally, he held me, our hearts beating in perfect rhythm.

"I have to get out of here," I finally said. “Please.”

“I don’t want to leave you.”

“We can…we can talk later.”

“Do you swear it?”

I nodded. It was clear I was helpless when it came to him. My pride was no match for how he made me feel. I didn’t know what that meant for us, but I was willing to talk it out since trying to push him away obviously wasn’t working. “Yes.”

Kage nodded then stepped back. He slipped off his costume shirt, revealing his muscular chest. I gasped when I saw the scar Davis's bullet and Kage's surgery left behind. The scar was jagged and angry, still red and swollen, tracing a violent path just beneath his pecs. It wasn’t a clean line—it twisted like it had fought to close, a brutal reminder of how close he'd come to losing his life. The skin around it was taut, raw, and still healing, as if his body hadn't quite forgiven him for checking out of the hospital early. It looked painful, like it burned with every breath he took. But Kage acted like it was nothing. Like the wound didn’t even register. He didn’t flinch as I reached out, my fingers hovering just above the wound. I let out a sound so mournful, he kissed me again.

"I'm okay, Camille. The only wound hurting me is the thought of losing you."

He tugged the shirt over me. It engulfed me, but wearing something he gave me felt so comforting.

He caught my gaze, a soft challenge in his eyes. "I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was engaged. I’m sorry my life isn’t the kind of life where we can be together forever. But if I had that option, baby, it would be you I’d pick. Every damn time.”

I felt the sincerity in his words like tiny explosives going off inside me. When he turned away from me, I caught his arm. “I love you, Kage. Despite everything, I’d pick you again, too. I just…it hurts, knowing she’s going to have you when I’ll have only had you for such a short time.”

“Our time together might be short, but it will sustain me for a lifetime.”

I swallowed hard. “Do you promise…if I agree to see you again. Do you promise that while we’re together you won’t be with her or any other woman?”

Hope flashed across his expression. “I swear it, Camille.”

I nodded, my heart still fractured but settling into the wreckage. “Okay. I—I need to be by myself tonight. Give me that. But tomorrow…”

“Yes?”

“Tomorrow…come home. We’ll talk.”

He swept me into his arms and hugged me tight. “Coming home to you is all I’ve wanted since I woke up in that hospital bed, Camille.” He kissed me hard and though what I was feeling was too intense to smile or laugh, I wasn’t immune enough not to feel joy.

It was going to hurt like a bitch when we were over, but I already hurt.

Having Kage for a little while longer would be worth the pain yet to come.