Page 24 of Lust & Lollipops

I went looking for firewood with him.

I walked to the water well with him.

And the way everyone had their eyes narrowed at him by the end of the day told me that Cameron’s plan was working exactly the way he wanted it to.

Julian and I were at the back of the group when it came time to walk to the voting portion of the island. “You’re sticking to me on purpose,” he said, studying me as we followed the others.

“I trust you more than I trust them,” I lied.

“You have no reason to.”

“You just seem trustworthy.” I wrapped my arms around my middle, itching for a sweatshirt or something. I was so tired of wearing my stupidly small bikini and shorts. It was way too much skin on display for all the shirtless dudes around me. And too much skin that would come in contact with theirs when bedtime came around again.

The only person I hadn’t minded with was Cameron.

But I wasn’t letting myself think about that.

“If that was true, you wouldn’t be so evident about it. You know you’re making me a target,” Julian said.

I feigned surprise and took a line from Cam’s book, answering with a question. “Am I?”

We reached the voting area before he could ask me anything else.

I remembered intricate sets designed for the original Survivor show, but the fae Society hadn’t bothered with that. They just set up a bunch of logs in a circle, and put a stack of papers and markers next to the fire in the center.

Everyone took a seat.

There was no talking or last-minute drama.

Rhett passed out papers and markers to everyone but me. They all wrote a name down, then passed their votes in.

He showed the votes one by one.

Julian

Julian

Kyle

Julian

Julian

Julian

Julian

Julian

Julian

Julian

Julian

There were twelve men, but one guy had lost his vote in the first challenge, so only eleven votes.

Julian dipped his head toward me before strolling away in the direction opposite the one we’d arrived in.

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