Page 121 of Bloodlust

This time my gut must be correct.

"Hazel?"

"They'll kill me," she whispers in a trembling tone. "He'll kill me, Camilla. I... I don't..."

"He won't know until it's too late," I assure her. "You'll get protection, Hazel. You'll be safe. I guarantee it."

Hazel bites her lip. "What... What would I have to do?"

"A couple of things."

"Couple?"

"Yes," I say, flagging down a server. She'll need a drink for this. "A couple."

"What are they?" she asks, swallowing. "What do I have to do?"

"Well," I hum. "First off, I need you to convince Zhao to betray me?—"

"What!"

"It'll be easy, Hazel. He's power-hungry, and he fucking hates The Angels. Convince him to turn on me. Maybe he can go to Alba and crack a deal, I don't know. We can sort the details out later."

"Easy?" Hazel mutters, distraught. It's understandable. "Right. Okay...and the second thing?"

"How good is your aim?"

She blinks. "What?"

"Can you hit a small target?"

She narrows her eyes. "Yes, but?—"

"I'm gonna need you to shoot me."

"Shoot you?"

"Yes."

"I'm not going to kill you, Camilla. Are you fucking crazy?"

"I said shoot, Hazel. Not kill."

"You're going to jail, Daddy," I state, ignoring the chatter from the funeral party. "Any last words?"

"Jail?" he scoffs, clicking his tongue. "If I'm going anywhere, I'm going to the fucking morgue." He looks over at Frankie. "You said she was dead, Franks." He gestures up and down my body. "This look dead to you?"

"She was, Boss," Frankie says, standing up. "I saw her bleed out. I saw her die." He gives me a lingering once over, unable to fathom the idea that he was mistaken. "You were dead, Cami..."

"Really?" I ask, touching my beating heart. "Funny, I've never felt more alive."

"She said yes," I whisper, staring off into the distance. "Hazel said yes."

Hayden laces his fingers through mine, giving my hand a squeeze. "And you're sure?"

"It's the only way," I whisper, my future fading with every breath.

"I don't like this," he says, once again bringing me into his arms. "We can stop this. It's not too late."

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