Page 79 of Bloodlust

He... He fuckingusedme.

Like a goddamn pawn.

My eyes glaze over as pure fucking fury blurs my vision, a tsunami of rage quickly melding back together the pieces of my silly little heart. Shard by fucking shard.Rage stews inside me as I replay each and every shady encounter.

I fell for it. I fell for his ruse. His charade. His game.

I fell for...

No.

Fuck no.

Queen's don't fall.

No.

We fucking ascend.

"Get the car and bring it around the front," I instruct Zoey as I grab a pistol from a hidden compartment in my armchair. "You're driving."

"What?" Zoey blinks at me as I spin on a silencer. She looks around the living room, clearing her throat. "What are you doing, Cami?"

"I'm going to dinner, Zoe." I give her a small smile. Trepidation spreads across Zoey's face as I add, "I always keep plans."

Hayden Malcolm.

May the angels protect you.

"Wait for me in the alley," I state, checking my reflection in the sun visor as I reapply a darling shade of ‘Don't You Ever Fuck With Me’ red lipstick. Red is fitting. It's the last thing the doctor will see. "Keep the engine running."

"Cami..." Zoey glances at me, her hands gripping the steering wheel. "What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry about it," I say, slipping the gun intothe pocket of my black trench coat. "Focus on your task at hand."

"Don't do this," she pleads. "Don't go in there, Cami." She looks briefly at the outline of the pistol. "Please. Let's tell The Council. Let's tell my dad. He'll know what to do... He'll?—"

"They don't know?" I ask, narrowing my eyes. She shakes her head. "Good. Keep it that way, understand? Tell no one."

"But—"

"Five minutes," I say, ignoring her whimpering as I hop out of the SUV.

Inhaling a sharp breath of cold New York air, I head into Blue Lagoon. Hayden might be trained in the art of deception. But me? I was born with it. It's in my blood. It runs through my veins. Conceal. Hide. Pretend. A mantra for the Biancos. I've done it my whole life. Put on a show.

Time for a performance of a lifetime.

"This way." The maître d’ guides me through the sparsely spread tables toward the back.

Convenient. Near the back exit. Excellent. I'm ready for this.

I'm—

A twinge in my chest sends a shock down my spine when I catch his green eyes. For a fraction of a second, I can hear the pieces of my heart rattle, on the precipice of breaking again.No. Stop. No.I force a smile as I scan his face, unable to look away from those eyes. They were clean before. Almost pure. But now...now they're tainted. Soaked in the idiocy of my naivety.

I'm ready.

"You look…" Hayden stands up, giving me a slow once over. His gaze softens into something docile, something weak, something I didn't expect. "You look beautiful." He takes a step toward me, attempting to pull me into an embrace but I place a hand on his chest and give him a smirk. He raises a playful brow. "What? No touching?"

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