Page 65 of Bloodlust

"Fine," I say. "Get home safe, okay?"

"I will," he says. "I will."

I drive to my condo in a tired state, Hayden's scent filling the space in my car.

I leave his jacket on as I crawl into bed.

It smells safe.

At least tonight.

Chapter 17

Reality

Should I call him? He probably wants it back, right? I mean, he didn't give it to me to keep forever. He just lent it to me. A temporary thing. I'll probably see him later in the week, anyway. I can return it then, right?

"What do you think?" I ask Pinto, swirling a glass of red wine around as my gaze lingers on Hayden's jacket which is draped over a bar stool. "Should I call him?" I look down at my sleepy pup. "Well?"

Pinto's snout flares as he lets out a labored breath, his eyelids flickering open for a second before closing.

"You're right," I say, focusing my attention on the TV screen as I give Pinto's scruff a good scratch. "I'll wait. I only saw him a day ago. If he wanted it back, he'd call me and ask."

Leaning back into the sofa, I force myself to relax and banish all thoughts of Hayden out of my mind. Today is ameday. Wine, trashy reality TV, and Chinese take-out. I think I deserve at least one day to focus on other people'sproblems rather than my own. As Christine is about to release total mayhem on Mary—these chicks are a total riot—my phone rings.

Grunting, I flip over my phone and check the caller ID. For fuck's sake. "What do you want?" I ask, pausing the second season ofSelling Sunset. "I'm busy."

"Where are you?" Leo asks, his tone rough. "Why aren't you at the club? I need to talk to youright now."

"I believe they invented telephones for this exact purpose, Leonardo," I say, scowling. "What do you want? Talk."

"This is a conversation I think we should have in person," Leo says. "Where are you?"

"At home," I grumble, closing my eyes. God, he's giving me a headache. "I'm taking the day off."

"You'retaking the day off?" Leo asks, voice laced with incredulous judgment. "I don't think you're in a position totakea day off, Camilla." He pauses briefly. "I talked to Malik."

My eyes spring open and I jerk forward, my heart sinking to my stomach. He knows about the offer. I'm going to fucking kill Alba. "What?"

"Meet me at Fanchino's in twenty minutes," he says. "I think there are a few things we need to discuss."

"Wedon't need to discuss anything," I say through my teeth. "Know your place, Leonardo."

"Nineteen minutes now," Leo says, unfazed. "Or I will tell The Council you've been withholding valuable information."

My jaw tenses. "You fucking bastard."

"Call me whatever you want, Camilla," Leo says, "butI'm done playing nice with you. You can't fix this on your own and you know it. You're just too fucking proud to ask for help, so I'm not waiting for you to grow a pair of balls anymore, okay? Eighteen minutes."

And he hangs up.

"Fuck!" I slam my phone on the coffee table, waking up Pinto. He opens his blue eyes and stares at me as I take deep breaths, hoping my body stops vibrating. "Shit, okay. This is fine. It's fine. So what if Leo knows? It's still my decision, right? He can't force me to do anything, right? But if he tells The Council..." I bury my face into my hands, unable to think of a solution. "Maybe he's right. Maybe I do need help..." Damn it. I glance down at Pinto and give him a gentle kiss on the head. "I love you, bean. I'll be right back."

A foul taste manifests in my mouth as I drag myself off the couch. I know how Leo's going to try andhelp. I glance at the paused TV screen. Lucky. I'd trade lives with Mary if I could. My reality is actually real.

I grab my purse and head out the door.

And I wish it wasn’t.

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