Page 167 of Theirs to Ruin

Dante looked surprised then laughed. “I normally don’t share, but for you, anything.”

I blushed, remembering how he’d basically said the same thing when he’d told me I could have sex with other men, specifically Kage and Ty, and Dante, too.

God, it was so easy to picture it. Well, except for the Ty part. He’d probably spend the whole time making my body feel good while still finding ways to emotionally push me away.

“Good,” I said, once again focusing on the guy in front of me. I stood on my tiptoes, softly kissed his lips, and whispered, “Maybe after our picnic, you can share more of what’s under that towel with me.”

Chapter 68

Camille

By the time I pulled the Bugatti into the chateau driveway, the last rays of sunlight painted the sky in hues of orange and purple, mirroring the tumultuous mix of emotions churning inside me. I’d taken a long drive before coming home, reluctant to face either Ty or Kage. I was afraid Ty was going to let loose his bully again. As for Kage? I felt guilty for fooling around with Dante so soon after Kage took my virginity.

Given how close Kage and I had gotten, I told myself that if I had to give up all other men to keep him, I would.

But I didn’t want to.

I wanted Kage, but I wanted Dante, too. And if he ever let me in and showed me that deep down he really was the Ty I’d love before, I wanted Ty, too.

“God, you’re a greedy bitch, Camille,” I muttered.

If Ava was still alive, she’d say the same thing.

I thought about what Kage told me about the yew tree tattoo Ava had. That the tree stood for immortalityandbad omens. Did that mean Ava thought she was doomed for an eternal lifetime of pain?

After what happened to her, it was no wonder she’d become so hardened. No wonder she’d snatched back her friendship so abruptly. It was scary to suddenly realize you cared about someone so much. That you were vulnerable to their whims and transgressions. It was in caring that we opened ourselves up to being hurt again and again.

As far I knew, she’d never even dated anyone on campus before, yet she’d told the woman at the yarn shop she had a boyfriend.

I rested my forehead on top of the Bugatti’s steering wheel. “Ava, why did you have to keep so many secrets?” I groaned in frustration.

As close as we’d once been, Ava never told me she’d been kidnapped. Never told me anything that exposed much vulnerability. The closest she’d come was when she’d casually mentioned a crush she had on someone at school during freshman year. But she’d refused to tell me his name. When I’d pushed, she said I’d figure it out. “Just remember, we always have the biggest crushes on the guys we say the least to,” she’d said.

At the time I hadn’t thought much of it because Ava pretty much iced everyone out but me and her Bitch Patrol, including the guys. She’d been more relaxed than I’d ever seen her over the summer, especially when we’d hung out with some people from school but?—

I abruptly straightened, recalling one night when Ava had been happily chatting away with Bianca, Lisa Parker, and Anupam Sunder, who each lived within an hour’s drive of my family home. Ava had seemed to get more reticent, however, when Silas, who lived the closest, was around. Plus, now that I thought about it, she’d always seemed a little touchier than normal after Silas had been around us on campus.

What if she hadn’t been disinterested in Silas but had been ignoring him to mask her attraction to him.

My mind raced. Could Silas be connected to all this? If so, how deep was he involved? Since Kage was Silas’s friend, I immediately wanted to talk to Kage about it but I hesitated. Was I really going to start throwing accusations and drive a potential wedge between them because Ava hadn’t paid enough attention to him on a few random days during the summer?

Then again, what if I was right and didn’t tell Kage what I was thinking?

I got out of the Bugatti and walked inside. The place was dark, the only audible sound my breathing and my footsteps. I called Kage’s name but he didn’t answer. I walked upstairs. My room and Kage’s were dark. Ty's room, however, emitted a faint, glowing light from beneath the door, a thin line that beckoned ominously. I listened for music or movement. Anything. When I heard nothing, I shivered, hit with a feeling of dread.

“Ty?” I called softly. No answer.

“Ty, are you there?” I called louder.

When he didn’t reply, I knocked on his door. “Come on, Ty. Open up.”

Nothing.

Driven by a combination of nerves and curiosity—what kind of stuff did Ty have in his room and was there any trace of our time together inside?—I reached for the doorknob. To my surprise, it turned smoothly beneath my hand. I pushed the door open, and in an instant, my world imploded.

Ty lay sprawled on the ground, his normally tan face eerily pale.

"Oh, fuck. No," I whispered, my voice barely audible even to myself. I knelt beside him and felt for his pulse. It was there but just barely. “Ty, what have you done?”

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