Page 78 of Theirs to Ruin

He stared at me with disapproval.

“What?” I snapped, sick of being judged.

“You’re not a coward, Camille.”

“How would you know what I am?” I burst out. “I’ve run away from conflict so many times in the past week. It’s what I seem to do best. I don’t know who to trust. I don’t even trust myself anymore.”

“You can trust me,” he said gently.

I shook my head. “Ava was your sister.”

“And yet I’m still here. Trust me, Camille. Let me in, dammit.”

Trust. It was something so simple yet mired in layers of complexity. Trusting Kage meant accepting another ally besides Bianca and Simone. It also meant taking the risk he was only trying to get close to me because he really did suspect me in Ava’s death. Maybe all this was some intricate plan to get rid of me once and for all. As much as I wanted to trust Kage, I couldn’t.

Not completely.

“I’m sorry. I can’t.”

Chapter 34

Camille

It had been two days since the blade incident, and besides going to classes, I’d become a hermit. Bianca and I had texted a couple of times, but I hadn’t heard from her since the day before. I sent her another text asking if she was playing hooky at the beach then continued walking to the dean’s office, where I’d been summoned.

This was it. The moment I was expelled from school for Ava’s death or for holding a knife to Jenji’s throat.

I had to admit, part of me felt relief.

See, Kage? I really am a coward, after all.

When I reached the dean’s office, I pushed open the imposing double doors and stepped into an orderly environment, an atmosphere that was worlds apart from secret councils and veiled threats.

"I'm Camille Parelli, here to see Dean Miller," I told the secretary, who looked me over, her expression unreadable, before pointing to the corridor on the right.

"Go right in," she said, her voice devoid of inflection.

A cold wave of apprehension washed over me. When I reached the door marked "Dean Alice Miller," I had to take a moment to collect myself. My reflection in the polished wood showed a girl who looked like she was a hair’s breadth away from freaking out.

Finally, I knocked. A muffled "Come in," came from inside.

The minute I stepped into the dean's office, she lifted her gaze just long enough to shoot me a look of acknowledgment. She was on the phone, and from the tone of her voice, it sounded serious.

"Yes, sir," she was saying. "She just walked in. I'll make sure she knows."

My stomach sank. There was a short list of people who would be discussing me with Dean Miller. My father was at the top of that list.

The dean hung up and set her phone aside, gesturing to the chair opposite her expansive mahogany desk. "Camille, thanks for coming on such short notice," she said, folding her hands in front of her.

I took a seat. "Of course, Dean Miller," I responded, returning her polite but guarded smile. "What can I do for you?"

With no preliminaries, she dropped the bombshell. “I understand from Kage O’Hare that you’re being bullied.”

Damn you, Kage.

I didn’t confirm or deny what the dean had said.

"I spoke to your father,” she said, her voice taking on an inflection I couldn't quite read, "and it’s been decided that you're going to be moving out of the dorms and into one of the chateaus near the edge of campus.”

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