Page 128 of Theirs to Ruin

She was a beacon in my dark world, a painful reminder of everything I had lost, everything I could never be again. I wasnothing but a ghost, a shadow of the boy who once knew love and hope.

And yet I still felt the need to feed. I hungered to destroy my family’s killer.

And I hungered to drag Camille into the depths of my despair with me.

Chapter 53

Kage

The morning after Casino Night, I woke to find the bed next to me empty. Disappointment washed through me. Normally, I’d take Camille to class, but she’d told me Simone was picking her up for breakfast. I guess part of me had been hoping she’d blow Simone off or even cut class to spend the morning with me.

God, how things had changed. I hadn’t been lying when I’d told her I’d never slept with a girl before. I’d never woken up, wishing there was one beside me. And I’d certainly never limited myself to hand jobs or getting a girl off without my cock involved because a girl was a virgin yet here we were.

But even vanilla-flavored fooling around with Camille was better than the filthiest sex with other girls.Everythingabout Camille was better than with other girls.

She had that angelic heart-shaped face with the most innocent doe eyes that could catch fire at any moment, revealing her inner strength. Last night, she’d stood in front of us, baring herself like the most expensive escort in the world, experienced, in command, worth every goddamn penny. Camille was fireand ice, sugar on the tongue and a sucker punch to the gut, a blooming flower and a set of gold knuckles.

Her courage had blown me away then done it again when she’d let me spread her out on the hood of the Lambo and mouth fuck her while Dante watched and got himself off. If she was brave enough to dothat, what else was she willing to try? How far could the two of us go? How deviant and filthy would my precious angel let herself become for me?

I’d spotted Dante the moment I’d stopped kissing Camille and carried her to the car. And even as I’d knowingly led her down the path of depravity to let him watch us, I’d been swamped by a feeling of possessiveness.

Camille was mine.

I might let a guy watch her. Even fuck her. But it would bemeletting it happen.

It hit me hard, the realization that I was falling for her—harder than I’d thought I could ever fall. The more time I spent with her, the more my feelings for her grew. The more I thought that maybe this thing between us didn’t have to be temporary.

But then I’d remember who I was—heir to the Irish mob, a brutal mafia killer, a guy destined to risk losing everything because of who and what I was. The fact I cared about Camille merely made the case stronger for walking away from her.

Plenty of mob bosses married for love, but not me. I’d never expose a girl I loved to that kind of danger.

I couldn’t invite her into my life. If I did, I’d be risking hers.

It was why, after visiting my family and taking care of business, some of it brutal business, I’d decided to break up with Camille after Casino Night. Or at least, that’s what I’d planned to do. In the end, I couldn’t.

I’d just gotten dressed when I got a text.

The dean wanted to see me.

Thirty minutes later, the morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the blinds of the dean’s office, casting sharp shadows across the dean’s waiting area.

A minute later, Dean Miller appeared, offering a polite but impersonal smile. “Kage, could you come in, please?”

I followed her into her office then froze at the familiar face in front of me. Officer Davis, along with another cop. Davis was my connection in the Crimsonvale PD. The one I’d called when I’d suspected Camille had been roofied. He was also the cop who’d been giving me regular updates, though they’d basically amounted to zero, on the investigation since Ava’s death.

“Kage, Officers Davis and Conroy are here giving me an update on Ava’s investigation and suggested you join us.”

I clenched my jaw, glaring at Davis, whose eye twitched. If they’d discovered something, why the hell hadn’t he contacted me first?

The other cop spoke. “Davis suggested you be here. Otherwise, you’d have found out this news later today. Once I got the coroner’s report, I came as soon as I could, only so the dean would know we don’t believe there’s an active threat on campus.”

Davis cleared his throat. “I caught Officer Conroy on his way out right after he got the news,” he said, giving me a pointed look.

I got it. Conroy had received the results first and hadn’t given Davis the chance to do shit all with it before heading to campus.

“So what are the results?” I asked through a clenched jaw.

“These are just preliminary, mind you.” Officer Conroy leaned back in his chair, his eyes meeting mine. “We’re still waiting on the toxicology report, but early indications suggest Ava had a heart attack.”

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