Page 27 of Theirs to Ruin

I went looking for Ava and found her laughing with her friends. I grabbed her by the arm. She looked at me in surprise as I dragged her into an empty classroom and tossed her into a chair.

I was pissed at her crap. Her viciousness. The way she’d made Camille think I had been the one to betray her confidence.

I leaned over her.

"Why the fuck did you say that?" I hissed.

Ava, forever defiant, shot back, "Because she needed to know her place! She's nothing, Kage."

"And you think you’re better than her? Why? Because of our bloodline?” I said, anger bubbling inside me. “Look where that’s led us. Dad’s dead. You…”

“I what?” she sneered.

I shook my head. “Camille didn’t deserve what you did to her, but you just couldn’t resist. I assume Brooke told you?”

Ava’s silence answered for her.

“Fuck! You can bet if Brooke was here, instead of on vacation with her fucking parents, I’d make her regret telling you. In fact, give her a message from me. If she comes back, I’ll kill her myself. ”

Ava stared at me, wide eyed. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

Ava’s chin trembled, but then her eyes narrowed, and she pushed me back, getting up off the chair. “So, you’re on Camille’s side in all this, you fucking traitor?” Her usually attractive face contorted into a mix of anger and disbelief.

I gritted my teeth, struggling to keep my temper in check. "It's not about sides, Ava. It’s about respect. And you crossed the line. We may be blood, but that doesn't give you the right to use me to shit on others."

She tried to interject, but I silenced her with a glare, adding, "I don’t know what the fuck happened that you turned on Camille, and I don’t care. Keep your claws away from her. And for the love of God, grow up. This school yard shit needs to stop, or you won’t last a minute in the real world."

“Don’t tell me about the real world!” she screamed, her eyes flashing with darkness and remembered terror. She pounded her chest. “I know what the real world is like. I know about pain and suffering and loss. You don’t. Neither does Camille!”

“Is that why you turned on her?” I said quietly. As always, my heart ached at seeing the pain on Ava’s face. I tried to be a good brother. To show her I loved her and was here for her no matter what. I fuckingkilledfor her. But that didn’t mean I could turn away when she was cruel to others. “Do you hate Camille because she hasn’t suffered what you have?”

“I hate everyone,” she said, her voice breaking. “Just not you. Never you. But you’re choosing her. And I’ll never forgive you for that.”

“Damn it, Ava?—”

“Fuck you!” she shouted and stormed out of the classroom, leaving me to feel like shit. I saw again the hurt in her eyes. The hurt in Camille’s.

With a frustrated shout, I turned and slammed my fist into the wall.

Chapter 11

Camille

Ihad no idea where Dante was taking me, and I didn’t care. I just needed to get away from school. From Ava. From Kage. Away from everything.

Outside, Dante led me toward the faculty parking lot to his motorcycle. The bike’s black chrome sparkled under the sun, the machine an overt display of raw power. My body tingled with anticipation. I loved the thrill of driving fast cars, but even though I had always wanted to, I’d never ridden a motorcycle. I glanced down at my sweater, black skirt and knee-high boots. I was hardly dressed for a bike ride, but what the hell.

Dante grabbed two helmets and handed one to me.

"Put it on."

I hesitated, not sure how wise it was to sit plastered behind a guy I was already fighting my attraction to. His blue eyes locked onto mine, serious and intense. "You trust me?"

Staring at him, I felt our unspoken connection. I took a deep breath then put the helmet on. He reached out and latched the buckle under my chin, the feel of his rough fingers against myskin making me tremble. Part of my hair caught up in the buckle. When I reached up to pull it free, Dante gently caught my wrist.

“Let me do it,” he murmured, his blue eyes searching mine. He hooked his finger around the strands of my hair, his fingertips brushing against my skin again. When my hair was free of the buckle, he didn’t let go. Instead, he twisted the strands around his finger and tugged slightly, and I felt a similar tug between my thighs. We stared at each other for what felt like forever before he finally let my hair fall free.

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