Page 48 of Theirs to Rule

Kage abruptly stood. “Fuck this shit. I’m going to get some air.” He strode out, leaving me watching after him. Despite finding out Silas had killed Ava, despite getting that closure, Kage was still grieving his sister. He’d gotten some modicum of comfort from being able to talk about her to me in the past, but since our separation, was the grief building inside him, with no outlet to give him comfort?

How was it he had wronged me and here I was feeling guilty for abandoning him?

Just then, a phone rang out. Dante pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Werewolves have pockets?” I said lamely, trying to ease the tension in the air because of Kage’s abrupt departure. “Good to know.”

Dante gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry, Peaches, but I have to go. Something urgent has come up. I’ll call you later though, okay?”

“Sure,” I muttered.

“I’m out too,” Ty announced, moving to follow Dante. “Later.”

I watched him go. One by one, they'd left me. I told myself it was a sight I had to get used to.

I sat there silently until Bianca and Simone’s voices cut through the noise, pulling me back to the moment. "Come on, the next room sounds wild," Bianca said. “It’s the BDSM room.”

Right, I'd heard about that. I remembered the books Kage had shown me in the library, the ones that depicted acts of pleasure and pain, an experience Kage had said I wasn’t yet ready for. Well, Kage wasn’t making decisions for me anymore. I should check out the BDSM room.

But honestly, it didn’t hold any appeal.

"I heard there's a Dark Arts room," someone mentioned as they passed by, their voice tinged with both awe and a hint of fear. "Different art mediums. The artists are twisted, but damn, they're talented."

Ty immediately sprang to mind, with his complex layers and equally complicated art, including the tattoos hiding beneath his clothes "You guys go ahead to the BDSM room," I told Bianca and Simone. "I want to check out the Dark Arts room first. I'll catch up with you."

Bianca raised an eyebrow but didn't protest. "Alright, but don't take too long. You'll miss the good stuff."

“Sure.” I made my way to the Dark Arts room, curiosity leading me down a dimly lit corridor. The air grew colder as I approached, the sounds from the rest of the party fading until all that was left was the pounding of my own heart in my ears.

Chapter 22

Camille

The door to the Dark Arts room creaked as I pushed it open. The room was dimly lit, shadows dancing on the walls cast by candles dotted around the walls. Each painting, sculpture, and drawing seemed to pulsate with an energy that spoke of unease, doom, death, and the darker sides of human nature. Figures twisted around each other, faces painted with horror and terror and longing and lust. It was as if the artists had delved into their deepest fears and laid them bare for all to see.

I moved closer to a painting that caught my eye—a haunting depiction of a figure shrouded in darkness, with only their eyes visible, glowing unnaturally. It evoked a sense of being watched, a chill running down my spine despite the warmth of the room. It was signed, “J. Hudson.”

I hadn’t known Julie Hudson was an artist.

Before I could lean in for a closer look, the door opened again. Kage, still in costume, came into view.

He shut the door behind him, leaned back against it, crossed his arms, and studied me.

I kept my chin up, trying to appear unaffected by him. In reality, my heart was pounding, by blood heating, my entire being vibrating.

“The Raven, huh? You didn’t even know I’d be here, Camille, but you were still delivering me a message. Doesn’t that prove how hung up on me you are? That no matter how hard you try to keep me at a distance, you’ll never be free of me?”

I snorted. “The message wasn’t for you. The symbolism was for me.”

He straightened and took several steps toward me. “The symbolism being that like the raven, you’re a naysayer of love. You’re announcing to everyone, me included, the fleeting nature of life and love, the inevitability of grief and death."

I was taken aback by his insight even though I shouldn't have been. Kage was well-read and whip smart. And he was right. I’d loved the aesthetics of the costume, but the symbolism was the main reason I’d chosen it.

I shrugged. “Sounds about right to me. And your monster costume? A reference to what you said to me after The Roost? About letting your monster loose?”

Kage smiled tightly. “You’ve already seen my monster plenty, and I’m not talking about my cock. I killed Silas right in front of you."

Despite myself, I shook my head. “Silas was the monster, not you.”

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