Page 77 of Bloodlust

Ooo... I'm shaking in my boots. See you in a couple of hours, Doctor.

"Who was that?" Leo asks with a grunt.

"No one," I say with a shrug, pocketing my phone. "I have to get going now, so I'll see you later, I'm sure." I scowl at him. "And stop following me, okay? It's getting creepy."

Leo's gaze hardens. "Will you be at the club later tonight?"

"No," I say with a sigh. "I have plans tonight."

"With who?" he asks, raising a brow.

I cross my arms. "None of your business."

"You know..." Leo licks his lips, a contemplative twitch in his eye. "You've been MIA from the club a lot recently. Any reason in particular?"

"Therapy," I say shamelessly, getting tired of this interaction. "I've been going to therapy."

"Therapy? Really?" Leo blinks. "What kind of therapist works nights?"

"The kind that gets paid really,reallywell," I state, annoyance flaring. "Are we done here now?"

Leo shoots me a suspicious glare. "You're hiding something, Camilla. I can sense it."

"Really?" I let out a low laugh. "And what am I hiding?"

"I don't know..." Leo purses his lips, giving me a careful once over. "But you seem...different."

"Different, huh?" I hum, giving him a shady pat on the shoulder as I head toward the exit of the cemetery. "That's good I guess because you? You look just the same to me."

"Secrets never stay secrets long, Mils," Leo calls out after me. "Whatever you're hiding, I'll find out."

I roll my eyes, flashing him the middle finger as I walk toward the parking lot.

God, what a headache.

I'm well aware that I'm postponing the inevitable. In three days, Malik will need an answer. The Council will need answers. Do I have an answer? Nope. But I'm the boss. Me. And honestly? I don't want to partner with Malik. I don't want to run guns. It's dangerous, and it'srisky. The Council wants more power. More power means more enemies. We have plenty of enemies. Our enemies are everywhere. We grow and they grow.

It's the circle of crime.

I don'twantmore ashes.

I don'tneedany more ghosts.

But this is tomorrow's problem. Tonight? Tonight I'll pretend that the fate of my world is in someone else's hands. Tonight, I'm playing dress-up. I'm dressing up as a woman. A normal girl. A girl who has a date. A date with destiny.

"Cami! Are you here?" Zoey hollers from my living room as I slip into a black cocktail dress. "Cami!"

"Bedroom," I shout back, adjusting the spaghetti straps. Zoey peeks her head through the door, and I grin at her. "How do I look?"

"Amazing," she says, chewing on her bottom lip as she taps the tablet in her hand. "What's the special occasion?"

"I have a date," I say, taking a deep breath. It doesn't hurt to breathe right now. Odd.

"With, umm..." Zoey swallows. "With Hayden?"

"Yes," I say, grabbing a compact and patting the soft plush pad on my chin. "With Hayden."

"Cami..." Zoey takes a tentative step toward me, meeting my eyes in the reflection of the mirror. "You need to see this."