Page 85 of Bloodlust

A groggy, rough voice greets me with a drawn out, "Hello?"

"I've made up my mind," I state, remarkably calm.

"And with a day left," Malik chuckles, letting out a hoarse cough. "Am I speaking to the future Mrs. Alba? How joyous of a night."

I roll my eyes. "You wish."

"Ah, so you have decided to crawl in bed with a dragon then." He laughs again. "Beware, I hear they can breathe fire."

"I'm not afraid of a little ember," I say with a sigh. "Tell Wei Zhao that an Angel has landed, will ya?"

"I'll call him right away," Malik says, unable to hide the giddiness in his voice. I'd be doing cartwheels too if I landed a seven-figure deal. "I'll make sure he's in touch soon."

"Excellent," I say, chewing on my lip. "When's the big event, Alba?"

"Couple weeks," he replies, clearing his throat. "I'll send a file to your assistant with location and time for when the east meets the west."

I scowl. "I've said yes. It's done."

"I need a final confirmation from both parties, Camilla," Malik says apologetically. "Fear not, last I spoke to Zhao he was quite eager. Like a baby puppy."

"That's redundant, Alba," I sigh, closing my eyes. "Puppiesarebabies."

"You want to be my baby?" he teases in a sickening tone. "Huh?"

I snort, "If I recall correctly, you're the one who likes to suck on pacifiers, not me."

Malik clears his throat. "I have an oral fixation, you know this."

"I sure do." I cringe, trying to forget our dirty night together. Never again. "I gotta go now. Send me the details as soon as possible, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy," he coos in a taunting tone, and I immediately hang up.

"You look like you're going to be sick," Zoey notes, observing my wincing expression from behind the monitors. "Need some water?"

"More like a time machine," I say, straightening out my posture as Zoella connects to the encrypted server and fires up the video.

"Ready?" she whispers. "You got this, Cami. You can do it."

"I'm ready," I mutter as Enzo, Moe, Marco, Leo, my father and the other members of The Council appear across the monitors. My stomach churns with anxiety as I greet the lot. "Good evening everyone. Thanks for joining me. I know it was a little last minute."

"Two meetings in two months?" Moe chides, frowning. "Christ, women like to talk, huh? It's a pandemic, just like my wife."

"Which one?" I ask, raising a combative brow. Moe's eyes widen and he shuts up real quick. I scan themonitors, my gaze landing on my father. Anger spikes in my veins, but I conceal it. I must. "Hello, Daddy."

"Bambina," he says with a smile. "You look beautiful as ever."

"Thanks." I let out an airy scoff. Fuckass. "Alright, let's get straight to it, huh? I'm sure you all have better things to do."

"The floor is yours," Leo pipes up with a grin. "Lay it on us, Mils."

I grit my teeth. Fuckass 2.0. "I've called you all here today to inform you that the deal with Alba and his men is secured for the end of the month."

"Secured?" Enzo, Zoey and Leo's father, hums in a dubious tone. "It is done? Truly?"

"I'm not finished." I shoot him frigid daggers. Fuckass 3.0. "As I was saying, the deal with Alba is secured,however?—"

"See!" Moe exclaims. "I knew she couldn't?—"