Chapter 101
Camila POV
“Let go,” I said, breathless, the words barely a whisper. There wasn’t even a bite in my voice, just nerves, My chest was rising and falling too fast, and I hated how weak 1 sounded. I hated how much my body betrayed me around him.
For a second, he didn’t move.
away like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t just touched me in a way no stepbrother upid soft smile stretched across his lips.
same soft, gentle tone that had no business coming out of someone so unhinge. “I
Then just as fast as he’d grabbed me, ever should. He stood in front of me now, that
he
“You don’t have to worry, Camila,” he beamed would never cross a line.”
that
The sinister edge was gone. Just like that.
And that’s what messed with me the most.
He could flip a switch so fast–one second he was giving you goosebumps, and the next he was talking like he didn’t know what the big deal was. It was like he had split personalities or something. The charming golden boy with the soft voice… and then the one who looked at you like he was always thinking about breaking and fucking you up.
It made it impossible to read him. And honestly? It was getting exhausting.
“Let’s go back in,” he said, reaching for my hand like he hadn’t just had me caged in his arms. “It’s not safe out here.”
I slapped his hand away without even looking at him. My jaw clenched as I turned and started walking back toward the mansion, my heels clicking on the stones like gunshots.
But not before I caught the damn smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Fucking psycho.
I stormed inside, the sound of laughter and music from the reception still trickling in from the other rooms. But it all felt muffled, like my brain had stuffed cotton into my ears. My feet carried me up the stairs faster than I realized, and before I knew it, I found myself inside a
empty room.
I leaned back against the door, pressing my palm against my chest.
It was beating so damn fast.
What was that?
No. Seriously. What. The. Hell. Was. That?
I ran a hand through my hair and let out a shaky laugh–half frustrated, half just… confused. My whole body still felt too warm. My neck still tingled from where he’d touched me. And worse? I kept hearing his voice. That calm, dangerous tone. That “What do you mean by that,
hmm?”
I hated it.
I hated that I didn’t have a comeback/ready. I hated that my body reacted before my brain could shut it all down. I hated that some part of me wasn’t completely horrified.
My eyes closed for a second, just long enough to try to collect myself, then I pushed off the door and walked out the room.
1/2
Chapter 101
“Camila?”
I froze, blinking like I’d just woken. mid–daydream. My eyes snapped toward the voice, and there she was Tessa, Standing at the edge of the hallway, her brows drawn together, eyes holding too much concern for comfort.
We stared at each other for a beat, silence stretching long and uncomfortable. I felt the urge to say something, anything, but my longue was suddenly useless. My mind, a mess of loud thoughts and silent screams, couldn’t form a sentence even if it tried.
“Tell me what’s going on, Camila,” she said softly, stepping closer. “Please.”
And there it was.
The pleading in her voice. The warmth in her eyes. The way she kept reaching for me with invisible hands, like she was trying to pull me out of whatever pit I’d fallen into. But she didn’t know. She couldn’t know. Because if she did–if I told her even a fraction of it–she’d never sleep right again.
I looked away, swallowing hard. The walls were suddenly too white, the
still. I shifted on my feet, fingers curling into my palm.
“I…” My voice cracked like an old radio. I cleared my throat and forced a shaky breath through my nose. “I can’t.”
Tessa blinked, her lips parting slightly. “y
can’t?” she echoed, like she couldn’t believe it.
I shook my head, slow and stubborn. “I can’t drag you into this. You don’t understand how messy it is.”
“Then help me understand,” she said, stepping even closer. “Cam, you’ve been acting so… off. One minute you’re joking with me, and the next it’s like your soul left your body. I know something is going on. I know it’s serious. But shutting me out like this–it’s killing me.”
Her voice cracked on the last part, and I hated how it made my heart twist.
I turned away, walking over to a window so she wouldn’t see my face. I stared out into the garden, watching a bird flutter past, completely unaware that I was dying inside.
If only she knew about the agency.
If only she knew that the my stepbrother who just wrapped his arms around me like we were lovers… wasn’t even really human. That my life had become some jacked–up version of a horror novel, complete with mates, bond, and people who could shift their bones and skin into something out of a damn nightmare.
I couldn’t give her that weight. I couldn’t take her normal, sweet, glitter–filled life and throw it into my chaos.
“I’m just tired, Tessa,” I said quietly, still not turning around. “Really tired.”
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