Page 82 of The Devil's Waltz

I move faster than her eyes can track, moving the chair and wrapping my fingers around her wrist before she can back away.

“Xander—”

“You’re not safe,” I warn in a hushed voice. “You think Lucia is going to stop these attacks because of a little pushback from the hunters?” I pull her closer, speaking into her ear. “She won’t stop until you give her what she wants.”

Camille tugs on her wrist, gritting her teeth as she fights my grip, but I hold her easily.

“Let go of me,” she practically growls, glancing around to check if anyone is watching us.

The patio is empty. I tighten my grip and draw her closer.

She grabs the front of my shirt, thoroughly wrinkling the cotton between her fingers.

I’m no longer sure she actually wants me to release her. It’s the last thing I want, but there’s also a twisted part of me that enjoys her reluctance and the way she challenges me.

“Are you sure?” I offer, my lips brushing the shell of her ear, and I delight in the way she shivers against me.

“What?” she breathes.

“Are you sure you want me to let you go?” I slide my thumb over the racing pulse in her wrist. “You’re still holding onto me,mo shíorghrá.”

She reels back, wrenching her hand away from my chest as if it burned her, and scowls as I release her. “You need to leave me alone. Imeanit, Xander.”

Before I can respond, Blake saunters through the door of the restaurant, glancing between us. “Uh-oh,” he says in an annoyingly amused voice. “Trouble in paradise, lovers?”

“Fuck off,” Camille snaps at him.

He whistles. “And here I was, hoping you’d be happy to see me, love.”

“In what world?” she shoots back without missing a beat.

I can’t stop the twist of my lips, because despite the fear rippling off her in dark waves and the way her heart continues pounding in her chest, she refuses to back down. Her strength is one of many things I’ve come to admire about her.

Blake holds his hands up in a gesture I think is meant to be calming, but it only acts to irritate Camille further. “Believe it or not, Cam Cam, we’re here to do the opposite of hurt you.”

She folds her arms over her chest. “Myheroes,” she remarks dryly, the distrust clear in both her tone and her icy expression.

My friend grins, his gaze shifting toward me. He arches a brow, as if to ask how I want to proceed.

A muscle ticks along my jaw as I clench it. It’s not going to be easy to get Camille to come with us, and I’d rather not force her into the back of our rental car. But the conversation we need to have can’t be overheard.

“Camille,” I say, stealing her attention from Blake. “We need—”

“No,” she cuts in firmly, shaking her head. She grabs her to-go box and moves away from the table. “I don’t care whatyouneed. I can’t be here—with you. This isn’t…” Her voice trails off, and she shakes her head again. “I’m done.” She turns her back on us, walking toward the patio exit to the street at a hurried pace.

“Are you going to stop her, mate?” Blake checks, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

I exhale a sigh and start walking in the direction Camille fled. Blake is beside me, and I debate sending him away so I can talk to her alone, but ultimately decide it’s best to have him close in case we run into someone. Whether it be one of Lucia’s lackeys or a squad of hunters looking to make a name for themselves by catching me.

This organization-wide hunt for me is proving to be a real pain in the ass. I’m still not sure how they connected me to Lucia, though it doesn’t really matter at this point. Every hunter in that damn organization knows who I am and what I look like.

It doesn’t take long for Camille to realize we’re following her. As much as she’d never admit it, I think there’s a good amount of instinct lingering from her training days.

Good. That will help keep her alive.

She whirls around, stomping toward us. “Stop. Following. Me.” She enunciates every word, her voice filled with venom.

“Or what?” Blake taunts in a cocky voice I know is not going to help our case.

---