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Trying to see it, Zuri imagined Marisol dark and ravenous. She’d certainly had moments of absolute hedonism. Nobody in that hospital would have ever looked at Marisol, with her big bright eyes and cute freckles, and believed she was absolutely filthy. Zuri would never have guessed.

Desire roared to life low in Zuri’s belly against her will. She couldn’t forget Marisol on top of her, face painted in gorgeous agony while she begged them both for more.

Fuck.

Running her hand down her abdomen and between her thighs, Zuri found herself turned on even though she was so sore. There was no way she could really want more. She could still hear Marisol’s soft voice against her ear. She could taste her kiss.

She thought of Marisol with fangs again, and this time it didn’t seem so stupid. She pictured herself lying on her back, pinned to the bed… Elena and Marisol, fangs exposed and lust making their eyes black as midnight. And there was nothing that could satisfy their raging desire but Zuri. Nothing they wanted more than her body.

Closing her eyes, she found her clit with her fingertips and used her free hand to brace herself. She writhed beneath them, begging and pleading and cursing until they finally gave her what she needed. Her neck burned where she imagined their bites on either side of her. Felt their hands on her instead of her own. Felt herself arching off the bed and giving herself so completely that there’d be nothing left of her.

Souring the fantasy, Zuri imagined herself aging in fast forward. Saw herself wither away while Elena and Marisol remained unchanged. Chest aching at the image of them mourning for her, Zuri pulled her hand away and washed the product out of her hair so aggressively her scalp ached.

It was so unfair. So fucked up. Why did she have to feel this way? Why couldn’t she find a nice witch and have a normal fucking life? No, not for her. She had to still be in love with a vampire she couldn’t have, and had to complicate it with whatever the hell she was starting to feel for Bambi. Yep. That sounded like her kind of karmic price. She must have been a real dog-kicking dickbag in her last life.

When she was finished with her shower, she started the usually relaxing process of styling her hair into tighter curls. She was still angry when she was finished, but she couldn’t decide which steaming pile of fucking bullshit was responsible.

Too annoyed to get dressed, she threw on a robe and roamed aimlessly into the kitchen. She wasn’t even hungry, but she needed to do something or she was going to lose her damn mind. The knock at the door came while she was staring into the fridge like new options might appear if she just waited long enough.

She was sure that it was Candela or Avani at the door—maybe both. The three of them were so close, they could probably feel her return even if they didn’t have her location on their phones. She couldn’t pretend not to be home. Her stupid car was outside, but maybe she could pretend to be asleep. The microwave clock said it was nearly ten. That was late enough.

The knock came again, and Zuri slammed the fridge door closed. They were probably worried, and that wasn’t fair. She was being a selfish asshole. Her least favorite type of asshole.

She almost checked the peephole, but from the gaps in her partially closed blinds she saw an insane number of black SUVs outside. Her lady caller was unmistakable. Heart hammering,she hated the visceral reaction her body had. Every damn time, she thought, because she was biologically predisposed to terrible ideas.

Pulling the door open like she was being incredibly inconvenienced, she had her hand on her hip and her freshly plucked brows pulled in a furrow. At her door, Elena was nothing short of stunning.

In a crisp white vest, no shirt, and high-waisted white trousers, her olive skin was luminous. Her long, wavy dark hair was perfect where it spilled over one shoulder. Makeup applied by the fucking gods, she was gorgeous. Zuri’s heart ached for her. It pushed against her chest like it wanted to jump into Elena’s arms even if Zuri’s body was too stubborn to move. An unacceptable reaction.

“Hi.” Elena’s blood-red lips eased into a smile.

All Zuri wanted to do was pull her inside and tell her she was tired of fighting and running and trying to protect them both from more heartbreak. From a disastrous end they couldn’t rewrite. She wanted to tell her to accept that they were headed for disaster, but they should take every drop of happiness they could get anyway. Take that shit and run and pay the tab later.

“You can’t just show up at my door unannounced,” she said, voice so dry and cold that it would have broken a lesser soul. Elena’s smile was unmoving, even as Zuri slammed the door in her face.

A second later, the phone she’d left in her bedroom dinged. Wishing her body wasn’t alive with the thrill of seeing her, Zuri indulged her curiosity and snatched the phone off the bedside table.

Unknown Number:It’s Elena. I seem to have lost my phone. This is a new one. I’m in the neighborhood. Would love to see you. XO.

She bit her bottom lip, but it was too late to eradicate her smile. Dropping the phone back on the bed without responding, Zuri went to her closet. She grabbed the highlighter yellow bodycon dress that made grown men weep. It was almost too cruel, but Zuri was sick of safe. What the hell was one more night of poor decisions?

Nearly two hours later, Zuri was putting the finishing touches on the best makeup job she’d ever done. She slipped into the black stilettos with metal spikes for heels and looked at herself in the mirror behind her bedroom door.

Don’t forget who the fuck is in charge here.

She smirked at her reflection, lips full and glossy nude. It was a good thing Elena was immortal, and quite unfortunate that Bambi wasn’t, but maybe angels couldn’t die from cardiac arrest.

When she opened her front door again, black clutch purse under her arm, Elena was still standing exactly where she’d left her. Eyes bulging, she looked at Zuri like she wanted to eat her. Fangs extended with her second smile, Elena moved toward her.

“You’re still here,” Zuri said like she was disappointed rather than exhilarated. She said it like she wouldn’t have felt very stupid if Elena hadn’t stayed. If Elena had forgotten how to read her actions and not her words.

“I’d wait forever by your door,” Elena said, tone ready for a Shonda Rhimes-level dramatic monologue.

Instead of pulling her inside, Zuri stepped around her and started toward the cars. Well, one in particular. The absolutely ridiculous white sports thing that looked more like a kid’s drawing than a real vehicle people paid obscene amounts of money for.

“Where are you going?” Elena asked while following her out to the walkway.

“To get Bambi, obviously,” she replied without looking at her.