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Sunshine.

Ginata had come to my apartment after my shift. She’d warned me that Desi would try to come for me, and I needed to be prepared.

“Prepared for what?” I askedas she tried to offer me the bottle of amber liquid. I stared at it without taking it.

She thrust it into my hand,and I flinched, almost dropping it. “Prepared to kill him if you need to. Desiderio is a monster that’s been left unchecked for too long.”

“Kill him? Aren’t you supposed to be family?” I clutched the bottle only because I didn’t want it to drop and break all over me. I recognized what it was immediately.

She crossed her arms and huffed. “That vampire has not been a brother to me in many years, if ever. He needs to be taken out.”

“Then why don’t you do it?” I replied sharply. I wasn’t a pawn to use in some Seven Sins game I wasn’t aware of. She rolled her eyes.

“Because I can’t. I’m not telling you to do anything to him. Just— if you start to feel afraid of him again, you’ve got something to stop him.”

“He won’t find me,” I said, although even I didn’t believe it. She gave me a knowing smile.

“We all know how smart Desiderio is. If he wants you, he’ll have you. Take care, Scout. I need to go before the sun comes out.” She left just as quickly as she had come, leaving me stressed all day about it.

But now, I was here on the boat, down below, with Landon, Paulo, and some other Bloodshed vampire they introduced me to named Kyle. I wasn’t too enthused by the way he looked at me. In fact, I wanted to leave as soon as possible.

The music had been turned up loud, and I’d been given a drink. I didn’t want to get drunk, but the idea that in a few hours, I’d be in bed down below with all of them, with Desi possibly watching as some weird ghost thing, was terrifying.So, I drank.

Landon came over to where I was sitting with my legs locked tightly and my drink shaking in my hands. He put his arm around me and grinned.

“Hey, are you okay?”

I forced a smile despite my shaking stomach. “Yeah, just a little nervous. How does this even work?”

He laughed. “We’ll take the lead again. You just sit back like last time.” He leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss on my forehead. “We’ll be taking off soon. We forgot some stuff and had to send someone to grab them.”

“What stuff?” I tilted my head.

He laughed and took a long gulp of his beer. “Lube, stuff to stretch you, and more alcohol.”

Stuff to what?

I blinked and licked my lips. I couldn’t do this. I had to get out now. This was too much for me. I leaped up, spilling my drink. “I need to get some cold air.”

“You want me to go with you?” Landon asked, standing with me. I shook my head.

“No, I’m good. I just need a minute. Go, have fun with your friends.” I eyed Paulo and Kyle. They were laughing and looking at me with hungry eyes.

I sprinted up the stairs and onto the deck. I was on solid ground when I heard the lurching of the large boat taking off. I let out a small gasp and wavered as the boat began to rock slightly.

I went slowly to the edge and grabbed the metal railing tight. I stared out into the dark and felt a tear slide down the left side of my face. What was I doing? I was miserable. This wasn’t the life I wanted.

I wanted Desi.

“You okay?”

The familiar voice caused me to spin around so quickly that I almost fell over the railing. Anger filled me instantly, replacing the sadness in seconds.

“How did you get on board?” I hissed. Desi stood there, looking so fucking charming. He had that sarcastic smile I adored, and his hands stuffed in his pockets as if he were out for a casual stroll and we just happened to meet.

“Do you want me to leave?” He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.

“Yes,” I said firmly. “I told you we were over.”