Page 13 of Guarded By the Phantom

It was just me on the balcony, the windy night, and the black shadow hiding in the garden.

There was something terrifying and yet infinitely romantic about it. I wanted the moment to last, so I kept my mouth shut and watched, trying to make out what it was. I thought I saw a head and an arm, a hint of a leg…

The moon came out again, and the shadow stepped out from under the tree, standing in the moonlight. It was a human silhouette, tall and burly. I watched, mesmerized, my mouth growing dry. There was something about it… Something…

The figure raised their head, and I met a pair of burning amber eyes that snared me with a look. I gasped. I knew those eyes. I saw them before… before… in the gallery…

My mind slipped away from me, something else slithering in, like water pouring through cracks. It was a warm yet slimy presence, something oily and ubiquitous. It flooded my mind, pouring deep, deep into my soul, until all I could do was watch, buried at the bottom of the well of me while he—he, it was a he—had ultimate control.

My vision grew fuzzy and unfocused, but I still saw myself climb on top of the slippery banister on the third floor and balance with my arms out.

I heard my free, joyous laugh when I started walking.

It didn’t stop even after I slipped and fell.

Chapter 5

Phantom

Ilistened to the steady splash of my piss against the manicured bark of a tree. There was something so satisfying about pissing in a place like this, perfect and most likely tended by a team of gardeners. I had a feeling no one had ever sullied this tree with their bodily fluids. It was virginal, kept pristine and noble for decades—until I came along and left my golden mark.

When I was done, I waited for the armor plates to click back into place over my crotch, hiding my most precious organ beyond an impenetrable barrier. Only when my dick was hidden did I zip up, the sound seeming loud in the quiet Ashford-Kingsley estate.

I shouldn’t be here yet, since my work officially began the next morning, but I always liked to be prepared. I’d spent my evening prowling around the extensive gardens, which were a nightmare, rife with places where attackers could hide.

The estate was surrounded by a high wall, true, and monitored by regularly spaced cameras. The gate was mannedby a guard at all hours of day and night. And yet, it took me exactly three minutes to find a blind point of entry and scale the wall.

Which meant other smart people would have an easy time getting in, as well.

I turned away from my favorite tree and headed for the house, doing a little dance along the way. I would come in with a long list of recommendations tomorrow, the top one being—I should accompany the princess at all hours of day and night, even at home, since her home was not secure.

It would be so much easier to blow all the cursed Conduct Standards one by one if I was with her even in the house. I couldn’t wait to breathe loudly whenever Mrs. Ashford was in the room, and I was giddy to flash her some improper underwear peeking over the edge of my pants.

She deserved it for requiring me to sign that ridiculous document in the first place.

I was about to start humming when something stopped me, a chill of premonition racing down my back. A gasp came from the direction of the house.

My instincts kicked in before my brain did. I broke into a sprint, making a beeline for the sound. I jumped over bushes and tore through shrubberies, the garden blurring past. When the house emerged, and I saw the pink, nymphlike creature balancing on the balcony rail, my blood ran cold.

I sped up, the world falling away. There was just me, the slip of a girl about to fall to her death, and the distance between us.

It shrunk with my every step. Closer. Closer. Closer.

Not close enough.

She fell with an unhinged laugh, an echo of the video, and I dove for her, my boots skidding in the dewy grass.

She landed in my arms with a sharp gasp, her face growing pale, eyes closed. I knew the manipulator was here, close enoughto lock eyes with her, and my instincts screamed for me to drop her and give chase.

But she didn’t open her eyes. She didn’t speak or move, and so I stayed, fear ripping through my guts.

The report on mind control wasn’t ready, so I had no fucking idea if it hurt her to have the connection severed so suddenly. Behind me, the garden rustled with the sounds of a quick, efficient escape, and I gritted my teeth, biting back a curse.

How I wanted to get them. They were right there, offering themselves on a fucking platter, and here I was, babysitting the girl.

“Wake up,” I said, crouching to arrange her more comfortably in my arms.

She weighed more than I’d have expected, her body solid and sculpted with muscles. Her head lolled on my arm, long blonde hair sticking to my clothes. I just knew some of it would be left after she was gone.

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