Page 53 of Guarded By the Phantom

Barbara ended her polite chat with an elderly vampire woman and glided across the marble like a true princess. Her posture, her smiles, her graceful gestures—all of her fit in seamlessly in this elegant, luxurious space, like she was born for this. Duh—because she was.

It was her birthright.

It hit me again, how much of a dumb fuck I was. Good for me that I stole a lick of her champagne, because that was all I would ever get. Even if she did actually want to kiss me, the best I could count on was being her secret side-piece.

Princesses didn’t marry monsters.

She stopped suddenly while tension gripped her nape. I hurried to her side, instantly locating the threat.

Her parents headed our way, her mother resplendent on her husband’s arm, her neck and wrists laden with heavy coils of pearls. Her smile wasn’t as perfect as Barbara’s, though. I saw the hard edge of anger behind it.

“Mother, Father,” Barbara greeted them with perfect daughterly joy. I was certain no one could tell how anxious she was. “How are you enjoying the evening?”

Her father, who was a handsome man in his fifties, slim and impeccably dressed, gave her a non-committal nod. He didn’t even look at her properly, his eyes passing over the crowd as if he was looking for someone.

“The gala is beautiful,” Madame Ashford said with a tight-lipped smile. “Oh, is that Patrick? Go on, dear. I know you have much to discuss.”

Her husband barely acknowledged her before he strode away to a group of men around his age, all of them human apart from one vampire. Clarissa gave me a cold look, her eyes snagging on my outfit. Her nostrils flared before she graced me with an insincere smile.

“Would you leave us alone? I need to speak with my daughter.”

I almost laughed in her face.Almost.It took a great deal of self-restraint, but I kept the mocking laughter back, giving her a cheerful smile instead.

“No, unfortunately. Her life is in danger, and I will do my due diligence to protect it. I’m sorry, ma’am, but you’re not capable of protecting your daughter if she is attacked.”

Clarissa scoffed but didn’t insist. She grabbed Barbara’s elbow in a vicious grip and pulled her toward the canape table, which was now deserted. Barbara gasped from pain when she stumbled, hastening to follow her mother, and my vision grew red.

Uh-oh.

At the table, her mother leaned in and spoke in a low voice, probably hoping to keep the conversation private, but my sensitive hearing allowed me to catch every word.

“Why didn’t you wear the dress? And what have you done to your hair? You look all wrong. This is unacceptable, and you’re about to start on the wrong foot. It’s all your fault, you willful girl.”

“What… what do you mean?” Barbara asked, her hands clenched into fists, her posture rigid. Gone was her poise. It seemed like her mother had the singular power of sucking all confidence out of her daughter.

“I wanted you to look like a woman!” Clarissa hissed. “But no, you had to do it your own way. Fine! You will fix it now, though, how? I have no idea. Your looks, inadequate as they are, are your best feature, and now even that advantage is gone. Try not to bore him with your dull conversation, will you?”

The red covering the edges of my vision crept steadily into the center of it with every insulting, untruthful word. I stood motionless, waiting to hear the purpose of this cruel dressing down.

“Not to bore… who?” Barbara asked tentatively, the slightest quiver in her voice.

Her mother looked at her with utter contempt.

“Who do you think? Your future husband, of course!”

Chapter 18

Barbara

Imust have swayed on my feet, because Phantom was suddenly by my side, steadily gripping my elbow. My mother gave me a long look, pitying and angry, before she huffed and shook her head.

“Do you see what you make me do? I wanted to give you the happy news with a toast of champagne, but you had to disappoint me again. Oh, well. I’ll give you time to compose yourself and you can meet him in half an hour. Pity you didn’t wear those shoes, you’ll look ridiculous waltzing with him. Adonis is quite tall.”

With that, she left, her heels clicking on the marble. Phantom still stood right behind me, his body a shield I desperately wanted to lean on.

“Let’s go out. No one’s on the balcony right now,” he murmured in my ear, gently leading me along the edge of the ballroom to the nearest door.

I let him guide me without a word, my mind a void filled with the white fog of panic. I couldn’t gather my thoughts fromtheir scattered terror. My body felt alien, my every step jarring, Phantom’s touch like an itch.

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