Page 18 of Haunting Phantom
“What the fuck?” he rasps out, just as two of his brothers try to help him to his feet.
Phantom looks at his feet, embarrassed and unsure. “I’m sorry, man. I don’t know what got into her.”
Hyde’s gaze darkens as his eyes narrow into slits. “You tell your fucked up ghoulfriend to stay the fuck away from me, Phantom.”
“And you tell that asshole that girls aren’t fucking toys!”I shout, but only Krueger and Damien can hear me.
When I whip around to face them, I see the shadow retreating into the darkness. Its glowing red eyes focus on the pulse of energy leaving my soul. It’s like I can feel it, the anger… the decay. It fed off my rage, igniting something inside me that I almost couldn’t contain, whispering promises in my ear I never want to hear again.
Whatever just happened, can’t happen again, I tell myself.
Krueger turns to me, his expression hard and accusing.“I warned you,”he starts, his eyes damning me as they dart to the corner.“That thing’s been waiting for a moment like this,”he says, his look of concern only lasting a few seconds.“I don’t know if you can handle it taking over you again, so stop feeding its frenzy, Eve. Don’t give it a reason to steal your soul.”
“Steal my soul?”I grasp at my chest, suddenly feeling a loss I didn’t know was there. Part of me feels empty and filled with rage; the other is peering at Phantom’s shuddering hands, regretting causing the look of disappointment he can’t quite erase.
I’ve made him angry with me. Angrier than I ever did in my human life.
“Blake, I’m sorry. I was just trying to protect the girl—”
He looks towards his brothers, all of them sharing the same look of fear in their eyes. They know that he’s tethered to me, and even though this wasn’t his fault, they blame him for my actions.
Glancing down at my own trembling hands, I see the floor through my fingers. But there’s a strange power surging through me that wasn’t there before—a darkness that feels electric and fantastic. For the first time since I died, I don’t feel empty or lost. I feel dangerous.
But it’s a danger I can’t feed again.
Not if I want Blake to love me in the afterlife.
Chapter Eight
I guess last night pissed a lot of people off because the bitch is back and she’s not welcome. I make that extremely apparent when she steps over the threshold of Phantom’s bedroom making googly eyes at him again.
“Take that!”I screech, hurling an empty soda can at her.“And that too!”I add, throwing an empty beer bottle towards the door.
Autumn’s eyes widen. “She’s feisty today.”
“She doesn’t like it when women come in my bedroom.”
“Our bedroom!”
A sock gets my wrath next, but it’s launch efforts don’t have the same effect as a good bottle or can.
“Damn sock! Sail farther!”
Autumn giggles as the sock limply drops at her feet, its terrifying presence nullified by her smile. “Seems that way.”
I guess she’s never smelled Phantom’s feet, because she would’ve feared the putrid smelling garment with more terror and unease.
I suddenly feel the magnifying glass again, like I’m a lowly ant on a sidewalk being roasted alive.
“Get out of my head, bitch!”I slam whatever door she just opened between us, making sure she feels the heat.
Autumn frowns. “She makes it very difficult to connect with her. She doesn’t want me here.”
Phantom sighs. “I’m sorry. Calling you here was probably a big mistake, but after what happened last night, I really had no choice.” He sits on the bed, rubbing at his temples in frustration. “She drives me crazy! I just want her to cross over, or leave me alone.”
“That’s not what you want and you know it! You wouldn’t have asked me to stay if you did.”
Autumn’s brows scrunch together. “Oh! Um, this is gonna sound kinda weird, but by chance did you ask her to stay?”
