Page 55 of Haunting Phantom
He presses his forehead against hers. “I know, but I never want her to come between us like that again. The next time I have you, I just want it to be me and you.”
She sniffs, tears breaking over her eyes like tiny currents.
“I want that too, more than you’ll ever know.”
He nods once, then huskily whispers, “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, Autumn. We can take things slow. We can do this right. I know after what happened, we’ll have to wait a while before it can happen again, but I’ll wait for you. Even if this angel costume brings me to my goddamn knees.”
She smirks, kissing his lips until his tongue is invited in. She only breaks it long enough for her gaze to darken, and say, “If you think I don’t want you right now, Blake, then you haven’t gotten to know me very well. I’m mainly worried about Eve. I don’t think she’s doing well right now. I feel her weakening.”
He frowns. “And I hate that for her, but I’m tired of her ruining this for me. She needs to move on. She needs to let me go,” he murmurs, kissing her neck as his words roll over me like a Big Wheel.
My soul shifts. Our tether barely hanging on by a thread.
He moves her towards the bed, gently taking off her wings so he can lay her on top of it. Then he’s shucking off his cut and shirt, pressing his chest against hers as he moves over the top of her, and his hands begin to explore every inch of bare skin she has.
My heart breaks the more I watch them together. I can’t keep doing this to myself. Standing here like a loser, watching them fall in love while he forgets my existence.
Normal Eve would’ve intervened, but this time she’s too vulnerable and weak to fight. So, I do something I know I’ll regret later. I call forhim.
“Damien, I need you.”
He’s there before I have the chance to blink, glancing from my face covered in invisible tears to the couple on the bed, losing themselves in each other.
He frowns, instantly moving forward.“Don’t watch, Dollface.”His arms come around me, holding me close, my tears soaking into his cut as her moans fill the room. He covers my ears so I can’t hear them, then kisses me hard. I know it’s wrong to accept the kiss, but I can’t help myself. I need him right now. I need him to distract me.
“I’m losing it, Damien. I don’t know how much longer I can do this without crumbling.”
He shushes me.“I know, Dollface. Come on. You shouldn’t be in here.”
He pulls me out of the room seconds before Phantom slides into her the first time without me intervening. A first thrustthat hits my soul like poison. I crumple to the floor, unable to breathe, even though I stopped breathing months ago.
But this is the closest to a panic attack a ghost can get.
“It’s okay,”he says, doing his best to soothe me.
“I’m never going to get him back, am I? I’m just going to stop existing, and he’s going to forget me. I’ll be forced to wander this earth like the girl in 45B, never remembering why I’m here.”
His fingers curl into my hair.“Then maybe it’s time to let go, Eve? Allow him to find the peace he could never find with you.”
The words slice me open, and a howling wail escapes my lips, one so loud, that a club member sticks his head out the door, shivering when he sees no one in the hallway.
Damien takes a step back, suddenly afraid.“Um, Dollface. You just wailed, and he heard you.”
My eyes blink back a few tears.“And?”
“And it means you’re getting stronger, just like Krueger predicted.”His gaze shoots over to the dark corner where one of the Dark Ones studies us.
“I’m just broken, Damien. Phantom’s broken me.”
My spirit flickers a few times before settling.“All I wanted was for Phantom to love me.”My arms tighten around myself.“But now I’m starting to wonder if he ever really did. He never looked at me the way he does her. It’s different… it’s…”
“Love…”Damien finishes.
Nodding, I hide my head in my knees, letting out another muffled sob, one that echoes off the walls.“I’m losing him, Damien. I can feel it. The farther he pulls away, the weaker I get. I didn’t even have it in me to throw anything at them. I’m just too weak.”
He drops down to his knees, covering my ears when their cries of passion filter out through the space beneath his door, killing me more.
“Don’t listen, Dollface. I got you. I got you.”
