AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I thought I imagined the mist and the lagoon.”
Amused, I couldn’t help a devious grin. “Do you remember what we did that night?” The phantom brought her here into his sanctuary and showed her his secret lair for the first time.
Her cheeks grew pink. “Yes.”
“I made you come.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “I remember.”
The way to Bianca’s bedroom didn’t take more than a few minutes, but we often paused as she oriented herself to which rooms we passed and how to enter the passageway from each location. I showed her the sconces that opened the secret panels, relieved she finally knew how to access them in case of trouble.
“Now you can escape whenever you wish,” I announced as we stopped behind the mirror and the entrance to her room. “If you need to leave for any reason, take the pathway back down the stairs and turn left at the bottom. It takes you to the old servant’s entrance. There’s a small chest with flashlights and blankets inside. Next to it, there’s an iron door. If you exit there, you’ll be outside next to a forgotten well close to Craven’s cottage.”
“Thank you, Benny. If I need to use it, I will.”
“If anything happens, go to Craven. He adores you and is the only person I trust here.”
“I adore him too.” She cleared her throat, biting her bottom lip. “I have a favor to ask.”
“Anything.”
“Would you find out about my aunt? I need to know if Porcia is okay. It’s been too long since she contacted me, and I’m worried.”
“Consider it done.”
“You’re so good to me,” she gushed, lifting on her toes for a kiss.
My mouth captured hers, lingering as I tasted her cherry lip gloss and groaned.
Bianca looked dazed as we parted. “You kiss me stupid,” she laughed.
“It looks so fucking good on you too,amore mio.”
She swatted my arm. “Such a bad boy.”
“In all the right ways.”
She didn’t deny it.
I pulled on the sconce outside her room, and the panel swung open, pushing the mirror outward.
Bianca entered, spinning to face me after only a few steps inside. It wasn’t her beauty, lighthearted grin, or the husky goodbye she uttered that quickened the beat of my heart.
Shocked, I watched as her shadow separated from her body, dancing to a piece of music I couldn’t hear. A graceful ballerina leaped through the air before twirling in a perfect pirouette. Fascinated, I couldn’t tear my gaze from the shadow as she danced back to Bianca, merging with her body as seamlessly as if she never left.
Was this a gift from Lucifer? The ability to see shadows?
An intriguing thought.
“I’ll return as soon as I can,mio angelo. I swear it.”
The panel swung shut and sealed as I finally left, protecting our secret.
I made my way beyond the upper levels, pausing as I heard voices in Alaric Huber’s study.
Footsteps echoed on the hardwood floors.
“Stick to the plan, Carlo,” Alaric growled.
