to greet our guests.
“Bet you wished I stole you away now,”his voice said in my head.
I came to a complete stop in the middle of the portrait corridor and my knees began to shake. All the lady’s maids stopped
as well.
“What?” I said out loud.
“What now?” Mother turned around slightly, a scowl across her face. I lowered my eyes quickly.
“Apologies, Mother. I thought I heard something.”
I remained stunned as we continued heading towards the hall. I wondered again if it was my imagination speaking to me. I
was starting to think I was losing my mind. Or the lack of sleep was starting to get to me.
“Apologies for making your knees so weak, especially when I’d not attempted to. I will try to be less frightening next
time,”he purred through my mind.
“There will be no next time,”I snapped silently.
I didn’t mean to respond. I wanted to ignore his voice but he spoke with that velvet-like tongue, my mind suddenly flashed
the image of him pressed up against me with his hand tightly on my throat.
“Just be a good girl, and I will return to you soon.”
The smallest part of me didn't want him to return. The bigger part, the girl inside me, the one that was begging for
adventure, she wanted to see what else he would do. Especially what he would do with those hands.
“You are not welcome,”I thought with some force behind my voice.
“You say that now, but I can feel you, every emotion, every craving. I know what lies deep within you and you, my sweet,
dutiful princess. I feel you longing for me.”
“I long for you to leave me alone.”
I could hear that laughter again in the back of my mind, and I wondered where he was. Was he here? Watching my every
move as I made my way towards the staircase.
“You will wish for me to take you away. Just wait and see.”
Finally, there was silence when I did not answer him. I was inexperienced with men. It wasn't part of my duty to know the
ins and outs of a man. I had read enough romance novels to know that some enjoyed teasing their women and making them
happy. I wasn’t sure if that was what my shadow man wished, but an uncontrollable urge to know what he meant kept my mind
from shutting off.
“Be on your best behaviour now, Ornella.”
Mother stopped dead in front of me before we entered the dining hall and waved the maids away.