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He strived to ruin the CEG by effacing one more guardian. Permanently.

“This time, you will have the sole honor of obtaining our last laugh.”

ChapterFive

KATERINA ELI

The first day and I had already made a huge fucking mistake.

I had barely heard the dismissal as I focused on my trembling fingers. Everything blurred until I reached my room,hereerie giggle brushing against my ear.

Of course, I caused a scene. Not with a guardian but my own employer— the one I was fucking hired to protect. I hit the ground while the moment replayed.

What type of professional thought they’d have a few hours before diving into work? Me apparently. Was I out of work that long to think I was able to steal a nap before meeting my subjects?

My stomach twisted with guilt.

It was a wake-up call, a reminder that I never got what I wanted.

Still, I was swift to jump into guardian mode around the three Sephtis brothers. I responded only when they sought my answer and gave direct responses that didn’t reveal too much but were enough to satisfy them. Past employers preferred answers that catered to what they wanted to hear. It had worked on the Sephtis until I slipped a thought that was only meant for me. Rather than retracting as a guardian should, I acted without thinking— which was quick to bite me in the ass.

Not only had I harmed my job,shealmost cost a life. The unexpected fragrant scents of all the men called toher.

Mistakes were only made by new guardians. That wasn’t my case. I knew how to avoid them. That’s what it meant to be a private guardian, yet I ruined my chance.

I waited for Lace’s call, the regret in his voice already echoing in my mind. I couldn’t bring myself to reach out first; the slight chance of him not finding out kept me still with hope. It was pointless, of course. Anything and everything that happened had to be reported— especially an incident that disobeyed a guardian’s code.

My thoughts raced with the many ways I’d reply once Lace called. If I lost this job, I would lose his trust. It had taken him months to give me an assignment, especially one that was as huge as this one. He believed I could protect a Regal Vampire Family, the Premier’s sons at that. In return, I had to make the promise I’d constantly made and kept.

I’d stuck with taking the stupid medication, even as the pills grew harder to swallow and the side effects were taking their toll on me. So, where did my reaction come from?

I knew the answer. It still fueled me with anger thinking about the power that name had over me.

The phone slipped from my pocket as I brought my knees to my chest. I focused on the dark shell while it lay silent as the air chilled over my skin.

I hadn’t noticed I’d fallen asleep until the dream shifted, the surrounding abyss swaying past me and swallowing me whole. The currents dragged me deeper. Then it hit me.

The dreams were always the same; the stillness in sleep was only an illusion to attract me. It was away of pulling me intohertraps. I learned to escape by calming down and pulling myself out of them. But for once, I stilled.

The water leveled around me, towering trees slowly appearing as my feet trudged across the soft ground. It wasn’t long until I stumbled into a descending forest, the leaves and bark blending beneath the night sky. Dirt rubbed against my soles, grass stroking my toes the closer I grew to the familiar place.

Herdreams had the same setting: a shabby house deep within the forest alongside a lake. It always sent shivers down my spine.

Shedidn’t move as I entered the dimly lit living room,herbody sitting straight on a tawny sofa that harbored tears on all corners. A wooden table sat between us, the legs chipping while the carpet beneath it withered away into loose ends. Even the walls and roof that confined us were deteriorating, darkness seeping through the gaps.

I sensed my body trembling with rippling anger.

Katerina.

Hervoice was icy and low, the same tone that always roamed deep in the back of my mind. Yet, now there was a sense of satisfaction that trailed inhervoice, the sound of my name irking my skin like an insult. It was a distasteful greeting in my ears.

Shemirrored me in looks; deep black hair that reached below our knees, sharp, green eyes, and warm brown skin. But every time I studiedher, our features grew further apart.Shewas angular, bones protruding with shadows hollowingher.Herfootsteps were lighter than mine.

The key distinction was the slits that partedheririses.

The tips of my fingers dug into my skin as my hands tightened into fists, a fire coursing through my veins. It was infuriating viewing myself inher.Shewas a taunting, uninvited guest.

The prescribed medications promised to endher, but with every new dosage, they only dimmedhervoice. They did nothing to theongoing itch against my skin thatshecaused every day and the constant dreams that paralyzed my body. They did nothing toherwhispers that constantly groundedherexistence.