Page 18 of Sadistic Obsession (Rise of Phoenyxx #1)

G host

I move quietly through the campus, silent and unseen.

I pride myself on getting in and out of places undetected.

I'm fast and can move quickly. That's why I’m called Ghost. Silent and deadly. People know me as one of The Sadistic Six, but when I’m alone, I’m not really seen.

I'm always in a hoodie, my face partially covered.

I blend in. It's what I’ve been trained to do.

Ever since I was a child, I was taught to be invisible.

I dart into the kitchen, drawn by the smell of fresh cookies.

Chocolate chip—my favorite. I peer around the corner, not seeing Mrs. Lakely, our cook and housekeeper.

She is amazing. A mom to me, since my own doesn’t care.

She is in her forties, a bit plump, with dark hair streaked with grey, caught up into a perfect bun.

I spy the pantry door open, so I know I have to move quickly. I zip to the tray of deliciousness, snagging two cookies. “You little...” I hear, seeing Mrs. Lakely hustling towards me, shooing me with a dish towel. “Go on, naughty boy. Out with you!” Laughing, I run back into the living room.

I come skidding to a stop when I see my father standing there. I turn towards Mrs. Lakely, her face going pale. “I’m sorry, Sir, we were playing a bit. I can...” She is cut off abruptly by my father.

“I will handle MY son. Back to work, or your pay will be docked!” She dips her head and goes back to the kitchen.

I swallow, scared of my punishment. He abruptly reaches towards me, grabbing me by the scruff of my neck.

“Little boys need to be SILENT in this house!” He starts dragging me towards the basement door.

My eyes widen, it’s off-limits. He drags me roughly down the stairs.

It's pitch black and freezing cold. I smell a strong musty odor, and the strange smell of urine.

A light comes on, blinding me momentarily.

I blink several times to clear my vision.

My jaw drops as I see the room covered in cages. Each one is holding women. All scared and cringing back—except one. She is screaming non-stop. My dad pushes me towards her cage. As I get closer, I can see she’s naked. “Dad? Why’s she naked?” He backhands me hard.

“You know better than to question me! Now...I am going to teach you a lesson. Hell, consider this the beginning of your training. You need to shut her up. She is loud, I need her quiet. Can you silence her, son?” I shake my head, but he just says, “Put your hand out.” I extend my shaking hand, and he places something small and cold into my hand.

I lift it towards me, seeing it’s a knife.

He tells me, “Push the button on the side.” I do as he says, the blade flicking up. “Now, make her quiet, son.”

I've known my dad is dangerous and powerful for a while now. He is someone very important. Knowing this, I realize what he’s ordering me to do.

I am shaking violently, frozen in place. The girl—who can’t be older than a teenager—sees the blade and screams louder. The sound is giving me a headache, and I wince. Without another thought, I step forward, thrusting the knife through the cage bars and directly into her throat.

Slow clapping sounds from behind me. “Well done, son! Now, go finish the job.” He unlocks the cage, shoving me forward.

The girl is choking on her own blood, flailing around weakly.

I look back towards my dad, then grab her by her hair.

Gripping it tightly, I swing the blade in an arc across her throat.

She stills immediately, and I drop her like a stone.

“That’s a very good boy! Now your training as my heir will begin. ..”

I manage to get into the girls' dorm without any difficulty. We all have special keys that can unlock rooms in both dorms. I know exactly where little Malishka’s room is. I knock softly, and I hear rustling inside. She opens the door, face flushed. “Hi! You came!”

I smile, going inside, once she steps aside. I look around; her room is clean, bed made neatly. I turn towards her. She is radiant in shorts and a tank top, fuzzy socks on her feet. As I gaze at her, her nipples harden beneath my stare.

She clears her throat, flushing again. “So, what are we going to do?”

I shrug, taking a seat on her bed. She moves to sit next to me. “Hey, Ghost? What’s your real name? Unless you prefer Ghost?”

I look at her, answering with a simple, “Aleksey.”

“Oh, I like that! Aleksey...” She tries it out, the sound of my name like pure sin from her lips. I scoot closer, cupping her face with my hand. I stroke her hair with my other hand, and she sighs. I pull her closer, and she lays her head onto my shoulder.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” she whispers, looking up at me with those big doe eyes. I lean down to capture her lips in a scorching kiss. This woman, this woman is my true torture...

Phoenyxx

My mind and my body are blazing with heat and lightning.

I am losing myself in this man—this enigmatic, quiet man.

It feels different from the reactions I got to Hunter.

This is more of a slow-burn, but I am sizzling.

He is being so tender and soft. I can’t bring myself to push him away.

Although…my blood chills at the thought of his obsessive behavior.

“Ghost...can we talk, like you asked to do?” I ask timidly.

He pulls back slightly while not letting go of me. “Yeah, I want to know you, Malishka. I mean Phoenyxx.”

I grin. “What’s up with the nicknames? I mean...they're not too bad...but just curious.”

He shrugs. “Pet names...for our pet.”

I turn and smack him in the arm. “I’m not your pet dammit!”

“Okay, okay. Settle down,” he murmurs. “What’s your story?”

I clear my throat and look away. “A bit too personal, Ghost.”

“Tell me whatever you want.”

“Well, I am socially fucking retarded. I haven’t ever been exposed to other people like this.”

He bursts out laughing, bending at the waist and wheezing. My eyes widen in shock at the sound. Then I join him. We're both hysterically laughing, and it feels good.

“Socially retarded? I can relate,” he pushes out on another laugh.

“Yep,” I reply, popping the ‘p’. “Damn, Ghost, I kind of like you. Why are you with those other guys?”

“They’re my brothers. We grew up together,” he answers simply.

I let that comment sit in the air. Then, in a burst of spontaneity, I lunge forward to kiss him again.

He pulls me close, and I press my chest into his.

I wrap my arms around his neck, running my fingers through the long black hair at the nape of his neck.

He starts to fall backwards onto the bed, pulling me with him.

I land on top of him in surprise. He rolls us, looming over me.

He licks his lips. “If we go any further, I won’t be able to stop. Tell me now if you don’t want this.”

“Oh, I WANT this...just not yet. Not now.” I push up gently, and he lets me up.

“I should go, then. I will see you very soon, Malishka.”

I stare at his back as he moves towards the door. I can tell he is fit under those clothes, and the hint of his ass that I can see looks majestic. He oozes a subtle charisma, which draws me like a moth to a flame. I need to know so much more about the mysterious Ghost.