Phantom’s POV
I was already having a pretty crappy day. Anger roiled through me after hearing that Canum was close to our borders again, but my incompetent guards failed to capture him yet again. The man was a phantom in his own right, slipping through my defenses like smoke. It gnawed at me, the thought of him lurking so near, testing my patience and my strength.
And if that wasn’t enough, the tutor I hired to help Maryelle keep up with her schoolwork had her holed up away from me all day. I hadn’t seen her since morning, and the absence weighed heavier than I wanted to admit.
Bailey walked into my office with her head hung low, her steps measured, her mask polished. “I know you’re busy, but I just wanted to apologize for my recent behavior. I like Maryelle, but I’m just protective o
