The Sorceress (24 page)

But first, she'd have to plead with Lizzy and Carmen to keep an eye on Ethan while she dashed out to purchase some sexy undies. She imagined Rome's reaction when she entered his bedroom wearing a revealing negligee and a pair of four-inch, slutty stilettos.

To Jen's utter shock, the senator returned to his desk carrying a bottle of vodka. Once known as an excessive drinker, the senator had been sober for years. From what she could tell, he seemed sober the night of his dinner party.

What was the catalyst for this break in sobriety? Judging by the generous amount of alcohol he poured and chugged down in a matter of minutes, the senator had every intention of getting tanked tonight.

“I have to join my wife on the stump,” he informed and guzzled more liquor.

Ah, so that's why he was drinking again.

“Unfortunately, I'm not going to be available to interview the nanny, so I've asked the agency to send their best candidate over.”

Jen gave a half-hearted head nod. “Does Ms. Provost know about this?”

“No, and she's too busy to care.”

“Okaaay…” Jen wasn't too sure about that. Catherine Provost would definitely want a dossier on a person taking up residence in her home.

“I asked for a live-in. The agency will handle the background check, the confidentiality agreement, and all that jazz.” He waved his hand, as if dismissing the paperwork as a bunch of nonsense. “The new nanny can have the spare room next to yours.”

Jen nodded again, picturing Carmen and Lizzy's reaction to the newest member of the household. If they treated her the way they'd treated Jen when she first started, the new nanny was in for a rough time.

“I have an early morning flight and won't be around to meet the woman, but I'm sure she'll be competent. I requested someone who's had experience with autistic children.” He looked at Jen; took another swig. “I'll be with Catherine for the next few weeks. I'll try to make it home whenever possible. But it doesn't appear that I'll be here too often. Not until after that damned election,” he grumbled.

So, it was true. The senator was jealous of his wife's meteoric rise. “Catherine and I will be in constant contact.” He gave Jen a smile that was meant to be reassuring but failed miserably. He stood. “Have a good night, Jen. As you can see, I'm getting slosh-faced tonight.” He held up the bottle of vodka and smiled at it like it was a dear friend.

Jen splashed water on her face and then dabbed it dry. She never wore makeup, but occasionally wore a little lip gloss. Looking in the mirror over the sink, she applied a neutral-tone lip gloss as a makeup trial for her hot date tomorrow night. She winked at her reflection.

When Rome saw the creamy shine on her lips, she wanted him to recognize it as a promise of extended oral sex. The blow-job she'd given him the night before was a sample. Now that she was feeling more confident, she planned to put a lip-suctioning on him that he'd never forget.

She gazed at her reflection. In her opinion, she wasn't pretty…her facial features didn't even add up to cute. But according to Rome, she was beautiful. Little goose bumps ran up her arms and she blushed in response to the memory of his compliment.

Being with Rome was dizzyingly blissful. In less than twenty-four hours, she'd join him in his bedroom and lathe his goodies with her tongue. He didn't seem real comfortable with her taking on a sexually aggressive role, but he was flattered. She could tell. Maybe tomorrow, she'd switch it up and role play as a submissive.

She wondered how he'd handle that. Would he be embarrassed if she asked him to arrest her because she was sexually dangerous? Jen giggled at the thought. But she seriously wanted to bathe his entire body with her tongue. The man was delicious…scrumptious. She wanted to lick him all over from head to toe.

She gave herself one last look and blinked in surprise. There was a shadow cast over her reflection. She took in a loud, startled breath and spun around in a panic; her heartbeat accelerating at a frenzied pace.

Her wide-stretched eyes swept back and forth in apprehension. She was alone. So what had cast the shadow? She jerked her head toward the mirror again. The dark blurry thing was still there. Only larger and more menacing.

Jen cringed.

Then it moved.

“Oh, God!”
The words came out in a two pitiful squeaks. Instinctively she looked upward, yanking her head back so hard it was a wonder she hadn't snapped her neck.

A dark figure was crouched on the skylight. It was the worst thing she could have ever imagined seeing.

She gasped and then covered her mouth on impulse, so stunned her breath felt trapped in her lungs, choking off a scream. Something ghoulish and inhuman was grinning down at her. Salivating hungrily, its eyes burning with unrestrained yearning, as it yanked on the latch—noisily and impatiently trying to get in.

Her hand fell away and her mouth opened in a silent scream. Every nerve in her body tightened in apprehension. Her limbs felt locked—paralyzed with fear.

Frozen, her gaze was riveted to the skylight.

Until the shadowy creature growled.

Surely this wasn't happening.
I'm having a bad dream. This couldn't possibly be real,
she told herself as she blinked her eyes in disbelief. Under the circumstances, being paralyzed with fear and all, her lashes were the only thing operating, and rapid blinking was the best she could do to try and wake herself up from the nightmare.

The creature snarled, its claws scraping metal, scratching and tugging hard on the handle, and finally lifting the glass dome, admitting a stream of chilled night air.

Jen's eyes became enlarged with fear. Fueled by increasing spasms of terror, she opened her mouth wide, gulped in a burst of air and, at last, she forced out a scream.

The skylight slammed closed.

“Jen!” Senator Provost yelled from downstairs. His staggering footsteps seemed to be taking forever to make it up the stairs.

Standing in the doorway of Jen's private bathroom, Senator Provost squinted at her, and then tilted his head to one side and then the other, as if he could determine what had happened to her by looking at her from a variety of angles.

Too smashed to stand up straight, he leaned against the doorframe for support. “What's wrong? Sounded like you were being murdered.” He stared at her. “Your face is completely drained of color. Why are you looking so grim? Did you see a spider? A mouse?” He grimaced, eyes darting around the bathroom.

“Somebody. I mean…some
thing
was—”

Too distraught to go on, she buried her face in her hands and gave into racking sobbing. Clumsily, the senator put his arms around her. He reeked of alcohol.

“Now, now. Is it a bad relationship? Forget about him; you're too good for the slime ball bastard. Don't worry; you'll find someone new. It's going to be all right.” He tried to comfort Jen in a voice that was slurred.

The senator was drunk and didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Jen pulled out of his flimsy embrace and stared at him. Trembling, teeth chattering, and eyes tearing, she pointed a finger upward. “Something was up there.”

His eyes followed but he saw nothing except the dark sky. “What was up there?”

She dared to take a peek. The atrocious thing was gone. “Th-there was some kind of creature lying across the skylight,” she stammered. “It was staring down at me. Smiling this vicious smile and it had thick slobber spilling down its hairy cheeks. Ew! It was hideous.”

“Jesus, are you sure?” He shot a wary glance upward.

“Yes, absolutely. I saw something grotesque and monstrous. It yanked the skylight open… That's when I screamed. I guess it ran off.”

The senator frowned up at the skylight, his unsteady body leaning perilously as he strained to see if the thing that had frightened her was still up there. Jen followed the senator's gaze, nervously biting a fingernail.

“I don't see anything up there except the sky. It's dark, but there's nothing else. Just pitch-black darkness. Maybe if we add some fireworks, we can light up the night…” he raised both brows suggestively, attempting to calm her with levity and a bit of drunken flirtatiousness.

“This is serious, Senator Provost.” She took a step back. “I really saw something up there.” She shuddered. “Its face was waxen and covered with tufts of fur and it had hairy, clawed hands. It was gruesome. I wish that I could believe that some nutcase is on the loose, but that thing in the skylight was not completely human.”

“Not
completely
human?” Senator Provost erupted into a burst of drunken laughter. “Then we have nothing to worry about.”

“No. I meant…the way it was snarling like an animal, it seemed barely human.”

Suddenly amorous in his intoxicated state, the senator pulled Jen into his arms and smoothed her hair. His lustful affection was creepy. Struck with an idea, she looked at the senator and desperately clutched his shirt. “We should call the police.”

Consolingly, he patted her back, but only briefly. Meeting her gaze, he gave her a patient smile and amazingly, he appeared suddenly sober at the mention of the police being called.

“Honestly, Jen…you'd have to have a two-part extension ladder to get up on that roof and no one could climb up there without making a great deal of noise.”

“I know what I saw,” Jen insisted, gnawing on her fingernail. “I think I should talk to this police officer I recently met. Tell him what I saw.”

“You can't go public with this!” The senator looked horrified.

“He's a friend. He'll come and investigate, but he'll keep it confidential.”

Senator Provost's brows knit together. “That police officer will think you're off your rocker,” he said pointedly. “Come on, Jen, it's merely your imagination. You're overworked and that's why, starting tomorrow, you're going to have some time off.” The senator pasted a consoling smile on his lips.

Jen sighed helplessly.

“If it will make you feel better, I'll go outside and take a look around, but believe me, no one can get past the gate or get on the roof of this house unless we're talking about Spiderman.”

His carriage erect, facial features serious, and actually looking somewhat noble, the senator said, “Go in Ethan's room and lock the door. I'll go inspect the grounds. I guarantee you, I'm not going to find a ladder hanging down from the roof,” he teased, his jovial tone intended to calm her nerves.

“That thing I saw wouldn't need a ladder to get on top of the roof,” she moaned. “It probably flew up there…like a vampire.”

He chuckled as if she were a simple-minded child.

Jen had always considered the senator to be a pretty decent guy. And despite his untoward advances, which she totally blamed on the alcohol, she still thought pretty highly of him. It seemed a cruel and selfish act to allow him to go outside without a weapon. He needed a gun…or maybe a cross and some garlic…he needed some type of defense because he definitely was no match for what was out there lurking in the shadows. She wanted to grab the senator; beg him to let the proper authorities handle the dangerous matter. But he whirled around and dashed out of the bathroom. There was no way to keep him from running into harm's way when he refused to take her seriously.

Biting her nail down to the quick, her eyes traveled back to the skylight. There was no moon in sight. Utter and complete darkness. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Afraid to be alone, Jen rushed from the bathroom, crossed into her bedroom, and followed the senator out into the hall—far from the skylight and the disturbing, moonless night.

“Senator Provost.”

“Be right back,” he responded. Showing a lack of fear, he whistled as he made his way down the stairs. Seconds later, beeping sounds indicated he was disarming the security system and an electronic voice announced that the front door had opened.

Hardly able to breathe, Jen didn't go and lock herself inside Ethan's room. She was too scared to move. Murmuring a prayer, she waited.

H
is chest rose and fell as he lay in bed appearing asleep. Entranced, the child communicated with Eris. “Did you really believe I'd set you free without conditions?”

“What are they?” Eris's voice was desperate. “We're roaming around, lost. And my physical form is starting to fade,” she complained.

“Had you not disobeyed me, you'd be welcome inside the home where I stay, but you're so devious, Wicked One, I can't let you inside. You can't be trusted.”

“Not true,” she protested.

“Why'd you bring that oafish ghoul?”

“For protection…against your…your trickery and deception.”

“Ah! So his blunder on the roof was beneficial?”

“No.” She cut an angry eye at Boozer. “He's not comfortable in his skin. He needs more practice. Soon, he'll learn to maneuver in human form.”