Knowing full well that her usefulness was her ultimate skill in survival, at least in this monumental moment in their star crossed paths. His eyes narrowed in both irritation and curiosity;
“How could you even detect what was administered to you? I gave you such an insanely small dose, it usually takes months before I, can even notice its affect’s on my projects.”
His anger subsided, as his interest grew in her decadent codex of words and mind games he found himself compelled. He sat back into the couch with a wave of his hand a small light illuminated in the kitchen down below, alerting staff that they must take longer before serving dinner, Derek’s eyes instantly saw this and his head instinctively looked up towards the ceiling thinking to himself;
“She must’ve made a mistake, already? Not a good sign.” he was always watching, forming timelines in his comic book loving mind and trying to decode what of any of it actually means, if anything at all.
He knew his father wasn’t keen to keeping people around for long, especially after the way mother vanished all those years before, it was much easier to get rid of people before getting attached, it was his usual pattern. If anything they’d be saying goodbye to her by the weekend if his previous predictions were accurate in any measure. In that moment Jess felt the death grip subside inhaling and exhaling with great appreciation;
“Thank you Sir, if I may offer my sincerest apologies, I truly never meant to impulsively speak in such a way, I…I have just known you in a way for so long it seems, it’s been impossible for me not to speak so freely sooner, but there just hasn’t been an opportune time.”
Scrambling for excuses to suffice and prevent herself from drastically shortening her own life, she hoped it would turn out better than she hoped for;
“And addressing me so intimately, more intimately than any living human being ever has before. Whispering in my ear as I hold my youngest child in my arms for her sake as well as mine, was the most opportune time?!”
Kyle’s voice boomed the door shutting behind him with a gust of wind the moment his lips parted to speak,
“No, it was stupid, reckless, the failed impulsive response from the mouth of a fan that’s adored you from afar for as long as I can remember, it’s why I took this job Sir.”
She continued, “I was absolutely compelled to work for you, to serve you and your needs in any conceivable way, I haven’t stopped searching for you since I found this book. You’ve been my life’s obsession. I have a degree in criminal anthropology and job offers from local law enforcement to find you and to bring you to justice, to hunt you down the way you hunt your victims down and still I took this job, this job, because I wanted to be near you.”
Jess’s large expressive eyes sharing the ultimate truth wrapped in insanity, the only authenticity she ever had to give, yet so many feared. To most the words always sounding far too insane to be remotely true, she waited for his ultimate verdict trying to slow the beads of sweat from traveling towards her breasts, her breath still quick to match her heartbeat, Kyle’s face transformed from Darkeel’s to his awe struck disposition. He reached for her face softly, tenderly;
“You came this far just to know me?”
His other hand reaching towards her face he leaned in and kissed her, he’d never before been so consumed by her, by any woman before. She knew him for his darkness and loved him completely still, putting even her own life at risk to find him. She could and should in her legal position make him the prize of her lifelong career as a psychic detective, but instead when she heard his voice that day on the telephone after answering his request in the paper for a new governess; she let go of every single one of those thoughts and burned all of her files and personal folders filled with scraps of information. Countless tidbits of paper trails and lengthy articles in the Denver Post about The Slaughterhouse Hills Hunter, she was the only one in the world besides him now that knew the identity of this calculated man. He was right here before her now, overwhelming her senses and reading her mind as his entire being melded into hers in that moment. In that decadent kiss, feelings of electricity flowing through her body, tingling and surging as if he was plugging her into direct current. The powerful flow of energy resonating within this one man was incredible, she felt as if they were floating underwater.
She opened her eyes and found herself straddling his lap, her painted silk dress cascading off of her shoulders along with her flowing red hair. She felt like she was on fire, his arms wrapping around her. Her body bucking uncontrollably under his touch, his hands gripping her upper back, her waist, her hips and cradling her head back as his lips found ways to ravage her neck, chest and luscious breasts;
“There’s so much we have to talk about, Oh God how I wondered what it would feel like to have your hands upon me, those brutal hands to so many others, so ravenously passionate all over me, now; Oh God it’s more than I can take.”
Jess babbled uncontrollably she was overwhelmed feeling his hands grazing her outer thighs, gasping as his rock hard cock grinding against her pubic mound, she was so close to cumming it was surreal. His lips found their way to her stomach calming the overload in erotic energy coursing through his body into hers within the electrified layers of this intoxicating kiss.
“Shh, my darling there will be plenty of time for that, but for now, it’s time you and I went down to have dinner with the children as we’re already half an hour behind…”
Kyle interjected knowing what it meant to strangle such a seductive whore into submission, taking away her only escape from overwhelming fear caused by endless arousal; coursing through her pink parts and making her sticky pieces soaking wet with musk scented honey. Her eyes were so beautiful when they were filled with torture;
“Mmm already giving me a taste of what that pretty face looks like in such visceral torment. Good. No cunt has ever been so foolish in folly to address me so crudely and has yet somehow managed to survive.”
Kyle’s firm voice caused Jess to recoil into a delicate night shade plant, abruptly hit with the scorching summer sun. Her eyes unable to meet his with bashful blushing cheeks. With a wave of his hand the curtain opened once more to reveal Tiffany driving down the road towards the house;
“Ah, just as I expected, my daughter’s here for dinner. Join me in the living room.” Kyle said directing his sharp eyebrows towards her along with his outstretched hand. Jess reached slowly from the ottoman, up into his penetrating eyes;
“It is my sincerest pleasure to serve you, Kyle.” Jess smiled extending her hand formally wiping away fear and self-loathing a trait that was strong within her when disappointing those she admired dearly was a part of the game. Her lips parted and she gasped ever so slightly;
“Good girl, already learning so quickly; you’ve impressed me thus Far.” reaching for her face and guiding her eyes towards his;
“Truly you have inspired me, now try to keep that quaking pussy of yours under control; it’s time to be a family.” Jess swooned smiling ever so slightly.
“I’m famished, dinner as a family sounds divine.”
She felt on cloud nine, descending back down to earth where the children were already waiting on the couch together, with dinner trays pulled up. Tiffany’s tray still without her behind it, she came running in;
“I’m not late am I? I did everything I could to get through traffic, major road block some moron ran off the road drunk again.” She texted her father as she heard the phone chime exactly as he descended down the stairs;
“Don’t worry, we were late too, you’re safe for now, dinner will be out in just a moment I’m sure of it.”
Kyle winked at his eldest daughter while she made sarcastic faces at him;
“Ha, very funny dad, after all these years you think you’d come up with something better than the go-to serial killer bit, you’re a writer after all.”
She smirked knowing full well that he’d
find amusement in her boldness he smiled at Jess;
“I guess it’s true what they say, fortune does favor the bold.”
He smiled with a sinister grin, while Jess’s heart pounded she thought to herself;
“I can’t believe they’re completely oblivious and he’s just so bold.”
Her mind started to wander to sensual places, but was swiftly interrupted by his taunting voice in her head;
“I thought I told you to keep that ravenous cunt of yours on a short leash.”
Her eyes widened and she smiled instantly responding;
“Oh God how long have you been able to do THAT!?”
Kyle instantly laughed out loud and told his daughter;
“You’re a sass mouth.”
She laughed with Adie and Derek and they asked him;
“What weird movie are we going to watch this time dad?” Adie’s voice always the comic relief in any situation.
“Well we can go for a classic, or what if we let the newest member of our family pick something for tonight?” Derek instantly replied;
“I prefer that option, I’d rather see what her taste in movies is, that’s a major requirement for the job, especially in this family.” Tiffany added to this idea;
“He has a point dad.” she smiled setting her phone on the table and waiting for Adie to chime in,
“Sounds good to me, what do you want to watch Jess?”
Kyle walked over towards the big screen television and pressed the wall where the crown molding formed into an image of the laughing and crying mask usually found in most theaters. The wall started to move forward and wrapped around to form an entertainment center where thousands of movies from every genre showed up, right before her very eyes. She instantly found the section titled Classic Horror and smiled; “That was incredible and the rare films you have here, some of which I’ve been trying to track down for years for my private collection, impeccable.” She said aloud knowing Kyle was grateful for the interest and candor;
“Derek you were not kidding, this should be listed in the job description, I feel so underprepared.”
Everybody laughed realizing her sarcasm was welcomed, “I have a question, before I hand your father my selection for the evening, have you seen all of these movies?” Tiffany replied,
“Dad has but we’ve been catching up since we were born, we still haven’t watched them all especially that section.”
Nodding and reaching out for one of her favorite vintage films from Vincent Price’s collection. House on Haunted Hill was handed to her superior and he smiled nodding;
“I’m impressed, a rare classic, and one none of the children have watched I assure you. This is perfect.” Jess smiled;
“I’m pleased to hear that, it’s one of my favorites, Vincent Price is one of the godfathers of horror in that era, a true mad man.”
She looked at the children and made strange and exaggerated faces, making Adie and Derek laugh and Tiffany smile, she hadn’t remembered a time in her life that she’d ever truly seen her father smile. This is exactly who she needed to arrive, so that she could finally start over in the world, the captain of her own ship, guiding her heart to her wildest dreams wherever they may be. A regular Alice: Through the Looking Glass.
Jess was the missing link to so many pieces in a broken chain that sat here rusting for years. Before finally finding just what was missing all along, that feeling of home that so many often describe but just can’t sum up in one word. It takes an entire being to fill a place with light after the darkness has overtaken it for so long. She was everything that Kyle wanted, desired or dreamed of, now curled up next to him on the couch while his other children on theirs were enthralled in this film. Enjoying the final dinner they’d be having for quite some time together, this was all he ever worked for in life, he finally had everything he’d ever truly wanted, in a dark unrelenting world a true place to call home.
Each dish that arrived was piping hot and especially made for each individuals ultimate cravings, the children were elated to see their favorites piled up high, while Kyle was most pleased to watch Jess’s eyes open in awe again;
“How did you know that manicotti is my favorite?” He smiled;
“I have people, who look into such things for me.” She smiled gratefully indulging,
“Ooo this is my favorite part!”
Jess said enthralled, for a moment she lost herself in this sweet existence in life, four pairs of eyes were watching intently and when that moment came where the first victim was about to die, she screamed and threw pillows at the children, causing them to scream even louder when the first character in this film was killed suddenly and brutally. Kyle burst out laughing;
“Ohhh, that was a good one, she scared you guys so bad.” Jess laughing with him unable to breathe.
“I couldn’t resist, it is the best part about having favorite films that no bodies ever heard of before.”
He caught her eyes once more before they were transfixed to the screen and the children’s face while the film continued;
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Kyle gently squeezed her hand, she gently squeezed back before letting go realizing that these children were more observant than most.
Derek and Tiffany’s eyes meeting for a moment to confirm to one another that she was in fact staying around longer than a week, they smiled both knowing that it was exactly what the lord of Burnett Manor had longed for, a woman who could make him and his children feel at home.
Chapter 10:
Horror Stories
The children were enthralled and Kyle was impressed with both her selection and the ease at which Jess fit into any situation. She seemed born to darkness much like himself, a by-product of survival, transforming even the most brilliant of lights in this world into dark lanterns tinged with agendas, and unnatural hungers that deviated the strongest will towards a path of unrelenting torment. First through self, then through transformation. He could see that part of her book in full light now more than he ever had before. He realized deep down that not only did Jess truly need him, but he needed her. This unnatural match felt more at ease in silence and conversation than with anyone ever before or after he assumed. A deep sentient connection, two gifted beings born from darkness and doing their best to create a moral compass and ethical guideline to adhere too, aiming for that small flickering light at the end of the tunnel that the past still holds in charcoal riddled destruction.
He realized he had to keep her alive, around and as close to him as possible for her sake more than his. The closer he’d find himself to her, in intimate ways he knew that Darkeel would awaken as well. Calling out and demanding empty trophies, disturbing the peace, silence and dawning of a new chapter that he relished even more, right now on this very night.
The final chapter of this gruesome tale was coming to an end. Jess smiled glowing, watching the children leaning forward, even Tiffany at her age with pillows in her arms gripping desperately not to scream. Watching the one behind it all reveal themselves as the mastermind, murderer and genius in this story. Kyle’s eyes were watching her, they glowed, he didn’t mind missing the ending to even this one of his favorite classic tales of horror. To watch her expression, it was as if he saw what it was like to truly live. He’d never been one who was fond of the early morning light, he usually preferred the darkness cloaking the layers of his personality that he never wanted to get out. It felt safer, to hide, even if it was from himself. But now, Kyle had never wanted so intensely before to know what it was like to bathe in golden sunlight. Gasps and screams were filled with claps and smiles;
“Wow that was really, really good. Now I see why Dad won’t stop talking about Price and Hitchcock, suspense is an incredible art form in film.” Derek said;
“Not to mention the writers.” Jess chimed in;
“I’ve alway
s personally found that era as well as the Gothic period to be so good at making you feel like you’ll die on the edge of your seat waiting but not wanting to know what will happen next. The suspense is stifling, almost claustrophobic.”
She mimicked being buried alive or strangled and the children started laughing, Kyle instantly saw her transported underground screaming and clawing for the surface, it hit him hard in his mind’s eye, like a bus. He didn’t know what it meant, was it something that had already happened to her? It did look like a younger but recent version of who she was now, or is this the future? Derek and Jess sensed his change in demeanor almost instantly;
“Are you okay?” they said in unison feeling each other’s energetic link and then trying to pass over it to avoid drawing attention from the girls.
“Yes, I’m fine, I’ve just been working too hard and it’s late, I’m sure I’m just exhausted. Speaking of which it’s almost nine thirty; shouldn’t you be leaving soon Tiffany?”
She smiled somberly trying to keep the tears from welling from underneath her glasses,
“I didn’t want to remind you.”
He opened his arms and she walked towards him;
“Ugh! Sometimes I wish I came from a horrible place like you did when you were a child dad, it would make leaving so much easier.” He hugged his daughter lovingly;
“Shh, it’s okay you’ll be back before you even feel like you’ve been gone long enough to miss us, I promise.”
Kyle smiled and his daughter smiled back, she reached for her brother and sister and gave them a hug, her arm extending out towards Jess, she got up from her place on the couch and embraced her fully;
“You’re going to have an incredible, life changing time, film it for us, we’ll be there in spirit.”
Jess smiled and gently kissed her on the forehead, realizing she was only a decade older than her and smiling at the distance as well as the closeness in years, half a generation behind her as her father was part of hers but beyond. She realized this place held a powerful space in this world in the realms of time. She kept feeling herself descending deep into the basement of this home, to which she was told there was no longer access too. As the eldest daughter of Burnett manor grabbed her coat, keys, and luggage, her father walked her out and placed all of her belongings in the truck. He got in the passenger side and waved to Jess in the window, she didn’t realize he could see her watching.
A Scarlet Collection of Monsters and Madmen Page 25
