His lips move silently as his eyes dart to the wardrobe.“Why?”
I shrugged.He didn’t need to know aboutScream and Steam.“Why not?I need to patrol the house.”
He frowned.“Patrol?”
“To stop humans from entering my world.You are dangerous.”Sorcerers had figured out how to weaponize imagination.The one the humans called Santa had been the worst.Throw in other sorcerer-made creations, such as the Easter Bunny and tooth fairies, and human kids wanted to believe in magic, which meant they were more likely to see it.
“Dangerous?”He frowned.“How?”
I shook my head, not wanting to tell him anything else.“It doesn’t matter how.What matters is, do you want me to limit the scaring?”
His expression firmed.“Stop the scaring.”
“I can’t promise that, like I said.She’s a danger to my world.”I was telling him too much.“Do you agree to the deal?”
He swallowed.“You want to watch me…um…jerk off?”
“For a start.I’m sure you’ll become more creative.”I needed him to be more creative.
“So more than once?”
I gave a low laugh.“Let’s say once a hand.”I lifted my hand, fingers spread.
He stared at my hand.“Every five days…nights.”
I nodded.
“And you’ll stop making trouble?”
“Trouble?I am doing my job.”I hissed as I stepped to the side and pointed at the bed.“But I am allowed some fun.”That was a gray area.I was allowed to film content, but I shouldn’t cut deals with humans.“Your choice.”
And if he said no…I was going to be writing a very long report on all the ways I’d fucked up the handling of a possible sorcerer.
Chapter8
Timothy
What the hellwas I doing?I couldn’t make a deal with him.For a start, he shouldn’t even exist.Yet there he was, right in front of me.And he’d been in my room the other night—it had been hot imagining being watched, but the reality of knowing he had been there, yeah, I wasn’t sure about that.
Why did I care if he banged around the house and scared Taya, or ripped up cushions?It wasn’t my problem.Taya wasn’t my problem.I didn’t like the way Taya and her mother were now part of the family, but she was my annoying stepsister, and I wasn’t going to let a monster terrify her.“I’ll put salt around the house so you can’t get back in.”
He tilted his head, his horns catching in the light.“You can try.Who taught you about salt?”
I’m sure it was something my mother had said.“No one…everyone knows that.”
The monster considered me for several heartbeats, his eyes shimmering like the aurora, ever moving, glinting greens.“You will not win this war should you choose to start it.”
“You started it by breaking in and tearing up cushions,” I snap, finding some bravado even though I was quaking on the inside.
The monster stepped closer, and I realized how big he really was.I was not short, but I’d fit neatly beneath his chin.Then he had about ten inches of shiny silver-tipped horns.They sprouted behind his pointy ears and swept up before aiming forward as if to take out his opponents’ eyes.As well as two big horns, he had two smaller ones on his forehead.
His hands were bigger than mine, and his fingers were tipped with silvery claws.At first glance, I thought him naked, but he wore a black uniform, and his skin was the color of midnight.Not black, but some kind of deep blue-purple that I didn’t have words for.
I stepped back and swallowed, not liking the way my pulse quickened because I couldn’t blame it on fear.Not entirely.“Youwerehiding in my wardrobe?”
“Yes.”His tail flicked around and grabbed my wrist.
“Ow.”His tail was rough, due to the ridge running along one side.He dragged me closer.My arm extended and my toes dug into the carpet, resisting the need to step forward.I glanced at the gap where the wardrobe’s sliding door never quite stayed closed.I needed to fix it, but I hadn’t.“Why?”
