Page 56 of The Dom with a Safeword

Chapter 9

Sabrina

Nestled in the warmth of two bodies, limbs tangled with hers, Sabrina woke slowly. Q’s soft breath on her skin made goose bumps rise on her arms. Her face was nuzzled against Jude’s chest, his manly scent made her insides clench with the memory of the afternoon. The strange surroundings triggered more memories. This was Jude’s bedroom, not the sitting room.

Mmm. She wanted to throw her arms around both of them and hold them tight while drifting off into a sweet dreamland. But unfortunately her bladder had other plans. She opened her eyes then blinked a few times. Pitch black. It was still the middle of the night.

She groaned quietly then began the process of untangling herself from the duo, careful not to disturb Q and Jude. How did she get stuck sandwiched between the two? She should’ve warned them about her impatient bladder.

She swung one leg over Jude’s hip and gracefully lifted herself over his body. Then not-so-gracefully lost balance and flopped to the floor with a loud thud.

“Ow.” She shifted to her knees and checked that the two were still asleep. Their soft snores were the only sound in the room. She needed light. Her phone was on the side table. She fumbled around for it, knocking into other objects. Jude and Q didn’t even stir.

Finally, she felt the solid rectangular shape in her hand. She turned it on and used it like a flashlight to tip-toe her way through the room. Third door on the right, third door on the right, she chanted. Jude had made her memorize the layout for this very reason. She flipped on the bathroom light, shielding her eyes from the brightness.

On her way back from the bathroom, a blinking light in the hallway caught her eye. Red, green, and yellow lights flashed on the floor in the corner. The EMF detector! She rushed for her equipment bag. She must’ve left it on yesterday when she packed up.

After she pulled it out, she studied the readings. Disbelieving, she checked it over and over. Then she dug through the bag and took out her infrared air thermometer and turned it on. They all said the same thing.

“Holy shit,” she mumbled. There was an active spirit in the house right at this moment! She grabbed the small pouch at the bottom of the bag labeled Emergency – a competent investigator was always prepared – and set off to find her ghost.

It crossed her mind to wake Jude and Q but she didn’t want to risk their irritation if this was a false alarm. She’d feel guilty if they lost sleep because of another dead end. Besides, ghosts couldn’t hurt her. It helped to chant that in her head as she crept through the dark hallways.

Ghosts can’t hurt me, ghosts can’t hurt me. The floorboards creaked with each step. Her PIN pointed down. She peered down the pitch black stairwell toward the first floor. Ghosts can’t hurt me, ghosts can’t hurt me…

When there’s something strange…in your neighborhood –

Damn it!

She sighed then steeled her courage and flew down the stairs as fast as her bare feet could take her. At the bottom, she cursed herself for not throwing on a pair of shorts before she went so far from the bedroom. Hopefully, any ghosts she ran into weren’t literate. Otherwise they’d know she was a “naughty girl.” And how embarrassing would that be?

At least her t-shirt was decent – a black v-neck borrowed from Q. Shoving back the hair from her face, she followed the signal onward. From her emergency pouch, she pulled out the cheap digital camera and a flashlight. She held the flashlight between her teeth while she fiddled with the camera, turning it on and putting it on the nighttime setting.

Then she felt it. A cold spot. Right in the middle of the rundown dining room where they’d done the séance. A shiver rocked her. Early July on the New Jersey coast was muggy and warm. But the dining room was at least ten degrees cooler than the rest of the house. There was an active spirit here. Her equipment agreed with a series of soft beeps.

Trying not to tremble – from excitement and fear – she held the camera up and spun in a circle, snapping pictures as she went. Sometimes spirits invisible to the human eye, showed up on film.

A low moan came from behind her. She jumped and the flashlight clattered to the wood floor. She spun in a circle, but it was almost impossible to see without the light. Silence encompassed the dark room. The air grew colder, making her teeth chatter. That and her heavy breathing were the only sounds.

But there had been someone, only a moment ago. She was positive she’d heard a human voice. As if someone was right behind her.

She squinted into the dark. If Q was playing a trick on her, she was so dead. “Q,” she whispered. “I’m gonna kick your ass if that’s you.”

The moan came again, from her left. Her chest tightened and a small squeak escaped her. Fuck! She dropped to all fours, reaching frantically for her flashlight. The groans got louder – a woman’s voice.

Fuck, fuck, fuck! It’d never seemed this scary in the books. Her fingers grasped the hard plastic of her flashlight and she shot to her feet, whirling the light around. Big fucking mistake.

Something floated by the light. So briefly, she almost didn’t catch it. Her heart leapt in her throat. It crossed the light again – gaunt, translucent figure – then disappeared.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Ghosts can’t hurt me, ghosts can’t hurt me. What the fuck was she thinking looking for ghosts? And why the hell didn’t she carry one of those ghost-sucking backpacks from Ghostbusters?

Wails of pain bounced off the walls. She could barely breathe. Stumbling back, she put her arms out behind her, searching for the wall to steady her. Finally, she found the hard surface. She pushed her back up against it, dragging air into her lungs in big mouthfuls.

The wall moved. It fell away behind her, gravity taking her with it. She tumbled backward into a small tunnel, a yelp her last noise before the wall swung shut in front of her.

No! She jumped up and felt around the door. No handle. She pushed, straining with all her might. It didn’t budge. She tried to find purchase for her fingers between the door and the wall, but she couldn’t get a firm enough grip.

With a whimper, she stepped back and covered her eyes with her hands. Get yourself together, Sabrina. Don’t be a helpless victim.