“You saw it?”
I nodded.
Ian blew out an explosive breath and then, unexpectedly pulled me forward into his arms. “Please don’t keep things like that from me, Mads. I need to know what’s going on.”
“I don’t know what’s going on, though.”
“Then we’ll find out together.”
I hooked my fingers in his belt loops and looked up to meet his eyes in the dark parking lot. “I didn’t want you to come tonight. I’m really glad you did,” I said and leaned up on my toes to give him a quick kiss.
He didn’t react the way I’d expected him to. Instead of kissing me back or making a snide little Sherlock comment, he pushed me away. “Let’s go talk to Erkens.” He snagged my keys out of my hand and moved to get into the driver’s seat.
I stared at him for a few seconds, stung by that small rejection. I could tell that he was worried but even so. Every time we took a step forward, in the direction of some kind of relationship, one of us retreated. I hated that.
The thing was, I didn’t care that much about the winged guy. I’d studied those paranormal creatures for a reason. I wasn’t nearly as easily cowed as the average person. Like Ian had reminded me, I was a paranormal investigator. That kind of thing was now my life.
I took out my phone as we got into my car and sent Erkens a message. I had a feeling my night was going to be the tiniest bit trying. And I wasn’t wrong.
By the time we got to the office, Erkens had been filled in, and Ian settled in to watch the show, my mood had deteriorated to foul. What was Ian’s problem? Erkens made sense. Ian did not.
Erkens folded his arms and stared me down after I’d told him everything that had happened. “What makes you think I wasn’t going to look into that girl’s story, Madison?” he asked me, his voice razor edged and a little offended.
The thing was, he was right. I should have known that he would do all in his power to figure out what was going on. It was what he’d done for the last eight years.
I had worked for the man for two weeks and got it in my head that I was the only one who cared? That was stupid. I was ashamed of myself for even having doubted him for a moment.
I sat down in my usual chair and hung my head. “I’m sorry, Erkens. I overreacted.”
“You did,” he agreed and walked over to sit behind the desk. “So what can you tell me about the creature?” he asked, taking out a pad of paper like he intended to take notes.
I let out a shiver of horror. “It was creepy. Hadley was right. The wings are red and scaly. It was humanoid but only in that it had arms and legs. Everything else was kind of . . . reptilian. All red. It looked like something out of a horror movie.”
“A demon,” Erkens said to himself and turned to pick up one of his thickest books. “I need you to find it in here so we know what we’re dealing with. This might be—”
“So that’s it?” Ian broke in, his eyes wide as he stepped closer. “I thought you would take care of her, make sure nothing ever happened to her. I didn’t think you’d be cool about her throwing herself in the way of danger.”
“What?” I asked, glancing at him. “I didn’t throw myself at anything. I walked down a hallway you were in with me and saw something you didn’t see.”
He ignored me, his eyes still fixed on Erkens. “You should be furious that she went behind your back, not using her as bait to—”
“Ian, shut up!” I shouted, recognizing the glint in his eyes. He was not in a reasonable frame of mind. There would be no talking him out of his anger. It wouldn’t even matter to him that he was jumping to conclusions and making a fool of himself as well.
Erkens cleared his throat and sprawled in his chair. “I am not the one who put Madison in danger. She has been marked by whichever demon it is. They don’t allow people to see them unless they have a plan for them. The fact we know that is an advantage.” He pulled open his desk drawer and took out a can that looked like pepper spray or something. “This is basically demon-mace. It’s a mix of salt and iron shavings that when it’s sprayed at them will burn their skin. Salt is going to be your best friend from now on.”
I took the can, glancing around the office until it finally dawned on me. “That’s why it’s so dusty in here. It’s not dust at all. It’s salt and iron shavings.”
He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt to show me a tattoo. “I’m also warded. That’s something you’re going to need to consider. Silver is another good idea, so if you’re not interested in inking yourself up, you can use the same wards with jewelry. It’s not as effective but it’ll do.”
I wasn’t sure how to feel about the idea of getting a tattoo. It seemed like it might be a good idea, though. For the moment, I thought the silver would work well enough. I took the demon-mace and stuck it in my bag, glad to have something like that with me.
Ian whirled away and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind himself. Well, wow. He did seem to be in a mood. The last time I’d seen him like that had been the day we’d learned the full truth about Emma’s death.
My spine felt like an icicle yet again. Whatever made him act like that, it did not feel like a good omen. I had never believed in omens before I’d started working for Erkens. Now, they had become my life. My life was one big, bad omen.
FIVE
Hadley Novak woke with a jerk. Her whole body ached, though it was the tightness in her chest that worried her most. She knew the signs. She needed her inhaler.
The darkness around her made it impossible for her to see. She never went anywhere without her purse. She felt around for it, unsure why she was on such a cold, hard surface. Her hand jerked when she felt something move not far from her.
She blinked hard, trying to clear her vision as much as possible. She knew something was near her. She couldn’t tell what it was.
Hadley took in a breath, yet felt only a desperate need for more air. It was like she breathed through a straw. She needed more air. And her panic made those symptoms worse.
“Hey, it’s okay,” a voice said from a little ways away from her, a voice Hadley thought she knew. “Don’t freak out. It’s okay.”
“Esther?” she asked, her heart pounding in shock.
A slight gasp filled the air and all of a sudden, a hand was around hers. “Hadley, is that you?”
“Yeah. It’s me,” she gasped and tears spilled like a river of relief and horror from her eyes.
“It’s okay, Hads. I’m right here. Calm down, alright? Don’t let yourself panic.”
Hadley did her best to calm down although it was a losing battle. “Fester . . . I can’t . . . I . . . need air.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“What’s going on?”
“Is she okay?”
“We have to get out of here!”
Hadley jerked in surprise. She didn’t know any of those voices. Not a single one. And there were several of them. What was going on?
The confusion did nothing for the onset of panic. Her breaths wheezed, her lungs feeling as though less and less air was getting to them.
“KEVIN!” Esther bawled in a ferocious voice. “I need her inhaler! You can’t leave her in here without it!”
Hadley’s body jerked again. Kevin? What . . . then memory faded into her mind.
She had found out that Kevin and Esther had been messing around. Esther had told her she had to stay away from Kevin, that he was hers. They had said horrible things to each other, then Esther had been gone.
She had been desperate to find her friend, to apologize. That was when she had gone to Madison and Erkens. Kevin had called Hadley on her way back to Hope House and said he wanted to meet her downtown, that he’d found a place where they could be together without hiding. She had gone without question.
Why had she never questioned? He was a thirty-five-year old man and she had let him touch her in a way that no one ever had before. She had known that what they did together was wrong but she hadn’t cared
. No other guys that she was interested in were interested in her. She had thought he loved her.
Tears slid down her cheeks as reality hit her in the face. He had never cared about her. He had wanted to get in her pants and she had let him because she was stupid and lonely. She hated herself for that, hated herself for never having the backbone to stand up and say ‘no’.
“Breathe, Hads. Slow and steady. There’s enough air. You can do it. Just calm down and breathe slow,” Esther said in a passably calm tone.
The trouble was, there was too much dust, too much mold, too much of the things she was allergic to all around them. She felt as though a building had been laid across her chest. Air. She needed air. It wouldn’t come to her, though.
That was when she heard the flapping. She wanted to look around, to see what it was though it was too dark. She couldn’t see. She could feel something near her, something that wasn’t human. She was sure of that.
The girls near her all shrieked and cringed away in fear. Hadley had no energy for that. She stayed where she was, gasping for the air that wouldn’t come to her.
“Kevin, why is she here?” a rough growl of a voice called out.
“She was looking for her friend. She hired an investigator. I couldn’t let that stand,” Kevin’s voice said from not too far away from them.
“I am handling that situation. There was no need for you to bring the albino in.”
“How are you handling this? From what I could tell, that investigator has a reputation with your kind. He’s like your bogeyman. A little gratitude might be nice.”
“Gratitude? You’re an idiot, Kevin.” The flapping noise became louder until something red floated its way into Hadley’s vision. “Give her the inhaler, then take some pictures of her. You’ve made a mess of this, so we might as well get what we can for her.”
“Are you taking her through the portal to the market or are you selling her on the human side of the veil?”
“I’ll take her to the other side. My people are less picky about disabilities and this hair might make them forget about her other issues,” and he slid his scaly hand through her hair.
Hadley’s body shuddered with horror as fireworks exploded in front of her eyes. She wanted to punch out, to scream at that monster to get its hands off her. She couldn’t. Her body was too much in shock from lack of air and all the horrors she’d endured.
The flapping sound moved away and all the girls near her let out an audible sigh of relief. That was when the sound of a man’s footsteps came closer.
“Please, Kevin. Give me her inhaler,” Esther said in a pleading tone, her hand tightening around Hadley’s.
“Step away from her, Esther,” Kevin commanded, his voice far harsher than it ever had been before.
“I will. I’ll do anything. Please give her the inhaler.”
Hadley’s panic only increased as Esther let go of her hand and scooted back. She needed her friend to be there. They had been horrible to each other the last time they’d spoken. Hadley was desperate to make sure her friend knew how important she was in case she didn’t make it.
She reached out, trying to find her friend in that all-consuming darkness. The hand that wrapped around hers was not Esther’s. It was big and hard, a hand she knew all too well.
That hand placed the inhaler in her fingers. “I’ve tried to forget about you, Hadley. I tried but I can’t do it. That must mean this was meant to be. You were meant to be right here,” he said like he stated some unquestionable truth.
Hadley took a puff from the inhaler and breathed that medication into her system. It was a relief when air began to move more easily through her airways and she took a moment to revel in the feeling it gave.
“You do these things on purpose. You want to get my attention, don’t you, Hadley?” Kevin said in a lecturing tone.
“What?” Hadley gasped, still trying to catch her breath.
“Don’t bother talking to him, Hadley. Blaming the victim is a classic predator’s move.” Esther’s voice filled the air as she returned to where her friend still sat on the floor of that cell. “I promise you right now, Kevin. If anything happens to Hadley, I will kill you. Slowly.”
SIX
I didn’t want to be afraid. I wanted to hold my head high and shake my fist at what was coming. Yeah. That didn’t work so well.
It turned out that Erkens was just as worried, though. He followed me home, his big pickup truck looming over my little car like a bird of prey on the hunt. That thought made a shiver pass up my spine. I WAS being hunted.
More than anything, I wanted to talk to Ian. I had sent him a text to see if he needed a ride home. His only response was, No.
What if something happened? Our last words couldn’t be me telling him to shut up. No. I couldn’t let myself go down that dark a path. I had to have faith that Erkens and I would be able to find an answer. And I did have SOME faith. A little.
I waved to Erkens as I closed the front door behind myself, then leaned against it wearily. The last thing in the world I wanted was to go to bed. I knew what my dreams would be like. Nightmares were not the way I wanted to spend my night.
“You okay?” a quiet voice asked from the living room.
I glanced over and a small smile came to my lips. Spencer sat on the couch with Imogen curled into his side. Her fluorescent green hair was splayed over his chest as she dozed there. It was downright adorable and made me want to hug them both.
I opened my mouth to tell Spencer nothing was wrong before it occurred to me. He wasn’t exactly human. He didn’t know what he was any more than I did. What I did know was that he had the power to make dark things disappear and to know if someone was about to die. The simple fact he’d seen me and hadn’t freaked out was a good sign.
I walked over and motioned to Imogen’s bright head. “Is she completely asleep?” I whispered, not wanting for her to know the truth about the world unless it was absolutely necessary.
Spencer’s chartreuse eyes danced with amusement. “The only thing that wakes this girl up, is music. Any kind of music.” The amusement faded from his face as he looked harder at me. “What’s going on, Madison.”
I sighed and sat in one of the cushy chairs that were scattered through the room. It was such a homey place, my home. I didn’t want to tarnish the purity of that house with tales of horrors.
It seemed Spencer understood that. He very gently shifted Imogen around to lay on the couch. When he’d made certain she was comfortable, he motioned me toward the front door again.
I followed along after him, eager to see what he thought of the situation I was in. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t popped into my head immediately. Spencer had proven himself to be a good guy and despite all the trauma in his family, he had remained a good guy, unlike—
No. Spencer was indeed handling things better than Ian. Ian, however, didn’t have the experience with the paranormal world that Spencer had. Spencer had far longer to adjust, to get used to all the things that went bump in the night.
When he’d closed the door behind us, he turned to look at me. “Tell me,” he said and leaned against the porch rail with his hands rested on the rail.
I sighed and sat down on the step, the fear inside me easing back. “Do you know anything about demons?” I asked, desperate for some small piece of relief.
He shrugged. “I know as much as any kid who went to Sunday school. They’re fallen angels.”
“That’s true but that’s not all. There are portals that go from this world to other ones. Demons are what we call otherworlders that don’t have human bodies.” I sighed, irritated by that oversimplification of such a complex species.
Spencer didn’t look bothered by it in the least. He waited, making it clear at least some of what I’d said wasn’t news to him.
“These creatures come to this side of the veil for various reasons. Most of the time it’s to feed. We are their favorite meal in most cases.”
Spencer stared at
me for a bit before he turned so his leg was propped up on the rail. “Tell me what happened, Madison. You’re freaking me out right now.”
I buried my face in my hands and let out a groan. “I saw a winged demon tonight. Erkens says that means it’s marked me. They can only be seen when they allow themselves to be seen and since that one allowed me to see it, that means it has plans for me.”
“You don’t have the death-mark. Whatever is on that thing’s mind, your death doesn’t seem to be it.”
“Good to know,” I said drily, my hands still over my face. “It’s not always your life that a demon feeds on. It varies between species. I haven’t found the one I saw tonight in Erkens’ books yet. The thing is, it seems like this demon might be kidnapping girls. There’s a couple of girls missing from Hope House though nobody seems like they care.”
Spencer fixed his eyes on his shoes, his shoulders slumped. “That would be the perfect place for a monster to go. Who would believe a kid who came out of Hope House and told people they’d seen a winged demon?”
“Yeah. That’s the realization I’ve come to.”
“So what are you going to do?”
I hunched into a defensive ball and ran my hand through my hair. “I’m going to try and identify the demon and find a way to stop it.”
“And that Erkens guy is helping you?”
I nodded.
“What about Ian?”
I got to my feet slowly, then sat again, my hands clasped together prayerfully. “He’s . . . I . . . I don’t know, Spencer. I told him I saw the winged guy and he turned into this uptight jerk and walked away from me.” I felt guilty for spilling that out but not much.
Spencer rolled his eyes at me. “Madison, I’m not sure how you missed it. Ian Gregory is an arrogant, self-righteous prig.” He held his hand up to stop me as I opened my mouth to defend Ian. “He also cares about you. After everything that’s happened in the last few weeks, I’d think you’d get that. He’s still bleeding over everything that has happened and all of a sudden, his girlfriend gets marked by some demon. He’s probably scared out of his mind.”
The Black Merchant Page 4
