The Black Merchant

by Shannon Reber

  “Madison.”

  I glanced up, startled by the sharpness of Imogen’s voice. It also startled me to realize that we’d pulled off the highway. Wow. I must have been pretty out of it.

  She turned in her seat and gave me a look that said clearly she knew something was going on. “You are my best friend. I understand that there’s things going on you don’t want to talk to me about. You DID ask me to come today. You can either tell me the truth about all this or keep it to yourself. I don’t care which. I need you to put your bad mood on hold. Your bad juju is canceling out all the calm I usually feel around Spencer.” She raised her hands as I began to speak. “Talk to Spencer. I’m going to go into the gas station over there and grab some candy bars and drinks. And yes, Madison. I will get you a coffee.”

  I watched her for a moment as she got out of my car, a tiny piece of calm having come back to me. Imogen was such a good friend. She was so very different from Serena. The thing was, she was my best friend too.

  “What happened?” Spencer asked, his eyes fixed on Imogen as well.

  “It’s an incubus,” I whispered and started to spill out the rest of the things I’d figured out on the drive.

  Spencer looked like he wanted to puke as much as I did. “We know there’s portals that lead to other realms. What if the incubus is taking girls to other worlds or something?”

  I took in a shaky breath. “This is taking too long. Esther has been gone for a week. If that thing is kidnapping girls—”

  “You told me specifically that the GPS thing on Hadley’s phone led you here, to Cleveland.”

  I scrubbed my hands over my face and groaned. “I don’t understand any of this, Spencer. I’m so used to everything making sense that this . . . I feel like I’m failing them by not getting it,” I whispered.

  “The only way we fail is if we give up.”

  I swallowed the lump that rose in my throat and set my jaw. “I will never give up. I will find out where this thing is and I’ll make sure it never touches another girl again.”

  He glanced at me and raised his brows. “What did that Erkens guy give you?” he asked, obviously trying to distract me from my funk.

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out a palm sized envelope. I opened it and a small smile came to my lips. “He gave me safety,” I said and pulled out a pretty, silver necklace. Dangling from the necklace was a red and black bloodstone that was encased in a silver cage that was a rune of protection. The Helm of Awe was a Viking symbol that looked vaguely like a snowflake. It was a pretty necklace made prettier by the fact it was meant to keep me safe.

  There was one other thing in the envelope. I took it out and a genuine smile came to my lips. It was a vial of salt. Salt was a purifier and could be used to ward off a lot of different paranormal creatures.

  I put the necklace on and stuck the vial of salt in my pocket, my eyes welling with tears of gratitude. A couple of weeks before, Erkens had the ‘get off my grass you pesky kid,’ kind of feelings about me. Now, he was a good friend who actually felt like family to me.

  Spencer nodded when he saw it. He turned his head to watch as Imogen came out of the gas station, loaded down with a bag of junk. “I will do everything I can to keep that thing away from you. The fact you don’t have the death-mark is a good sign. You’re not in danger right now so we can use that. I’ll stick close. I promise you that.”

  “Thank you, Spencer. You are a good friend,” I said as Imogen opened the door and got into the car again.

  She handed me a cup of coffee and a candy bar, her eyes alight with excitement. I knew she had no idea why we were really there. Maybe I should tell her. No. I wouldn’t do that.

  I would protect her from the paranormal world. And anyway, Spencer was the one who had the right to decide when the time was right to tell her. It wasn’t my place.

  I looked around the city as we set about driving again. I had never been to Cleveland before. It was a nice enough place. I was too focused on figuring out where the girls were to care. The city could be swathed in chocolate and I probably wouldn’t have noticed.

  According to the app on my phone, the location Hadley had entered into her GPS was to one of the oldest buildings in downtown Cleveland. As we pulled into a parking place, it became clear to me something was not right.

  The place looked like a castle. Its Romanesque style looked like it had come out of a ghost story. The building itself was creepy and the simple fact Hadley’s phone was there massively weirded me out.

  Why would she have gone to a museum in downtown Cleveland? It was a public place. Could the incubus have brought her there? Why, though? None of it made sense. Why Cleveland?

  Imogen got out of the car before either of us could stop her, her smile wide as she stepped toward the building. “Come on, guys. I’ve read about this place. It’s on all the lists of the most haunted locations in America!” she said excitedly, walking fast to get to the doors.

  Spencer glanced at me, the foreboding in his eyes as clear as day. “We need to get out of here,” he said and ran to catch up with Imogen.

  I didn’t know why he would be so nervous. If the place was haunted, it couldn’t possibly affect us. I had always assumed that stories about hauntings were publicity stunts, anyway.

  With the way Spencer looked around, it was clear there was something more at work. He hadn’t been afraid at all when he’d seen Emma. What could possibly scare a guy with power like his?

  A cold shiver worked its way up my spine as I stepped through the massive oak doors. It was like we’d stepped into an icebox. The pendant around my neck grew warm like the protection that rune afforded included heat when I was chilled.

  A sweet, elderly woman smiled at the three of us and commenced in giving us the history of the building. I would have been fascinated under any ordinary circumstances. Right then, she creeped me out even more.

  When she had finished giving us her little speech, I brought my phone up and showed her Hadley’s picture. “We’re actually looking for a friend of ours who went missing a couple of days ago. I was wondering if you could tell me if you’d seen her,” I said, doing my best to ignore the icy fingers of fear that danced over my skin.

  She looked at the picture and gave a slow shake of her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I have. A lot of people do come through but she would stand out.”

  “What about her?” I asked and brought up a picture of Esther.

  She looked at my phone and again shook her head. “I’m sorry. Maybe one of the others would have noticed them,” she said and waved her hand to encompass the museum.

  Imogen gave her a sunny smile and stepped further in. “Thanks a lot. We’ll ask around,” she said happily and set about examining the displays around us.

  Spencer shot me a wide-eyed look and rushed after her, sweat having popped out on his brow.

  I stepped in far more slowly. The feeling I got from the place wasn’t the same kind of thing I’d felt when Emma had been angry. It was more like a warning. That building didn’t want us there either, I was sure.

  With all the research I’d done in the last couple of weeks, I knew quite a bit about monsters. I also knew that objects could hold power. As I walked further into the building and looked around at all of the history that was documented there, I had a feeling it was an object which gave off that warning.

  Out of curiosity, I followed that feeling. I felt weird about doing it like I was breaking some unspoken rule. Sometimes, rules were meant to be broken, though.

  My heart started to jackhammer in my chest as I walked up the oak staircase. There were photographs lining the walls, along with other items. Everything had a description next to it, explaining the history of the piece.

  My heart continued to pound as my breaths grew short. At the top of the steps, there was a stone bust of a stern-faced man. I didn’t know who the guy was yet something drew me toward it.

  A flapping sound filled my ears and I felt a breeze like t
hat thing was right behind me. I couldn’t take my eyes off the bust. There was a yellowish green aura around it.

  I stared at it, my hand extending involuntarily to touch it. I didn’t know why I did it. I wanted to stop. I wanted to run away. I couldn’t.

  The flapping noise got louder and all of a sudden, something shoved me. Horror filled me. It must be the incubus. That bust . . . I had no idea what it was but the demon wanted me to touch it.

  I tried to throw myself to the side. My legs wouldn’t let me. I was about to do precisely what the demon wanted me to and that made my temper rise up.

  No. No way would I obey some abhorrent sex-demon. I would not be its victim.

  My legs seemed determined to obey him so my legs had to be taken out of the equation. With all the force that could be mustered, I focused on the necklace. It was a rune of protection and it WOULD protect me.

  My knees came into hard contact with the floor as I buckled them. The moment my eyes were off that bust, my mind cleared. I wrapped my hand around the necklace and whirled to face down that creature, my other hand on the vial of salt in my pocket. Nothing was there. Holy error code. What was going on?

  I gaped at that empty space. Something had shoved me. I had heard the flapping. Hadn’t I? Was it possible it was me being dramatic or something?

  My breaths wheezed out as panic set in. It had been a trap. I had fallen right into it.

  Running footsteps on the stairs drew my attention and all of a sudden, Spencer appeared next to me. I glanced up at him and my jaw nearly hit the floor again. His eyes shone like the sun.

  I turned warily to look at that bust again. The slight glow around it flashed before suddenly, it was gone. That was when I understood.

  The bust had been made into a portal. Hadley’s phone had probably been thrown through the portal . . . or she had. That idea made my skin quiver with horror.

  I got shakily to my feet and ran down the steps. I ignored the irritated looks of the museum staff. I had to get outside.

  The moment the cool, fall air touched my skin, I hit my knees again. I threw up over and over, horrified by everything going on around me. I had no idea if we had locked Hadley and Esther in another realm where that incubus could . . . no. That couldn’t be. I would find them. I would save someone.

  THIRTEEN

  “What is going on?”

  “Where have you been?”

  “What happened? Is Madison okay?”

  “All I know is that she ran out of the museum and started puking. Maybe she has food poisoning.”

  “It’s not food poisoning.”

  I let out a little groan and sat up, annoyed to find that Ian, Erkens, Spencer, Imogen, and Serena all stood staring at me. All I wanted was to sleep for about a week. Why were they even in Cleveland?

  That was when it hit me. Oh, right. We had driven home. We were in Pittsburgh, my car parked in my driveway. The sight of the pretty Victorian home made relief fill my system. The problem was, my head felt like it was being cleaved by a rusty ax. That did nothing for the delicate state of my stomach.

  Ian reached in and offered his hand to help me out.

  I didn’t take his hand. I felt . . . wrong. It was like something inside me had been changed. I didn’t want to be touched. Not even by Ian.

  He pulled his hand away, flicking his eyes toward Spencer. “Tell me what happened, now,” he demanded like he thought Spencer was responsible for what was wrong with me.

  Imogen folded her arms and frowned at him. “What happened, is that Madison puked. Why are you acting like that’s Spencer’s fault?” she demanded, looking ready to flatten him.

  Ian didn’t even look at her, his sneer fixed on Spencer. “Amazing how that works. You go along with Maddie and she comes back hurt. Was it you, Spencer? Did you do this to her?”

  Imogen threw her hands up and let out a frustrated growl. She started to speak until Spencer guided her away.

  He kept his eyes fixed on Ian, his jaw set as he spoke. What those two said to each other was not fit for polite society. The animosity was mutual and neither of them seemed willing to let it go.

  I shifted and slid out of the back seat, unsure why I felt so wrong. I had no idea what was going on. All I knew was that I wanted to be alone.

  I took a step toward the house, a little startled to find that Erkens was right next to me. He hadn’t spoken. He had let me set the pace. I was grateful for that.

  I stopped and turned to look at him, my eyes heavy as my stomach rolled again. “It was a portal. It was set up right in the middle of that museum.” I closed my eyes and let out a shaky breath. “Spencer either destroyed the portal or closed it before that thing could push me through. It was very close, though.”

  Erkens looked like his own head might explode from all the stress. “Madison, that’s why you’re sick. The human body isn’t meant to travel between realms. If you had been any closer to that portal for even a few more seconds, you would probably be in a coma. It was lucky Spencer was with you.”

  Tears filled my eyes. “The GPS had Hadley going right there. What if that thing has taken the girls through that portal and now, it’s closed. How will we get them free?”

  Erkens tipped his chin down. “Like I said, the human body isn’t meant to travel between realms. There are a few realms that we could handle but not the one that was opened in that museum. I’d say that was nothing more than a trap. We must be getting close if they’re trying to take you out of the picture.”

  “You . . . really think . . . they’re not trapped with that demon?”

  “No, Madison. They’re not trapped. To be honest, the fact it’s an incubus might be good news for you. They don’t need to feed as often as some creatures so it will give us time. It looks to me like we need to hurry, though. If the reason you’re barely sleeping is because of that thing, it’s probably circling in.”

  I looked at the ground between us. “I hear flapping every time I close my eyes. It was the same sound I heard before it shoved me at the portal.”

  Erkens swore and turned to the guys. “You boys, shut up,” he barked and motioned Spencer over. He waved the others off when they began to follow, none of them looking happy about that particular order.

  Spencer walked over, his eyes fixed on the same place on the ground mine were.

  “Did you see it?”

  He shrugged. “Not fully. I could see a shadow but nothing else.”

  “And the portal? Did you destroy it or close it?”

  “I’m not sure,” he said with a slight shrug. “It was like something inside me recognized it and it acted without me really knowing what it was doing.”

  “You’re not sick?”

  Spencer shook his head.

  “That must be where you’re from,” Erkens said in a thoughtful way as he rubbed at his chin. “Look at Madison. Really look at her. Tell me what you see.”

  Spencer flicked his eyes toward me slowly before he fully complied. He scanned me in a clinical way before his eyes stopped on mine. “No way,” he said and stepped closer to me. “It marked her eyes.”

  I cringed, my mouth so wide open it made my jaw pop. “Get it off . . . please, Spencer. Get it off me.”

  His shoulders sagged. “The only way to get that mark off you is to kill the demon that gave it to you.”

  Ian rushed over, his hands balled into white knuckled fists. Like he believed that Spencer had done something to me, he swung out.

  Without any clear thought, I sprang forward and got in his way. I shoved him back hard enough that he stumbled. Thankfully though, his swing went wide and didn’t hit Spencer at all. Not so thankfully, it hit me instead.

  It was a glancing blow that made my arm go numb. I pretended it hadn’t hurt in the least. What I did was plant my feet and nudge my chin toward his car. “Leave, Ian. Now,” I ordered, trying to make my voice as commanding as Erkens’ had been.

  “No! I will not leave you here with a—”

  “Wit
h a what, Ian? With a friend? With a guy who saved my life? You have this idea in your head that your way is the only way. You’re wrong.”

  He turned his blazing eyes to sneer at Spencer. “Does this make you happy, Ezra? You like it that my girlfriend—”

  I stepped forward, took hold of the front of his shirt with my good arm, and shook him hard. “Girlfriend? You are so full of crap, Ian. You can’t decide if you want to play big brother or boyfriend. Until you can figure out which role you’re interested in playing, stay away from me.” I turned and walked toward the door, looking over my shoulder at him. “And if you ever throw a punch at one of my friends again, you and I are done.”

  Erkens remained in the driveway, bawling both of them out as I went inside. I probably should have stayed to talk to Ian. The thing was, I didn’t want him to know he’d hurt me. He hadn’t meant to. I’d simply gotten in the way. That didn’t make my arm feel any better, though.

  More than anything, I wanted to lay down and sleep. The trouble was the incubus. I was marked by it. That thing would be able to . . . violate me in my sleep. No way would I allow that to happen. If I had to stay awake until we found it, I would.

  I heard the backdoor open behind me though didn’t turn. I trudged my way toward the living room. I didn’t want to be in my bedroom at all.

  “Do you need an ice pack, sweetie?”

  I glanced to find Serena standing with her hands on her hips, her eyes appearing as tired as my own.

  I turned to where she stood and took the vial of salt out of my pocket. “So far as I’ve read, you can sprinkle salt around to ward off the ghost or you can burn white sage. The white sage is a ritual they call ‘smudging’. From the accounts I’ve read, it does work.”

  She took the vial and looked at it before she handed it back. “Want to take a field trip with me to get some of that sage? Looks to me like you could use the time away from here.”

  I blew out a long breath. “I really need to do some research. The case we’re working on is teenage girls who are probably being kidnapped by an incubus.”