Macyntire & Hough (A Paranormal Romance) (The Macyntire & Hough Saga)

by Franklin Kendrick

  “Well, I was. I didn’t go asking for them to show up, but, some of them have started poking around the apartment. Since I put up a good fight the first time, they’re targeting Shelley now.”

  “Shelley,” Maris said. “Shelley... Is that the girl you have the hots for?”

  “She’s not a girl,” Tadin corrected. “She’s a woman, and I don’t have the hots for her. I’m just looking out for her well-being.”

  “So eloquent,” said Maris. “Always a romantic. In layman’s terms, you have a crush on this mortal, is that right?”

  When Tadin didn’t respond, Maris continued.

  “Why else would demons be after her? They must be using her to break you down emotionally. That’s the most obvious explanation. So, what do you want? Wanna meet up and discuss some options? I’ve got some time tomorrow?”

  “That sounds great,” Tadin said, and he listened as Maris rustled some paper in the background.

  “Okay...looks like I have an hour around nine. Does that work for you?”

  “I don’t see what else I could be doing besides haunting this place,” Tadin answered. “Shelley can work on the store by herself, I suppose. Not really sure how I can help during the daylight, anyway...”

  He thought about what it would be like to help Shelley before Maris brought him back to the conversation.

  “Do you need me to pick you up?”

  “No, that’s alright,” Tadin answered and looked over at Kismit, curled up in the crook of Shelley’s arm. “I’ll find my own way around. Where do you want to meet?”

  “Dunkin’ Donuts, no question,” Maris finished. “I’d say Starbucks, but I find that place way too pretentious. Make sure you’re on time, please. I really do have a lot of experiments planned for tomorrow, and I’ve got to travel down to Shapleigh for the afternoon. It’s quite a hike.”

  “I’ll be on time,” Tadin rubbed his eyes with his thumb and pointer fingers. “I appreciate it, Maris. Really.”

  “Any time, buddy. Any time. Just don’t tell Shelley what you’re up to yet. I don’t want her cutting into our bromance.”

  Tadin laughed. That was one of the things he always appreciated about Maris. The man dealt with one of the darkest and most mysterious fields of study in the world — paranormal occurrences — and yet, he was always cracking jokes to lighten the mood.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure we’re exclusive.”

  “Good. I’ll see you bright and early.”

  And with that, Maris hung up and Tadin was once again on his own.

  He returned to Shelley’s room and tried his best to become absorbed in his book. He wasn’t very successful.

  “Looks like tomorrow’s gonna be a busy day for both of us,” he said to the cat on Shelley’s bed. Kismit glared up at him, his eyes glowing in the light from the street lamps outside the window. The cat always blamed him for disturbing its peaceful existence.

  He smirked at the cat, settled in his seat, and read.

  Chapter Seven:

  Thursday - 8:30am

  It was a miracle that Tadin escaped the apartment unnoticed the next morning. He had to wait for Shelley to do her normal morning routine of running on the treadmill for a half hour watching whatever soap opera was on. She showered quickly before heading down to the gallery to work on some finishing touches for the gala later. Once she was gone, he crept up behind Kismit.

  “Hey, Kismit,” he said as he approached the oblivious feline. The poor thing looked up too late as Tadin slipped a bright pink collar around his neck, the engagement ring dangling from the metal loop where an identification tag normally hung. Kismit let out a wail and tried frantically to wring his body away from Tadin, but Tadin already had a firm grasp and clipped a leash to the collar.

  “Come on, now! Calm down! We’re going for a walk. Don’t you like walks?”

  The cat glowered up at him with a stare that said, do I look like a dog to you? He flicked his tail before submitting to the torture of not only being used as a taxi for Tadin’s artifact, but also the humiliation that entailed the pink collar.

  “You’re doing me a huge favor,” Tadin said as he strolled down Commercial Street, past DiMillo’s, and left onto Market. “Do you realize how much energy it would take to carry that ring all the way down here on my own?”

  The cat flicked his tail again as they neared Dunkin’ Donuts. Tadin rolled his eyes.

  “I don’t know why I’m talking to you,” he said. “You’re just a cat, after all.”

  He glanced in the front windows of the coffee shop and saw Maris already drinking his coffee at a side table. He was relieved and tied Kismit’s leash to a nearby parking meter, hurrying inside.

  The radius from the parking meter to the inside of the building was wide enough that he could move around freely without coming against a barrier. As for energy, there was enough machinery that he needn’t worry about anyone stepping through him. He took a seat across from Maris and let out a sigh.

  “What an introduction,” Maris lowered a copy of The Phoenix he was reading and adjusted his thick-rimmed glasses. They were rectangular and eccentric, much like the man himself. He glanced out the window at Kismit. “Did you really have to drag that miserable cat along? The poor thing has been through enough, don’t you think?”

  “Please,” Tadin said, brushing his hair out of his face. “I had such a hard time just getting him out the door. He kept trying to dig his claws into the plaster as I carried him down the back stairs.”

  “You know why?” Maris took a sip of his coffee, pulling a flamboyant expression as he swallowed, then continued. “Because he knows you’re trouble.”

  “What do you mean?” Tadin smiled slightly. Maris always poked fun at the simple fact that Tadin was a ghost. Tadin didn’t have enough money from life to pay for his services, so he humored Maris by listening to his jokes instead.

  “I think you know what kind of trouble I’m referring to,” Maris struck him with a serious stare. “Ghosts who don’t know what they want, stuck to diamond rings — they’re always trouble. Why else do they call the only paranormal expert in the Old Port — legitimate —” he added quickly when Tadin chuckled. “Legitimate paranormal expert. As far as one man can be.”

  “I really appreciate you taking the time,” Tadin started, but Maris quickly cut him off.

  “It’s no problem, don’t even mention it. I mean, you went through all the trouble of dragging that ball of love all the way here,” he nodded to the cat. “Not to mention you’re giving me great research for my book. The least I can do is try to test my findings on your situation.”

  “Yes,” Tadin became serious again. “Test.”

  Maris was his only option with matters of the spiritual realm, but that didn’t cancel out the fact that the man was still an expert-in-training. Tadin wasn’t sure that a professional paranormal expert existed anywhere, even though people were eager to use the title back when he was alive. Maris stood out from the posers with his quick insistence that everything he learned was unique to his observations and merely speculation. His theories could work, or they could not work. Nothing was absolute when it came to the supernatural. All his findings had to be taken with a grain of salt.

  “So,” Maris leaned forward. “What’s been happening? You think there’s demonic activity around your apartment?”

  “No. I don’t think. I know.”

  Maris grabbed a pen from his bag and jotted down notes. Tadin detailed the encounter with Aleister, and the various other sightings around the block.

  “Really? That many in two nights?” Maris scribbled as fast as he could. “You’re sure it was that many?”

  “Yes. Positive. I already put up a barrier around Shelley’s bedroom, but I don’t know how long that will hold if they keep recruiting more demons to stalk us.”

  “Crazy,” Maris shook his curly black hair out of his face and looked off to the side, thinking. “I’ve never seen them gang up like this just for on
e spirit. You must’ve given them a really hard time. Aleister told you he was working for someone?”

  Tadin nodded.

  “Haures Grantley.”

  Maris jotted the name down and drew his parka tighter around his shoulders.

  “Do you know anything about him?” he asked.

  “Only a little,” Tadin started. “I know that he’s a soul collector. I’ve only seen him once. He hunts down souls before they can cross over and sends them to Hell.”

  “Even demons have a job, don’t they?” Maris set his pen down and looked away with that thoughtful expression again. “They adhere to some hierarchy. Obviously Satan’s the big man downstairs, but these other ones, they’re not general hordes of stupid monsters like you’d expect. They’re intelligent.”

  “That’s the scary part,” Tadin glanced around, expecting to see a demon standing in line to get a donut. They could be anywhere.

  “Indeed.” Maris was a shade lighter than before. Even a paranormal investigator wasn’t immune to fear.

  “So,” Tadin said. “What do I do?”

  “I think that’s pretty obvious,” Maris folded his hands on the table. “Just leave.”

  Tadin’s stomach seemed to drop out of him and he leaned back in his chair. “Leave? You mean just run?”

  Maris nodded.

  “Maris, I can’t just leave,” he said.

  “Why not? You can’t go up against a pack of demons. You can’t even go up against Haures. You won’t stand a chance.”

  “I can’t leave,” Tadin said again. “I’m partners with Shelley on the gallery.”

  Maris sat up straight with a look of disbelief.

  “You didn’t tell me that you partnered up with her!”

  “She asked,” Tadin replied, feeling very uncomfortable with the reaction he was getting. “I thought you already figured it out.”

  “Tadin, do you really think I would have played stupid this long if I knew you were partners with this woman?”

  Tadin shrugged. “It’s a waste of time to scold me over it,” he defended himself. “She already carved my name into the sign. I can’t turn back now.”

  “You don’t really understand how serious this is. There is no choice. You have to turn back. Immediately! If Haures knows where you’re haunting, it’s only a matter of time before he captures you. I’m willing to bet you’ve only lasted this long because you stayed in hiding. If he gets to you before you complete your unfinished business, you will be taken to Hell. Are you ready for that? Is this woman worth an eternity in darkness?”

  “Maris!” Tadin pounded his fist on the table, making Maris go quiet. “Shelley is important to me. She’s my business partner, and I expect you to treat her with respect when you talk about her.”

  “Just your business partner?” Maris asked.

  Tadin rolled his eyes.

  “Look, can you help me or not? I don’t have time to waste. Her gala — our gala is tonight, and I need a way to protect her if any demons show up. If it’s Haures, then I’ll run. I can probably get far enough that I’ll lead him away from Shelley. But, I’m not running from little thugs. I didn’t do that when I was alive, and I’m definitely not doing it now that I’m dead. Shelley’s put everything she has into this enterprise, and I’m not going to see her go broke like I did in life.”

  Maris was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

  “Fair enough. You’re one admirable dude, I’ll give you that. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.” He reached down into his messenger bag and pulled out a sketchbook, flipping it open to a blank page where he sketched out a rough square. Tadin leaned closer, trying to make out what the drawing was, but the picture was something he’d never seen before. It had harsh, industrial angles. Whatever it was, it definitely didn’t come from nature.

  “I’ve been working on a prototype,” Maris explained. “It’s not finished, but if I work on it tonight I can have it for you in the morning. You’ll be on your own for the gala. But, if you can survive beyond that, there may be some hope with this. It’s a solar-powered energy bank. Basically a glorified battery with a computer chip that captures data power usages versus paranormal activity. You can draw on the energy to stay physical for whatever period of time you need.”

  He turned the sketchbook to Tadin, who studied the drawing eagerly.

  “I was going to bring it on my next investigation, but if you can give me the information I need, then I can tweak the mechanics and be in better shape.”

  “And this will help me fend off the demons how?” Tadin was horrible at learning new technology.

  “The battery has a long life — longer than your average household appliance. If you want to go out, you don’t have to rely on the cat.” Maris winked. “Just siphon as much energy as you need and you can interact with any items you want. Doors, light switches, books. You need to charge the battery, though. Keep it in the sun as much as you can. It runs on daylight. Going by your track record on activity, you’ll probably use it at night the most.”

  “That sounds about right,” said Tadin. Any demonic attacks would happen at night. His stomach was in knots just thinking about the evening gala later. “So, what should I do until tomorrow?”

  Maris brought a hand up to his mouth.

  “How many people are gonna be at this gala?” Maris asked. “Ten? Twenty?”

  “Probably twenty,” Tadin replied. He wasn’t really sure. All he knew was it would be a crowd.

  “Okay, that’s good. Demons don’t like crowds, so you’ll probably be all set until tomorrow. But, just in case, have her wear a cross.” Maris reached into his pocket and handed something to Tadin.

  It was a tiny gold crucifix, dangling from a very fine chain. Tadin admired it as it glittered in his hand.

  “What will this do?” he asked.

  “Demons don’t like religious artifacts,” Maris said. “Hopefully it acts as a repellant.”

  Tadin nodded. “Thanks, Maris.” He closed his hand around the delicate necklace.

  “Don’t mention it,” Maris grinned. “Just survive tonight so that I have you as a test subject tomorrow,” he winked and downed the rest of his coffee.

  Chapter Eight:

  Thursday - 4:30pm

  It took every ounce of Shelley’s willpower to get ready for the gala. She wasn’t enthusiastic at the idea of hosting the party alone, but she still allowed herself a good chunk of time to prepare. She definitely needed a lot of work. Her hair was tangled in a messy ponytail and had to be combed. Her skin was dry from the constant dusting she’d done around the gallery, and her arms ached from lifting boxes and moving furniture.

  “You can do this,” she told herself as she stood in the shower. Streams of hot water showered over her head and back, soothing some of the ache in her shoulders. She didn’t want to get out. She wanted to stand there forever.

  Nothing about the future looked easy. “But, you have to give it a shot. Nobody else will.”

  Something scratched at the shower curtain. Startled, she saw that Kismit had wandered into the bathroom.

  That silly cat! she thought as Kismit tried to swipe the curtain open. Scratch marks were the last thing she needed on her freshly shaved legs.

  “Out!” she said turning off the shower. Kismit rowled, very upset about being pushed out of the way by a wet foot. “Out. You can’t be in here, kitty! You scratch my legs too much, and I’m wearing a dress tonight. Go on!”

  She scooted the cat out the bathroom door and shut it behind him. He lingered outside, poking a claw under the lip of the door with a meow.

  Shelley toweled off quickly and started with her messy hair.

  Hair was always the hardest part. She could never do anything with it. But, tonight she had to do something with it.

  She propped an entertainment magazine on the sink and tried to mimic a fancy movie star’s hairstyle with a curling iron. In the end even she had to admit that it didn’t look completely horrible —
just a bit amateur. But, really, what were people expecting? She was doing everything on the cheap, and that would be the norm for the foreseeable future. At least until the gallery made a profit, which could be a while.

  “I’ll just tell them, ‘Hey! I’m an artist! It’s all intentional,’” she smiled at her reflection in the mirror, then wrestled into her dress.

  The collar was lower than she remembered in the dressing room, but she guessed it was acceptable. The deep red fabric looked marvelous against her pale skin, and she turned from side to side, pulling her hair out of the way, testing out different poses.

  She had to laugh.

  “Now, this isn’t something you do every day!” she said.

  As she was hurrying out of her bedroom she saw something sparkle on the dresser. She stopped to take a closer look and saw that it was a delicate golden crucifix nestled inside a small black box. It glowed serenely in the light.

  Beneath the box, was a note, written in Tadin’s messy scrawl.

  For good luck, he wrote.

  “Nice try, Tadin,” she muttered to the empty room. “But, shiny gifts aren’t going to get rid of my nerves.”

  No, she thought, but she clasped the necklace beneath her hair anyway. Only he can make me feel completely comfortable. Somehow over the past two years, Tadin managed to lull her constant sense of anxiety until she almost forgot it completely. Now, without him beside her, she felt her nerves flare up, almost paralyzing her.

  Damn it, this was going to be hard.

  She caught her reflection in the desk mirror and paused, tilting her head to one side as she admired her outfit. The necklace was a nice surprise, even if it could never replace Tadin by her side.

  “Still,” she said, watching the light play off the necklace, “you do have a good eye, Mr. Hough.”

  And with that, she hurried down to the gallery to make some last-minute preparations.

  After repositioning various pieces of artwork around the space, she felt a tiny boost of confidence compete with her nerves. It was time to show everyone what she was made of.