The Black Merchant
Page 17
Roy barked and tried to move closer to me. The mix of wards, salt, and iron shavings kept him back.
I crouched down next to him and again put my arm around him. It was such a nice feeling, to know that Roy cared. There were supernatural beings who were good, decent creatures. Roy was one of the best. He was a hero and he was also a friend.
Simms crouched down so we were almost eye to eye and shook his head. “That creature was a skilled con-artist. A lot of people were fooled by him. Trusting a friend isn’t something you need to be ashamed of. What you did a few days ago was to save not only your own life but every woman who had drawn the attention of those criminals. You are the hero the Valkyrie said you are. There is nothing for you to be ashamed of either in this situation or in the one to do with Emma Gregory. All you have to do is keep your eyes open. You are one of the most intelligent people I have ever met in my life. Use your intelligence and don’t lose your ability to trust. It looks to me like you have a lot of very good people around you who are worthy of your trust.”
I looked over at Ian . . . my boyfriend. He was a good man who had been through so much. I knew that whatever was coming in the future, we would face it together.
Then I looked at Spencer. He was another proof that not all paranormal beings were evil. He was a good guy, a good friend.
And then there was Erkens. He was family to me. He was yet another good man. I was surrounded by them.
I held out my hand to Ian, pleased when he stood up immediately and walked over to take my hand. Trust. I did trust those guys. I would never doubt them no matter what came next.
And oh . . . there was a lot coming next.
EPILOGUE
Adrian Ezra stared down at the sleeping baby, her mind spinning. There was no time left. She had made the agreement. If she couldn’t live up to it, her life was forfeit.
Preston opened his eyes . . . yellow-green eyes, exactly like Spencer. Preston was yet another freak, an alien, a bargaining chip. She looked away from the baby’s all too direct gaze, always unnerved by something about the little mongrel.
She backpedaled and turned to leave the room. It startled her to find her grandma standing in the door with a worried look on her face. Adrian knew she had done a good job of convincing the woman she was innocent, so why would she bail Adrian out of jail then follow her around like some stupid puppy?
Adrian smiled in the way she so often used on her grandma, one that had always melted the woman’s heart. “Preston is awake, Gramsy. Do you want me to get him changed for you?” she asked in a soft voice.
Her grandma swallowed hard and motioned over her shoulder without speaking.
Adrian walked over and kissed the woman on the cheek, determined to be certain her performance was top notch. She had to keep them convinced that she was utterly innocent.
She walked in the direction her grandma had pointed, certain it must be a spider she wanted Adrian to kill or something. She didn’t care. She had always enjoyed killing things.
When she was younger, it had been kittens, birds, anything stupid enough to come to her. She loved the way they screamed when she hurt them, loved how . . . that thought froze in her mind when she saw the thing standing in the doorway.
It wore a black cloak that concealed every detail of its face. Adrian knew it was looking at her, though. It seemed the time had come.
The wraith floated closer to her, its head skimming the ceiling. It didn’t seem to even notice. “You have failed,” it hissed at her.
Adrian’s heart pounded as she shook her head wildly. “I can still get him. I can sweeten the pot too. My other brother is another one of those freaks. He’s not even a year old, so there’s no way he’d be any trouble,” she wheedled, her voice fast and frantic.
“You told us years ago that you could give us the one called Spencer. You were given money for your help in capturing that creature. You have not delivered.”
“It’s harder than I thought it would be. Spencer trusted me. He would have done anything to protect me. I was sure your other monsters would be able to grab him. It’s not my fault they failed. I did what I was supposed to. I told you everything about him.”
The wraith floated even closer until its black robed form loomed over her. “You have been a disappointment.”
Adrian’s whole body trembled with terror. “I can make up for it. Preston is like Spencer. I don’t think he’s my dad’s son at all. I think my dad chose to adopt Preston like he did with Spencer. They even look alike. They have the same creepy eyes. I know he’s one of them. I know it. You can have him. He’s all yours,” she said in a rush, nervous sweat popping out on her brow.
She heard a gasp from behind her and knew her grandpa had come into the room. He would have heard what she said too. She had to get the wraith to take all three of them otherwise her grandparents would probably turn her in to the police or something.
Adrian waved her hand in the direction her grandpa’s gasp had come from. “I know how much you love good, clean souls. Take my grandparents. Take them and Preston and give me time. I’ll find a way to bring Spencer to you.”
The wraith turned as Preston toddled into the room, utterly unafraid, unlike anyone the wraith had ever seen. It stared at the baby for a few long moments before it turned to Adrian. “There is little time left for you. You will deliver the one called Spencer to us or your soul is ours.”
“No,” Preston’s little voice said and all of a sudden, a bold, yellow-green light blasted out of his little form.
The wraith simply vanished . . . leaving Adrian alone with her grandparents and that baby who stared so directly at her.
Adrian’s throat went dry. Would she vanish as well? Would the little brat exile her? Was he like Spencer?
Preston didn’t take his eyes off her as their grandma rushed over and scooped him up. “You stay away from him. I want you out of here, Adrian. You are no longer welcome in our home,” she spat out, her lips pressed to that baby’s brow.
Adrian kept her eyes fixed on Preston. She had to figure out who the wraiths were working for. If she knew that, she would have the advantage again. She would deliver Preston and Spencer to those people and her reward would be astronomical.
Author’s Note
If you know me or have even seen my picture, you’ll see a few striking similarities between me and Hadley. To clarify, yes. Hadley is based on me. No, I was never kidnapped and almost sold in a sex-trafficking ring but at the age of seventeen, I knew a man just like Kevin. He was exactly the person he was in this book.
I didn’t write this for pity. I wrote it as a caution. Men like Kevin from this story truly do exist. They see women in the same way this guy did and oh how I wish I could go back in time to tell my parents the truth about him. I pray that the man I refer to is rotting in prison even though I doubt he is.
Not every guy is a predator. Not every teenage girl will tell her parents if she’s encountered one. I’ve been there. Please speak up.
Acknowledgments
This book could not have been written without the guidance, support, and plotting of my editor. Ruth, thank you. Again. For the thousandth time. Someday, you might understand how invaluable you are to me.
https://www.facebook.com/ruthlesseditor/
She’s the best copy editor in all the realms! ☺
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Other books by Shannon Reber
http://www.amazon.com/author/shannonreber
In The Works (The Light Bearer Prequel)
In Their Midst (The Light Bearer Book 1)
The Key (reprogramming the gods Book 1)
Ill-F
ated (The Cintamani Chronicles Book 1)
Ill-Omened (The Cintamani Chronicles Book 2)
Ill-Starred (The Cintamani Chronicles Book 3)
The Girl In White (A Madison Meyer Mystery Volume 1)
The Exiler (A Madison Meyer Side Story)
The Dark Spirit (A Madison Meyer Side Story)
The Infernal Goddesses (A Madison Meyer Side Story)
The Thirteen Bends (A Madison Meyer Mystery Volume 3)
The Mistaken Son (A Madison Meyer Side Story)
The Team’s Tales (The Madison Meyer Side Stories)
Friends and Foes (The Druid Heirs book 1)
Life and Loss (The Druid Heirs book 2)
Peace and Peril (The Druid Heirs book 3)
The Druid Heirs (The Complete Trilogy)
Misery (A Short Story)
Cadger (The Annwyn Revolution Book 1)
Illusion
Gray (Awakening Book 1)
White (Awakening Book 2)
Black (Awakening Book 3)
The Stockades (The Uniters Code Book 1)
The Sepulcher (The Uniters Code Book 2)
The Stronghold (The Uniters Code Book 3)
The Sanctum (The Uniters Code Book 4)
The Shrine (The Uniters Code Book 5)
The Uniters Code (The Complete Series)
The Seer (The Seal of Solomon prequel)
The Puppeteer (The Seal of Solomon Book 1)
The Gatekeeper (The Seal of Solomon Book 2)
The Fire Wielder (The Seal of Solomon Book 3)
About the Author
Shannon Reber was born a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . . or her imagination was anyway. She lives in western New York with her husband and a wide variety of both real and imaginary friends who often battle it out for dominance in her head. Who needs another normal person in this messed up world? Read her books, or the evil overlord will take control of her mind!