Medusa's Dagger (Aya Harris Collection 1)

It’s not that I felt inferior to her. I mean, I could hold my own – especially in a tight little dress and my favorite pair of black leather boots. But there was something about the way she moved and the way she smiled that put men into overdrive. Maybe it was her nymph heritage.

“I’m wondering if you could lead me in the right direction.” He reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out an ID. Emblazoned on the front were the letters SI. Supernatural Investigations.

Immediately, I felt a retching sensation in the back of my throat. I never liked SI agents. I had my family to thank for that involuntary bodily reaction, even if I’d never been in trouble with the law myself.

“I’m looking for Aya Harris,” he continued.

I squinted at him. So much for being the man of my dreams.

Angel gave my shoulder a shove. “That’s her.”

“Ouch.” I rubbed the spot she’d hit.

It was great to know that I could rely on my friends to identify me to law enforcement. If I was ever in trouble, Angel was now officially at the end of the list of people I’d hide out with.

“What do you want?” The question came out harsher than I’d intended.

He frowned and put his ID away. “My name’s Gideon Ward. I’m following up on a tip you left with the SI hotline.”

Now it was my turn to frown. “That hotline’s supposed to be anonymous. How’d you get my information?”

“We tracked the number,” he said with a shrug. “Your information was too important not to follow up.”

I silently cursed myself again. Occasionally, over the years, I’d had visions of crimes. It was the joy of being a harpy. We had killer talons, a gorgeous set of black wings, and brain-splitting visions. I’d usually report the visions on the anonymous SI tip line. It would’ve killed me to just ignore them and do nothing. Up until now, no one had ever tracked me down. I guess no good deed goes unpunished.

“I told you everything I know. I had a vision. A glimpse, really. All I saw was a man dressed in jeans and a black jacket. He broke down a door and threatened some people. The vision was so fuzzy, I couldn’t even see their faces. Really, that’s all.”

That wasn’t all, but I wasn’t going to elaborate. At the end of my vision, a single raven’s feather had floated to the ground. It was a cold blast-from-the-past. Just the thought of that image sent shivers down my back. He couldn’t be here. Not in this city. Of all places, I didn’t think he’d dare come to the city bursting with the very monsters he hated.

Gideon eyed me suspiciously. He pursed his lips and tilted his head to one side.

“She’s just trying to help.” Angel grabbed my arm and pulled me closer. “Aya’s a harpy. They have visions of violent crimes. Catching bad guys is practically in her blood.”

She didn’t see the look of fury I sent her. My supernatural abilities were none of his business.

“A harpy?” Gideon’s brow furrowed. “Aren’t harpies usually in Chicago? What brings you so far from home?”

The last thing I needed was some SI agent digging into my past, and reminding my family of my existence. I’d managed to be practically invisible for the past six years. Didn’t draw attention to myself. Stayed miles away from Chicago. I’d even let myself think no one was coming after me. That I was safe. But Gideon’s presence reminded me that I’d never be safe.

“Didn’t like the weather,” I replied. “Too windy. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

I left him standing at the counter. The front display still needed to be reorganized, and there was a stack of paperwork in my office calling my name.

“Wait, I have some more questions.” He followed me to the administratio

n hall, pausing only to grimace at a porcelain doll displayed in a glass box in the middle of the lobby. “It’ll only take a minute.”

A small crowd of people walked through the door at that moment. Angel jumped behind the counter, selling our new guests tickets at seven bucks a pop. Most of the people we got in here were of the ignorant human variety. They couldn’t appreciate the irony of a supernatural museum in the middle of a city that hid supernatural creatures – to them, our exhibits were all fake, like a carnival freak show. My kind didn’t have much of a taste for their own history and lore, even though supernatural creatures have been around for as long as the Earth has existed.

We crawled out of the primordial soup, along with the organisms that would eventually become our human cousins. For centuries, monsters and creatures didn’t hide behind enchantments or in the dark. They’d proudly walked the Earth. Many of the ancient myths were based on our kind. But after Greek times, we went into hiding. It’s not surprising. Humankind has a nasty little habit of destroying what they don’t understand. It was easier to remain hidden than face impending extinction at human hands.

I could still feel Gideon’s eyes on the back of my head. It took all my strength to stop, turn, and face him. Maybe if I answered his questions, he’d leave me alone. There’d be no digging into my past. No more questions about Chicago.

He pulled a notebook out of his suit pants pocket. “A harpy, huh?”

Glancing up at me, he ran his eyes over my body. I shifted my weight and crossed my arms awkwardly.

“Aren’t you supposed to be super ugly and half bird?” he asked.