Medusa's Dagger (Aya Harris Collection 1)

I resisted the urge to stomp on his foot. "Nothing. I know nothing more than you. That family is gone and it's horrible. Now please, get out of my apartment."

"But, sources have said you've been spotted with Agent Gideon Ward. Are you assisting him?"

The microphone swung back in my face.

"Who told you that? No, I'm not assisting him."

Ian's smile didn't crack. "Then, are you a person of interest?"

"No!"

"Are you sleeping with Agent Ward?"

This time I didn't hesitate - I drove the heel of my boot into the top of Ian's shiny Italian loafer. A partially human, but mostly demon screech ripped from his throat. I had just enough time to slam the door shut before he banged on it, demanding I let him back in.

Pressing my back to the door, I slid to the floor and waited for Ian's temper tantrum to end. It didn't take long. He was an award winning journalist, after all, and he knew a dead end when he saw one. Soon enough, he moved to the neighbors, banging on their doors for a comment.

I wasn't sure who ratted me out to Ian Welch. Gideon had walked me inside yesterday after driving me home. But he'd gone straight to the Yonas' apartment, and I'd trudged up the stairs to my own. I'm not sure how that made me look like a person of interest, or Gideon's lover.

I glanced at the clock. Round two of my blind dates was due in an hour. I could've used that time to get dolled up and make an effort, but enough was enough. Instead, I poured myself a glass of Pinot Gris and cuddled up on the couch with a copy of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern. I needed an imaginary world full of imaginary people to distract me from the mess of my own life.

By the time my date arrived, I was fully immersed in the book. When he knocked at the door, I considered pretending I wasn't home, but then abandoned the idea. That’d be cruel. It wasn’t fun being stood up, and I wasn't going to do it to someone else. We'd go out for a quick meal and that'd be it. Just some food, wine, and then a quick goodbye. If I needed to, I would fake another sprained ankle. I could handle that much.

Opening the door, I found myself staring at a gorgeous man with blonde hair and steely blue eyes. His strong jaw and chin perfectly framed the charming smile that greeted me. He handed me a small bouquet of red roses, offering his other hand to shake.

"Hi. I'm Trevor. I guess this is the awkward part of the blind date. Oh wait, the whole thing's awkward." He rolled his eyes and chuckled.

I laughed and felt a blush rise in my cheeks. For once, Angel hit the mark. This didn’t seem like one of her typical castoffs.

"Yeah, not my cup of tea, either. But my helpful friends have made it their life goal to set me up."

"Mine, too." He smiled again.

I could've stared at his perfectly aligned teeth all night, but I shook myself out of it and grabbed my purse. I regretted not changing out of my work clothes. Trevor was dressed in a beautifully tailored black suit, with a silver tie to match. Standing next to him in my dress pants and satin white top, I felt out of place.

As if he could read my mind, he led me to the stairway and smiled

sweetly. "You look beautiful. Is it too soon to say that?"

"No, it's perfect." I returned his smile and silently thanked Angel again. He really was a perfect ten.

Trevor took us to a restaurant on the south side of town. It was a fancy place with a French menu and entrees I couldn't pronounce. I ended up letting Trevor order for me. It was worth it to hear him talk in French to the waiter.

"So, what is it that you do?" I played with one of the three forks surrounding my plate. I'd never eaten somewhere that needed three forks.

"I'm a doctor at Arcana Medical." He took a sip of his wine and grinned at me. "But before you ask, no it's not a thing like Grey's Anatomy. I haven't been shot at, I haven't been in a plane crash, and I've never had to do surgery on myself."

I laughed. "I guess you get that question a lot."

"You can't imagine."

We sipped from our water glasses at the same time. I could feel the heat between us already. His smile felt warm and inviting. I was beginning to forget the worries of my day, but Gideon and his investigation remained at the back of my mind, like an annoying little buzzing fly that wouldn’t go away. The only thing I could do was extinguish him by downing glasses of expensive French wine.

Our meals came, but we barely tasted them. Conversation flowed between us like water from a faucet. Yet, somehow, our wine cups kept emptying. The waiter was well worth his weight in gold - he kept the wine coming and didn't interrupt our discussion on all things hospital and museum and Arcana.

Trevor’s family was descended from werewolves. Unlike the creatures who were bitten and then turned into rabid wolves, the ones born into a pack were able to shift at will. No lunar cycle to worry about.

My pasta had long grown cold when I finally excused myself to use the restroom.