Athena's Jewel (Aya Harris Collection 2)

“No need,” she said, studying my outfit. “Prince Charming is waiting for you at the front counter.”

I bit my bottom lip as a rush of giddy nerves took over me. Gideon had spent most of the past few weeks out of town on official SI business, but he made a point of flying in as often as he could. Ever since we defeated Theo, he and I had a thing going. I wasn’t sure how serious it would become, but I liked the way he smelled and the way he kissed. You could build a relationship on that.

“Go get him, chica,” Angel said with a smack of her lips.

I finished brushing my clothes off and forced myself to walk calmly through the displays, although I wanted nothing more than to break out into a sprint. There he was, leaning casually against the counter and studying his phone, all five foot eleven of him. He’d had time to trade in his customary suit for a pair of worn denim jeans, and his favorite brown leather jacket with the popped collar.

As I took in the sight of his scruffy beard and tussled brown hair, the memories of his last day in town crept into my head, making me blush. We’d spent a lazy Saturday in his hotel room, ordering room service and testing out the Jacuzzi bathtub. Champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries were the special of the day. I wished we were back in that hotel room so I could trail my fingers along the tattoos hidden beneath his t-shirt and jeans.

“Hi, you.”

He looked up from his phone and gave me a crooked grin. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. Sorry for dropping in without calling. I tried texting, but you didn’t reply.”

I sighed. “Sorry. We had a toad emergency in the back. It’s taken up most of my morning.”

His eyebrows pulled together in confusion, but he didn’t ask. Weird things like that were a part of my job. They happened a little too often around here.

“Listen, before I forget, I had a vision,” I blurted out.

As much as I wanted to fall into his arms and get lost in those hazel eyes, I had to save that woman. Just the idea of getting eaten alive made me shudder.

“There’s a woman on Tenth Avenue that’s going to be attacked by a manticore tonight. You might want to get someone on that.”

He nodded curtly and dialed the local SI on his phone. So far, my visions had been four for four. It was pretty much guaranteed that someone would become a manticore meal tonight, unless they stopped it.

“Are you okay?” Gideon asked, after hanging up his phone. He cupped my chin and looked into my eyes. “That vision really took it out of you, didn’t it?”

I nodded. If I looked as bad as I felt, then I imagined my face was pretty pale at that moment. Even my favorite red lipstick wouldn’t hide the draining effect of a major vision.

“Have they contacted you yet?” he asked.

I sighed and pulled away. For the past four weeks, he’s been asking me the same question. He was worried that the Harpy Quorum – the HQ – would get wind of my location and come flying in like hawks for the kill. But so far, nothing. Not even a blip on the radar.

Maybe I was too little of a fish to fry. Or maybe they were biding their time. Either way, my head was about to burst with anticipation. At any moment, they could come swooping in and punish me for failing to kill my brother years ago. Harpy punishment wasn’t something to joke about, either. It usually involved slowly starving to death in isolation.

“No news is good news, right?” I asked, hoping for a bit of encouragement. Anything to get the feeling that someone was watching me out of my head.

Instead, his mouth twisted into a frown. “Maybe…”

“This wait is killing me.” I rolled my eyes to the ceiling to keep the frustrated tears from coming. “It might be worse than what they have planned for me. I can’t sit around doing nothing, worrying that at any moment they’ll pop up and take me away.”

He stepped closer. “I won’t let that happen.”

“What if you can’t stop them?”

“I will.”

His gaze fell heavily on my face. Lowering my eyes to his, a familiar heat began to burn in my stomach. He slid his hand down my neck and leaned in, pressing his lips to mine. I melted into the kiss, wanting to grab the back of his jacket and pull him closer. But,

I resisted. That kind of kiss could wait until we were back in my apartment. Alone.

“I have to go follow up on your tip,” he said, pulling away with a reluctant sigh. “But I’ll be at your place tonight.”

I watched him leave, the back of his leather jacket disappearing through the sliding glass doors of the exit. Duty called. Nothing like dating a real life Superman. He could save the damsel and put away the bad guy. It was enough to make a girl swoon.

The familiar feeling of a vision coming on strong gave me just enough warning to brace myself against the counter. I cried out as the museum disappeared, and in its place, a city street popped up. Darkness was beginning to ascend on the road, leaving just enough light for me to watch a girl with long blonde hair exit a building, and begin walking down the sidewalk.

With a jolt, I realized the girl was me. I was wearing my favorite tan jacket with a sequined tank underneath, and had just finished closing up the museum. Out of nowhere, three people dressed in black descended on me, their majestic black wings unfurled.