Athena's Jewel (Aya Harris Collection 2)

Andrew took another step closer, blocking Dr. Kim’s view, and squinted at Tala, his dark blue eyes reduced to slivers. “Tell me,” he said. “How would you like to work in a fey mine? How long do you think you’d last?”

My stomach dropped. A fey mine? There were rumors of fey mines located in the rural parts of the world – the jungles of South America and the outback of Australia. But surely they were only rumors. Fey magic was dangerous and unpredictable.

The SI had outlawed its use over a hundred years ago. Too many supernatural creatures had gone bonkers from the deadly and addictive powder mined from the fey deposits deep within the Earth. Tala would die from fey poisoning within a few months if they forced her to dig it up. A human would die within hours. Only the supernatural magic flowing through her veins would keep her alive long enough to be of any use to Andrew and his operation.

“Back away, Andrew,” the blonde woman said. She set her drink on the coffee table and stood up. “The werewolf is mine. I have some clients who would pay top dollar to spend a night with her.”

My eyes trailed from her red leather stilettos, over her black hosiery, across the pencil skirt and up the silky white blouse. When I finally got to her face, my heart faltered. Time had added a few wrinkles and age spots, but it was my mother. The same dainty nose, sharp chin, and dark arched eyebrows. She even wore her hair the same way I remembered her curling it every morning. My mother was here – in this very room. She really was alive.

I wanted to jump and wave to her, but that would’ve put my whole operation in jeopardy. Instead, I waited for her dark brown eyes to meet my own. She was taking in every girl, scanning over their bodies with ease. When she got to me, our gaze met and for the smallest instant, I thought I saw recognition flare in her face. But whatever I saw, it was gone a moment later. Cool and calculating, she ran her eyes down my body and moved on to the next girl.

Grinding my teeth together, I closed my eyes and shook my head. Maybe she didn’t recognize me. Fourteen years was a lot of time. Back then, I had braces and tended to wear my hair in braids. My acne cleared up in high school and I shot up another three inches before graduation. The daughter she knew didn’t look the same anymore. That was the only explanation I had for her cold greeting.

“Shall we start the bidding?” Bobby pulled Tala forward, forcing our hands to drop. “Let’s start with the she-wolf. I’ll start the bidding at fifty.”

The bidders gathered round, flicking their fingers to bid on my friend like she was some piece of meat. My mother didn’t even look at me. She kept her eyes glued to Bobby the entire time, bidding with a ferocity that eventually won her Tala. With the bidding concluded, Timur yanked Tala from the line and escorted her to the room next door, leaving me with the three remaining girls.

Bidding went quickly. Dr. Kim acquired the elf. Andrew bought the two elementals. As I watched each girl exit the room, my face flushed with anger. All three of them were marching off to their deaths. The madness that permeated this room was too much to handle. And from what Ruth explained to me, Bobby Caro’s operation had been going on for decades. Who knew how many girls had already perished thanks to the callous and evil people in this world? And my mother stood among them, so cool and collected.

“And now, to the last.” Bobby stepped beside me.

With my heels, I stood a bit taller than him. He puffed up his chest and bounced on the balls of his feet, stretching to his fullest height.

“I believe this one’s a harpy.” He grabbed the back of my neck like a vice and yanked me down, pulling up the back of my shirt. “Yep, there’s the wings. Rare find for this part of the country. I suspect that only makes her more valuable.”

Bobby released my neck and I stood up to see both Andrew and Dr. Kim’s eyes gleaming with interest. A cold feeling in the pit of my stomach began to grow. If either of them took me, I was done for. I might be whisked away to some secret laboratory or magical mine, where they’d never find me. But I could do nothing but wait and see what would happen.

“Let’s start the bidding at seventy-five,” Bobby said with a greedy smile.

Andrew and Dr. Kim went back and forth with the bids, raising the number higher and higher. My mother took a step back and watched the scene, her thin arms crossed tightly over her blouse. I shifted and stirred, doing everything within my power to draw her attention without getting myself in trouble. But no matter what I did, her eyes remained glued to the floor.

“We’re at two fifty to Dr. Kim.” Bobby bounced on his feet, the glee clear in his voice. “Any other bids?”

Andrew shook his head and took a step back. I guess he’d reached his limit. My joy at not being sent to a magic mine was short-lived when I considered the alternative. Dr. Kim might not have looked like a typical mad scientist, but there was something in the impassive way he looked at me, as if he wanted to see my insides spread out across a table. I crossed my arms around my stomach in an attempt to shield myself from his prying eyes.

“I’ll take her for three hundred.” My mother stepped forward, her red shoes tapping against the cherry stained oak floors. “She’ll make a good addition to my team.”

Dr. Kim’s mouth fell open. “But Liv…”

She held up her hand. “You owe me this one, doctor. Don’t forget that Hungarian tree elf that I let you have last time.”

He nodded in disappointment. With that, the bidding was over. Bobby clapped his hands together, motioning for Timur to take me. The giant grabbed me by the arm and pulled me toward the door. I

stared over my shoulder the entire time, watching my mother’s slim figure as she chatted with the other buyers.

She may have bought me, but she didn’t know who I was. My mother had barely looked at me. And as far as I could tell, she was a willing participant in this awful place.

The mother I knew died long ago. The woman who had stood there bidding on flesh was a stranger. This whole mission had been a mistake.

Chapter Thirteen

Tala was pacing the tiny room when Timur dropped me off. She yelped at the sight of me and threw herself into my arms.

“You’re coming with us? You’re coming with…” She buried her head in my shoulder, muffling the rest of her words.

I wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be alright, but I wasn’t so sure I could make that promise. The only rational thing to do at this point was abandon the mission and make my escape. My mother didn’t need saving after all.

“We need to go,” I said, peeling Tala’s arms off my neck. “Quick, before anyone comes. We have to get out of here.”