Athena's Jewel (Aya Harris Collection 2)

Relief washed over her face. “Good. Patience, that’s what I’m asking for. Just have some patience.”

I didn’t see how anyone could have patience living in a place like this. Is that what had kept my mother here these fourteen years? Patience, which had turned into a lifetime of bowing down to scum like Wesley Blake? It made me sick.

“Now, girls, your training begins now,” she continued.

Before she could go any further, the door behind us swung open once again. Tala and I craned our necks to see Wesley Blake entering the dining room with Aaron at his side. He had his arms wrapped around the boy’s shoulder in a friendly embrace, as if they were father and son. Wesley didn’t seem like the kind to keep a wife and family. Beneath that cool white skin was a stony interior that didn’t allow for progeny. His treatment of Aaron surprised me.

“Livy, I’m so glad we found you,” Wesley said, flashing a perfectly straight smile. “Aaron here has been rustling up some new customers for tonight, haven’t you?” He mimed punching Aaron on the shoulder. “This boy is going places fast. He’s a born marketer, I tell you. Someday, he’ll run this joint.”

Aaron straightened his spine and lifted his chin at Wesley’s comments. He still wore the oversized jacket, but even in the large clothing, I could see the young man emerging from his boyish limbs. It scared me that I could already see a bit of that cold hard demeanor in the way he looked at Tala and me.

“That’s right,” Aaron said, licking his lips. “Customers with certain preferences. Customers with a taste for harpy wings.”

“You can’t.” Livy stood tall, knocking her chair over backwards. “Their training’s only begun. She’s not ready.”

“We’ll call this a fast-track orientation,” Wesley sneered. “After the trick she pulled last night, Aya needs to prove to me that she can handle this work.”

He waved his hand and Livy’s chair righted itself. With another swipe of his hand, the chairs sprang from the table, almost dumping Tala and me to the floor. They lined up against the walls, before screeching to a halt.

“And I trust that I won’t be disappointed,” Wesley added.

He led Aaron back through the door, their laughter hitting me like hail from the sky. All I could do was turn back to my mother. Her face showed all the emotions I felt. Fear, anger, surprise. I thought I had more time. We both did.

Chapter Sixteen

They didn’t even give me time to think out an escape plan. Wesley sent a guard to fetch me from the dining room only moments after his announcement. The guard was a golem – a muscular meathead formed from clay. He didn’t have the brains or the soul to argue with his master. With my mother standing there helplessly, I was escorted to a hallway full of open rooms, each made to serve the client in unique ways.

One of the rooms was covered completely in pads and draped in soft luxurious blankets. That seemed pretty normal for a prostitution house. The next room was a little stranger. Everything hung from the ceiling, as if gravity had been turned on its head. I imagined Wesley had something to do with that enchantment.

There was a dark room full of whips and handcuffs, and all sorts of kinky objects. I didn’t linger at that door for long, although I could’ve used a weapon or two from there. The next had a giant tub with lilies that bloomed on the surface and floating wine glasses. We passed a few more rooms until eventually, the golem led me into a room that seemed quite normal in comparison to the rest.

I sighed in relief when I spotted the huge four poster bed and the fur throws on the floor. At least my client wasn’t a super freak. Hopefully, I would be able to overpower him with the help of Athena’s Jewel. All it would take was one controlled pulse of power and I could knock him out. At least, that’s what I hoped would happen.

A tiny white lacy outfit lay on the bed, along with a pair of red heels and a silky white robe. The golem grunted at me and pointed to the outfit, his large eyes rolling in his head.

“What? You want me to change?” I asked.

He grunted again, this time louder.

I placed my hands on my hips. “Not in front of you.”

He lunged at me and wrapped a stony hand over my wrist, pulling me into the air. With the other hand, he picked up the lacy outfit and pushed it in my face. No matter how much I squirmed, his solid grip wouldn’t ease up on the delicate bones of my arm. Finally, I took a deep breath and stopped moving.

“Fine, fine. I’ll change. Just put me down.”

With a satisfied grunt, he dropped me hard on the ground and held out the outfit. I turned my back to him and slowly unbuttoned the silky pajamas. Despite the shower last night after the golden ball, small flecks of paint still lingered on my skin. I flicked them off and put on the lacy lingerie, pulling at the top and bottom in an unsuccessful attempt to cover more flesh.

The silky white robe helped, but still only fell to mid-thigh. With the red heels on my feet, I dropped my discarded clothes in a pile and glared at the golem. The irony of the situation was that only a week ago, I would’ve bought a similar outfit for Gideon at the mall. Angel was a firm believer in lingerie for every night of the week. She said it did a girl good to feel sexy. I didn’t think this is what she had in mind.

“I’m done,” I announced to the golem. “You can tell your boss I’m behaving.”

The golem picked up my clothes and left, locking me in the room, his giant hands fumbling with the key. After his footsteps had faded down the hall, I rummaged through the room, collecting anything that might double as a weapon. My powers were great, but it was always nice to have a backup option. A bottle of champagne, the broken leg of a chair, and a hand mirror joined my arsenal.

I paced back and forth for what seemed like hours, listening for the sound of footsteps approaching my door. If what my mother said was true, once I disabled my client, breaking out of the Ranch would be impossible. Wesley had probably enchanted the borders of the building to make my head explode, or something gruesome like that. It wasn’t an option. Besides, I didn’t like the idea of abandoning Tala.

The only thing left to do would be to sneak out to Wesley’s office before anyone caught wind of my absence and contact the HQ. They would know how to find us. They would save the girls.

My nerves had just begun to settle down when I heard footsteps approaching. Wesley Blake’s voice became clear as they came closer to my door, the footsteps stopping outside.