Medusa's Dagger (Aya Harris Collection 1)

A body was slumped near the opposite end of the hallway. From this distance, I couldn’t tell who it was, so I ran forward with caution. When I was still half a hall away I realized it was Gideon leaning against the wall. I wanted to scream his name, but I pressed my lips closed. If Theo or Nicky were still around, it wouldn’t do to warn them of my presence.

All the doors to the rooms were still shut as I sprinted by. Gideon’s eyes were closed, his face white. I couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive – my head wouldn’t let me debate it until I had the opportunity to feel his pulse. Medusa’s dagger lay in his open hand. I fell to my knees beside him, grabbing his jacket in both my hands.

“Gideon? Are you okay? Talk to me!”

A pulse of power hit me like a ton of bricks, throwing me several yards back down the hallway from where I came. I landed hard on my elbow, cussing aloud when I felt the nerve endings twinge. Another pulse came, making me tumble even further and smack my head on the hard floor.

I blinked at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what just happened. Tiny sparks of color danced in front of my eyes, threatening to overwhelm them. I lifted my head just enough to see Nicky strolling toward me, dressed from head to toe in black.

Chapter Sixteen

Nicky leaned over Gideon’s body and plucked the dagger from his hand. A satisfied smirk pulled on half his face, while his other hand clutched at the pendant around his neck. He straightened up, turning his back to me.

“If you hurt him, I’ll kill you.” My voice didn’t sound like my own – it came out raspy and harsh. “I swear I will.”

“Stay out of this, Little Bird. This is my fight.” Nicky lifted his chin and took a deep breath. “This ends now.”

He raised his foot and kicked open the door to room 312. I couldn’t see inside, but there was already a scuffle going on. Agent Silva’s voice drifted from the room, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying.

“Please save the boy,” I called to Nicky. “He’s innocent.”

Nicky paused, turning his head away from me. “I’m not promising anything,” he said.

“Theo has to die, one way or another.”

With those assuring words, he charged into the room with his palm up, throwing pulses of energy and slammed the door shut behind him. I didn’t have time to wonder what poor sap he’d stolen those powers from. Instead, I rolled over to my stomach and army crawled to Gideon.

Placing my hand on his chest, I felt the thumping of his heart under my palm. A sigh escaped my lips. There was no sign of blood or any other injury that I could see. He’d been knocked unconscious, but not dead.

“Gideon, wake up.” I shook his shoulder gently.

He groaned, but his eyes stayed glued shut.

“Come on, Gideon. Kit needs you. I need you.”

Another gunshot went off inside the hotel room. At the very least, it seemed like Agent Silva was still holding her own against Nicky and Theo. I ran my hands over Gideon’s forehead and cheeks. He groaned again, but this time his eyelids fluttered open, and he gazed unfocused on my face.

“That’s it. Wake up.”

Gideon blinked again and some recognition returned to his eyes. He shook his head, grabbing my hands from his face and pulling them down. “What happened?”

“I think Nicky attacked you. He’s in there,” —I tilted my head at room 312— “with Theo and Agent Silva. We need to help her.”

He scrambled to his feet, looking frantically at the floor. “The dagger?”

“My brother stole it. He’s going to kill Theo.”

Part of me wanted Nicky to succeed. This monster had already exterminated two members of Michelle’s family. He didn’t deserve to live.

“He can’t do that.” Gideon clenched his jaw and drew his gun. “We have to stop him.”

A room a few doors down the hallway opened. Out popped a grey-haired man with a cane. He took one look at Gideon’s gun and froze.

“Get out of the hotel,” Gideon shouted. “Head for the elevator. Now.”

The man abruptly turned and shuffled to the other end of the hall. I’d never seen anyone with a cane move as fast as he did.

We turned our attention back to the hotel room door. There was no turning back now. Just a few feet inside, a battle raged. Smoke poured under the door and tremors shook the walls. We could hear Agent Silva shouting, her words lost in the noise. I said a little prayer and hoped Kit was still alive.