“I’m sure you’ll find our harpy very appealing. She’s a feisty one, I’ll give you that. But there’s no better reward than breaking a wild mustang, is there?”
There was a muffled response that I couldn’t make out.
Wesley laughed. “Isn’t that the truth? I’m glad we could meet your particular tastes. If you have any problems, let me know. I would be happy to assist.”
Wesley’s idea of assistance probably included a body bag and a convenient body dump. If my powers didn’t work, I might find out exactly how that played out.
The door opened with a click. All I could see was Wesley standing in the doorway. He waved his hands and the lights automatically dimmed. A few tea candles next to the bed lit up and began to float in the air. A dark figure entered the room, shutting the door
behind him. I couldn’t make out his face, but I didn’t need to. Once Wesley was gone, I’d take out this stranger for good. No fooling around tonight.
The stranger didn’t say anything, but lingered in the doorway. Wesley’s footsteps trailed down the hall, his fancy heeled shoes clicking on the wooden floorboards.
Once I was sure of his absence, I put a hand to Athena’s Jewel, still hanging from my neck. Touching it made me feel braver. I wasn’t sure if more skin contact made the stone more effective, but I’d take all the power I could get.
“I know you came here looking for a good time, but I’m going to have to disappoint you.” Only ten feet separated me from the stranger. I took a step closer, dodging a candle hanging in midair. “My body isn’t for sale. I won’t be used.”
The stranger took a similar step forward and stopped, his hands buried deep in the pockets of an overcoat.
“Don’t try and stop me,” I added, arching my wings out at my sides. “I’m warning you.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I concentrated on the powerful draw of the necklace. My life force centered in my chest, right next to my heart. It pulsated with energy and heat. I focused on moving that force to my hand, just enough to stun. With one touch of my finger, the stranger would go down. If I maintained the hold for too long, I’d kill him. That much I was sure of.
“Aya? Is that really you?”
The sound of my name broke my concentration. Power escaped my hand, spiraling in uncontrollable arcs around the room. The stranger and I ducked as the power knocked the candles out of the air and threw hot wax and ashes. A few seconds later, we were left with a single tea light to brighten up the room, and a mess on the floor.
“Who are you?” I squinted into the darkness. “How do you know my name?”
The stranger moved closer, his figure large and looming in the shadowy room. I tensed my shoulders, ready for a fight. This could be a trick – a way for Wesley to catch me off guard. It’d already worked. The power I’d been harnessing only moments ago was lost. I couldn’t feel the center of my life force anymore, and it would be several minutes before I’d be able to find it again.
“Show yourself,” I demanded at the darkness. With the last remaining tea light in my palm, I held it out, searching for a face. “Who are you?”
The stranger nearly knocked me over when he lunged forward, his hands grabbing my shoulders. I didn’t have time to reach around for my broken chair leg. He pulled me in close, covering my mouth with a hard desperate kiss.
“Aya, I’ve been looking for you. I’ve been looking everywhere.”
“Gideon?” I pushed him at arms’ length to get a good look. “Is that really you?”
Sure enough, it was the same irresistible face that I’d become all too familiar with over the past few weeks. Gideon sighed and pulled me back into a rib-crushing hug, his hands caressing my hair.
“Gods, I thought I’d be too late.”
My hands worked their way behind his neck and I pulled him into a deep kiss. My questions could wait. All I wanted was to feel his body as close to mine as we could get. He wrapped his arms around my torso and gave in to my desire, pressing his hands into my lower back and moaning at the same time.
“How did you find me?” I asked when we finally pulled apart. “I didn’t think the SI knew about this place.”
“We’d heard rumors.” He held me still and began to examine every inch of my body, as if looking for injuries. “But nothing substantial. I had to cash in a hundred favors and bribe a few dirty informants to find you.”
I relished the touch of Gideon’s hands on my shoulders. It had been so long since I felt this safe. His thumb trailed over Wesley’s brand on the inside of my arm. The cursive R reminded me daily of his power over my life. It was a mark that would forever stain my memory, long after the HQ rescued us.
“Oh, Aya.” He gripped my wrist tightly, although intense sadness was heavy in his voice. “What have they done to you?”
“Nothing.” I turned my arm over to hide the brand. “Tell me how you found me.”
“A buddy down at the local SI office knew Matt Rue.” Gideon ran a hand down my arm, his fingers dropping to interlace with mine. “I found him in Tampa, trying to disappear in the dark magic underworld market. After a bit of… persuasion… he gave me some contacts who could point me to Bobby Caro’s joint.”
I groaned. “You didn’t hurt Matt, did you? He’s kind of a tool, but he’s deathly afraid of the HQ. I can understand that.”