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“I should go,” he said.
My eyes flew open. “Now? Already?”
He met my gaze. I thought I saw desperation in his eyes, but I couldn’t be sure.
“It’s better this way.”
I swallowed hard. No use delaying the inevitable. Like ripping off a Band-Aid.
“Okay.” It was all I could say under the circumstances.
Gideon frowned. Maybe he thought I would shed some tears, do some proper begging. But at the moment, I felt numb. No, the tears would come much later tonight when I was alone in bed and reality had sunk in.
Without warning, he pulled me close and pressed his lips on mine. His hands trailed to the back of my head, tangling in my hair. I replied with a similar hunger, pressing my chest against his, and running my hands over his muscular back. The taste of his lips was sweet and tangy. His tongue slipped into my mouth, sending tingles down my spine. I could stay like this all day, feeling the heat of his body against mine.
My hands began to work downward, finding his belt. His breath grew heavier, matching my own. He planted hot kisses down the curve of my neck, stopping at the collarbone. I couldn’t hold back the groan that escaped from my mouth. I didn’t want h
im to stop. We could stay in my room forever, hiding from the SI and the HQ. We were safe here. Just him and me.
Gideon grabbed my waist and shoved me back a step. We stared at each other, a blush working its way up his neck. I imagined I looked similarly flushed, with my hair tussled and knotted. He grimaced and dropped his hands.
“I’m sorry, Aya.”
Without another word, he turned and rushed out of the apartment, leaving me staring at an empty room.
Chapter Three
I spent the next day around the apartment, not bothering to change out of my baggy pajama bottoms and matching baby blue cami. It was my only day off this week, so I didn’t feel bad for giving myself an extended pity party. Delivery food plus sappy romance movies were the quick fix for a relationship gone sour. Add in a little Ben & Jerry’s and sweet red wine, and I was living the dream.
By the time midnight rolled around, I was nursing a wine and sugar hangover. The pain in my stomach successfully distracted me from thoughts of Gideon and the HQ; thoughts that I’d ignored for most of the day. Slipping into my white Egyptian cotton sheets one leg at a time, I curled up as the covers absorbed my body heat.
Tomorrow, I’d have to get up like usual and get ready for work. The world would go on turning, whether I liked it or not. There would still be bills to pay and museum displays to change. My boss would still send me dangerous items to add to the collection, and Angel would still be there to enthrall me with tales of her latest date. Life would go on.
But tomorrow, I’d also have to figure out how to deal with my vision. If the HQ was on my trail, I’d have to be super careful. I wouldn’t walk down the street alone. I’d keep Angel in the museum with me at all times, and maybe even hire a temporary guard at the museum. There was enough money left in the budget for that.
I turned over and felt my eyelids grow heavy. All of those worries could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, I needed to regroup and refresh. I needed to heal.
The darkness of my room was suddenly broken by a blinding light which chased away the shadows and illuminated every nook and cranny. I sat straight up in bed, my brain still heavy with sleep.
Three trim figures stood in the middle of my rug. They were dressed from head to toe in black, with ski masks that covered most of their faces. Elegant black wings draped from their backs, reaching to the heels of their combat boots. Each figure stared at me, two pairs of brown eyes and one startlingly blue. They had wicked sharp talons that extended from their fingernails, curving into the palms of their hands.
It took me a millisecond to figure out who they were. Harpies. The Harpy Quorum. Somehow, my vision had been wrong. They’d skipped grabbing me at work and were here, about to take me from my bed. I should’ve seen it coming.
Before I could scream, a bag was thrown over my head and tied around my neck. Yelling for help was no use. The bag was enchanted to muffle my cries, no matter how loud I shouted. Someone violently twisted my arms behind my back and zip-tied them in place. At that angle, my talons were useless. The only weapon I had left were my wings, safety folded in the intricate tattoo across my back.
With a whooshing sound, my wings unfurled across the bedroom. I squirmed and flapped them as hard as I could, twisting away from my captors. A head came in contact with my shoulder, snapping backwards when I flapped my wings again. I heard one of my kidnappers cry out and drop to the floor after the impact. Good. One down, two to go.
A second pair of hands clutched at my ankles and dug their talons deep into my skin. Hot warm liquid ran down my foot from the wounds. A silent scream burst from my throat as I stomped down on the owner of the talons. The heel of my foot made contact with a nose - muffled cries followed the kick.
There was only one harpy left.
I considered running for help. Johnny was staying at Stephen's apartment, so no luck there. If I could run to the hall and wake someone up, I might not even have to fight the last one off. With that thought in mind, I scrambled for the door.
A mental map of the apartment appeared in my brain. The bedroom door was four steps away. The apartment door would be another six steps to the left. With my hands tied behind my back, it'd be difficult to open the door, but not impossible.
I made a run for it, taking two giant leaps toward the door before a force hit me between the shoulder blades and sent me tumbling to the ground. These harpies had magic on their side. If I didn't get out of here quick, they'd have no trouble bagging me.
My feet found the floor again and I made another flying leap at the door. With as much effort as I could muster, I landed and sprinted through the living room. The apartment door was within reach. If I turned around and grabbed the doorknob, I'd be out of here in no time.
