Medusa's Dagger: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Aya Harris Collection Book 1) (17 page)

BOOK: Medusa's Dagger: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Aya Harris Collection Book 1)
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“I’d like to speak to your manager,” she said, rocking the girl violently back and forth. “No one makes my Sarah cry.”

I sighed. This wasn’t how I wanted to start my day.

“I’m afraid I am the manager, ma’am. I’m sorry for making your daughter cry, but this doll is very dangerous. She can’t play with it.”

The woman lifted her chin and peered down her nose at me. “Well, then, we’ll just have to get Sarah her own doll. Good day.” She marched away, finding her husband and exiting immediately.

If my luck held true that day, she’d be the kind of customer who would stalk the museum online and write nasty reviews about us, warning other customers to stay away from the crazy manager who abused kids and thought that dolls could move. It would bring the tourists flocking, that was for sure.

At least I’d learned something – I really wasn’t meant to have kids. All they did was scream when I was around. I wasn’t sure if they could sense my true nature or my lack of experience, but children hated me. They could tell I was terrified of them.

I threw Roni in the old safe in the administration hall. She glared at me as I closed the heavy door, the murderous intent clear in her eyes. I stuck my middle finger out at her and locked the door, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves.

She’d be safe there until Angel could try something new. Maybe this time she’d call in one of her witch buddies. There had to be something they could do.

The door to my office was slightly ajar. I peered inside and found a purple sticky note on my computer monitor, the curved handwriting clearly from Angel. She was always leaving inspirational quotes around for me. Sometimes they’d be in my office. Sometimes I would find them in my apartment. This week’s quote was from Diane Mariechild, whoever she was. It read:
a woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.
Typical Angel. Always trying to boost me up.

I sat down at my desk. Beside my computer monitor was a copy of the photo we had at home on the bookshelf. Johnny, Steven, Angel, and I had just come back home from a night at the club. My hair had fallen out of its ponytail and was clinging to my sweaty face. Angel had a radiant glow that started with her smile and lit up her entire face. Johnny and Steven clutched each other tight, the love between them almost visible to the eye.

A heavy weight pulled at my insides, twisting them until it was hard to breathe. If things didn’t change or if Nicky wasn’t caught, I’d have to leave my friends, the museum, and everything I’d built here. It wasn’t fair to put them in harm’s way.

Johnny had already felt the terrible brunt of my secrets. And Angel was getting far too involved in the investigation. I couldn’t see any other way out of this mess but to leave. It wasn’t exactly brave, but there was no other way to keep my friends safe. I couldn’t risk the HQ’s wrath on them, or expose them to Nicky’s twisted sense of justice. I’d rather die first.

The sensor beeped next to my desk. It was an alarm that went off whenever someone came through the front doors. On days that I worked alone and needed to get office work done, it was especially handy.

I left my desk and rushed into the lobby to greet the new guest. A man stood at the front counter, his back to me. He wore a black wind jacket with light wash jeans and tan hiking boots. I rounded the counter to greet him and automatically, my creeper alarm went off in my head.

“Hello. One ticket?” I asked.

It wasn’t uncommon to get creepers in the museum. The occult tended to attract some weird people. I just wished Angel was here to help stave him off.

“Yes.” He held up his index finger. “Just one.”

I watched him from the corner of my eyes as I rang him up and took his cash. Thick wavy blond hair fell into startlingly blue eyes. He had well defined cheekbones, and a thick jaw with a cleft chin. By all accounts, he was probably very handsome. But something about him rubbed me the wrong way.

He smirked at the little plastic crosses for sale near the register. “What are those supposed to do?”

I gave him a closed mouth smile. “They’re to ward off vampires. Very popular with the little kids. Some are filled with bubbles.”

“Oh, okay,” he said sarcastically.

I handed him his ticket and waited for him to wander away, but instead, he leaned on the counter and grinned at me. The creeper alarm was still buzzing at the back of my head, and only got louder as we made eye contact.

“I’m curious about a certain piece I heard you might have.” He examined his nails before looking back at me. “It’s an old piece of weaponry. Very ornate.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. We had a lot of weapons at the museum. A replica of the Sword of Excalibur hung on the east wall. Knives that belonged to ancient mystics sat in a case near the back. There was even a case of shields that were said to be cursed – whoever wielded them would inevitably lose in battle. He’d have to be more specific.

“I’m not sure. Do you know anything else about it? Is it a sword?”

He shook his head. “No. It’s a dagger. It’s not very long.” He held his hands about a foot apart. “Probably only this long. It has a fancy sheath and hilt. I’ve been looking for this piece for a very long time, but I’m afraid your boss beat me to it. I’d love to get a look.”

I took an involuntary step back from the counter. He was talking about Medusa’s dagger. No other piece of weaponry in the museum matched that description.

“What did you say your name was?”

He gave me another grin, but this one didn’t reach his eyes. The air around him began to shimmer. Without the enchantment, the man’s body swelled to giant size. His arms were thicker than my waist and he stood almost twice my height. The handsome face morphed into something grotesque and misshapen, like a clay figure that the sculptor had forgotten to finish. A grin was still plastered to his face, but now it showed off two rows of broken and mismatched teeth.

The monster that stood before me was a Gorgon. I’d never met one before, but I recognized it right away.

“Theo… You’re him. You’re Theo.”

I wasn’t sure why I said it aloud. Here I was, in a museum all by myself, facing a monster who could snap me in half. But the words came tumbling out anyway. The smile melted from his face and he made a quick turn for the exit.

If Theo was here, that meant Gideon hadn’t caught him last night. And if Gideon hadn’t caught him, Michelle and Kit were probably still missing.

I felt my legs move before I could comprehend what I was doing. Running to the exit, I saw him turn a hard right and sprint down the sidewalk. My feet followed, although in my mind I was begging them to stop.

What was I doing, running after the bad guy? It wasn’t like I was carrying heat. I couldn’t exactly tackle him and perform a citizen’s arrest. It was insanity.

“Stop! Wait!” I yelled between gasping breaths, but all that did was make him run faster.

My cell phone rubbed against my side as I ran. I pulled it out and dialed Gideon’s number. While it rang, I chased Theo down Philips Street and into an alleyway. He didn’t turn to look at me, but scaled a chain linked fence and ran into the back door of an old business. My wings unfurled from my shoulders, flapping in the wind. With a great big swipe, they carried me over the fence, and I landed in a crouched position on the other side.

Gideon’s number went to voice mail. Holding my phone to my face, I followed Theo into the building. Gideon’s short message played and then came the beep.

“Listen, Gideon, Theo came to the museum. He ran and now I’m chasing him. We’re in one of those old brick buildings south of the museum. Come quick. I don’t want to lose him.”

I shoved the phone back into my pocket and leaned into my sprint. All those squats and leg presses with my weight set had really paid off. The thick muscles in my legs stretched and constricted with the movement, explosive energy released with every stride.

Theo had entered the storage facility of what looked like an old grocery store. On my right was a walk-in freezer. Wooden crates and cardboard boxes lay scattered across the floor. The swish of Theo’s wind jacket ahead told me I was still hot on the trail. If I could follow him long enough, maybe Gideon could get some backup for me.

Theo flew through a side door and into another alleyway. A pile of broken boards tripped him, but he stayed on his feet. The momentary distraction gave me just enough time to catch up.

Throwing all my weight and the power of my wings into a jump, I rammed my body into his side. My talons sunk into his flesh, tearing and ripping as he screamed and tried to shake me off. For all the good my tackle did, I could’ve been a ragdoll.

“Enough of this.” He pulled me off him like a tick and threw me against the nearest brick wall, his hand squeezing my throat. “No more running.”

Little black dots popped up in front of my eyes. The sudden lack of oxygen after such a long sprint hit me hard. I kicked my heels, catching Theo in the thigh. It only made him laugh, a throaty and sick chuckle that made my blood turn cold.

Even with the blackness closing in, I could see the delight shining from those blue eyes. He had a taste for the kill. It was an addiction. He was going to kill me, there and then, with nothing but his bare hands.

In a last ditch effort to save myself, I drove my talons into the fleshy part of his arm, sinking them deep enough to feel bone. An inhuman screech bellowed from Theo’s mouth and he dropped me.

I fell to the ground, clutching at my swelling throat as Theo grabbed his arm. He growled and held up the palm of his good hand, releasing a swirl of wind. It caught my wings and picked me up, flinging me several yards away. When the tumbling finally stopped, I looked up in time to see Theo turn tail and run.

I could’ve let him go. No one would have blamed me. He’d nearly killed me.

But my body had a different plan. With fresh air in my lungs, I bolted after him. He darted across the road and nearly got flattened by a two-ton truck with a confederate flag on the tailgate.

The driver stuck his middle finger out the window, gunning it to the next light. Theo ran down the street and into an old warehouse for one of the factories nearby. I stayed on him, bursting through the door of the darkened building.

A faint cry somewhere in the warehouse distracted me from my mission. My feet skidded to a stop and I listened for it again. I had to be imagining things. Maybe it was a seagull or a breeze blowing through the rotted rafters. But, behind the small office building in the middle of the giant wooden structure came another cry. I abandoned my pursuit and rushed toward the office.

“Hello?”

I couldn’t see much in the shadowy room. A few chairs stood about with messy stacks of newspapers surrounding them. I squinted in the dark, unsure where to go.

“Is anyone there?”

“Here. I’m here.”

The weak voice drew me to a set of boards that had been laid across two abandoned sawhorses.

I didn’t recognize her at first. Michelle had lost ten pounds which she couldn’t afford to lose on her tiny frame. Her usually black and shiny hair was dull and stringy, plastered across her forehead. Two cuts on her arms were dripping blood into buckets set below.

Across her bare stomach was the same symbol I’d seen on Mr. Yonas – a circle with a Z shape inside, and several other symbols around it. I rushed forward to untie the ropes which held down her arms and legs.

“Where’s Kit?” I asked, helping Michelle sit up.

Her face paled with the effort, but she remained conscious.

“Where’s your son?”

“I don’t know, that monster took him.” She twisted her neck, searching for Kit in the dark. “We have to find him. We have to find my baby.”

A chilling laughter made us both freeze. Theo was standing twenty feet away, facing us with a wicked smile on his face. He cocked his head at me, as if bowing to an enemy. I would’ve liked to leap across the room and take a chunk of flesh out of his face, but Michelle was leaning hard on my shoulder. I couldn’t leave her alone.

Theo held up his palm. A swirling mass of fire floated above it. It looked just like the power Nicky had used to barbeque me last night. They must’ve stolen that power from the same person during his training.

He puckered his lips and blew on the palm of his hand. A massive wind flew from his mouth and joined the fireball. They tumbled in the air together, expanding rapidly as it began to move toward us. Through the flames, I caught a glimpse of Theo running in the opposite direction, heading to the exit.

“We have to move,” I yelled, pulling Michelle to her feet.

The fireball was only growing bigger with the acceleration of the wind, and soon it would be on us. A building this old and full of old wood would go up like a pile of matches. We had to get out, now.

“My baby. We have to find my baby.”

Michelle fought me, clawing at my skin while I dragged her across the floor. She kept screaming, calling out for Kit. I looked up to see the roof catch fire; the wooden beams and rafters lighting up like kindle. If we didn’t get out soon, it’d fall and bury us in flames.

“We have to go.” I pulled Michelle along and unfurled my wings to help carry her weight.

Heat rolled over my back, singing the tips of my feathers. There was no way I was going to get burned two days in a row. Chicken wings weren’t on the menu for tonight.

Flames licked up the sides of the walls. I glanced over my shoulder. The swirling ball of fire was nearly on top of us. Thick black smoke choked the air, burning my lungs. With a final flap of my wings, Michelle and I burst through the side door, landing hard on the pavement and rolling to a stop.

The building began to collapse behind us, the studs breaking like toothpicks under the weight of the collapsing roof. I held Michelle back as she cried out for Kit. No one else was coming out of that building alive. Wherever he was, I hoped we hadn’t left him to die.

Chapter Fourteen

The elevator dinged and then opened, letting Gideon and Agent Silva off. Gideon still wore his black suit, but it was clear by the wrinkled and half untucked shirt that he’d had a rough day. His tie was missing, and the shadow of a beard grew along his chin and jawline.

BOOK: Medusa's Dagger: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Aya Harris Collection Book 1)
12.48Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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