"I'll order dessert," Trevor said, opening the mini menu the waiter had slipped on the table ten minutes ago. "Let’s each get two different things. We have to try as many as we can while we’re here.”
I liked a man who didn’t skimp on dessert. “It’s a deal. Make sure to order the crème brûlée.”
My feet felt like they were floating a foot above the floor. So far, this date was unlike any date I’d been on. He said all the right things. Asked all the right questions. Didn’t talk about his ex or his mother. Had a job and liked good wine. It was a match made in Olympus.
The restroom was nearly as fancy as the rest of the restaurant. Instead of paper towels, they had real cloth towels in perfect stacks next to the ceramic basin sinks. I found myself staring dreamily in the mirror, drying my hands, when something yanked on my torso. Falling back a step, I caught myself from tumbling to the marble floor.
That was strange. Maybe I should cut back on the wine.
Before I could toss the towel aside, the room dissolved around me, fading to black. I tried not to panic. Nothing good came out of panicking. The pulsating of powerful magic enveloped me. It swirled around like a top until it dropped me on a stained linoleum floor.
I wish I could say that I landed with absolute grace like a gymnast, but instead I collapsed to the floor like a newborn colt. My stomach had turned to jelly and was jiggling around in my gut, threatening to evacuate the few bites of pasta I’d managed to swallow. I closed my eyes until the room ceased its spinning, and then opened them a crack.
I’d been dumped in an apartment much like my own. To my left was the galley kitchen with a picture window. To my right, a similar living room. And sitting on a folding chair smack dab in the middle of that living room… was Gideon.
In his hands, he fingered an item that looked like a dried gourd on a stick. It had feathers and beads attached to it. I instantly recognized the object. We had a similar one in the museum. It was an old voodoo shaker that allowed the owner to transport objects and people at will, but only if you knew exactly where they were. It was a rare find – the one we owned had lost its magical qualities and was now basically a glorified maraca. Gideon must’ve had me followed, or tracked the GPS on my phone. There was no other way he could’ve used that magic to bring me here.
“What did you do?” I pushed myself off the floor and wiped the dust from my pants.
This was the Yonas’ apartment. I recognized them from pictures on the wall.
“I was in the middle of a date. A wonderful date. He probably thinks I ran out on him.”
“This is more important than a date.” The steely tone of his voice told me he hadn’t gotten over our car ride last night. Gideon knew I was hiding something from him. “I need you to see if you can get a vision again.”
“I thought I already told you, I’m not your puppet.” I put my hands on my hips and stared him down. “And you shouldn’t be playing with that. It’s not a toy.”
“I know. It’s SI property. We only take it out in special circumstances.” He dropped the shaker and crossed the room between us. “I needed you.”
Normally, if a man told me he needed me, my knees would begin to shake. But, not this time. This time I was angry and on the verge of raging. “This stalking thing is getting a bit old. I think you need to cool off.”
Gideon stepped closer. There was hardly any room between us. From this distance, I could see the lines of desperation etched in his face. He looked like he hadn’t slept at all last night. His eyes were wide in panic, as if he’d just witnessed something awful.
“What happened to you?” I couldn’t help myself – I grabbed his hand and held it between my own. His skin burned against mine. “What is it?”
“We found Mrs. Yonas.” Gideon looked down at our hands, but didn’t pull away. “Her body was found in an old garage on Sycamore. Same markings, same cuts.” His eyes trailed up to my own. They were filled with an awful sadness.
Despite my anger, I wanted to press my lips against his and wash away his pain. The thought of his mouth against mine, our bodies entwined, sent a thrill through my nervous system. All I had to do was cross the small space between us. It was only a few inches, but it felt like a thousand miles.
Instead, I dropped his hand and turned away. “And Michelle and Kit? What about them?”
“Still missing.”
I felt Gideon step closer, his breath warm on the back of my neck. Goosebumps popped up along my skin and under my dress. I did my best to hide the way it made me shiver.
“Now’s the time to tell me the truth, Aya.” He spoke softly, each word tickling my neck. “Don’t lie to me again.”
I closed my eyes. If I told him, we’d both be in danger. Nicky’s twisted form of righteousness didn’t look too kindly on the supernatural that got in his way. We’d be targets.
“I can’t.”
The words barely made a sound. I didn’t want to lie to him. I didn’t want him to hate me.
“Tell me, Aya.” Gideon gently grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. “Tell me why you got nervous when I mentioned the raven’s feather.”
I wasn’t quick enough to hide the fear that flashed in my eyes. Gideon saw it and zeroed in.
“You knew. You knew it this whole time, didn’t you?” His hands dropped from my arms. “You knew it was your brother who took them. You knew and you didn’t tell me.”