Free Medusa's Dagger: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Aya Harris Collection Book 1) by Lacy Andersen Page A

fun being stood up, and I wasn't going to do it to someone else. We'd go out for a quick meal and that'd be it. Just some food, wine, and then a quick goodbye. If I needed to, I would fake another sprained ankle. I could handle that much.
    Opening the door, I found myself staring at a gorgeous man with blonde hair and steely blue eyes. His strong jaw and chin perfectly framed the charming smile that greeted me. He handed me a small bouquet of red roses, offering his other hand to shake.
    "Hi. I'm Trevor. I guess this is the awkward part of the blind date. Oh wait, the whole thing's awkward." He rolled his eyes and chuckled.
    I laughed and felt a blush rise in my cheeks. For once, Angel hit the mark. This didn’t seem like one of her typical castoffs.
    "Yeah, not my cup of tea, either. But my helpful friends have made it their life goal to set me up."
    "Mine, too." He smiled again.
    I could've stared at his perfectly aligned teeth all night, but I shook myself out of it and grabbed my purse. I regretted not changing out of my work clothes. Trevor was dressed in a beautifully tailored black suit, with a silver tie to match. Standing next to him in my dress pants and satin white top, I felt out of place.
    As if he could read my mind, he led me to the stairway and smiled sweetly. "You look beautiful. Is it too soon to say that?"
    "No, it's perfect." I returned his smile and silently thanked Angel again. He really was a perfect ten.
    Trevor took us to a restaurant on the south side of town. It was a fancy place with a French menu and entrees I couldn't pronounce. I ended up letting Trevor order for me. It was worth it to hear him talk in French to the waiter.
    "So, what is it that you do?" I played with one of the three forks surrounding my plate. I'd never eaten somewhere that needed three forks.
    "I'm a doctor at Arcana Medical." He took a sip of his wine and grinned at me. "But before you ask, no it's not a thing like Grey's Anatomy. I haven't been shot at, I haven't been in a plane crash, and I've never had to do surgery on myself."
    I laughed. "I guess you get that question a lot."
    "You can't imagine."
    We sipped from our water glasses at the same time. I could feel the heat between us already. His smile felt warm and inviting. I was beginning to forget the worries of my day, but Gideon and his investigation remained at the back of my mind, like an annoying little buzzing fly that wouldn’t go away. The only thing I could do was extinguish him by downing glasses of expensive French wine.
    Our meals came, but we barely tasted them. Conversation flowed between us like water from a faucet. Yet, somehow, our wine cups kept emptying. The waiter was well worth his weight in gold - he kept the wine coming and didn't interrupt our discussion on all things hospital and museum and Arcana.
    Trevor’s family was descended from werewolves. Unlike the creatures who were bitten and then turned into rabid wolves, the ones born into a pack were able to shift at will. No lunar cycle to worry about.
    My pasta had long grown cold when I finally excused myself to use the restroom.
    "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