He screamed a string of obscenities. The knife clattered to the floor. He tried to grab her with his free hand, but with her other arm locked on his shoulder, his struggling wasn’t effective. “You fucking bitch!”
“I will break your arm, asshole! I know how to do it.” She rammed him into the counter, grunting at the force, and released his shoulder to reach for her phone. Big mistake. The man twisted out of her hold, his fist connecting with her jaw in a blow that sent a burst of stars exploding in her vision. She stumbled backward, crashing through the table of magazines.
Avery watched in horror as he swept the knife from the floor and raised it above his head. Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out. The room was spinning. There was no way she could get out of the way in time. He dived toward her, the blade sinking toward her heart.
“Aargh!” Faster than she’d ever thought she could move, Avery brought her knees in tight to her chest and kicked him in the gut with both feet. The knife missed its target. The man flew back. Somewhere glass shattered. Avery tried to sit up to see what had happened, but black dots swam in her vision and she flopped back on the floor. She heard a sharp crack like splintering wood. Another grunt and a thump.
“Miss? Avery?” Emory’s face appeared above her, his bushy gray eyebrows bent in concern.
“Chest… hurts.” A searing pain swept from above her right breast toward her throat.
He pressed a hand under her collarbone. “You’ve been cut. I’m calling for help.” His phone was already to his ear.
Avery blinked twice, trying her best to remain conscious, but her vision had become an ever-constricting circle. In the end, she gave up and allowed herself to sink into the pressing darkness.
Thirty-two stitches. Avery traced the nasty slice that ran from the hollow of her throat, across her right breast, and ended under her armpit. She’d definitely have a scar, but at least she could easily hide it if she wanted to. Or show it off and make up a more entertaining story for how she got it.
It had been a full forty-eight hours since Emory had picked her up off the floor of Relics and Runes and taken her to Accident and Emergency to get patched up. (It was the first time Avery realized the Brits didn’t call it the ER as Americans did.) Since then, Nathaniel’s oreads hadn’t allowed her to lift a finger, which was fine with her considering how sore she was from the fight. Horrified to hear of her ordeal, Nathaniel and Clarissa returned from their trip early, Nathaniel swearing to install better magical security.
Avery inspected her wound in the bathroom mirror, poking it experimentally. The cut was red and puffy but appeared to be healing. It itched like a mother though. Wasn’t that a good sign?
“I can try healing it with magic. I just need to find the right spell.” Raven appeared in the door to the bathroom, lines creasing her forehead as she assessed the state of her wound.
Avery waved her hand dismissively. “It barely hurts. Don’t waste the effort.”
“Barely hurts? You were carved up by some psycho trying to rob Nathaniel’s store… I would be shaken to my core if I were you.” Raven shook her head. “How can you be so casual about this?”
Avery examined her feelings. Was she shaken up? On some level, she recognized she should be shaken. That was how a person was supposed to feel in this situation. But did she truly feel that way? Nope. What she did feel was the oddest and most unexpected sense of pride. She’d taken on her attacker… and won.
“I handled it, Raven. This shit happens.” She bobbed her eyebrows at her sister. “You should see the other guy.”
“Avery…” Raven gave her an exasperated look.
Her phone rang. Saved by the bell. She hated having to explain her feelings or lack of them to her sister. “It’s Mom. Weird. I just spoke with her a few days ago. I wonder why she’s calling again so soon.”
Raven grimaced and backed away.
“You didn’t!” Avery scowled at her.
“Sorry.”
Avery answered and gave her mother her perkiest greeting, then listened to her ramble about how terrified she’d been when she heard the news.
“I’m fine, Mom. It’s barely a scratch. You know how dramatic Raven can be.”
“Really? Put me on video.”
Avery pulled the neck of her shirt up over her stitches and connected the video on her call. She pointed her screen toward the tiny nick her attacker had left on her throat. “See?”
“That’s it? Raven made it sound like you almost died.”
Raising the screen to her face, she gave Raven a contemptuous look. “She needs to learn to mind her own business.”
“She just cares about you, as do I. I miss you. It’s been weeks.”
“I miss you too!” Avery smiled at her mother’s image. Although she didn’t miss her old life slinging beer at the Three Sisters or the responsibility for propping up her mother and father after their divorce, she did miss her mother’s warm, breezy spirit.
“It’s been months since I’ve seen you and Raven. Is Raven there? How is her pregnancy advancing? I couldn’t get much out of her.” Her mother’s eyebrows knit with concern.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Raven wave her hands and shake her head. Of course her sister could blab about a little knife attack, but they couldn’t tell dear old Mom the truth about the baby, could they?
“Raven is good. Like an old mother hen sitting on her egg.” Avery cringed as Raven punched her hard in the shoulder. “She’s probably around here somewhere. Do you want me to try to find her?”
“Actually, I have a surprise for both of you. There’s something I haven’t told you.” Her mother’s face split into a timid grin.
“What?” Avery’s intuition suddenly flared like the first fireworks of summer.
Her mother moved her phone away from her face to reveal a bustling airport scene behind her. The murmur of voices Avery had assumed were from patrons of the Three Sisters were in fact other travelers buzzing in the terminal behind her. “I’m here! In London! I thought if you and Raven couldn’t come visit me, I’d come visit you!”
“Is that Heathrow?” This was not good. Avery glared at Raven in panic.
“Yes. Can you pick me up?” Her mother gave a squeal through a broad, toothy smile.
Avery’s throat constricted and she worked her mouth, wondering what to say. “Of course, but I don’t actually own a car and Gabriel’s brother lives outside the city. It’ll take an hour or so for us to get to you.”
“Would it be better if I took a cab? What’s the address?” Her mother patted her pockets like she was searching for a pen.
“No!” Avery blurted. All they needed was a cabbie on a mission to find an invisible mansion. “You don’t want to do that. I mean, his address is so hard to find. I’ll come get you. Just give me a chance to round up Nathaniel and borrow a car.”
Her mother flipped her honey-brown tresses behind her shoulder and grinned. “Sounds perfect. I’ll just grab a coffee and wait.”
“Bye, Mom. Love you. See you soon!” Avery ended the call and glared at her sister. “Why did you tell her?”