From Burning Ashes (Collector Series #4) (16 page)

“You’re in love with the Viking dude, aren’t
you? I can see it.”

“Lexie, you’ve been with us for less than
twenty-four hours and most of it you were asleep.”

“It’s that freakin’ obvious.” She smoothed
her T-shirt. “I thought you were in love with Daniel, but this is
different. The way you look at him. Hell! The way he looks at you
when you don’t know it.”

“Ryker and I are…complicated.”

“What’s difficult about it? You go down on
him. Man is yours.”

“Lexie.” I groaned into my hands.

“What? Tell me what’s so complicated about
it? Don’t say it’s because of her. Is he sleeping with her?”

“No.” Not anymore.

“Well…”

“Well, for one, he wants nothing more than to
kill me. And I mean that in the literal sense.” I explained to
Lexie about how oaths worked in the fae world and how and why I
forced Ryker into binding himself to one.

“You’ve been busy, girl.” She shook her head,
and then had to grip the table to steady herself. Every word she
spoke seemed to zap energy from her.

“You could say that.”

“So this oath works on you even though you’re
human?”

“Well, it works on human or fae, but there’s
something else. I’m not completely…uhhh…” I trailed off. “I’m not
exactly human anymore.”

There was a long pause. Lexie’s eyes went
wide. “Are you freaking kidding me? You are fae?”

“Yes. Part fae.”

“Holy shit! My sister’s a fairy.”

“Fae. Not fairy. Difference.” I sponged at
the heavy perspiration along her hairline with her old scrub
shirt.

“Whatever. Do you have powers?”

“I do, except they’re not exactly working
right now. Rapava did something to screw them up. Neither Ryker nor
I can jump right now.”

“Jump?”

“Ryker is a Wanderer. It gives him the
ability to jump to anyplace in the world with a merely thought. I
took on his traits when some of his powers stayed with me.”

“Oh my god. This is the coolest thing ever,”
she whispered hoarsely.

“What’s the coolest thing ever?” Croygen
walked into the room.

“My sister’s a fairy.”

“Fae,” we said in unison.

“Don’t lump her with those righteous
fuckers,” Croygen snarled. “She’s dark fae.”

“We can give Lexie a history lesson on fae
later. What do you need?” I asked.

“Oh, Wanderer has his panties in a twist.
Something about spotting Garrett nearby.”

“What?” I screeched. “Don’t you think you
should have started with that?”

Croygen shrugged, heading for Lexie. “You
ready, little shark?” Her face reddened when she realized what he
was doing. He shoved his arms under her legs, picking her up like
she weighed no more than a doll. “Time to move.”

I snatched the packed bags, giving a couple
to Lexie to hold, then stuffed a hunting knife in the back of my
pants. We bolted into the evening, where the big bad monsters
lurked, waiting for a meal.

Croygen steered us to Ryker and Amara, who
were hiding in an alley. Tendons along Ryker’s neck and arms were
taut with strain. Sprig huddled on his shoulder.

Ryker seethed in a whisper, “Garrett, Maxen,
and Cadoc are a block up, both on the ground and rooflines. There
is another group of them two blocks over.” Ryker pointed to the
left and right of us. “They’re doing a sweep.”

“What’s your plan?” I pulled out my
blade.

“Try to slip out under their noses,” he
replied flatly. “Keep low and to the shadows.”

“Sprig.” I pointed to my messenger bag. He
wordlessly jumped from Ryker to me, crawling in my bag, where his
backpack and Pam awaited.

I looked at Croygen to be sure Lexie stayed
tucked safely in his arms. Her eyes were already half-mast,
struggling to fight back the sleep the fever demanded of her.

I felt like we were some unusual family, like
the von Trapps, trying to escape in the middle of the night from a
horrendous dictator’s regime.

Oh right, we kind of were.

We crept along together, stealthy and silent.
The night buzzed with energy but was spookily quiet.

Ryker was leading, and at every corner he
would stop and check to see if the coast was clear. Amara
constantly scanned the tops of the buildings, while I brought up
the rear, watching our backs. With every step my chest tightened in
anticipation of fae coming closer.

We passed an alley. When I glanced across the
entrance, the glow of a slight-built fae stepped into it from the
other side of the block.

“Hey,” he yelled.

Shit.

“Boss! I spotted them,” he bellowed, his feet
pounding for us.

“Fuck!” Ryker turned back for Croygen. “You
remember where Joey’s place is?” Ryker didn’t even let him answer.
“Run. Get her out of here. We’ll distract them.”

Croygen did not hesitate, and with Lexie in
his arms, he sprinted forward. Ryker waited for the fae to come
from the alley before turning the opposite way Croygen went. I had
to trust he would keep her safe.

“Boss, they are heading toward you,” the guy
shouted into the night. Footsteps and yelling voices filled the
air.

“You think Vadik will ever give up searching
for you?” a thick Irish accent hollered into the night. “There is
nowhere you can go he won’t find you.
Or her
,” Garrett
called out, his voice echoing off the buildings.

Ryker’s jaw clenched as he turned Amara and
me down another alley. We weaved in and out of lanes, the blond,
skinny fae right on our tail, yelling out our location. He had to
go. I stopped and spun around. My sudden switch in direction
startled the boy. I didn’t recognize him from Garrett’s normal
gang. He looked no older than seventeen but was probably hundreds
of years old.

“Zoey!” Ryker’s voice boomed.

“Come on, pretty boy.” I shoved up my
sleeved, disregarding Ryker’s call. I yanked the messenger bag off
me, curling my fingers around the knife. Sprig squeaked when I set
him down but stayed put.

The fae grinned and came straight for me. I
stood my ground. The moment he was on me, his sword swiping for my
chest, I fell to the ground, kicking out. My boots slammed into his
ankles, and he stumbled back. The boy had to be fairly new, not
even seasoned enough to know simple fighting tricks. I jumped up
and smashed the hilt of my knife into his forehead. He hit the
ground. I pounced on him, striking him with everything I had. The
blood in my veins sparked to life. Adrenaline propelled force down
my arm, expanding my chest with exhilaration.

The high of the fight bloomed under my skin.
The world disappeared.

His head bounced off the cement like a ball.
His body went limp, his head rolling to the side.

“Zoey, enough.” Ryker’s voice startled me out
of my tunnel vision. “He’s unconscious. Let’s go.” He pulled me to
my feet. The body on the ground lay bloody and beaten. He was fae.
He would be fine, but it still chilled me how easily I could hurt
someone. And feel nothing about it.

Shaking out my hands I turned around.

Amara stood with her mouth open. “Damn.”

“Told you not to mess with her, Mar.” Ryker
waved me forward.

“She wasn’t that good when I fought her
last.”

“Yes, I was.” I grabbed the bag, hearing
snores inside, and knocked into her shoulder. “I went easy on
you.”

A huff came from her as she followed Ryker
and me. The tingling of my skin told me more fae were descending on
us. Anxiety danced in my bones. The three of us rounded a corner
and came to a sudden stop.

Garrett, Cadoc, and Maxen stood in front of
us.

The Irishman’s eyes wandered over each of us,
a smug smile on his face. “How nice. The three I was looking for.
Thank you for meeting me here. Much easier to capture you when you
come to me.”

Ryker gripped the large hunter’s knife in his
hand.

“Seriously?” Garrett chuckled at the weapon.
“You think that is supposed to scare me? A human breadknife? Where
is your axe, almighty Wanderer? Did it leave you too, because you
weren’t fae enough to handle it?”

Ryker inhaled, staying silent.

My back prickled sensing fae moving around
us. Shit. We were surrounded.

“Always so loquacious.” Garrett took a step
forward. “Sorry. Was that too big a word to use?”

Garrett wasn’t especially tall or built, so
he played the clever card as if he had to make up for not being
brawny.

My gaze went wildly around us. More and more
men moved from the shadows, boxing us in.

“Why should I bother when all you want is to
hear yourself talk?” Ryker’s eyes darted to the side, picking up on
the force coming in on us. At least twenty fae moved in closer, all
with swords or spears. Wolves rounding us up like sheep.

Shit. Shit. Shit
.

Ryker stepped closer to Amara and me,
brushing up against my back. It was the best position. The three of
us, our backs to each other, were going to have to fight.

“True.” Garrett grinned. “You won’t
understand anyway. So let me put this in a language you do.” He
jerked his head for his men to act. They reacted instantly,
springing for us. We were outnumbered and certainly out-gunned.

From every direction swords, spears, daggers,
and sticks with multiple spikes came for us. I whipped my head
around, trying to gauge the leading threat. Our knives only shrank
under the menacing weapons, doing little but quivering in our hands
against the odds.

I swung my arm wildly, striking my blade at
anything reaching my space. I quickly acknowledged the odds. But
even when I had no hope, I still never quit. I always fought till
my body shut down, which was why the bosses in charge of the fights
always enjoyed me in the ring. No matter my odds, I fought to the
end.

And I would do it here as well.

With my back to Ryker’s, three men were on
me. A sword drove for my gut. I jumped, lurching a low side kick
into the tall, blue-haired man with the spear, my boot hitting the
tendon behind his knee with force. He stumbled back with a cry. I
rebounded, centering myself for the next attack. I ducked as a
curved blade whooshed toward my neck, the tip slicing across my
temple. Blood oozed down my face.

I didn’t feel anything through my adrenaline
and fear. I didn’t even see faces anymore as reflex impelled me
deeper into survival mode, my muscles moving like a machine. I felt
the hits, the knife marks the fae engraved to say they had been
there, but I also sensed my comrades fighting next to me. Mostly I
focused on the men coming at me in multitudes.

“Zoey!” My name rang through the air with a
terrorized crispness. My head automatically jerked out of my
fighting haze. And that’s when I saw it. The blue-haired fae’s arm
pointed in my direction, his javelin hurtling through the air, the
arrow heading straight for my chest. I didn’t even have time to
blink before the tip was a breath away from kissing my skin,
embedding itself into my heart. A hand yanked me so roughly, I flew
back. Ryker’s arms grasped me as our collective force toppled us
like dominos, his body crashing into Amara’s back, taking her
down.

With a whoosh my world spun as if someone had
thrown me into a spinning dryer. My lids shut as the earth
whirled.

My ass hit hard concrete with a painful bite.
Warm arms shielded the rest of me from the impact, holding me so
firmly I lost my breath.

I heard Amara cry out. The sound of skin and
fabric slapping cement.

The spiraling stopped.

Quiet and darkness.

I cracked open my lids. The buildings in
front of me swayed before they righted themselves, revealing a
quiet alley. Overflowing dumpsters and the smell of molding food,
piss, and foraging rats were our only threats.

The sensation of Sprig’s warmth on my lap
drew me out of my haze. I placed my hand on my bag, feeling him
breathing inside. I exhaled with relief that he was okay.

A noise came from behind me, and I craned my
neck to see Ryker, with Amara lying face-first on the ground,
halfway underneath him. Garrett’s men were gone, no attackers
descending on us. The grungy setting of Fremont no longer
surrounded us.

“Holy shit.” I gaped. “You jumped us.”

“Yeah.” He frowned, searching the alley. “But
not on purpose.”

“Fear,” I responded, remembering the many
times I had accidentally jumped because of fear. For the longest
time it seemed the only time my powers kicked in. “It triggered the
jump.”

His gaze landed on mine, a pointed look deep
in his eyes.
Fear for me
.

“Are you hurt?” He let his arms drop from me,
his fingers grazing the cut at my head.

“No.” I touched the tender slice into my
hairline. “It’ll heal.”

“Yeah, yeah. Your concern is so sweet I want
to puke. Now could you both get your heavy asses off of me?” Amara
growled, struggling to move under our combined weight. “Now.”