From Burning Ashes (Collector Series #4) (19 page)

Croygen laid his arms on the back of the
bench. “Yep, she just played the sick sister card on your ass.”

“I will leave you three packets of honey,” I
offered, sweetening the pot.

“Wait, I didn’t know there were bribes being
offered.” Croygen jerked to look at me.

“I know what kind of enticements you would
want.”

“Same as him.” Croygen winked. “Some sweet
honey
. Heard your tits offer it freely.”

“Honey chalices of love,” Sprig chirped. “Oh,
speaking of that…”

“Thanks.” I glowered at Croygen. “You had to
bring up the H-word.”

“I’m starving! No one has fed me all day.”
Sprig rubbed his tummy.

“You were sleeping for all of it,” Croygen
challenged.

“Not the point!” Sprig waved him off.
“Listen. My tummy is angry. It’s so empty. You know what sounds
good?”

“Honey?” Croygen and I said together.

“Yes, but why am I suddenly craving kabobs?”
He scratched his head, then his eyes widened. “Oh, honey-coated
doughnut kabobs wrapped in honey bacon and sugar! And for dessert I
want cookies…no, cakes…maybe scones…sweet bread? Corn brea—”

“How about a packet of honey and a granola
bar?”

“Okay, but I was thinking more of
honey-stuffed croissants... warm. Also, I want one of those cola
thingies. Oh, what about a bag of chocolate-covered caramels,
wrapped in hon—”

Croygen swiped him from the bench and shoved
him inside his jacket pocket. I could hear Sprig muttering words,
none nice.

“He’ll poop in your coat for that.” I nodded
to his pocket.

“Not the worst thing I’ve ever done in or on
a coat.” He shrugged. “Time to break it in.”

“Ugh.” I pinched my nose.

After rescuing a pissed-off sprite, I forced
Croygen to go sleep in the breakroom, grabbing enough food to keep
Sprig’s stomach quiet for at least a few hours.

Lexie woke up needing the bathroom, which was
not easy. It wasn’t the first time I’d carried her. She had lost
weight, but the limpness of her muscles made the task difficult.
When I settled her back down, I tried to get her to eat and drink
again. Ten minutes later she was vomiting. Her body shook, tears
streaming down her face. I felt helpless, which kicked in my urge
to fight. It was always my initial reaction. I did not handle
powerlessness well.

When everyone got up they found me wound up
like a fish on a line, bobbing around the garage at a constant
pace. I acted as if I had eaten a dozen espresso beans again. By
checking on Lexie so often I probably contributed to her already
restless sleep. My anxiety saturated the air.

We had an unheated dinner of canned
spaghetti, peas, and pineapple chunks. Not mixed together of
course. Ryker even kept his tin cans from touching. Knowing what
happened to him, what Vadik did, changed how I viewed his
particular problem with food touching. The torment that little boy
went through when all he wanted was to enjoy his birthday and eat
cake like most kids do. I could also see how he related that night
to losing his mother. It wasn’t just the food but the loss of the
family, the life he knew.

“Amara and I are going to do a last look
around the garage. Check to see that everything is fine.” He tossed
his empty cans in the trash and proceeded out the door. Amara
rolled her hair up in a messy bun and followed him. The more he
called on her, said her name, the smugger her smile became. I
wasn’t the only one who noticed.

“He says her name, and she acts like her
kitty is about to get the cream.”

“Croygen,” I snarled, tossing my trash away.
“Don’t need thoughts like that in my mind, especially when I’m
stuck with the pair of them tonight.”

“He’d never go back to her.”

“Do you know that for sure?” I pulled on my
jacket, zipping it up. “I know he told you he’s leaving.”

Croygen nodded stiffly.

“She’ll follow him.” I stuffed a knife into
my boot. “We can’t be together. He’ll eventually move on. She’ll
ensure it’s back to her.”

“You know he doesn’t love her, right?”

“Not sure if that makes it worse or better.”
I rolled my shoulders trying to loosen the knots, my hands
trembling. Damn, I was ready to fight. The stone buzzed in my heel,
feeling angry energy pulsing off me in violent waves. I could
almost hear its excitement.

“Zoey?” My name floated lightly to me. I spun
to Lexie and moved to her side in an instant.

“Hey, trouble.” I brushed her cheek. “You’re
awake.”

“Where are you going?”

Guilt twisted my heart. “I’m just going to be
gone for a few hours. My friend Annabeth is being held by really
bad men. She needs our help,” I whispered to her. “Croygen is going
to stay with you. Is that okay?”

She nodded, squeezing my hand. “Be
careful.”

“I will. Tonight we are only checking things
out.”

She licked her dry lips. “I love you,
Zoey.”

“I love you too,” I responded, but fear
crackled through me. It sounded too much like a goodbye. “Hey,
kiddo, what’s wrong? You’re freaking me out.”

“Zoey…You know…I’m dying.” She put her hand
on mine. “I can feel it.”

“No, you aren’t.” My shoulders bristled. “I
didn’t get you back to lose you again.”

“Some things even
you
can’t
fight.”

“I’ll get you more painkillers. Maybe break
into a hospital and get real medication.”

“It won’t help. They don’t have what I need.”
Lexie’s eyes filled with sorrow, but it seemed like it was for me,
as if she felt sad I couldn’t see the truth.

And she was right. I wouldn’t…couldn’t…accept
it.

“Then what do you need? I will get you
anything!” I could hear the shrillness in my voice. The
desperation. Ryker was leaving. I would not let Lexie leave me
too.

“Zoey.” Croygen touched my shoulder. “You
know I hate to say this, but she needs whatever medication Rapava
gave her and the daily blood transfusions.”

“Then I’ll get them.” I stood, swinging to
Croygen.

“You can’t get blood for her.”

“I’ll get her the medicines. We’ll start with
that.”

“How?”

“I will break into DMG and get them.”

“Break in? Are you serious? If they catch
you, you’re dead.”

“Then I won’t let them catch me.”

“Do you hear yourself?” Croygen placed both
palms on my shoulders, slightly shaking me. “Don’t be stupid. The
place is lined with alarms and goblin metal. We barely got out the
first time.”

“Then what? I’m not going to let her die.” I
jerked away from him. “I am getting her this medication, Croygen.
You can’t stop me.”

“No.” Lexie cried, barely able to get words
out. “They…they will capture you. He won’t let you leave. He will
kill you, Zoey.”

“I am a lot harder to kill than you
think.”

“Shit. You are not invincible!” Croygen threw
up his arms in frustration. “You will crumple to your knees the
moment he cuffs you with goblin metal. You’ll become his pet again.
And I promise you, death would be the easy way. He will make
certain you can never escape again and be forever his test monkey.”
Anger flared through Croygen’s expression. “Then we are left with
no medication. And no you. Ryker will go after you, you know
that.”

“I have no choice.” I shoved my hands onto
his chest. “You may be willing to let her die, pirate, but I’m
not.”

Rage burned in his eyes, his whole frame
filling the space as he went motionless. “I am trying to keep
both
of you alive.” He said it so slowly and determined a
chill ran down my spine.

The door swung open as Amara and Ryker came
into the room, armed and ready to go. I looked at Croygen. “I
appreciate everything you’ve done. I seriously couldn’t have gotten
through this without you. But she is my sister. This is my choice.”
I walked over and gave Lexie a kiss on the head. “I’ll be back
later.”

She watched me, her body quaking with
fever.

“Sprig?” I patted the sprite’s head as he sat
on Lexie’s shoulder. “Stay close. Take care of her for me.”

“Eye-matty.” He saluted me while petting
Lexie’s curly hair. “On
Leanbh
duty.”

I gave him a smile then turned back to
Croygen. “Thank you.” I squeezed his arm, walked around him, and
joined my teammates for the night.

I was ready to fight. To battle for the lives
of both my girls. Lie, cheat, steal, torture, kill.

Whatever it took.

The hike felt like it went on forever, and my
feet ached. I wanted to ask Amara if she was taking us someplace or
if she was making us walk till I was too tired to strangle her. She
weaved down streets and roads until we hit the industrial district.
The streetlights thinned to only one every so often. It was not the
nice part of the city and the dark only increased the creepy, seedy
factor.

Finally she turned and went around to the
side of a building and climbed up the fire escape. Ryker silently
followed her, bristling at my nearness as I grabbed a ring and
pulled myself up behind him. I sensed the anger increasing again,
building under his skin, like lumber doused in gasoline ready for a
spark to become flames.

He got to the roof and quickly moved to
Amara. I came up on the other side, letting her buffer the tension
vibrating off Ryker.

“There.” Amara pointed at a large building.
“He’s keeping them in there.”

My eyes scanned the structure. No lights
shone outside. Only a dim glow from inside hinted at life behind
the walls. It was surrounded by identical structures, making it
even more invisible. Not that it mattered. It was tucked against a
hill and so far off the main street that no one would come back
here. The structure built right next to it looked to be a victim of
the storm or maybe just time and decay. All the windows were
busted, and the building sagged with neglect.

Only Vadik could keep his shady business
protected from sight right in the middle of Seattle. With the
downtown and outer areas rebuilding and property owners returning
to their vacated places, people were everywhere. He was smart to
leave the other warehouse near the stadium.

My gaze caught on a dark figure moving along
the building. A guard. Fae. My sight picked up a semiautomatic
rifle over his shoulder and a knife in his belt. More fae moved
around the building. These weren’t the old security Marcello or Duc
had. No little boys playing dress up, but fae who were trained to
kill.

Shit. This did not look good for us.

“He owns this whole space,” Amara whispered,
waving her hand in a wide arc. “And every bit of it is under
surveillance.” As much as I hated to admit it, her knowledge of
Vadik’s business was helpful. At least I didn’t feel we were going
in completely blind.

“Remember, this is only a surveillance
mission, Zoey,” Ryker stated. “We need to see what we’re up
against: number of men, changing of guards, weaknesses.”

I pressed my lips together, not answering
either way. I didn’t know if I resented him treating me like a
child or that he had the right to. My need to slam the fae guard
against the wall and run in and rescue Annabeth twitched from my
toes up to my fists.

Fighting had been easy for me. I stayed cool,
calm, rational, and quick to pick up on others’ weaknesses and
emotions. I hurt people all the time, but they stepped into the
ring knowing what they were getting into. They chose to be there.
These girls had not chosen this. When it came to people I cared
about, I became a loose cannon, reacting before thinking. I shoved
my shoulders back, clinging to the vacant coldness I knew well.

“Well, I’m out of here. Have fun guys.” Amara
stepped back.

“What? Where are you going?” Fear painted
Ryker’s words like an Easter egg. His gaze darted to me then back
to her.

“I’m not going to hang out on the roof all
night. Boring.” She walked backward. “This is not my thing. I
couldn’t care less about these girls. I showed you where they are,
now I’m leaving. Maybe I’ll stop at a bar on the way back. Get
laid.”

“Amara,” Ryker growled. “You can’t.”

“You’re not screwing me. So,
yes
, I
can.”

His jaw sawed together. “Not what I meant.
You can’t be seen either. You are being hunted just as much as we
are.”

“Well, I need a drink and sex. Unless you’re
willing to change your sudden stance on abstinence, I’m going.” For
a moment I could see the hope in her face.

Ryker clenched his fists but did not
respond.

“That’s what I thought.” She tipped her head
with attitude and whirled around. “I’m not stupid. I know how to
keep under the radar. Have fun up here.” She slipped over the
railing and down the ladder.

“Fuck,” Ryker swore under his breath and went
back to the edge of the roof, staring at the building.