The Barrier Between (Collector Series # 2) (26 page)

A light breeze wafted gently through my hair,
pushing it back off my face. The afternoon sun sparkled off the
ruins and turned the shaded areas purple and blue. Crumbled stone
structures, which once stood tall and strong, now appeared as
ghosts of what they once were. Vibrant green grass lay in a
striking contradiction to the rugged, dark mountain peaks. Clouds
circled the crests like hula hoops.

For more than a month we’d been only miles away but
never made it to Machu Picchu. Many other things had taken
priority, so it got pushed back.

“I knew how much you wanted to see this place. Sorry
it took this long for us to come here,” he said when we arrived.
Ryker couldn’t have chosen a more perfect spot to take me. My bad
mood vanished, and I became a kid: exploring, touching, reveling in
the place I dreamed about visiting for such a long time. People
stayed clear of the large daunting Viking with an axe strapped to
his back, letting us have more freedom to explore the inundated
tourist spot. I spent the day reading every bit of information I
could, eavesdropping on the tour guides’ speeches, and discovering
firsthand the beauty of the place. Death, fae, DMG, stones, and all
other negative things were forgotten.

Machu Picchu was magical. And not merely
hypothetically. I could feel power pulse from the ground and the
stone ruins and throb into my feet and body. The energy coming from
the earth was so intense, I didn’t doubt most humans could feel
there was something special here.

“Were the Incas fae?” I asked, feeling Ryker come up
behind me.

“You can feel the magic here, huh?” He shoved his
hands in his pockets and stopped next to me.

“It’s actually making me jittery.” I rubbed at my
arms. My goose bumps were not from the slight chill in the air or
from being this high; it was from fae magic. “So were they?”

Ryker put his hand to his forehead, blocking the
lowering sun from his eyes. “No, they weren’t fae, but they held
magic. They were the South American equivalent of Druids.”

“Druids?” My eyebrows arched in curiosity. I had
heard of Druids, and my reading while at DMG taught me a little
more about them. All I knew was before fae went into hiding, a
group of humans learned fae magic. They worked and served many of
the fae rulers. They grew in favor with the Celtic god and
goddesses, and they became more powerful than the fae. Then, like
the civilization here, they disappeared. The entire Druid race
vanished.

“The history says the Incas disappeared after the
Spanish Conquest, most probably from smallpox or other diseases
foreigners brought in. That did happen, but it is not the reason
this
Inca civilization vanished.”

“So what was the reason?” I peered over at his
profile. I sometimes forgot how long he had been alive and how much
history, the real history, he knew and experienced.

“The Seelie Queen.” He licked his lips, and I forced
my head to turn away.

“The Seelie Queen? What do you mean? Did she kill
them or something?” I laughed at the thought. I heard rumors she
hated humans and was a bitch, but this was genocide we were
discussing.

Ryker gave me a nod that suggested bull’s-eye.

“What?” I exclaimed. “She eradicated this entire
village?”

“No. She exterminated the entire Druid race.”

“What? Why?”

“There are a number of rumors and theories. As far as
I gather, she hated the fact the Druids were extremely formidable,
and she couldn’t challenge some of their magic. As Queen, she
doesn’t like anything more powerful than her.”

“So she had them executed.” I stared out at the
ruins. Another chill ran up my neck. The place held so much energy
I felt I could see the ghosts of the past. Knowing the truth of
what really happened to the people connected me even more to the
land. The secret of Machu Picchu will never be known to humans.
Always an unsolved mystery. There were probably many unsolved cases
we could blame on the fae.

“What?” Ryker stared at my profile.

I scrunched my nose. “I don’t know, but it feels
strange knowing the truth when no one else here does. Before I
could feel magic, but now I sense
their
magic. Their blood
saturates the earth, like they are still here.”

“They probably are.” He continued to watch me till my
skin tingled. Finally, I shifted my head, my gaze finding his.
Neither of us looked away. The sun slowly dipped behind the peaked
mountain. Orange and pink reflected off his white eyes,
highlighting the rings around his irises. Nerves took hold, and I
licked my bottom lip. His eyes dropped to my mouth.

The memory of the way his fingers ran up my body, how
his lips felt, trapped air in my lungs. I wanted him to kiss
me.

Badly.

Ryker leaned forward, his breath gliding over my
mouth. My lids drifted half closed, waiting to feel his lips on
mine.

He jerked back. His head darted away as his hand ran
over the top of his head. “We should get going before it gets too
dark.” He jutted his chin toward the path on the other side of the
ruins.

“Uh. Yeah. We should.” I nodded, shoving my hands in
my pockets.

Most tourists were on the last bus heading back to
Aguas Calientes, leaving the heritage site empty. Deep reds like
cabernet colored the sky, painting the light fog ringing the
mountain.

Ryker’s elbow nudged at my side. “I’ll race you.”

A conspiratorial smile grew on my face. I might have
little legs, especially compared to him, but I was fast.

We both zoomed off at the same time. Three of my
strides were one of his, but I pressed harder into the dirt, which
moved me past him as we glided down the hill. We neared one of the
stone structures and just as I reached out to touch it first, hands
clapped on my hips, yanking me back. I yelped as we tumbled to the
ground, rolling.

My back landed in the dirt, my limbs spread out.
Ryker lay a little away. I rolled to my side, smacking his leg.
“Cheater.”

He propped his elbows on his knees holding his chin
in his hands and chuckled. His laugh halted me. It was rarely
heard, and it stopped my heart. He winked. “Damn right.”

I grinned back. “Just know, every night when you cry
yourself to sleep because of the lack of your manhood... think of
me and how I kicked your ass.”

“I am sure
I
will.” He stared intently, his
voice thick.

His meaning went into an area that clouded my
thoughts and restricted my airways. Jumping to my feet, I tried to
break the nervous energy gliding through my veins. He sat up, his
finger catching one of my belt loops, and tugged me back down. I
fell on top of him. He rolled me over, pinning my arms above me,
his form hovering over mine. He blinked, freezing, almost like he
couldn’t believe what he had done. But instead of withdrawing, he
pressed his body firmer into mine. My body absorbed his heat, and
his erection pressed against my hip.

One hand loosened from my wrist and trailed down my
arm to my face. His thumb traced my bottom lip, tugging at it. I
stayed motionless, afraid if I moved, he would realize what he was
doing and stop.

Two fingers snaked from my lips down the middle of my
neck and followed the route to my breastbone. His gaze was fixed on
mine as he drew a line down the middle of my chest, taking my tank
top lower as he inched between my breasts. His touch was fire to my
blood, boiling it to the point I couldn’t breathe.

I bit down on my lip. His fingers followed the edge
of my bra, the skin along the perimeter burned as he continued to
explore both sides. I could no longer control my actions. Between
him and the pounding magic in the earth, I trembled with energy. My
leg snaked around him, pulling him into me. My free hand curled
around the back of his head.

A rumble came from his chest, and he crawled between
my legs, his hands running up my sides, taking my tank top with
them.

A single spark and we were lost in the flames.

My tank top went over my head, and his erection
rubbed against me when he moved, spinning my head. My hands went
for his pants, wanting him so much a few seconds felt like a
lifetime. He grabbed my face, turning it to him, a growl of desire
emanated out his throat. My fingers continued to work on his
buttons as his lips came down for mine.

“Park’s clos—” A man’s voice spoke in Spanish behind
us. Both Ryker and I stilled. “Hey! What are you doing?”

It was a rhetorical question. With a man between my
legs and my shirt disregarded several feet away, it was clear what
we were doing.

“You can’t do that here. You need to leave now.” I
looked around Ryker to see a man in a park service shirt.

“You’re fuckin’ kidding me,” Ryker mumbled. The
absurdity and embarrassment of being caught like two teenagers made
me laugh. Ryker sat back on his heels, pulling me up while he
stood. He reached over and grabbed my top, handing it to me before
he turned to the ranger.

“Walk away. You never saw us,” Ryker said.

The ranger blinked, a frown cresting his forehead. He
absently rubbed at his head. “You... you need to leave. Now.”

Ryker stiffened, a scowl forming on his forehead.

“Walk away. You. Never. Saw. Us,” Ryker repeated.

The man shifted, his brows furrowing deeper, but kept
his stance. My stomach sank, understanding what was happening.

Ryker’s magic was dwindling, taking his power of
glamour away from him.

I pulled on my tank, but guilt coated me thicker than
any clothing. It might not be my fault, but I was still
responsible. I was gaining while he was losing... dying. And it was
the last thing I wanted to do to him.

“Leave. We were never here.” I came round Ryker,
squinting at the park ranger.

He shuffled his feet again, lines folding on his
forehead. “This is the last time I tell you. Leave now.”

What the hell? I could no longer glamour
either?
Ryker’s magic was dwindling, I understood that, but
mine should be growing.

Ryker’s lids narrowed on me, then back to the
man.

“We’re going.” I pulled on Ryker’s arm, leading us to
the trail. Ryker followed but his eyes still watched the guard.
When we could no longer see the ranger, Ryker turned fully around,
tugging free of my hand.

Anger simmered under every breath he took. Not
pointed directly at me but at everything. At the moment I was the
last person he probably wanted to talk to about it. He wasn’t
exactly someone who talked to
anyone
about his problems. He
was losing control of himself, and he could do nothing but watch it
happen.

But what about me? Why did they fail me? I couldn’t
remember the last time I used glamour. The knowledge that my usage
only solidified them more to me kept me from utilizing them unless
I had to. Jumping was never in my control, and I only glamoured
when I went shopping by myself. Still it should have worked.

We followed the trail back to the village, both lost
in our thoughts. The dense forest darkened with each step, the
trees and mountains shielding us from the last rays of sun. The
unspoken moment earlier congested the space between us. All the
tension I let go over the day reassembled back up my spine. I
wasn’t one for small talk and knew it was better to stay
silent.

We were halfway back when my skin began to tingle.
Warning me.

Simultaneously, Ryker and I halted our steps.

“You sense it too?” he muttered while scanning every
inch of space.

“Yeah.” The word wasn’t even out of my mouth when
another wave of magic plunged down on us. My nerves and skin jumped
with the overload of energy. I swallowed and slowly circled the
area, my heart picking up pace.

Ryker grabbed the axe attached to his back, gripping
it between his hands.

A low growl reverberated from the forest. We swung
around in the direction of the noise. A shimmering glow from the
dense brush confirmed fae were coming for us. Then like fireflies,
dozens of yellow lights gleamed from the foliage. It took me a
moment to realize they were in pairs... eyes... wildcat eyes.

Wordlessly, Ryker ripped a dagger from his halter and
tossed it to me.

The leaves rustled and a paw stepped out from the
shrubs but was hidden in the shadows. All I could see was black
outline with yellow glowing eyes.

“Fuck,” Ryker uttered.

“What?”

“It’s a balam,” Ryker said to me, his eyes never
leaving the animal.

“Balam?” The name rang in my memory, remembering it
was a type of fae, but I couldn’t place what it was. “What is
it?”

“Every country and region has their own mythology and
names for a certain fae. Here a jaguar shape-shifter is a balam,
and unlike the real animal, they run in large packs. Real jaguars
are dangerous and can easily take down a human, but most are
solitary animals and fear humans more than wanting to attack
them.”

I nodded. I’d heard that in my studies. Balam were
known hunters, fully taking on the cat’s predatory nature. They
usually left humans alone unless the human ventured too far into
the jungle and saw something they shouldn’t. I never had to deal
with one before. Jaguars would be a little out of place in
Seattle.

I gulped and gripped Ryker’s wrist, my other hand
squeezing the handle of the knife as several of them stalked slowly
out from the bushes.

Oh hell, that is a big kitty
.

These jaguars were three times the size of a normal
wildcat. One ordinary wildcat was scary. Fifteen huge yellow-eyed
fae beasts were pee-your-pants worthy.

“I don’t know what they want. They usually stick to
themselves. Leave other fae alone.”

A growl erupted from the biggest cat, and a claw the
size of my head dipped into the soft dirt. His muscles rippled,
displaying the soft brown spots dotting his black fur.