The Barrier Between (Collector Series # 2) (35 page)

Ryker returned an hour later and the friction in the
cramped room only continued to rise to astronomical levels. My
return didn’t only irritate Amara. Ryker’s concern and relief at my
homecoming turned quickly to animosity after our fight. Strangely,
Croygen was the one who was pleasant to me, even nice, which did
make me suspicious. But I wasn’t about to question the only
kindness coming my way. Whatever his reason was—I would take
it.

To avoid the hostility from the other two, I took an
extra-long hot shower, rinsing my body of filth and blood. I wanted
my memories to wash away, too, but there was a girl I would not let
myself forget. “I promise I will get back there for you.” I failed
Lexie, I would not fail Annabeth. She might hate me for a while
thinking I abandoned her, but I would go back and get her, and
anyone else who wanted freedom from the Scorpions.

Everyone was getting ready for bed when I came out,
dropping my dirty clothes beside the overflowing laundry
basket.

“These clothes stink.” Ryker nudged the mound of
fabric with his foot. I couldn’t deny there was a sharp odor coming
off them. “I can smell human blood on it.”

“And probably sweat and alcohol as well.” I plopped
on the bed.

“Get rid of them,” he ordered.

“Excuse me?” I folded a leg underneath me.

“And here I was hoping he’d get more pleasant with
her back.” Croygen settled on his pad on the floor.

Amara gave Croygen a dirty look and fell back on her
pillow. “I already miss having the bed to myself.”

And why did I want to come back here?

Sprig coiled on my pillow. He was the only one truly
happy about my reappearance. He wouldn’t let me out of his sight
for too long. “It was torture without you,
Bhean
, and not
once did we go to Izel’s. I mean, come on. How cruel is that?”

I scratched behind his ear. “We’ll go tomorrow for
breakfast, and you can have all the honey pancakes you can
eat.”

His eyes went wide with adoration. “I’ve. Missed.
You.”

“Same, buddy.”

Ryker huffed, redirecting my attention onto him.

“What?”

“I can’t sleep with the stench of human blood and
sweat in my face.”

“And alcohol.”

He arched one eyebrow.

“Move them then.” I motioned to the clothes. What was
his problem?

Ryker’s eyes narrowed on me, then he bent over,
letting me get a view of my old comrade. I couldn’t help sighing.
I’ve missed you, perky friend
.

He gathered the clothes in a ball, walked to the
window, and chucked them out.

My eyebrows went up my forehead.
O-kay
.

He strode back, wiping his hands together. “They are
moved.” I watched him as he sat on his bed on the ground. He tugged
off his boots, ripped his shirt over his head, and lay back, never
once meeting my gaze.

Amara rolled onto her side, switching the table light
off, plunging the room in shadows. The soft light of a streetlamp
down the road shimmered through the sheer curtains.

I scanned the room. This was not how I thought my
return would be. Okay, I did from Amara. Even Croygen, but Ryker?
What the hell was his problem?

I flopped back on the bed, Sprig twisting around my
head.

I guess I would hate someone who stole my powers and
forced me to be a murderer. Still, after what I’d been through, I
needed him, like the nights he had comforted me after bad dreams.
Even after our fight, his arms were the only thing I craved. At our
worst I still didn’t want to be without him.

After fitfully trying to sleep, I picked up my head
and glanced at Amara. Her chest rose and fell in slow rhythmic
intervals. A slight snore came from the floor beside her. With them
sound asleep, I felt braver to act.

I sat up slowly, trying not to disturb Sprig or
Amara. The bed groaned softly as I rose to my feet. Ryker lay on
his back, his arm slung over his face, shielding his eyes. At the
sound of the squeaking bed, his head popped up. He watched me crawl
down to him; he took a deep breath.

He didn’t move as I curled into his side and settled
my head in the crook of his shoulder. There was another beat of his
heart and heat flooded my cheeks at the thought of him rejecting
me. Then I felt him shift, his arm curling around me, pulling me
into him. Happiness engulfed my chest when his arms closed around
me.

Now I was home.

He could invoke such passionate extremes from me. One
moment he calmed me, as though I finally found someone with whom I
could let all my walls down, and the next moment I wanted to tear
off his clothes. Both sounded nice, but tonight I needed his
comfort. Simply to be wrapped in his arms was enough.

“You’re okay,” I whispered, one finger touching his
chin. The bristles of his beard scratched my hand. His eyes
narrowed at my statement. “The balam... you got away.”

A cocky grin tugged the side of his mouth. “Did you
even doubt?”

“No.” My gaze fastened to his. Somewhere in my gut I
had known he had made it out. He had to. He was the invincible
Wanderer. A fae legend.

His hand slid to my face and trickled over my healing
cuts. He leaned forward, his lips warm and tender on my forehead.
Then he wrapped me tighter. Without a word I knew what his actions
were telling me.
Sleep. You are safe now.

My lids drifted closed, tucking my head deeper into
him. Home. Safety. Happiness.

Before, I imagined those things would be objects or
material items. But now all those things came in a form of a
Viking.

A light breeze trickled across my face, stirring me
out of my deep slumber. After a few nightmares of trying to save
Annabeth from faceless, leering, violent men, I finally settled
into Ryker’s arms, letting sleep consume me. My lids struggled to
open, my body and mind wanted to remain asleep.

The memory of falling asleep next to Ryker on the
floor forced me out of the sweet oblivion. The night before I
didn’t care, but in the stark morning light, I was not prepared to
have Amara awake and see us. Her threat flooded back into my
conscience.

“
If I see you go off with him again. Are alone
with him in any way... Nothing will stop me from butchering you
into tiny chunks and feeding you to your monkey. Stay away from
him, human. You do not belong in our world, and I will take you out
of it if you persist.”

My lashes clung to each other as I tried to pry my
lids open. One by one they separated, allowing my eyes to focus. A
dim gray grow lighted the windows, keeping the room shadowed in a
colorless portrait, like I had stepped into a black-and-white
film.

I was also back on the bed. Alone. Even Sprig was
gone. I lifted my head and glanced around the room. The breeze
billowed the curtains and fanned the room. The quiet disturbed me.
I sat up with a huff. Loneliness crept over me, which made me
angry. As strong as I pretended to be, I still got rattled. Being
chained and beaten shook me, but strangely what unnerved me more
was almost being caught by Garrett. I was the portal to capture
Ryker. Also, I was carrying this knowledge about myself with a deep
belief I could not tell Ryker. It was another weight on my
chest.

Dragging myself out of bed, my toes skated on the
wood floor, and I staggered to the bathroom. The girl looking back
at me was almost healed. Only pink lines indicated where I had been
cut or hit. I touched my skin, tugging at the old sores. How long I
was asleep? I didn’t hear any of them get up or feel Ryker put me
back in the bed. Did I go in a coma-like state to heal like I had
seen him do?

Curious as to where they went, I quickly pulled on
clothes and boots. The bag strap around my shoulder felt like an
old friend. It was comforting to me, my safety trigger.

Even with fae powers, I was still exhausted, muscles
stiff and sore. My feet struggled to pick up and walk forward.
Everything felt heavier than normal as I dragged my feet down the
stairs.

A gust of cool wind hit me as I stepped outside. A
storm was coming. Swollen black clouds churned angrily above my
head. The smell of rain loomed in the air. The developing tempest
was a perfect reflection of what I felt on the inside. I tried to
push off the sensation of it being some strange omen.

“
Bhean
,” a tiny voice called for me. I whirled
around to see Ryker and Amara walking toward me. Sprig leaped off
Ryker’s shoulder. He hit the ground and scrambled up my body, and
hunkered on my shoulder. “You are
finally
awake. They told
me we couldn’t go to Izel’s till you got up. I have been waiting
forever
.”

“We’ll go right now.” I smiled, rubbing his head. I
glanced at both Ryker and Amara, trying to stuff down the growl
wanting to erupt from seeing them together. Amara walked close to
Ryker, her arm brushing his. They looked every bit a couple. “Where
is Croygen?”

“Good question,” Ryker snarled. “He was already gone
when we awoke this morning. Again.”

Again?
I didn’t get a chance to ask before a
voice pierced the air behind me.

“Did you miss me? How sweet.” Croygen slipped next to
me. It was disturbing how he could sneak up on you out of
nowhere.

“Yeah. Sweet.” Ryker’s muscles knotted around his
neck and shoulders. “Where the fuck were you?”

“Mom? Is that you?” Croygen tilted his head to the
side in question. “I don’t need to tell you shit, Ryker.”

One step and Ryker was nose to nose with Croygen. “I
don’t trust you. You would sell out your own mother for a
price.”

“Only for the
right
price,” Croygen
sneered.

“You’ve been disappearing a lot lately,” Amara said
with a slight accusatory tone.

I was only gone a week, but I felt like I missed a
lot. Ryker never trusted Croygen, but whatever issue was going on
between them had intensified.

“Shocked you noticed.” Croygen motioned at Ryker.
“Now that you have your boy back, Amara, I’m surprised you were
even aware I was standing next to you.”

Amara glared. “Croygen.”

Ryker cut off Amara. “I’ve known you too long,
Croygen. Money is your true love. You are up to something.”

“It’s my business and has nothing to do with you. I
know you think the whole world revolves around you, but it
doesn’t.” Croygen shoved Ryker away from him. Ryker reared back,
barreling toward the pirate with his whole body.

“Guys, stop.” Amara pushed them apart. “I’ve had
enough of this! You have been at each other all week.”

The chests of both men heaved in and out; neither
wanted to be the one to back down first.

“I know what will make this better,” Sprig spoke,
making me peer around to see if anyone outside our group was within
earshot. “Pancakes!”

Ryker’s eyes drifted to Sprig, then to me. His jaw
clenched as he swiveled around and stomped away.

Amara ran after him. Catching up, she grabbed his
arm, pulled him down to her, and whispered something in his ear.
Whatever she said made him chuckle and nod. My legs moved forward,
following. But the rest of me wished to go back upstairs and not
have to witness this. She leaned in more, saying something else,
her face bright with joy. Ryker’s head went back in a laugh.
Stabbing myself with a thousand daggers would have felt better.

I felt a presence move next to me, but my eyes would
not leave the gorgeous couple.

“It is fun, isn’t it?” Croygen strolled along next to
me, observing them with the same regard as me.

“What is?”

“Watching them together.” He pressed his mouth
closed. There was a flicker of pain before he blinked and it was
gone again. But it was too late. I had seen it.

My gaze followed Croygen’s and came back to him.
“
You’re
in love with her.”

A humorous smile wavered over his lips and he peered
over at me. “And
you’re
in love with him.”

“I am not,” I replied indignantly.

Croygen smiled smugly and winked. “Sure.” A silence
fell between us, and we turned back to observing them together,
reminiscing and laughing. “We make a pathetic pair, human.” Pained
amusement danced in his eyes.

“Yes, we do, pirate.”

Was Amara the reason he and Ryker didn’t get along?
What was their story? Something in Croygen’s manner told me not to
ask. Not yet.

Sprig’s bouncing on my shoulder turned into
full-blown jumping the closer we got to Izel’s.

“In.” I pointed to my bag. Sprig didn’t hesitate
before climbing in. “Rememb—”

“I know, I know. No talking,” he chattered
excitedly.

“Yeah, just like that, monkey.” Croygen chuckled.

When we entered, Melosa immediately bounded for me,
wrapping me in a warm hug. “Where have you been? You and your dear
man have been missed,” she rattled off in Spanish.