The Barrier Between (Collector Series # 2) (34 page)

Holy shit.

I was back in Peru, in the room I shared with Sprig
and Ryker.

Ryker!
My heart screamed, and I lurched to my
feet.

Amara stepped away, startled by my sudden movement.
“Are you all right?”

“I’m back.” Relief teetered on the cusp, hoping it
was not a dream. I grabbed Amara’s arm. “You’re real.”

She eyed me skeptically. “Yeah.”

I dropped her arm, curling over myself as happiness
gripped my air passages. “I’m back,” I cried with relief and joy.
The fire in my veins had relinquished its hold, but I could feel it
was replaced with a heavier presence—Ryker’s powers. Whatever
barrier I had been keeping around them, protecting them from me,
had shattered into a million pieces.

The last time Maria inserted a needle in my arm, I
was able to jump the next day. Once again whatever she gave me
seemed to prompt Ryker’s abilities to acclimate to me. This time it
was for good.

“What happened to—” Amara’s sentence trailed off as
the sound of footsteps bound up the stairs.

“Zoey!”

Ryker
.

The door swung open, and the enormous Viking pushed
into the room and stopped. He stood in the entry, his gaze locked
on me. Croygen stood behind him, his expression bemused.

Breath evaporated from my throat. I wanted to run to
him, but the feel of Amara’s eyes boring into me kept my feet in
place.

“
Bhean
,” Sprig squealed from Ryker’s shoulder
and scrambled down, running for me. I bent down and picked him up.
His tiny arms wrapped around my neck. “Sprite-spit, I’ve missed
you. Don’t ever leave us again.”

“I missed you too.” I hugged Sprig, but my eyes were
latched on Ryker’s.

His white eyes roamed over me, and his feet moved
till they were flush with mine. His hand clutched my cheek. “You’re
hurt.”

“I’ll heal.” I swallowed over the lump in my throat.
Ryker dropped his arm back to his side. Seeing Ryker, feeling the
warmth of his body near mine, made me want to throw my arms around
him, feel his wrap around me, and never let go. But neither of us
moved.

“Where have you been?” he whispered. His fingers
twitched, coming back for my face, but he stopped himself, guiding
them through his hair.

“Seattle.” I already wanted to forget every memory of
the place. But I made a promise to a girl, a girl who would think I
simply up and ran, leaving her my promise behind. “It’s a long
story, and I will tell you everything. But the most important thing
right now is I saw Garrett. He knows. He almost caught me... and he
saw me jump.”

Ryker shifted back, a wall falling between us.
“Garrett saw you jump? If you could use the magic, why didn’t you
come back here sooner? How could you leave me... us like that?”
Ryker motioned between him and Sprig. “
We
thought you were
stranded somewhere. Hurt. Not able to get back.”

“I was.”

Ryker ignored me, continuing with his rant. “The only
reason I didn’t think you were dead was because I still didn’t have
my powers back. I was sure if you didn’t come back, it was because
you couldn’t.”

“I couldn’t.”

“I was helpless. I couldn’t sense you anymore. I had
no idea where you went, and I couldn’t leave in case you came back
here.”

I smacked his chest, his mouth clicked shut, almost
like I hit his reset button. “Shut up, and I will explain.”

He breathed in, waiting.

“When I jumped from here, for some reason I went to
Marcello’s warehouse.”

“He’s still alive?”

“Uh... yes, but Maria is now running it. Actually, a
man named Duc is.” I waved my hand. “Not important right now. Maria
caught me. Their underground fighting ring has expanded. I was
unable to jump or glamour and was forced back in...” Ryker knew of
my fame as the Avenging Angel. He seemed to understand what it
meant for me to be caught by them again. “Garrett was at the
fight.”

Ryker lifted his finger and gently touched my broken
lip, his frame protectively curved over me. Amara rustled next to
me, and Ryker stepped back. I looked between them, feeling my
jealousy growing.
What happened while I was gone? Did she
convince him they should be together again? Did he sleep with
her?
I shook my head, deposing the thoughts. This was not the
time.

“Seeing him triggered me to jump again.” I gulped,
staring at my feet. “And there is something else you should
know.”

The room was silent. Sprig clung to my neck, causing
sweat to build along my throat. Amara and Croygen watched me,
waiting for my words. Ryker’s entire physique was rigid, his jaw
rolling with aggression.

I anchored myself, taking a deep breath. “I have them
now.”

“You have what?” Amara folded her arms.

My regard caught Ryker’s, his gaze really sinking
into me. I was about to change everything between us. A couple of
words, and I would have my murderer standing across from me, no
longer my friend.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he let his head fall
forward. “I know.”

“What happened?” Amara’s gaze ping-ponged between
us.

“She has my powers, Mara.”

“She’s had your powers for months now.”

“No. She has them completely. As they are no longer
mine. Not unless I kill her.”

“Then do it.” Amara threw her arm up toward Ryker.
“Because now she is killing you.”

“Amara,” Ryker growled.

“Kill
Bhean
?” Sprig peeled away from my neck,
sitting back on my shoulder. “Are you serious? You would
never
do that, right?”

Ryker licked his lip and stared at the ground.

“He has to,” I stated to Sprig, not letting myself
think of or feel what it really meant.

“Well, tough imp jerky! You don’t have your powers,”
Sprig screeched. “Deal with it.”

“Sprig.” I placed my hand on his paw, trying to calm
him. “It’s the only way to get them back. He will slowly die
without them, and I already am.”

I already am
. The words rang in my own ears.
If I were dying, why did I feel the exact opposite? I felt healthy.
More alive than before. No headaches. My fingers went to my nose.
It wasn’t bleeding. Was that because his abilities had fully
acclimated to me now? My mind reflected back to every nosebleed I’d
had since obtaining his powers in Seattle.

They only came when I jumped. No other time.

What if I weren’t dying, and my symptoms had more to
do with my body responding to the magic?

No. I couldn’t go there. It probably wasn’t even
true. I shoved the thought away. I didn’t want to hope for
something I couldn’t know for sure. He had to kill me to get his
powers back. The only thing making this a tad easier for him was
the fact I was dying anyway.

Daniel had said seers were immune. They lost my
fellow experiment brothers and sisters because we could not be
saved. They had already tested Sera and me, and we hadn’t responded
to fae blood.

A gasp throttled my throat.

Oh no.

“What?” Ryker moved back to me. “Are you all
right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I need to use the restroom.” What I
really needed was to run.

Ryker didn’t believe me, but he let me go without a
word. I placed Sprig on the bed and dashed for the bathroom,
slamming the door.

I went to the mirror. My refection showed a girl who
had been beaten a few days ago when it actually had been fifteen
minutes prior. My hair was filthy, still sprinkled with glitter
Maria put in it. The tips of my fingers explored my healing skin
while Daniel’s words came back to me.

“
Going through my father’s research, I learned
people with the sight, seers, are those rare people who are immune
to fae blood. It doesn’t kill you, but you also would not benefit
from it either.”

I couldn’t believe I didn’t think of it before.
I’m so stupid!
It was right in front of my face the whole
time. I fell against the door and slid to the floor.

Fae
blood
.

One word changed everything. Transferring them
through blood was not how I got Ryker’s powers. If it was, I
probably would have been resilient to it like a normal seer, but I
got his powers another way—from a current of electricity charged
through Ryker’s body into mine. Transferring them magically to me.
Fae magic relocated them into my body, which was more powerful than
anything on this Earth, including my DNA.

Deep down, I had known it. I could feel the
transformation, the way my body healed like a fae, but I pushed it
off with the excuse the change was only superficial. I no longer
got tired like I did before I met Ryker. The migraines had lessened
and even the nosebleeds were different. I did not want to believe.
Everything would be easier if I were dying.
Dammit
. Even
good news flipped on its head and turned on me.

If Ryker didn’t kill me, he would eventually die. The
only thing making it easier for either of us was if I were heading
there anyway. I placed my head in my hands.

“Zoey?” A tap came on the door. “Are you okay?”

Leaning my head back on the door, I sighed. “Yeah. I.
Am.”

The moment I stepped out of the bathroom, the shock
of my return had morphed into a strained awkwardness, an unease at
us having so much to say, but no one talking. There was a line
between me and the three of them now. A familiarity of being in the
same room together, a subtle unsaid awareness of each other’s
habits I no longer was part of.

Amara’s body language screamed the loudest at my
intrusion. A transparent confidence in the way she moved around the
room like I had come into her territory, this was her room, and I
was invading. She had taken over two of my drawers and some of the
closet with her new purchases, and lined the miniature refrigerator
with small cartons of milk.

“Can I get you anything?” Amara smiled over sweetly,
opening the fridge, offering me a beverage like I was a guest.

“No. I’m good.” I couldn’t fight the strain in my
voice.

Her saccharine smile twisted in a smirk. “Let me know
if I can.”

We watched each other before she turned away, grabbed
a magazine, and flopped back on the bed. “Maybe now we can get back
to retrieving the stone. Actually do something.”

Ryker rubbed at his head and sighed, but did not
respond. I had the feeling this wasn’t the first time this topic
had come up.

“Did you come up with a plan while I was gone?” I
asked, glancing around the room at everyone. “How will we deal with
Vadik and get Regnus?”

Croygen huffed. “There hasn’t been much accomplished
since you left. Let me rephrase that... nothing has been done.” His
gaze darted over at Ryker.

“Really?” I responded.

Ryker folded his arms. “You’re surprised?”

“Yeah. A little.” I shrugged. Amara threw up her
arms, like
See, even she thinks you should have been doing
something.

“I’m sorry I was concerned about what happened to
you... finding you. Next time I won’t bother.” Anger laced his
words.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“What did you mean?” he replied. “Without you it’s a
little hard to transfer back my powers anyway. And now what is the
point? Regnus can’t do anything for us. Not anymore!” He roared,
causing both Croygen and Amara to slink back and stay silent.

Not me.

“So you’re going to leave him? Let him be tortured or
killed? He can’t help you so fuck him?” I marched over to Ryker.
The muscles in his arms twitched as he clenched them across his
body harder. “And how do you know he can’t? You’re giving up?
Throwing yourself a pity party because you no longer have your
powers?” I punched a finger into his chest, only causing it to puff
out more. “Strap on a pair!”

“Excuse me?”

“Strap. On. A. Pair,” I repeated, my teeth gritting
together.

Fire rolled behind his eyes, his fury pushing the air
from the room. We stood only inches apart, our chests heaving.

He took in a long draw through his nose, tipped back
on his heels, whipped around, and stormed out of the room. The slam
of the door shook the foundation.

Everyone stayed silent for a long time before Sprig’s
voice came from the table. “Sorry, only want to know when it’s okay
to talk again.” My chin jerked to him. “Too soon? Okay...” He
mimicked zipping his lips closed, then quickly unzipped them,
shoving a mango chip in his mouth. “Soooo good. Want one?”

I placed my head in my hands, letting a strangled
laugh erupt.