The Barrier Between (Collector Series # 2) (5 page)

“Mango chips!” Sprig pointed, bouncing up and down on
my arm. “They’re dipped in honey. Look!”

“Shhh!” I held my finger over my lips.

“
Bhean
, they are dipped. In. Honey.”

“Shush!”

A guy about my age stood near with a group of
students. “Dude... her monkey
talked
. I swear to God.”

“Sure, Brandon.” A blond-haired guy smacked his
friend’s shoulder. “How many tequila shots did you have?” He
stumbled into a group of girls, his attention going to them.

“No, seriously.” Brandon pointed at me. “Your monkey
fucking talked. I heard it.” Fear was laced so deep in Brandon’s
eyes I could see him sobering up right in front of me.

Hell.

Pulling from deep down and striking at the power
inside me, I felt it warm my insides. I caught his eyes and focused
hard.
You did not see or hear anything. You will not remember me
or the monkey,
I said in my head, filled with determination.
The magic wrapped around my bones, pumping adrenaline higher. It
felt good.

The kid blinked, shook his head, and ran past me,
catching up with his friend, who had attached himself to the girls.
“Thanks for ditching me,” Brandon called after him.

“You’re the drunk ass claiming to hear talking
monkeys.” The blond-haired guy draped his arm around his buddy’s
shoulder.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Brandon’s
voice tapered off as the crowd engulfed them.

My gaze darted angrily to Sprig.

“Sorry,” he whispered in my ear.

“Do not do it again.”

“Okay, but can we still get the mangos?
Pleeeeaassseee?” His soft voice tickled my ear.

I laughed, rubbing my temples. “Yeah.”

When we got back, Ryker was still gone. The sun
dipped below the steep mountains, illuminating the window in rich
reds, deep purples, and vibrant oranges, which exploded across the
room.

I placed Sprig’s sleeping form in the top chest
drawer on a hand towel for cushion. I plucked Pam, Sprig’s stuffed
goat/friend, from my bag and laid her next to him. He’d wake up
later for dinner, then dessert, then a late snack before actually
going down for the night. Seriously, I was caring for an infant...
or a hobbit. Could be either.

With a mango chip between my lips, I settled on the
bed with Daniel’s
Art of War
book and the video camera. It
was going to be difficult to watch again, but I needed to know
every single detail Daniel laid out for me. It would help me with
the DMG since they now possessed the actual files. But, honestly, I
was watching it for me. To see Daniel again, to feel the comfort he
always provided me. I also wanted to see if he left me any more
clues in the book. Starting off easy, I opened it. I needed to
build up before seeing Daniel. Scouring each page, I searched for
any code I hadn’t seen before, but nothing new emerged on the
pages. On my third time through, I realized I was avoiding watching
the video.

“Come on, Zoey. It’s not going to get any easier,” I
muttered, drawing my knees to my chest and grabbing the video
camera. My finger hovered over the play button about to push
down.

Bam!

A loud crack hit the door, causing me to jump. The
fear was immediate and tapped straight into my adrenaline.
Did
DMG find us? Did Garrett?

Thump.

Another crash banged at the door. I leaped off the
bed, my gaze searching for a knife or weapon. Dammit. Ryker had
them all. Trained to work in unforeseen conditions, I assessed the
room quickly. My heart thumped as the handle of the door twisted.
It was locked, but if someone wanted in, they would find a way.

My eyes landed on my choice of weapon. I ripped the
cord from the wall, plucking off the lampshade. It was heavy and
made of a cheap metal. It wasn’t the best, but it would have to
do.

Thud.

I tiptoed toward the door, the lamp in one hand.
Rising up on my toes, I peered through the peephole. An eyeball
stared back into mine. A garbled cry broke from my mouth, and I
scrambled away from the door, tripping over myself.

“Leeett mee inn,” a voice slurred out. “Soey... lettt
mmmee inn.” A knock rattled the door, then the sound of fabric
sliding against the wood frame.

“Ryker?” I inched back toward the door.

“Swoey?” A childlike chuckle followed my distorted
name.

My hand went to my chest, feeling the panic ebb from
my muscles. “Fuck, Ryker.” I plopped the lamp on the table and went
over and unlocked the door. “You scared me.”

As the door swung open, half of Ryker’s body fell
into the room. He lay on the floor, giggling. I gaped at him.
Normally, I would never put giggling and Ryker in the same
sentence.

“Wow. You are drunk.”

A huge smile engulfed his face, making him appear
younger. “I. Am.”

I couldn’t stop the amused smile tugging at my own
lips. Red nosed and cheeked, chuckling like a schoolboy, he was
adorable. And he made it impossible to be mad at him. I wanted to
crawl on him and curl up on his chest like a kitten.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed.” I squatted, grabbing
his arms.

“Will you be there?” he slurred.

“Since it’s where I sleep, I’m going to go with
yes.”

“Then we should have sex,” Ryker mumbled as I helped
him sit up.

“What?”

He blinked. “What?”

“What did you say?”

“Huh?” His attention already on something else. I
sighed and pulled on his arms, trying to get him to his feet.

“Come on.” I draped his arm over my shoulder.

He stopped and turned to me, grabbing my arms. “I was
mad, b-but you were right.” He licked his lips, focusing on staying
vertical. “I tell you something...” He stumbled over to the table,
holding himself up.

“What?” I encouraged.

“It hit me...” But his attention fluttered away, his
thought drifting off.

“What?” I was going to strangle him.

“I need sleep.” Ryker moved past me and crashed onto
the bed fully clothed. It was only a moment before his snores
matched Sprig’s.

Awesome.

His face turned toward me, his cheeks ruddy with
drink. His large muscular arms grabbed for a pillow, tucking it
under his head. The fabric strained against the bulging masses. His
tall body stretched on the comforter, his feet slightly hanging
over the end of the bed. His pert ass, which taunted me from day
one, curved so shapely under his pants it was hard not to pet
it.

Damn you, Wanderer, and your perky behind.

Shaking my head, I walked to the end of the bed,
unlacing his boots. After several times trying to remove them, I
finally straddled his leg and yanked. The first boot slipped off,
and I braced for the smell of stinky feet, but only a sweet, woodsy
smell wafted up my nose.

“Seriously?” I stuck the boot to my face. “You fae
don’t even have the decency to have smelly feet? Come on, there’s
got to be something wrong with you.” This was bordering on insult.
I knew after a month of running, sweating, and continual wear, my
boots reeked. But not Ryker; his smelled like Keebler cookies.

I stepped over his other leg. This boot took more
effort, but finally it began to slide off. My finger fumbled with
the weight of the shoe, and it fell to the floor. A muted thud
reverberated off the rug. The boot was a lot heavier than the
other.

“What the hell?” I bent, my knees hitting the small
rug. I picked up the boot, feeling its mass.

The boot looked like an ordinary biker boot, but
something niggled at my intuition, suggesting there might be more
to this shoe. I pressed at the sides and yanked on the heel, but
nothing gave. The heel was usually where spies kept things. My
nails crawled at the edge of the heel padding inside. It lifted up
like it had done it many times.

I glanced over my shoulder at the man on the bed.
Confirming he was asleep, I continued with my task. My heart
accelerated, sensing I was going to find something under the
insole. The liner peeled away.

“Oh hell.”

Inside the cavern of the heel, I found a smooth
stone, the size of a toddler’s fist. It appeared unassuming, like
an ordinary rock you’d collect on a beach in the northwest.

I knew better. The night Ryker told me about it came
flooding back.

“
Have you ever heard of the Stone of Destiny? In
fae mythology there are four magical artifacts:
a sword,
spear, cauldron, and the stone. Lia Fáil, Stone of Destiny.
Most think they are merely legends because no one has seen any
of these objects for centuries. Legends stem from truth. These
items are so powerful, they can destroy the world if put in the
wrong hands.”

The Stone of Destiny. This was the most powerful
chunk of rock in the Otherworld.

And the fucker had it with him the whole time.

Ryker stirred, hitching up one of his legs. My focus
was glued to him with painful anxiety until I saw his breath even
out in a measured cadence. I exhaled and turned back to the boot.
Tipping it, the stone rolled out into my palm.

The moment it touched my skin, energy slammed into
me, throwing me back onto the wooden floor. Images of fae kings and
gods winning every battle and ruling vast lands passed through my
mind. Then the stone was lost and found its way into the human
world. Here men and women came into contact with it, changing their
destinies by receiving their every whim and desire. Happiness,
success, dreams were granted. Generations and generations of the
stone’s life passed through my head like flashes of light. The
power of the stone pulsed and throbbed in my hand, telling me it
could give me everything I’d ever wanted. The potential appeared
unfathomable.

“Like what?” a curious voice asked. It was my voice,
from deep inside. In my vision I saw myself freeing all the test
subjects in DMG before it blew up. Behind me cops were arresting
Dr. Rapava.

“You can stop it, Zoey. Honor Daniel’s
dying
wish,” the stone spoke, deep and smooth, every word soaked with
ancient knowledge. “I can take all your pain away. No one will ever
be able to hurt you again. I can help you show them the errors of
their ways.”

Another image flashed in my head: The feel of a cold
steel weapon weighing heavy in my hand. On his knees before me was
the man who raped me. His face contorted in terror as tears spilled
down his face. “Please, no,” he cried. Vehemence, rage, and disgust
shook my body seeing his face, those hands and lips that had
touched my skin many nights. But this time I was in control. He was
at my mercy now. I had shot him before, but only in the leg. This
time it was straight in the heart.

“I am sorry. Please forgive me,” he begged, holding
his arms by his ears in surrender.

“Fuck you.” My finger pulled back and the gun
boomed.

The moment the bullet left the weapon, the scene
around me vanished. The man who had hurt me for so long evaporated
into nothing.

“We can help others. Together.” A picture of me
opening the doors to a research hospital for kids born with
disabilities. A different flash showed orphaned kids running to me
at a center where they could find safety, acceptance, and love.

“And you will never experience hunger or loneliness
again.”

More visions of me, wealthy, in my backyard, with a
large pool and patio. Me, draped in a long black silky
off-the-shoulder wrap, with huge Armani sunglasses. A group of
friends surrounding me at a table, food and cocktails lavishly
adorning the tabletop in fancy china bowls. Kids running all over
in the background, splashing in the pool—mine. Ones I’ve
adopted.

“
Zoey, where are the buns? Your father is about to
barbeque the hamburgers.”
A beautiful older woman resembling me
stood on the steps, her hand shading her eyes. A large breathtaking
colonial-style ranch house stretched behind her. A handsome
gray-haired man joined her on the step, holding a tray of burgers.
His green eyes, the exact same as mine, twinkle in the daylight. My
parents.

Arms came around my waist. “Hey.” Daniel’s voice
emerged from behind me. His lips skated over my shoulder. “Missed
you.”

“Zoey, watch this.” Lexie waved at me from the diving
board, her long, lean legs strong and defined, as she did a
cannonball into the pool.

My heart exploded with happiness. Yes. This is what I
want. What I’ve dreamed for years. She was the reason I made it out
of my teens and got into college. Without Lexie I probably would
have dissolved into the street life, quit school, and got money by
stealing and street fighting till I was caught. I wanted more for
her than the life we had lived. To get out of the mobile home park
and far away from Joanna.

I looked over my shoulder at the man I loved.
Daniel’s image wavered. “Every day your feelings grow more
uncertain. Your heart is divided. Perhaps this is what you truly
want.” The stone’s alluring words spoke into my head. Daniel faded
out, and the man behind me turned into Ryker. His white eyes
flashed as he grinned mischievously at me. He kissed the curve of
my neck. “I can see your true most desires... even if you don’t
want to see them,” the stone spoke again.