The Barrier Between (Collector Series # 2) (6 page)

No. I love Daniel.

Ryker’s image dissolved back into Daniel.

“I love you,” Daniel mumbled into my ear.

“Good thing.” My hands go to my belly, feeling the
small bump.
Our
baby. When I look back, Daniel’s eyes are
white. A few scars run through his eyebrows.

“Don’t tell me this is not what you always dreamed
of, Zoey,” the stone whispered.

Family, love, security, and a home—this is everything
I’ve always wanted but never had. The stone tapped those secret
desires. Dreams I’d never told anyone.

“And it is only the beginning. You can have so much
more, Zoey. All you have to say is yes,” the stone murmured,
enticing me to see and want more. “Say yes.”

“Ye—”

“Zoey!” My name sounded from far away. I looked
around for the owner of the voice. “Zoey, let go!”

“No, Zoey. All you have to do is say you want this
and all your pain and loss will be forgotten. You can have them
back. Your sister. Daniel,” the stone cajoled. “Say it. Yes.”

“Y—”

A sharp sting sliced across my face, snapping me out
of the dream.

The stone didn’t say anything, but I could feel it
trying to hold me there, flashing more images of Lexie, of parents
I never had. Of Daniel and me making love before the figure above
me shifted to Ryker. Rocking deep into me, producing a moan to
burst from my mouth. Intense desire gripping me, making me
tremble.

“Zoey, wake up.” My body shook, breaking me of the
stone’s hold. “Open your hand.”

My lids fluttered open. Ryker stood over me. His
hands clasped my arms, shaking me.

“Drop it,” he demanded. His face contorted with
wrath.

It took all my strength to uncurl my hand. Finally,
the stone slipped from my grip and landed on the rug.

Air shot back into my chest, and I bolted into a
sitting position with the need to fill my lungs. Ryker bent down,
his arm sliding around my back and helping me stay upright.

“You all right?”

“Holy shit,” I mumbled, glancing at the
innocent-looking stone on the floor.

Ryker’s brows furrowed, and the crease between his
eyes deepened. He sat back on his butt, rubbing his forehead. “What
were you doing, Zoey?”

“I was being nice and pulling off your boots so you
could sleep.”

His frown inched down farther.

“Soooo.” I pulled my knees to me. “That’s the Stone
of Destiny.”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve had it this whole time?”

He nodded. “Though I lead people to believe I hid it;
I didn’t trust it wouldn’t be discovered by some spell or
something. At least if I have it, I can protect it.”

“Is that what it does? Show people their deepest
desires?”

“The stone is alive and extremely smart. It is quick
to figure out what makes you tick, finds your weakness, and
controls you that way. It is exceptionally powerful and can give
you what you want, but it comes at a cost. Eventually, the stone
will overpower you and drain you into a shell, before it moves on
to someone else and consumes their life essence.” He scowled at the
rock. “It’s hard to resist. Most can’t fight it, and once you
accept its offer, there’s no way out. It binds you.”

“What?” I cried out. “I was a breath away from saying
yes to it.”

Ryker leaned back on his arms. “What did it show
you?”

The vision of his chin on my shoulder, him kissing my
neck, flashed back. His form over me, our bodies intertwined,
rocking with passion.

The blush to my cheeks was automatic, and I glanced
down into my lap. “I can’t tell you.”

“You can see why it is so dangerous... if it falls
into the wrong hands.”

“You lied to me,” I said quietly, looking at him. “It
was never about the right price or money. You were never going to
sell it. You are protecting it from others.”

Ryker turned away, licking his bottom lip.

“You’re a good guy,” I said.

Ryker smirked, his eyes serious as they found mine.
“Don’t tell anyone.”

We matched each other’s smile, our eyes locking. I
dropped my gaze and focused on my feet. We were quiet for a few
moments.

“Now you know my secret. The one thing Vadik will
torture and kill you for.”

I set my chin on my knees. “He’ll have to get in
line.”

Ryker snorted, his fingers playing with the fringe on
the rug.

“I’m sorry. Curiosity killed the cat and all that,” I
uttered, shifting uncomfortably. “But thank you for saving me. You
were out cold. I’m surprised you even got to me in time.”

“Thank my bladder.”

I motioned to his lower stomach area. “Thank
you.”

Ryker climbed back on his feet, holding out his hand
he helped me up. He stepped back and peeled off his T-shirt.

Uh.
My eyes didn’t know where to look. In the
dream I could feel everything like it was really happening. The
feel of his hands, of him inside me, seared my skin and mind.

He leaned down and wrapped the stone with the fabric
and dropped it back in his boot.

“It doesn’t affect you having it close all the time?”
I questioned.

“No. It’s when you touch it, then it will stick its
claws in you and pull you in.” He tucked the insole of his boot
back in tightly. “If there is ever a reason you have to retrieve it
again, make sure you have gloves or some kind of barrier. If it
even gets a wisp of bare skin, it will take hold of you.”

I nodded.

He lined his boots up and pushed them under the bed,
then stretched to his full height.

“It feels strange knowing it’s there. Like it is
goading me to touch it again. What if I can’t resist it?” The
thought made me nervous.

“It feels like you won’t be able to withstand it now
because it still has a piece of you. The stone has gotten into your
psyche, but after a while it will lessen.”

“Speaking from experience?” I turned my head to look
at him.

“Yeah.” He scratched his chin. “You’re the only one
who knows its location. I can’t express enough the need to keep
this secret.”

“Amara doesn’t know?”

Ryker shook his head. “No. I told her I buried it
deep in the wilderness of Mongolia near the China border.”

He didn’t have much of a choice in telling me, but I
felt honored. Even Amara didn’t get the truth. My gaze caught his.
“I promise your secret is safe with me. You can trust me.”

“I do,” he said quietly before he strolled around me
and disappeared into the bathroom.

“What is wrong with you?” Ryker folded his arms,
leaning back in the diner chair, staring at me critically.

It’s funny... after your brain has images of you
having sex with someone, real or not, you can’t help but look at
them different. The entire morning I could not look Ryker in the
eye. It pissed me off because we were hardly friends, yet this
nervousness stirred me, making it hard for me to sit still—like I
had restless ass syndrome. Yes, recently there had been a few
strange moments between us, but after they passed we both pretended
they never happened. I liked it that way. Now I felt like I was
sliding down a steep mountain not able to stop the momentum.

What bothered me most was how all this reminded me of
when I first starting falling for Daniel. The giddy torture of my
chest clenching and stomach twisting into knots when I saw him. To
feel it again, so soon after Daniel’s death, made me disgusted with
myself and angry at Ryker. It felt like a betrayal to Daniel,
especially because Ryker was fae. He and Sprig were shifting my
feelings on fae, but it didn’t mean my emotions would change
overnight.

The images relentlessly played in my mind when he
brushed by me this morning getting dressed, sending a flutter of
drunken bats through my stomach. Now the sensations wouldn’t go
away. His naked body on top of mine, feeling his hand slither up my
thigh, his lips consuming mine.

“Nothing.” I shifted in my chair, staring at the menu
in my hand. We had stopped for breakfast at a café called Izel’s so
Sprig didn’t turn into a cannibal and start eating his own arm.

“That. One,” a voice whispered from the bag on my
lap, before a long finger came up, tapping on the laminated
menu.

“Yes. I got it the first ten times you told me.”

His finger kept poking at the picture of the crepes
drizzled with honey and butter. I knew what I was going to order
the first minute we sat down and I spotted the word honey, but the
menu was a great distraction.

Ryker’s stare still burned into me from across the
table. I sighed and set down my menu. “What?”

Ryker sat forward, his elbows on the table. “You’re
being weird today.”

“Weird?” I laughed. “I am a lab experiment. This
might be my normal.”

“You know what I mean.”

I tilted forward, mimicking his posture, placing my
elbows on the table. “My weirdness also could be contributed to
being taken hostage by a rock last night.”

His lids narrowed. “And whose fault was that?”

Mine.
“Carrying one of the most powerful
objects in the Otherworld in your boot is
such
a great
plan.”

“It was until you found it.”

“
Bhean?
”

“It’s stupid.”

“Are you really in a place to judge me?” Ryker leaned
farther toward me.

“The only thing I was stupid enough to do was get
caught by you,” I seethed, irrational anger squeezing my shoulders
to my ears.

A nerve jumped along Ryker’s jaw. It was his telltale
sign he was angry.

Rage boiled between us.

“
Bhean
,” Sprig said a little louder.

“What?” I growled at my bag.

Sprig kept his eyes on me as he tapped the menu.

“I. Get. It. Sprig! You want the
fucking
pancakes,” I yelled. Silence filled the café, eyes turned to
me.

Ryker jumped out of his chair, grabbed me by the arm,
and wrenched me to my feet. “I think we need a little time-out,” he
grumbled and hustled me out the door.

When we stepped outside, I yanked my arm from his
hand.

“Fuck, Zoey. You want to completely expose us?” Ryker
threw out his arms, stepping into my personal space.

“They’ll merely think I’m some crazy kook, talking to
my bag. Really not far from the truth.” I pressed forward, his face
only an inch away from mine. His nostrils flared, neither one of us
willing to back down. We stood there, panting with heavy
emotion.

His gaze dropped, landing on my mouth. Then he
shifted back on his heels, licking his lips, and turned away from
me. “Let’s start toward the Mandor Waterfalls and work back. There
are a lot of fae in the area who might help us find the shaman,
Dark and Light. But they will not be easy to find.” He cleared his
throat. “We need to be on alert. Most won’t come out, and if they
do, they probably won’t be nice.”

Ryker turned and stalked off. My feet clung to the
ground, not moving.

“I don’t get my pancakes this morning, huh?” Sprig
stuck his head out of my bag, a huge sigh lowering his
shoulders.

I rubbed the top of his head. “Sorry. I’ll get you
some churros on the way.”

He exhaled dramatically again. “Okay, but they aren’t
the same as honey pancakes.”

“I know, buddy.” I scratched behind his ear. “And I’m
sorry for yelling at you.”

Huge dark eyes turned to me, his hand patting mine.
“I understand. You’re sexually frustrated.”

I choked. “What?”

“Do you still have those condoms I gave you?”

“Sprig!”

“I’m a sprite. We sense these things.” He shook his
finger at me. “It’s either you two need to have sex or you’re
hungry. Lack of food makes me grumpy too... speaking of...”

“Yes, I will get you food.” I increased my pace,
heading after Ryker. Embarrassment at the truth of his words
flushed my entire body.

Please let it be hunger... please.

H