“Exactly!”
“Think back. I know there were a lot of people, but do you remember anyone getting exceptionally close?”
“I don’t know, Ryker.” A sudden burst of irritation lashed up my body, streaming out of my mouth. “We were in a market full of people. I got close to a lot!”
His lids narrowed, his jaw clenched. He sucked in through his nose, keeping his expression guarded.
“Sorry,” I huffed, pinching my eyebrows together. “I’m just tired.” It was true, but we both knew it wasn’t what had me lashing out.
Tension took hold of the room, lasting what felt like forever, my gaze on the floor, before Ryker spoke evenly. “I meant anyone bumping or knocking into you.”
My head lifted, my eyes widening with a sudden memory.
“Yes.” I nodded. “At the same time I saw Arlo. This man knocked into me hard enough that he had to grab on to me so I wouldn’t fall over. He must have put it in then.” Another realization hit me. “Man, I had been so focused on Arlo, it didn’t even register then. I’m so used to seeing it with you guys.”
“What?”
“He was fae. It was sunny out, but he had a glow.”
“What did he look like?”
“He had on a hat and kept his chin dipped so I didn’t see his face. He was tall, built, but I don’t remember much else. Nothing useful.” I paced the room. “When he said sorry, I heard a slight accent.”
“What kind?” Ryker sat on the corner of the bed, the note still between his fingers.
I squeezed my lids closed, replaying the moment, trying to hear his voice in my head. “English. Scottish…maybe Irish.”
“Yeah, that narrows it down. Pretty much covers most fae.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m pretty certain I didn’t know him. His aura was new to me.”
Auras were as different as human fingerprints, everyone giving off their own. The more magic you possessed, the brighter it was. When I first met Ryker, his almost blinded me. Now, because of the magic that had chosen me, I could look at it more clearly.
“You want to check it out, don’t you?”
“There’s something telling me to go.” I nibbled my fingernail. “I can’t explain it, but yes, I want to check it out.”
“Even if it might be a trap?”
I padded over to him, not responding. He knew me better than that.
He rolled forward till the top of his head pressed into my stomach. “You can’t stay out of trouble for a moment, can you?”
“I’ll let you have tonight off.” I laced my fingers through his silky hair.
“Gee. Thanks.” He turned his gaze up to me.
I placed my hands on the sides of his face, running my fingers over his brows and temples. “Thank you.”
He huffed, wrapping his arms around my hips, pulling me into a hug.
“Flamingo tulips, don’t insult me, beaver. My wood is perfectly good,” Sprig muttered in his sleep, rolling over. “The woodpeckers are quite fond of it.”
I chuckled, letting my forehead fall to the top of Ryker’s head. “Oh, please say he is gambling in his sleep again.”
Ryker grabbed my thighs, pitching me onto the bed. My back bounced against the mattress as he crawled up, leaning over me. “The amount of dirty puns I could make off that. Too easy.” He kissed me.
“Easy? My monkey is trading his pecker wood to a bunch of beavers,” I said evenly. “I don’t see where you’d get any dirty puns from that. Sounds perfectly normal to me.”
“That is normal for us.”
“Sadly, so true.” I inched up, meeting my mouth with his. “We still have at least three minutes left.”
“What I want to do will take way more than that.”
“I’m still feeling a little dizzy and shaky. I might need a shower monitor, to supervise.”
“I take my duty very seriously.” He nipped my lip. “Oversee, inspect, and examine.”
We were teasing and laughing, but my thoughts never ran far from Lexie, Annabeth, and Croygen. So much had happened in the last day, I needed to find the humor, to relish this time with Ryker. Because if I didn’t, I would fall apart.
The hurt and darkness I carried was as molten as lava and as liable to explode, burning my heart and soul beyond repair.
SIXTEEN
“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” I looked around the deserted section near the water. Boats bobbed and weaved against the wind that brought in the storm. Yesterday’s sun was now eclipsed by dark clouds and torrential downpours.
Amara didn’t appear to be overly thrilled when Ryker and I took off, giving her few details about where we were going. She whined about being left behind, but Sprig moaned even louder when he found out he was being left with her. I assured Sprig I would bring him back a treat if I could.
Rain flowed heavily off the roof. Not one person stirred around the area, and there was no indication of a pub here at all.
“Yes,” Ryker replied. Only a hint of his face peeked out from his hood. “Heard a lot of stories about this place.”
“What place?”
“Headless Queen.” He nodded toward stairs leading below. “A pub.”
“Headless Queen?”
“Not too subtle coming from dark fae, huh?” he replied. “Haven’t been there.”
“Really?”
“It’s full of thieves, murderers, and scoundrels.” He turned to me with a hint of a smile on his face.
“Sounds like your type of place.”
“No, sounds like yours.” He bumped me playfully before returning his focus to the dilapidated building. “I’m better skilled than any of those in there. Wouldn’t benefit me. Actually, I would be a target.”
“You? A target?” My eyebrows lifted. “Sorry, I can’t picture it.”
“Lace my drink with a little goblin metal. Kidnap me and force me to work for them.” A nerve in his neck twitched.
“I’m thinking this is not hypothetical.”
“There is no honor among thieves. Believe me.” He took a step forward, glancing back at me. His gaze was serious, his eyes roaming over my body.
In an instant lust bloomed through me. Ryker could tap into my emotions, altering them with just a look. He was another thing I was addicted to.
Sex had been a no-go the night before. My headache and tremors had grown so bad, all I could do to ease the pain was sleep. Also spending the night in the room with the woman who used to sleep with your man made for awkward bedfellows. Being kind to Amara, we took our showers separately and as soon as my throbbing head hit the pillow, I was out for the rest of the night.
However, waking up with his muscular build touching me… To say I struggled was not a strong enough word.
Today I felt a little better, but still off. Fidgety and irritated. Looking to release my edgy mood, my hormones were working overtime. Ryker seemed to be the only thing able to reduce my agitation.
He turned to stand in front of me, grabbing the edges of my jacket.
“This is completely a dark fae pub. Keep the hood on and try to blend in with the scenery. You being a beautiful, young girl are just asking for trouble.” He grabbed my hood, pulling it forward. “This is not a place where you fool around. I don’t want to spend the whole time defending your honor.”
I nodded. I had been raised on the streets so I understood better than he thought. There were times you just needed to be smart, stay quiet, and not attract attention. My small frame and heart-shaped face had always caused people to challenge me, thinking I was a sweet, fragile girl, an easy victim. I was all for being a strong woman, but sometimes it was better to let the huge Viking fae take the lead.
“I would prefer you not even be here, but I know there is no way you wouldn’t come or that this person would talk to me without you.” His fingers drifted to the zipper of my jacket, tugging it up. “Plus, I know you can take care of yourself.” His voice went softer, and I stared into his eyes.
&n
bsp; Ryker’s fingers slid under my jaw, tipping my head back. He closed the gap between our bodies, pressing against me. He leaned his forehead against mine, his lips grazing my own.
My lungs decided to stop working as his breath traced over my lips and down my neck like fingers. I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead he spoke. “Stay close to me. If I feel anything is off or wrong, we are out. No questions asked. Okay?”
I tilted my head, inching us even closer. “Yes, but the same goes for you. My seer senses are good detectors too. I don’t want to have to defend your honor the entire time either.”
I felt his mouth twitch with a smile. “I don’t know. I find it hot when you protect me.”
“Well, then maybe I’ll pick a fight.” I brushed my lips against his.
His throat tightened, and he struggled to swallow. “Dammit, human,” he mumbled before stepping back and taking a deep breath. “I am really wishing we didn’t have to meet up with this contact, and I could just take you to the alley right now.”
“Oh, now an alley is all right?” I said, recalling the night we first were together.
He gave me a look. “Then I didn’t know... now I do. No place is safe anymore.”
“Let’s get this over with, then we can talk about the alley,” I said as I passed him, keeping my voice nonchalant. I heard a slight moan behind me before his footsteps joined mine on the pavement.
“Stay behind me.” He quickly lapped up my lead, surpassing me. “Let’s try to get in and out without any life-and-death incidents.”
“You’re talking to me.”
“Exactly.” He sighed, beating down the steps to the tavern.
The smell of dank wood, stale beer, and smoke from a chimney climbed into my nose. The stairs creaked underneath us. The entrance was unmarked and just slightly off kilter, adding to the feeling this building was extremely old.
Ryker opened the door, ducking to step in, his shoulders barely fitting through the lopsided doorway. Like a shadow, I followed close behind him, dwarfed by his huge frame.
As my eyes adjusted to the dark room, I saw it wasn’t a large space. A fire blazed in an old stone fireplace on the wall opposite the door. The bar stood on our left, filling most of the wall. To my right were at least twenty small, round tables with chairs, and against the far right built-in seats with a line of rectangle wood tables butted against each other. Either Scottish or Celtic music filled the room loud enough to drown conversations to a general murmur. It looked exactly what I pictured as an old pirate-type tavern.
In the early rainy evening, the bar was busy enough so our arrival didn’t attract too much focus. Only a few heads turned our way, assessing us. Wary eyes watched Ryker. He wore jeans, a hoodie, black leather jacket, and biker boots. Nothing which stood out here, but his size alone made people nervous. His magic was still being blocked, but you could not deny the power in his stance, which was intimidating as hell. I would know.
“Do you see him?” Ryker muttered to me.
“No.” I checked for any familiar auras. The glow of fae encompassed the room. Shifters, trolls, and dark Otherworlders occupied the seats. This place was obscure and secretive, far too dangerous for even a partial human to come. Good thing I wasn’t one anymore.
“Can I help you?” The bartender’s unfriendly tone spun my head back to the counter.
I tried to hold in a gasp. The fae did not need to hide his true form here. He stood shorter than Ryker, but muscular enough to be menacing. I guessed him to be in his thirties, although with fae you never knew their true age. He wore a tight black T-shirt and jeans. From a distance it looked like his shoulder-length hair was gelled into a bunch of spikes around his head, but where I stood I knew they were black twisted bones protruding out of his scalp. His squashed nose had a bull ring through it, and he was covered in tattoos.
I shivered at the sight of him up close.
“Just a drink,” Ryker replied, keeping his tone hard.
The bartender crossed his arms, looking us both up and down, like he was considering if we were trouble. Finally he flicked his head toward the room. “Take a seat. What’d you want?”
“Two scotch whiskies.” Ryker headed for the back of the room, snaking between the tables. Sconces hanging on the wall gave off a dull light, but most of it came from the huge crackling fire. Ryker sat us in the farthest, darkest corner, where we blended into the shadows. I slid into the booth against the wall, and he sat down next to me. I hated being pinned in the corner, but it was better to be able to see the room and know what threat was coming.
Every head turned to me. “I feel like I’m wearing Christmas lights,” I said quietly.
“Just keep your head lowered.” Both of us kept our hoods up. After a few moments the stares moved off me.
An Amazon-sized woman came up to the table, a tray of drinks in her hand. She stood over seven feet tall and had the shoulders of a linebacker. Her long blonde hair coiled into a beautiful braid and hung past her ass. She had a pretty face, but her blue eyes held a “don’t mess with me” expression. She banged the glasses on the table, splashing out a tiny bit of liquid. She huffed, looking Ryker up and down, then turned around and stomped away.
“Something tells me she doesn’t have problems with men taking advantage of her.” I wiped rainwater off my face.
Ryker snorted. “It’s the other way around with her kind.”
“She’s an Amazon, huh?”
“A descendant. A true Amazon was a lot taller and tougher. They originated in Greece. But let me tell you, the present Amazons take after their ancestors. They decide who they want and take him. He doesn’t get a choice.”
My head jerked to him. “Don’t tell me some Amazon woman did that to you?” My teeth locked together.
He chuckled, twisting his neck to look down at me. “Why? Jealous?”
My instinct was to fight this Amazon bitch, but at the smug look on Ryker’s face, I picked up my drink and smiled. “No, I hoped I could volunteer you again. Get you off my hands.”
A ghost of a smile played on his mouth. He picked up his glass, knocking it against mine. “Well, here’s to getting me off…your hands.”
I smirked before slamming back a sip of whiskey. The liquid burned down my throat, warming my chest.
A figure nearing our table caught my attention. He was dressed in dark pants and a long, dark, woolen cloak, his face hidden under a hood. Though he could have stepped out of the past, he also fit strangely in with the present. He grabbed the back of the chair across from us and slipped into the seat.
Ryker went rigid. He set his glass calmly back on the table, acting like we knew the stranger. His body vibrated next to mine with tension.
“Were you followed?” The man’s voice was gravely.
“No,” Ryker replied. “We made sure.”
The man’s head lifted and by the light of the fire I could make out his features. He was a lot younger than his voice portrayed, appearing to be in the mid-thirties. He had a strong rectangular jaw and face. Dark brown eyes stared at me from under his hood. I couldn’t see his hair, but if I were to guess by his scruff, it was a reddish-blond color.
“Who are you?” I stared back, not lowering my gaze from the intensity of his.
“Dunn.” He leaned his elbows on the table, keeping his voice low. “But I don’t think that is what you meant, did you, Zoey?”
It was my turn to stiffen. “How do you know me? Why did you want to meet?”
“I know all about you.”
Ryker shifted next to me, but he kept his mouth shut.
Dunn gave a quick glance around then came back to me. “Kate asked me to.”
My mouth parted. My seer sense had seldom been wrong, and it told me now he was dark fae. How would he know Kate? DMG and fae, light or dark, were not on friendly terms by any means. Even if she was sensitive to fae, I still couldn’t see her befriending one.
“Kate?” I repeated. “How do you know Kate?”
<
br /> His gaze drifted to the side. “Our relationship goes back over thirty-five years.”
“What?” Shock at his claim caused my words to fumble out of my mouth. “Thirty-five years? How long had Kate secretly fought for fae? How did she come to work at DMG? Why did she start to work for DMG if she was for fae in the beginning?” I didn’t realize all these questions came storming out in a jumble until Ryker placed his hand on my leg, quieting me.
Dunn grimaced. “She told me you were inquisitive and wouldn’t relent unless I told you everything.”
Ryker chuckled, and I shot him a glare.
“I don’t know you. I do not feel comfortable telling you anything.” Dunn adjusted his shoulders. “But Kate insisted you were someone to trust and that I tell you her story.” He took in a steady breath. “Kate and I met when she was twenty. She had just finished school and was going for her PhD in science and genetics. I can’t tell you what drew me to her. She was human. I tried to stay away from them. But her energy stood out bright like a beacon. I found myself following her wherever she was. Like a thorn in my side, I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her.”
“Humans can be irritating like that.” Ryker squeezed my leg. Dunn and Ryker exchanged a look of understanding.
“Our relationship was intense, and I loved that woman something fierce.” Dunn sat back in his chair. “But I knew it couldn’t last; I was fae, she was human. But every day that I convinced myself today would be the day I’d break it off, I would find a reason not to. By this time she had earned her PhD and started searching for a job. When she told me she was moving to Chicago, I decided it was the perfect time to end things.” Dunn swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Then she turned my world upside down…”
I leaned closer, adsorbed in his story. This all sounded so unbelievable to me.
“She told me she was pregnant.” He huffed out a long breath.
My jaw went slack again, my eyes widening. I knew Kate had a daughter, Elsbeth, who now had a daughter, Kiera.
“Are you telling me…?”
“Elsbeth is my daughter?” He sat up. “Yes.”
“But that would make her…”
From Burning Ashes (Collector Series #4) Page 19