The Barrier Between (Collector Series # 2)

by Stacey Marie Brown

  A loud snarl came from Ryker. His neck muscles vibrated with tension. “If you want me to do anything, you will let her go.” Vadik stepped away from me, a gratified smirk on his mouth. “Like you said, she is human and has nothing you need. Let her go first, and then we can talk.”

  What the hell was he thinking? Once again, Ryker was putting up the stone for me?

  Vadik arched his frame toward Ryker. “I knew I picked the wrong girl. Who would have ever thought a human girl would captivate you so much?” The way Vadik’s top lip curved over his white teeth was more threatening than the knife in my throat. “I guess I should not be surprised with your upbringing you would have a weakness for humans.”

  “This is between us. She has nothing to do with this.”

  Vadik sauntered over to Ryker’s kneeling form. “The human might have no value to me, but she stays where she is.”

  No value? Ouch.

  “Then you will never get the stone.” Spit flew out of Ryker’s mouth.

  Vadik nodded at Garrett. His hand crushed down on my throat, the knife nicking at my vocals, forcing a gasp out of me. Ryker lunged forward, bellowing with anger. The men around him sliced their knives into his arms and neck in shallow cuts. Veins in Ryker’s neck pushed against the skin. His lids inched down as his system took in more poison.

  “No. Stop.” I shook my head, requesting him to end his struggle. If either one of us were doused with any more, we would be useless. I knew from my years of being a Collector how much goblin metal a fae could handle before going into a coma-like state. Ryker’s neck, shoulders, and arms were already dripping with blood from the blade wounds. I would be affected even faster.

  Our fight was over. We lost.

  We stared across the dark space at each other, the wind howling around us. Defeat shown in our eyes as we stared at each other. For one moment it was simply him and me. It was then I realized I did love him—hopelessly.

  For so long, I didn’t want to, thinking I was betraying Daniel. He was gone, and I knew Daniel would want me happy. No matter who it was. Fae or human.

  My love for Daniel was the past. Ryker was who I wanted in my future, except we would probably never have one.

  “I respect your tenacity. But I told you, I get what I want in the end.” Vadik studied Ryker with an intent interest. “And whatever leverage I have to use, I will.” He clicked his tongue. “Believe me, you will wish I simply killed your human right here. She will too. Because there are far bigger plans destined for her.”

  Bigger plans?

  “What are you talking about?” Ryker’s eyes flashed with fury.

  Vadik smiled and flicked his arm, motioning to Garrett once again. Cadoc and the other fae holding me up pushed into me, seizing me tighter so I couldn’t even wiggle.

  “This is the part I’ve been waiting for all day. The irony shouldn’t be lost on you,” Garrett whispered into my ear. Ryker thrashed against his captives’ holds as he watched Garrett move something toward me.

  A cloth came over my face. A slightly sweet but sharp smell clogged my nose.

  Chloroform.

  Hell.

  The exact compound we used on fae when we collected them for DMG.

  I twisted my head, but Garrett smashed the fabric into my face, covering my nose and mouth. The substance trickled down my throat as I gasped for air.

  I wiggled free of Garrett’s hand, my blurring vision finding Ryker. “Promise me.” The drug already slurred my words.

  Ryker’s eyes widened, understanding my meaning. “No.”

  “Promise me.”

  “Promise her what?” Vadik glanced between us.

  Ryker and I ignored him. Our eyes fastened on each other. Finally he nodded, keeping his expression guarded. “I promise.”

  His words hit me like a weight, crushing me.

  “Shut up.” Garrett’s rag found my mouth again, the chemical scratching my throat and watering my eyes as it moved down into my lungs.

  My neck fell to the side, no longer able to hold my head up. Muscles bent under the influence of the drug. My eyes rolled past the men standing to my one side, landing on a murky alley behind them. Two dark eyes sparkled through the blackness, spearing me. I blinked, trying to stay focused on the shape. I was the only one who noticed him. Lightness captured my mind, making it harder to know what was real and what wasn’t. The figure took a step, his sharp features and almond-shaped eyes becoming clearer through the shadows.

  Croygen.

  Our eyes latched on to each other before he gave me a slight nod and drifted farther into the shadows, vanishing from sight and becoming a part of his surroundings.

  Croygen. My mouth tried to call for him, but nothing came out.

  Of course he would leave us. He was a pirate. Only out for himself.

  Yo-ho...

  Darkness seeped into my sight, my body no longer able to fight, the tune humming in my mind drifted me toward my own Neverland.

  “Zoey!” Ryker cried out for me, sounding far away, almost like I was being called from a different time and space.

  I tried to turn my head, to look over at him, but each eyelash weighted my lids down. My legs bowed as lethargy ripped me quickly from the world. Arms encircled me, holding my body up.

  Don’t fall asleep. I thrashed my head back and forth, fighting the inevitable. I struggled to keep simple thoughts from muddling my mind. My body no longer could support me and went limp. Cadoc’s arms turned into a dark twisted spirit in my mind, pulling me under the soil, dragging me to the obscure depths of the earth.

  No.

  Inside my head I grasped frantically for something to hold on to, to keep conscious. But everything I struggled for turned to smoke, evaporating in my mind.

  Nooooooooooo. I felt myself fall, slipping away into the void.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  The deep, murky black swirled, lighting into gray overcast. My limbs and mind were weighed down, forcing me to struggle through the sludge, hauling myself into consciousness. A rhythmic beep continuously broke into my peace, dragging me out of nothingness, and away from the place where nothing hurt and nothing was wrong.

  Beep... Beep.

  The sound rubbed at my eardrum, grating on my nerves. I felt my forehead pinch in irritation. A stab of pain darted between my eyes, and an involuntary groan fell from my mouth, startling me out of my slumber. My lids blinked, immediately blinded by light. Another moan came out from my throat as I pried my eyes open again. Slowly, my sight adjusted to the brightness, taking in the off-white paneled ceiling. A zigzag pattern displayed on the heart monitor next to my head. The smell of rubbing alcohol and chemicals saturated the inside on my nose, coating my throat.

  I know this place... but my mind felt too jumbled to make sense of the warning flickering through me.

  Beep. Beep. Beep.

  Memories seeped into my mind, recalling my situation before the drug had stolen my consciousness. Vadik. Amara. Garrett. Sprig...

  Ryker! The Viking slammed into my head, and I tried to sit up, but my body disregarded the impulse. Where was he? Was he safe?

  Was I?

  Anxiety pulsed into my veins, pumping my heart faster.

  Beepbeepbeepbeep.

  A hand came up and flicked off the monitor. Peaceful silence. “You are awake.” A figure moved in front of the light above my head, the outline of a man. I squinted, blinking until familiar blue eyes peered down at me.

  No. This can’t be happening.

  Dr. Boris Rapava nodded his head; his face held no warmth or friendliness. “Welcome home, Zoey.” His eyes held a glimmer of excitement I had seen in him when we brought in unique specimens. “You’ve been out for weeks. There is much to catch up on.”

  Panic choked off my air.

  Home? Weeks?

  Not home! I wasn’t home. But I was back in the place where I was created.

  With the man who gave me life...

  And could take it away.

  Thank
you to all my readers. Your opinion really matters to me and helps others decide if they want to purchase my book. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving an honest review on the site where you purchased it. Thank you.

  Want to find out about my next book, Across the Divide, Collector’s Series #3? Sign up on my website and keep updated on the latest news. www.staceymariebrown.com

  The hunter is now the hunted.

  Zoey Daniels is becoming the very thing she once despised. Fae.

  After Zoey and Ryker finally found their way to each other they are torn apart by an ex-girlfriend, a stone, and mortality. Ryker’s powers have fully adapted to Zoey, slowly killing him.

  Now the mysterious feared demon, Vadik, has discovered their location in Peru and has taken Ryker and sold Zoey back to DMG. The very place which gave her life now might take it away. Or someone she loves… Dr. Rapava is so obsessed with building an army against the fae he will do anything to control Zoey and her new found powers.

  Zoey’s is forced to become an unfeeling brainwashed soldier to survive. But when her survival depends on torturing one to keep another alive, she is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice.

  Acknowledgements

  I can’t believe how lucky I am to do what I love for a living. I feel so blessed and I couldn’t do it without some amazing people.

  To Rachel at Mark My Words P.R.: So lucky to have you. Could not do this without you!

  To Jordan: Your developmental help and editing are crucial to me. Your insights have made me a better writer. Thank you!

  To Hollie: How I adore you…let me count the ways! You are incredible. Told you once you there is no getting rid of me now! http://www.hollietheeditor.com/ .

  To Victoria at Whit & Ware: Once again your cover is amazing. Love you lady. http://main.whitandware.com/.

  To Judi at www.formatting4u.com/: Thank you! You have made the stress of getting my books out on time so much easier.

  To all the bloggers who have supported me: My gratitude is for all you do and how much you help indie authors out of the pure love of reading. I bow down. You all are amazing! My Street Team for being awesome and so supportive, thank you.

  To all the indie/hybrid authors out there who inspire, challenge, support, and push me to be better: I love you!

  And to anyone who has picked up an indie book and given an unknown author a chance. THANK YOU!

  About The Author

  Stacey Marie Brown works by day as an Interior/Set Designer and by night a writer of paranormal fantasy, adventure, and literary fiction. She grew up in Northern California, where she ran around on her family’s farm raising animals, riding horses, playing flashlight tag, and turning hay bales into cool forts.

  Even before she could write, she was creating stories and making up intricate fantasies. Writing came as easy as breathing. She later turned that passion into acting, living and traveling abroad, and designing.

  Though she had never stopped writing, moving back to San Francisco seemed to have brought it back to the forefront and this time it would not be ignored.

  When she’s not writing, she’s out hiking, spending time with friends, traveling, listening to music, or designing.

  To learn more about Stacey or her books, visit her at:

  Author website

  www.staceymariebrown.com

  Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/SMBauthorpage

  Twitter

  @S_MarieBrown

  Pinterest

  www.pinterest.com/s.mariebrown

  Instagram

  Instagram.com/staceymariebrown

  www.AirickaPhoenix.com

  Octavian’s Undoing

  (Sons of Judgment Saga, Book 1)

  Chapter 1

  The theory was that Hell could only be accessed through death. Riley disagreed. The door to Hell, in her opinion, was standing in line at the post office when the air conditioner was broken and the temperature had skipped mildly discomforting and gone straight to downright inhuman. Never mind the fact that the people ahead of her made her want to take a shower.

  Granted, they weren’t so bad. They weren’t shouting or complaining that the woman at the only kiosk open was paying for her package in pennies, or that they’d been standing there in that cramped space for the last thirty minutes watching her lose count and start over. As lines went, they were a quiet lot, even the woman with the kid clutching at her hand. It would have been a relief if said kid hadn’t been enthusiastically digging for gold and wiping it on his mother’s skirt. Then there was the woman spitting bits of her nail out over her shoulder. The man behind her dressed entirely in black kept trying to dodge the bits of nail spittle from landing on him. But the nail-bitter never noticed. The worst was the man directly in front of Riley. The stench of him made her eyes water and the hairs in her nostrils scream in terror. She was seriously beginning to reconsider her decision to mail her electricity payment. It wasn’t like she needed power that badly. The pioneers lived without and they were fine

  “Next!” the frail little man behind the kiosk croaked as the penny-counting woman shuffled away, humming happily to herself as she snapped her considerably less weighty purse closed.

  The nose picker and his mother hurried over and the line scuffled forward. Riley stayed where she was, putting a safe distance between herself and the sour aroma wafting off her companion. She wiped away the sweat accumulating across her brow with the back of her hand and sighed. It was not how she had imagined spending her afternoon. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking to bring a book along with her on the journey, but she was supposed to be job hunting, not wilting away in the unnatural heat. Thank goodness she’d already dropped her resumes off before hitting the post office. Something told her potential employers didn’t look too kindly on people who had taken a bath in their own sweat, fully dressed. She was too afraid to check, but she was sure her makeup was running and the sassy knot she’d stubbornly twisted her hair into was now fuzzy and mad-woman-ish. Nope. She was relieved she’d be going home afterwards and stripping down to her shorts and tank top. Granted, there was no air conditioner there either, but there was a shower and the freedom to kick her heels off.

  “Screw this!” Sewer-Man griped, as he turned and marched past Riley to the door.

  One down, three to go. It was like the TV show Survivors. One by one, the contestants were eliminated until only the very brave—or stupid—remained. Riley was prepared to go the distance on this one. Nothing short of someone releasing a plume of body gas smelling of peanuts was going to make her leave, and only because she was allergic and may require emergency medical attention. But to prove she had the female balls to make it to the final round, she scuttled up behind the man wearing black and breathed in deeply the fresh scent of rain, wilderness and pine. Surprise lifted her eyebrows as she eyed the wide shoulders and lean back with new interest.

  She estimated he was roughly six-three and about a hundred and ninety pounds, with dark neatly cropped hair cut short in back and left shaggy in front. His hips were narrow, made narrower by the black t-shirt he’d stuffed into the waistband of his black jeans, jeans that molded a little too distractingly to his extremely well formed backside. Riley cocked her head and stared for just a moment longer—her well-earned treat for the day—before continuing on downward over long legs and abraded army boots. She couldn’t see his face, but she was seriously liking his back, a back that seemed to tense the longer she studied it. The hands at his sides tightened into fists, knuckles white against his golden complexion.

  “Next!”

  The nose-picker and his mom left and the nail-biter took their place at the counter, shouting a bit too excitedly, “I only need a stamp!”

  Thank God! Riley thought, as she exhaled – although standing behind Tall, Dark and Gorgeous had its own perks. Her gaze drifted downward again. It was her way of thinking that if she had to waste more time standing in line, she may as well take in the good view.

 
; But her sightseeing ended when the nail-biter, letter and stamp in hand, hurried away and Riley lost her treat. She smothered her sulking by organizing her mail, making sure the checks were inside and the addresses were written on the envelopes clearly and correctly. All of that took her a full two minutes, which seemed to be enough time for Mr. Sexy to finish his business and turn to leave. Riley jerked her head up, hoping to catch a glimpse of him as he stomped past her, but the dude moved fast. There was a solid punch of air as he charged straight past her and out the door.

  Riley’s shoulders drooped. What a crappy day.

  “Miss?” The clerk waved at her from behind the counter.

  Feeling even more miserable, Riley shuffled forward and dropped her letters down on the counter. She bought her stamps, shipped off the bills and left.

  Outside in the crisp autumn air, Riley moaned shamelessly. She closed her eyes and let the breeze wash over her, gelling the sweat to her skin and unplastering her only nice blouse from her spine. It was the last scrap of her pride that kept her from stripping out of her clothes right there and letting nature cool her skin. Instead, she adjusted the strap on her purse and started around the building to the parking lot. She couldn’t have taken more than a handful of steps when her foot treaded on something squishy.

  For a split, horrific moment, she was certain it was a dead rodent, something that had fallen out of a nearby tree and was now embedded with her shoe print. It was the only image she needed to make her run away without looking back. Curiosity and the need to sleep without nightmares of flattened road kill under her shoe, forced her to take a peek, just one, just so she would never have to wonder again if those shoes needed to be burned.