From Burning Ashes (Collector Series #4) (12 page)

“Here, let me help you.” I took the pack off
the stuffed animal and handed it over to Sprig. He chirped
excitedly and held it to his chest. “Try it on.”

He slipped his arms through and fitted the
honey jar on his back.

“Perfect.” I nodded.

He bounced on his legs with excitement and my
grin reached my heart. Damn, this little guy made me so happy. I
rubbed his head. “How did I ever live without you?”

I left him prancing and posing in the small
mirror as I grabbed an outfit for myself and got dressed: dark
jeans, black V-neck T-shirt, a hoodie, underwear. Simple, but much
needed and appreciated after being in gray scrubs the last few
months.

I laced up my old boots with the anchor
inside the heel. It remained quiet right now, but most of the time
I could feel it—the slight thumping of magic. Somedays it felt like
it was screaming inside my head. I worried one day that anchor
would pull me under.

On my way to pick up some clothes for Lexie,
I spotted a shelf of knickknacks and a sale sign:
Half off
zodiac animals
. I quickly ran my finger to Capricorn and almost
started to cry. There under the sign lay a tiny stuffed goat. It
wasn’t the same as the first Pam, but it was adorable.

“This backpack is a lie.” I heard Sprig
screech from the other side of the room.

“Hey, furball, keep your voice down,” Ryker
grumbled from a dark corner.

“But-but…it’s a lliiee.”

I walked over to him. Sprig sat there staring
down into the open bag.

“What’s wrong?”

His bottom lip drooped, and he held up the
pack. “Look. It’s empty. No honey.”

“Did you expect honey in there?”

“Hoped.” He sniffed.

I leaned over, dangling the object I held up
in front of him. “Well, now there can be more room for
Pam
.”
I said her name tentatively.

Sprig stared at the goat. Seconds ticked by
and I swallowed nervously, ready to grovel and apologize, stating
Pam could never be replaced. There was only one.

“Pickled gargoyles,” he said evenly.

Oh no.

Sprig grabbed the goat from my fingers,
holding it up, his eyes as wide as Izel’s pancakes. “Pam, baby!
You’ve had work done!” He wiggled her around. “You. Look.
Fabulous!”

I clapped my hand to my mouth, trying to
fight back the laughter. But Ryker’s chuckle from the depths of the
room was too much.

“What?” Sprig stared up at me innocently.

“Nothing.” I kissed his head and turned away,
giggles rocking my body. I went around the corner to see Ryker bent
over his knees, laughing so hard no sound came out. Our gazes met
each other, and we both burst into another fit.

Laughter felt amazing. Sometimes I forgot how
good. Lately, there wasn’t a lot to laugh about.

####

Ryker moved to the camping-and-sports
section, searching for Swiss army knives and anything we could use
as weapons. I rummaged through the medicine area, stocking up on
antiseptic, bandages, painkillers, a sewing kit, and tampons—the
necessities.

A thud from the level below broke the
silence. I went still and swallowed back air, trying to listen. A
door slammed shut.

I tiptoed to the end of the aisle. “Ryker?” I
whispered. “Sprig?”

Only silence.

“Hey, did you hear that?” a man’s voice
called from the bottom of the stationary escalator. Two sets of
boots pounded up the stairs.

I darted back into the clothing department,
sliding up to a stand draped with the new fall clothing line,
shoving my body into a mass of thick scarves, hats, and
sweaters.

The two guards were dressed in uniforms: dark
pants and tops, bulletproof vests and helmets, and matching
automatic rifles. They bore more resemblance to SWAT team members
than any security cop I’d ever seen. My gaze tracked their
movements and the way they spread out and moved through the aisles,
looking for burglars. These weren’t the normal rent-a-cops. Things
were a lot more drastic in Seattle since the storm, and they were
taking protection of goods seriously. I had no doubt break-ins had
been a problem since they reopened.

“Have you seen anyone come your way?” The
taller man closer to me clicked his walkie-talkie, speaking into
it.

“No, but we have the roof and the Pike exit
covered,” a crackled voice broke through the device responding.

Damn! Where were Ryker and Sprig?

“Keep your eyes open. If it’s the same gang
who broke in earlier this week, they’re armed,” he said to his
partner and went around me toward the front of the store. The other
man proceeded to the back.

Time to run.

I hated not knowing what happened to Sprig
and Ryker, but I knew the Viking could take care of himself, and
Sprig could sit on a shelf and pretend to be a stuffed animal.
Still, I wanted him with me. Safe.

The men disappeared from sight, and I tore
out from the fabric, bolting for the stairs. The only other outlet
was on a lower level, onto Union Street.

I snuck down the steps, but every step
thundered through the stillness. I reached the bottom and ran for
the doors, seeing the shackles looping around the doors.

“Downstairs!” one of the men yelled.

“Shit. Shit.” I pushed at the door, rattling
the winding chains. Hurried footsteps headed for me. All exits were
blocked, and I couldn’t break through these locks without special
tools, nor did I have enough time even if I had the equipment.

My heart thumped in my chest, and my gaze
shifted over the room for any possible escape. “Hell!” My feet
danced around like a bobblehead.
Jump, Zoey!

“Freeze!” a man’s voice boomed from the
escalator, bouncing off the glass behind my head. I whirled around
and spotted two dark outlines heading for me.

I was going to have to fight. Even if their
guns could no longer kill me, they could certainly take me out of
commission. Enough to capture and lock me up.

“I said don’t move!” The sound of a gun
clicked in my eardrum, sending panic throughout my body in electric
tendrils. “I will shoot you.”

I froze as the two security guards charged up
to me.

“Hands up.” The slightly shorter guard nodded
his weapon at my hands, stepping close enough to see my face. He
blinked. “You’re a girl?”

“Well done.” I put up my arms. “You must have
been the top student in your class.”

My gaze caught movement behind the two
guards. A massive figure slunk down the steps silently, white eyes
blazing in the dark. A spark of fear inched over me. I had seen him
like this before. Terrifying. Now I knew it was his demon aspect
taking over. His expression looked fierce; his bulk loomed over the
men in front of him as he soundlessly crept up to them.

“How did a young girl like you break in
here?” the taller, darker-skinned guard asked. “Where are the
others?”

I tilted my head. “They are suggesting I
couldn’t break in here on my own. Can you believe that?”

“Stupid,” Ryker growled behind them. “Never
underestimate what a woman can do. Especially this one.”

The men swung around, their fingers pulling
at the triggers. Ryker was quicker. He tore the gun away from the
shorter one, using it to club him in the head as he punched the
taller guard. He hit
hard
, crumpling their bodies to the
floor in an instant. Ryker’s chest pumped in and out as he leaped
on one of the men, grabbing his collar. The man groaned. Ryker
slammed his fist into the guard’s face. Over and over.

“Ryker!” I pushed from the doors, yelling.
“Stop!”

His eyes shot up to mine.

Oh hell
.

I stumbled back; the pure hatred consumed his
expression. He no longer saw me. Fear kicked in, taking me back to
the day before when he had strangled me to death.

“Ryker…” I looked around, trying to find a
way around him. Completely blocked.

Saying his name was the wrong choice. Hearing
my voice sparked fire in his eyes. Even his tattoo flickered. In a
blink, he sprang for me, snarling. His hand coming for my
throat.

A cry tore out of my lungs.

Whoosh
.

My head spun, the feel of wind crashing into
my face. I didn’t even have time to think before Ryker’s form
crashed into the glass doors, his fists knocking into the
window.

I faced him. On the other side of the
doors.

Holy shit, I just jumped!
The powers
were coming back!

The excitement was short lived. Ryker’s hands
beat against the glass, his face twisted with animosity. “Come back
here, little human,” he taunted. I took a step away from the
doors.

Sprig’s face peered around Ryker’s feet,
staring back at me. “
Bhean?
”

Oh god. Sprig.

Ryker didn’t even notice him; his sight
stayed on me.

Would he hurt him?

“Sprig, move away from him.” I kept my gaze
on Ryker as I spoke to Sprig.

“Why?” Sprig looked first at me then at
Ryker.

“Just do as I say!”

“I know Vikings are assholes, but I have
trained this one.” Sprig ignored my words and climbed up Ryker’s
leg until he got to his shoulder. “Stay. Stand. Good boy.” Sprig
patted Ryker’s cheek.

Ryker didn’t even notice him; his gaze was
locked on me.

“See. He just needs positive reinforcement.
Honey always works. I like positive reinforcement, like in the form
of honey biscuits, pancakes, candy, bread, nuts, soda, crepes,
muffins, cookies, scones, fruit…well, except bananas. You know how
I feel about those…”

“Sprig.” Ryker dropped his head, breaking eye
contact with me. “Shut up.” I watched him take deep breaths,
leaning against the frame of the door. When he lifted his head, his
eyes were clear but quickly filled with sorrow and apologies.

I placed my palm on the glass. There wasn’t
much I could say.

“I’d never hurt him. I’d never hurt your
sister or any of them.” Ryker placed his hand on mine, even through
the glass I could feel his heat. “That’s not how the oath works.
It’s only triggered by you.”

I gave a strange huffed laugh. His words
actually did make me feel better.

“I think they help bring me back.” Ryker
lifted the shoulder where Sprig sat.

“See,
Bhean
. I have him well
trained.”

I snorted.

“Now can we get out of here? I am really in
the need for sustenance. I want to take Pam out, show off her new
figure. Though now she’ll probably want a salad. Ugh. Salads. What
is the point of those unless they are full of honey-coated nuts,
dried fruit, and sugary dressing to soak it? The green stuff is
just filler. But you could just replace the lettuce with honey
mango chips or how about—”

“Sprig.” I knocked on the window to get his
attention, then pinched my fingers together.

Ryker straightened, tilting his head at me.
“You’re outside.”

I nodded. “I jumped.”

“Really?” Ryker closed his eyes, but nothing
happened. His shoulders slumped as if in disappointment.

“At least they’re still there. Hopefully that
means they’ll come back in time.” Squealing tires in the distance
brought me back to the urgency of our situation. “We need to get
out of here before the other guards come or those wake up.”

Ryker grabbed the chains lacing the doors and
exhaled deeply. He could easily break the glass with his axe. If he
had it. The thick safety glass was harder to put your fist
through.

Sprig inched down his arm and grabbed one of
the locks. In twenty seconds it fell from the door.

“Sprig!” I exclaimed. “Your powers work?”

“Yup. Because I’m awesome. Like a super
sprite.”

It was probably more because his little
hummingbird body could work through whatever drugs Rapava had given
us, but I accepted the awesome part.

He worked through a few locks before Ryker
could kick the bolted door out of its frame. The moment the door
opened, alarms pealed through the night air.

“Eek!” Sprig went stiff, tipping forward,
falling. Ryker grabbed him quickly, cupping him in his hands.

“You. Stop right there,” a woman’s deep voice
thundered from around the building.

“Shit.” Ryker stuffed Sprig in my new bag and
grabbed my arm, pulling me down the hill toward the water. Cries
resounded behind us with demands for us to stop running. It felt
like Peru all over again.

The messenger bag and backpack full of Sprig
and the items we stole bumped against me, knocking me off kilter as
I ran. A bullet whizzed past my head. Holy shit. These guys were
serious about the no-stealing policy.

Ryker zipped and dodged through Pike’s Place,
running down the strip where empty stands lined both walls.

The guards gave up on telling us to stop, but
their pursuit did not. I pumped my legs faster as another bullet
zinged by me.

Ryker took a sudden turn down a passage. My
boots stomped behind him, racing down the alleyway. The stone
bristled with excitement under my heel, tingling my leg. It loved
when my adrenaline pumped and my life’s energy was at its most
tangible, greedy for more. But instead of stealing it from me in
those moments, it seemed to provide me with an extra boost, giving
me a rush.

More. More.
A part of me screamed,
gluttonous for its power.

Ryker led us outside, downstairs, racing
under the freeway and across the street to the tourist shops. He
gripped my hand, pulling me toward a vacated booth, which probably
at one point was used to sell sightseeing tickets in Seattle. Those
went out of business quickly after the storm. Not much left here to
see.

The booth was tiny, but I crammed myself
under the desk. Ryker’s massive frame stuffed in after me, his form
moving on top of mine. Here we were being chased and all I could
think about was his body against mine. My breath and heartbeat
pounded together. The magic slipping up my leg had me shaking so
bad Ryker had to press my legs down firmer with his, pinning back
my arms. Slaps of feet neared us. Ryker stirred, keeping his head
up and alert.