From Burning Ashes (Collector Series #4) (14 page)

“She’s a hell of a lot more intimidating than
most grown women I’ve met,” Croygen mumbled.

“That’s because I’m already smarter than
you.” Lexie’s smile was soft, and she struggled to keep it on her
face. She sank down, exhausted and weak. “Still owe me my
winnings.”

“I’ll get back to you on that.”

Hiding my amusement, I kneeled down in the
empty spot he left. “Never trust a pirate.”

“Tradesman!”

“Dickhead. Assmuncher. All the same.” Sprig
tugged himself out of the bag around my hip.

Lexie went still, her eyes centering on
Sprig.

“I-I thought I dreamed him.”

Sprig climbed out onto my knees. “I missed
the card game? What was the bet? Honey? Or honey-filled doughnuts?
Those are so good. Have you ever tried churros dipped in honey?
Holy gnome ass!”

Lexie eyes widened the faster he talked.

I covered his mouth. “He can get a little
excitable.”

“Sprig,” Ryker called, walking over to the
beat-up desk against the wall. His back stayed rigid, the fence
between us locked firmly in place. “Come here, furball.”

Sprig slipped off my lap, heading for Ryker.
“How about addressing me as Captain? Or Master Sprig. Super Sprite
works as well.”

“The only thing you are a master at is
licking your own balls.” Croygen sat back on the windowsill.

“Only if they are coated with honey.” Sprig
flipped his middle finger at him and climbed up Ryker’s leg,
plopping on the desk.

Ryker snorted. “Admit it, you’re kind of
jealous, Croygen.”

“Hell yeah. Would you leave the house if you
could lick your own balls?”

“Honey-dipped ones,” Sprig chirped.

“Guys,” I growled, rubbing at my aching head
again. My hands quaked against my forehead, the tremble growing
steadier. Dropping them, I rolled my shoulders back, shoving aside
my restless, yucky mood.

Lexie watched the banter with an incredulous
smile on her face. Sadly this wasn’t even close to the worse
conversation she’d ever heard or participated in. She had quite a
mouth on her thanks to life in our neighborhood.

My hand reached up and cupped her face. Her
flesh burned my skin. I didn’t need a thermometer to know she had a
fever. My life had been so in tune to Lexie’s health I knew the
signs.

“I have missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” Lexie’s gaze darted to
me.

All the unsaid words weaved between us like
cobwebs.

“Here.” I took the bags off my shoulder,
opening the one with water and food. “You need to get something in
your system. I got the strongest painkillers I could.”

“Thanks.”

“Get out of there, furball,” Ryker’s voice
ordered from the other side of the room. With the help of Sprig,
Ryker tried to display the items we stole on the table.

“Here.” Ryker picked up a plastic bear filled
with honey, wiggling it between his fingers.

“Honey! The deities love me,” Sprig cried
out, bouncing on the table, his arms flailing in the air. “Oh sweet
tasty bear, let me suck out your guts.” Sprig grabbed the bear from
Ryker’s fingers, ripped off the safety top, and began chugging
it.

“Only half, Sprig.” I shot over my shoulder,
knowing my request would be completely ignored. He made only a
chirped moan as he guzzled the nectar.

“I’m going to walk around and check to see if
everything is okay.” Ryker’s voice sounded gruff like both heaven
and hell at once. The distance between us made me feel like I had
been banished. I understood why he needed to. Twice tonight he had
tried to kill me, but that didn’t ease my pain. His eyes went to me
then he spun around and marched out the door. Amara quickly
followed, slipping into the night.

My molars ground together. Of course she’d go
after him.

“I see you two made up.” Croygen chuckled and
headed for the table, picked through the clothes and food, and
changed into the black cargo pants we got him.

Ignoring him, I turned back to Lexie.

“How are you feeling?” I put the back of my
hand to Lexie’s forehead.
Shit
.

“Still really out of it.”

“Dizzy?”

She nodded.

“Cold and hot flashes?”

“Yeah. Right now I’m freezing.”

I drew the blankets tighter around her
shoulders.

“You need to eat something.” I put a power
bar in her hand. It was one for bodybuilders, extremely high in
calories and protein. “I got you other stuff, but I think you
should start with this. We need to get as many calories into you as
we can.”

She scrunched her nose, sniffing it before
taking a bite. “Eww.” She shook her head, gagging.

“I know it doesn’t taste good, but you need
to eat.”

“But I’m not hungry.” She flinched,
swallowing. “I want to throw up.”

“I still need you to try.” I gently brushed
her wild, knotted hair flatter to her head. “What did they feed you
at DMG?”

Her mouth opened to talk, but nothing came
out. Her brows furrowed. “I-I don’t know.”

“You don’t know what you ate?”

She rubbed her temples and shivered hard.

“I don’t remember.”

My stomach plunged to my toes.

Lexie bit down on her lip, her brow creasing.
“It all feels like a faraway dream, as if it happened to someone
else.”

“Tell me anything you remember. When did they
operate on your legs?”

“A week, a month? I don’t…I don’t know.”

“Can you remember anything?”

“I remember Rapava and tons of people coming
into my room all the time, but when I try to center on anything
specific…” Her fingers began to rub violently over her brow. “Why
can’t I remember? How can I not have even one memory of getting
these legs? Or what I ate last…” Her eyes widened, filling with
tears. “Oh god. Why don’t I remember anything?” Her voice grew high
and agitated.

“Shhh. It’s okay.” I pulled her against me,
my hand running over her back, trying to soothe her. “Calm
down.”

“No.” Her head brushed back and forth against
my shoulder. “It’s not all right.”

“You’re right. None of what he did to you is
okay.” I sucked on my bottom lip. It was what I feared. The mind
control and all the drugs had messed with her memory. I hoped it
was temporary, but I wouldn’t put it past Rapava to make sure it
lasted. Just in case she did escape, she wouldn’t be able to
clearly tell anyone anything. “Rapava drugged you to control your
mind. This must be another effect of it so you wouldn’t be able to
remember anything of your time in the lab.”

She pulled away from me and licked her lips.
“I let him drug me.”

“What? You let him?” The words burst out of
my mouth like a bomb.

“He said the injections would help me. I
didn’t know he would take away my memories.” Her lips quivered. “He
told me I would be benefitting human lives, that my help was
crucial. My aid could benefit every kid like me. He said I would
walk again.”

“What an asshole!” Croygen spoke, stepping
back over to us. “Manipulating a little girl’s mind so he can run
tests on her.”

“Croygen.” I shook my head, telling him to
shut up.

Lexie slid her hands over her face, then
dropped them to her lap. “Everything before the night of the storm
is crystal clear.” A tear pushed from the corner of her eyes,
trailing down her cheek. “I was so mad at you for lying to me. For
knowing there could be a cure and not telling me. Letting me
die…”

Ice stabbed into my heart. Was that what she
thought? I would let her die?

“Lexie.” I gripped her hands in mine. “You
have to know there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. They were
still only testing. There was
no
cure.”

“That’s not what Dr. Rapava told me. He said
they had successful transplant cases and felt positive he could
make me walk. That he could save my life, and I wouldn’t be sick
anymore.”

Hatred and disgust coated my throat, choking
me.

“He said he didn’t understand why you kept me
from getting better.” Tears glided down her face. “There was no
reason for me to live the rest of my life in a chair.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Croygen
exclaimed, his voice booming behind me, his new shirt halfway over
his head. “That evil, lying, deceitful fucker!”

“He wanted to help me and convinced me not to
tell you. He said you would be glad once I got better.” Lines
ground into her forehead. “I am so sorry, Zoey. All I thought about
was the fact I could possibly walk again and be healthy.”

“I don’t blame you, Lex. Of course you’d want
that.” I was livid that a grown man turned my sister’s mind against
me, but hadn’t I also fallen under the spell of Rapava’s
manipulating power? I could not fault a desperate, scared
twelve-year-old for wanting to believe his words. “What happened
the night they came for you?”

“After the storm hit, they came to the
house.” She wiped away the tears on her face, taking a deep breath.
“Joanne tried to fight them with a bat, but they knocked her out. I
think they must have injected me with something because everything
after is jumbled. I don’t know what they did to Jo. But I do have
this blurry memory of our house on fire as we drove off.”

The fire they set was to kill Jo and to make
it look like Lexie had died in the flames as well. Perfect
cover.

Her delicate hand rubbed her face roughly.
She sighed, exhaustion drooping her shoulders. “I don’t even
remember when I first saw you. It’s all bits and flashes, but
nothing seems real.”

“Don’t worry about it right now.”

“I’m sorry, Zoey,” she whispered. “I’m so
sorry for everything.”

“Hey.” I put my hand up to her face. “You are
safe and with me. That’s all that is important.”

She nodded. A bead of sweat trickled down her
face.

“Take these and get some sleep.” I handed her
some painkillers and bottled water. She downed both and lay back on
the blanket.

“I’m scared, Zoey,” she whispered.

I squeezed my jaw together. I would not cry
in front of her. “Go to sleep.” I leaned over and brushed my lips
against her forehead. She exhaled and buried herself deeper into
the covers.

The moment I felt her slip into a slumber, I
jumped up and marched over to the far side of the room. My palm
pushed firmly on my chest so it wouldn’t crack open and spill all
over the floor. I leaned my head into the wall, trying to
breathe.

Croygen’s hand touched my shoulder.

“I can’t do this.” My voice broke. “I can’t
go through losing her again.” Or losing any of them. Annabeth was
never far from my mind either, her peril just as grave. The world
seemed to be crashing onto my shoulders, determined to bury me
under it.

“We’ll figure it out.” Croygen rubbed my
back.

“Will we?” I could feel anger slowly
absorbing my sadness.

“Yes.”

“How?” I whipped around, my hands on my hips.
“DMG and Vadik are hunting us. We probably have a price on our
heads. We aren’t even strong within ourselves. I don’t trust Amara.
Ryker can’t be around me without trying to kill me. Lexie needs
better care and medication…” I burst into tears. I couldn’t take
care of her this time. Everything else I could deal with, but
failing Lexie again was not among them. She was getting sicker, and
I could do nothing to stop it. I only wanted to get her away from
DMG, but what if that had been the precise thing keeping her
alive?

Croygen pulled me in, wrapping his arms
around me.

“What if I made a mistake?” I sobbed into his
chest. “Was she better there?”

“No one is better there.”

“Croygen…”

“You are not alone. I’m here, Zoey. I’m not
leaving. Even your dick of a boyfriend is here. Neither of us are
going anywhere.” He kissed the top of my head. “I have known him a
long, long time. Believe me when I say that man is not leaving your
side. No matter how painful it is. And like me, he will do anything
in his power to help your sister.”

His words only caused more tears to flow down
my face. I pushed deeper into his chest, my heart wanting to
dissolve into him. I knew so little of love or trust. Even to
depend on people. To have friends. A family.

Somehow these two menacing fae had let me in.
Brought me within their walls, protecting and loving me.

“How did I get so lucky?” I muttered into
Croygen’s damp shirt.

“You and I have different versions of lucky.”
He loosened his hold on me. “But if you want to try the whole face
in my crotch again…”

I snorted and pulled away from him. I wiped
away my tears, letting a smile push at my lips.

“Dangling bee nuts. You mole rats are frisky
tonight,” Sprig muttered from the table. I leaned around Croygen.
Sprig sprawled on his side, his new backpack facing me with Pam’s
head sticking out. He cuddled the empty bottle against him.

“Stop. That tickles.” He giggled, his feet
kicking out.

“And here I thought
my
mind was a
scary place to be.” Croygen shuddered.

I walked over to Sprig, took Pam out of his
bag, and switched the bear bottle for her. I held up the hollow
container. “We’re so going to pay for this.”

“You still have a receipt, right? We can
return him?”

“Think the warranty is up. We’re stuck with
the little bugger.”

“But it came broken. There’s got to be a
policy for that.” Croygen waved at Sprig.

I turned around, wagging my head.

“The zoo might take him.”

Yeah, a talking, narcoleptic, ADD,
honey-addicted sprite-monkey would go over well.

“Adopted by a troop of monkeys in
Brazil?”

I continued to head for the corner.

“Hell! He could be their leader. He’d love
it. He’d be a king of the baboons there.”

“Night, Croygen.”

Dawn licked at the night sky, blushing the
darkness with light as I curled up on the dirty mattress. Lexie’s
body felt fragile next to mine. The night of the fae storm, I’d
watched the only place I stayed at long enough to call home burn
down, with the reason I called it home inside. Now I watched her
chest move raggedly up and down. The sense of her being taken away
from me for a second time washed over me.