From Burning Ashes (Collector Series #4)

by Stacey Marie Brown

  Okay, Zoey, this is probably the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. No weapon or idea what’s behind this door. Bring on the stupid. If we are going to die, I’d rather it be together.

  The door released and drifted a few inches away from its frame. Sprig darted inside, and I quickly followed. The room was dark, but the light from the gaping door spotlighted the crumpled shape on the ground before I shut it behind me.

  “Ryker!” I whispered, running for him. He was on his knees, his head bent forward, both his arms above his head, pulled tight by the chains cuffing him to the ceiling. Slashes and burn marks covered his bare chest. I crashed to my knees in front of him, my hands cupping his jaw. He grunted as I lifted his face.

  “Oh my god.”

  His face was mangled. Blood leaked from the side of his mouth. One eye was completely swollen shut. I struggled to make out his features. Gashes, cuts, and bruises covered him, and the open wounds over his torso crisscrossed with his old ones.

  “Fuck.” I felt vomit rise in the back of my throat.

  “Voey,” Ryker slurred out my name, his body tensing. “Gooo.”

  “Not on your life, Wanderer.”

  “Damn, Viking, you looked like minced pie.” Sprig climbed up Ryker’s shoulder. “Oh man, I shouldn’t have said the word pie again. Now I’m hungry.”

  “You’re always hungry,” I replied. “Sprig?” I nodded to the shackles straining Ryker’s arms.

  “Eye-Eye Matty!” He saluted me and climbed up the chains.

  “We’re going to get you out of here.” I kept my gaze locked on the Wanderer. My heart hurt at the sight of his ruined state.

  “Rvun.” Ryker’s one eye bored into me, tension twitched at his temples. “U’ve gwat tu go.”

  “I’m not leaving you,” I retorted. “When will you get it through your thick skull that we are a team? We save each other. And right now I am saving your ass. So shut up and play the damsel in distress like a good boy.”

  He watched me for a moment before his mouth parted, his top lip curving in a smirk. The action caused him to grimace in pain and reopen his split lip. He leaned over and spit. Blood and saliva pooled on the ground. A click sounded above, his left arm falling to his side. He groaned at the sharp movement. I glanced up at Sprig swinging from the chain before he leaped across for Ryker’s other wrist.

  A door banged from the front of the building. I jerked to my feet, panic thumping my heart. Shit. They were back. I frantically scanned the room for a weapon. Anything that could stab, knock out, or hurt someone. I rushed to the desk, pulling at the top drawer. My eyes zeroed in on an item. Scissors. I grabbed them, shoving them in my back pocket, and pulled at another drawer. Only files.

  The door banged again, voices volleying outside the door.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Terror often crippled people. But I had pushed that reflex back years before. One moment of uncertainty could be your last.

  There was a pop. “Aha. Supersprite to the rescue!” Ryker’s right arm fell, tipping him forward. I dashed for him, catching him before his face hit the cement. He righted himself, and I eased him back.

  A lump of fur landed on Ryker’s other side. Voices grew closer, and I could distinguish Vadik’s deep voice. We were really screwed, but I wouldn’t go down without a fight. If Ryker was up to par and had his axe, we’d have a lot better odds. Neither of those things were going to happen.

  “Stay here,” I whispered in his ear and zipped to the door, placing myself behind it. I tugged at my back pocket, palming the item. I only had the element of surprise to my advantage. Leaving Ryker in place would at first lower suspicion. In the moment between seeing him and then noticing his arms were no longer confined I would strike.

  “Let’s see if my son is ready to negotiate. Go retrieve his little half-breed pet. Slitting her throat will help motivate him.”

  I saw Ryker’s shoulders constrict, his fists rolled into balls.

  The handle of the door moved, my heart scaling my throat.

  Creak. The door opened.

  A figure stepped into the room.

  Three.

  Two.

  One.

  No battle cry or noise escaped my throat as I slipped behind the demon. He stiffened and turned back toward me. Too late. I drove the scissors into the side of his neck with a gruesome squelching sound. Blood sprayed over my face. Vadik stumbled to the side, and I followed as I pushed the metal in deeper. I snarled, wanting to inflict triple the pain he’d ever caused Ryker and me.

  The second his men got past the shock of my attack, chaos ensued. Men yelled behind me. Some crashed into me. My body went flying, slamming on the ground. Ryker bulldozed past me and hurtled for the man who hit me. The large, dark-haired muscleman sprang for Ryker, their large forms colliding midair in a crunch. Cadoc.

  Vadik lay on the floor, blood gushing out of his neck as he tried to wiggle out the scissors. Garrett leaped around the two men and advanced toward me. I rolled forward, using my momentum to hit Garret at his knees and push him backward, the tendons behind his knee snapping. He howled, his elbows slamming into my back. I grunted but didn’t let go until we rammed against the wall.

  Another figure entered the room, reaching for me. Maxen. A brown ball of fur came flying at his face, clawing and biting like a cat. Sprig got some deep slashes across the fae’s face before Maxen ripped him away, his fingers wrapping around his neck. Oh. God. No. Maxen smirked at me, then twisted. Crack. The sound of Sprig’s neck breaking echoed in my head and detonated my heart.

  NOOOOOOO!

  Maxen threw my best friend across the room like a baseball. Sprig’s body hit the cupboard with a crunch and fell to the ground.

  Lifeless.

  A sound drove up from my soul out of my mouth. It rang in my ears and shredded my throat. I shook with wrath and whirled around, pouncing on Maxen. We both hit the ground. This man had killed Daniel. And now… Another crazed scream soared free of me, and I tore into him like a frenzied Tasmanian devil. There was no skill or thought, simply blind rage and wrath thumping in my fingers.

  Maxen fought back, but I didn’t feel any of his strikes, only the desire for his death. Revenge burned through me for Daniel, the man I had once loved, my friend, my partner, my fantasy of what could have been. And for Sprig.

  All I could feel was bottomless violence and rage. He killed Sprig. Took my best friend from me. Death would be the least of his problems.

  Vadik hunkered down near me, his hand trying to slow the blood gushing from his neck like a river. Seeing him there, my hands moved on instinct. Vadik wailed as I twisted and ripped the scissors from his body, creating a flow of blood that surged in waves out of his neck.

  I flew back, my head smacking the ground as Maxen bore down on me, his punches knocking me onto the floor. He leaned over me. His face was torn, and he was missing a tooth.

  “You fucking little bitch. I will enjoy taking your life like I did your partner’s.” He cupped my neck, his thumbs squashing my vocal cords. He banged my head back onto the ground over and over as he strangled the last bit of air from my throat. My legs kicked wildly underneath him, my nails tearing at his hands.

  I had died before like this, but I knew he wouldn’t just leave it at that. Before I woke he’d probably cut off my head or burn me.

  It’s what I would have done.

  My vision started to blur, my ears ringing.

  “Die,” he seethed. “Go join your freak pet. Say hi for me.”

  “You first.” I lifted my hands and drove the scissors right into his heart.

  He froze, losing his grip as he looked down at his chest. His jaw slackened, and his eyes darted back up to mine in shock.

  I twisted the handles, rotated the shears, and dug in deeper. The deep shade of scarlet began to soak in and color his shirt. I shoved him off me. Maxen tumbled to the ground, his eyes wide with panic.

  “I will enjoy watching you die,” I said hoarsely, straddling him. I tug
ged the shears out of his chest. “This is for Daniel.” With all the force I could muster, I propelled the scissors down into his throat till the handle halted. His lips parted for air. His body jerked and flapped. I yanked them out of his neck. “And this is for Sprig!” My arms swung back down, the metal sliding through his gaping mouth, embedding into the back of his throat with a gurgling tear as it ripped through to the floor. I kept pressure on the scissors till he went still, his eyes void of life.

  My hands shook as I let go of the shears and scrambled backward off his frame. I stared at the horror before me, only the tips of the handles sticking out of his mouth. My darkness could still frighten me. My gaze was unfocused as I scanned the room. Ryker was fighting. His shoulders rolled as he battled against four fae. Blood covered his torso, dripping down his back like sweat. He would not last.

  At the sight of Sprig’s crumpled form on the floor, fury flooded bone deep. Get up, Zoey. Keep fighting. I got to my feet, ready to join Ryker, when a tall form suddenly blocked mine.

  “I am a demon, little girl. You think a pair of scissors is going to bring me down?” Vadik’s navy eyes turned black, his skin paper thin, displaying the bones and veins under it.

  A desk leg scraped across the cement floor, drawing white lines as it moved across the floor. Lars’s power could actually move people, control them. Vadik’s level of demon could only move inanimate objects. Still, he was incredibly powerful. And fast.

  My mind barely grasped what I saw before the desk collided into me, pushing me back into the wall, pinning me in place. I yelped as the edges dug into my skin.

  “I can see why my son picked you. You remind me so much of his mother. Strong, defiant, smart, self-sacrificing. You impress me, Zoey, but you will lose. In the end you will forfeit your life for his just like she did.”

  A sucking slurp sounded as the scissors wiggled free of Maxen’s throat. Goo and blood matter dripped from the blades. Vadik was controlling them with his mind. They flew for me, stopping at the base of my throat, their sharp tips tapping at my skin.

  I heard a roar from across the room that sounded like my name. My gaze found Ryker through the chaos. His white eyes blistered like a neon sign, ignoring all the men punching and stabbing him. He drove forward, dragging some with him.

  “I wouldn’t do that, son.” Vadik’s words broke my attention from Ryker. “You move another inch, so does the blade.”

  He stopped.

  “Here we are again.” Vadik gazed at me then back to his son. “But unlike Peru, you two will have a dreadfully tragic ending.” The scissors twirled like a screwdriver, digging in.

  I screamed.

  “Stop,” Ryker snarled, barely able to stand fully straight. His fae magic was probably trying to heal him, but it could only stay even as a flood of new wounds descended upon him.

  “Not this time.” Vadik shook his head, his blond hair sticking up in bloody points. “Look at what my generosity got me last time.”

  Another cry broke from me as the sharp edge of the scissors pierced past the skin of my neck, hitting muscle. Pain eclipsed my vision, blurring the room. Ryker bellowed.

  Then noise and commotion at the door broke Vadik’s attention from me. The scissors dropped to the ground, tearing a larger hole in my flesh as they fell. Vadik whirled toward the entrance.

  The door to the office burst open. Figures rushed into the room.

  I blinked a few times, regaining my vision. My eyes locked on a tall, scarred blond man. I knew him. Goran. Lars’s men were here. I almost burst into tears with relief.

  Vadik stood in place, which surprised me. He watched his men go down one by one but did nothing. His eyes moved wildly around the room, but not a finger twitched.

  The fae, Rimmon, who was the size of Goliath, crashed into the room, tearing down half the wall with him. Rimmon swung his arm and knocked into Garrett, smashing him against the wall. Garrett’s body collapsed to the ground in a heap.

  Cadoc leaped over and slashed his sword at Rimmon’s waist. Rimmon’s eyes flashed with anger, his fist slamming down on Cadoc’s head. Cadoc stumbled trying to keep upright but teetered to the side and fell. His head knocked into the desk.

  More and more men pushed their way into the room like silent ninjas. They didn’t say a word. They didn’t have to. There were so many of them, trained and efficient, and quickly took control.

  Vadik and the rest of his men halted, finally seeming to realize they were outmanned and overpowered. Goran and another man moved to each of Vadik’s men, disarmed them, and lined them up against the wall.

  Vadik didn’t flinch a muscle, as if he were actually frozen in place.

  “Everything is secured, sir.” Goran spoke into a walkie-talkie.

  “Took you long enough,” Ryker snarled and limped over to me. His one eye stayed swollen shut, and fresh bruises and cuts bloomed across his face and body. He clutched the desk and shoved it away, kicking the shears.

  “We’ve been here for several hours now,” Goran replied.

  “You knew the whole time we were here? Caught?” Ryker snapped over his shoulder, then returned to me, reaching up to cup my face. His thumb brushed over the hole in my neck, and I gasped at the stinging pain. “You okay?”

  I nodded. I couldn’t quite make myself speak yet.

  Sprig. My feet went to where his body was. “Sprig! Oh god. No.” I went down on my knees, sobbing, scooping him up in my arms. “I am so sorry. I didn’t protect you.” I buried my face in his fur, tears racking my chest.

  My buddy. My best friend was dead.

  I sensed Ryker squat down next to me, leaning his head into mine. He reached over and ran his fingers over Sprig’s fur. His hand stopped.

  “Holy shit.”

  “What?” My head shot up, tears streaming down my face.

  “I can feel him breathing. He’s alive, Zoey.”

  A joyous whimper bent me over farther, cradling him closer to my heart. It was soft, but I could feel his heart patter against mine. Relief so tangible wound my broken heart back together. I kissed his head softly. “You’re okay, buddy. I’m here,” I whispered.

  “He’ll be okay. He’s still fae. He’ll heal,” Ryker whispered and kissed my temple. I let my forehead fall onto Ryker’s shoulder. My boys were all right. He rubbed my arms, peering over at Goran.

  “Did you know we were being held prisoner? Tortured?”

  “Yes.” Goran nodded.

  “They were waiting on my orders, Wanderer. I don’t rush into situations without knowing my outcome.” A deep voice spoke from behind Goran. Goran stepped to the side, letting his King pass.

  Ryker and I scrambled to our feet. Magic so thick I could taste it on my tongue crowded my lungs. My seer qualities went into overload as the King’s magic pressed down on my shoulders. My gaze locked on to the man strolling in. The whole room focused on him. He commanded attention. His power and confidence gave you no choice.

  “I told you before I’m always sure things are in my favor.” Lars stepped into the room, stealing my breath for a whole other reason. He was seriously one of the most striking men I had ever seen. Today he wore a dark gray suit with a buttery yellow tie, which blended with his green-yellow eyes. With his wavy hair styled perfectly, he looked like he stepped out of a GQ magazine.

  His attention snapped to the other demon. “Valefor, my old friend,” his voice mocked. “You are giving me yet another reason to regret my decision to let you live. I showed you kindness, and this is how you repay me? Trying to take over my city?”

  Vadik’s eyes flashed black, but he didn’t respond.

  “I already know I am going to regret this.” Lars tugged at his cuffs. Vadik’s body drooped, and he leaned over his knees, sucking in air.

  Ah, Vadik hadn’t moved or spoken because he couldn’t. I knew the feel of the King’s control.

  “Kindness?” Vadik’s nose flared, and he glared up at the ruler. “Is that what you call it?”

  “Yes,�
� Lars snapped. “A while back, I allowed you to live. I warned you what I would do. I should have taken care of you then. For Rez. A mistake I will not make again.”

  “And one I would never have made.” Vadik stood up, pushing his shoulders back, looking like a puffer fish. “Your city, as you call it, has fallen apart. And you have done nothing. I did what needed to be done. You are a sad excuse for a king. You let the humans have control, have free will, and look what happened? Chaos. I put order back in this city. What were you doing, Lars?”

  Vadik’s body flew back against the wall near me, his feet hanging off the ground. His fingers clawed at the invisible fingers around his throat, croaking out choked noises. Ryker tugged me away, inching us both out of Vadik’s reach.

  “You address me as King.” As Lars walked up to him, the King’s fury made my knees bend. “You are a disgrace, Valefor. You have always been a vile weasel. A man trying to wear his father’s pants. And you know you never will.” Lars smirked as Vadik gasped for breath. “You keep pretending you’re in the big boys’ club, but you can’t play at our level. The inferiority complex you struggle with will always be your downfall. I am grateful to see your son has taken after his mother. She had strength, true fire, and fierceness I respected.

  “I may have become distracted, but I have known every move you have made: trading fae and humans to that human doctor, the little fight club, your secret dealings with the Seelie Queen.”

  Vadik gasped for air, his face a shade of purple from the lack of air. “I am a demon. Dark!” Vadik struggled to talk. “I do not deal with the Seelie.”

  “No?” One eyebrow curved up elegantly on Lars’s face. “Really?”

  “No! I’ve never even seen her before. I would never do that.” Vadik uselessly continued to struggle against Lars’s hold.

  “At every turn, Valefor, you make the wrong choice.” Lars pressed his lips together. “I know you have never met with her in person, because if she found out those letters I intercepted were from a demon, she would not have been as welcoming to your turncoat ways.”

  “I swear. It was not m—” A strangled cry came out of Vadik, and I could see his throat begin to crush inward.