The Barrier Between (Collector Series # 2) (8 page)

During the next couple of days Ryker, Sprig, and I
went out searching for fae. Ryker said Regnus was not going to be
an easy man to find, but finding fae who could help us was also
becoming a challenge. After the first day of nothing, I spotted a
lot of fae around the area, but mostly mountain trolls, river
fairies, and various small shape-shifters. Ryker felt they wouldn’t
know anything.

On the fourth morning of searching, Ryker was hitting
the end of his patience. “Mountain trolls literally live under a
rock. Stupid fuckers. But the water fairies
might
be
useful.”

A laugh burst from my mouth. Of course Ryker would be
interested in talking to them. In my Collector days I had dealt
with quite a few of them. Seattle was almost surrounded by inlets
and rivers. Water fairies were the tramps of the fae world. Always
horny. They got their energy from the power of the water and the
life in it. They were charged and naked all the time, sex was their
release. From what I studied, they had to have sex. It took the
edge off the enormous amount of magic flooding them daily. They’d
go insane if they didn’t, and they weren’t particular if they did
it with humans or fae, though they definitely preferred strong,
gorgeous males.

Understandable.

Humans often confused water fairies with succubi or
sirens. Succubi needed to live off the energy produced by sex, and
from what I read, sirens didn’t actually have sex with any of their
victims. Their beauty itself would make any man or woman plunge to
the bottom of the sea. The sirens lived off the energy of
sacrifice, which came from the person’s willingness to die.

As we traveled to the upper part of the Rio Aguas
Calientes, the water fairies were not hard to find, especially when
they caught sight of Ryker. From a distance and with a normal human
eye, the water fairies appeared to be locals—men, women, and
children—fishing or playing in the water and mixing in seamlessly
with the true residents among them. Unless they wanted you to see
them in their other form, wanting to ensnare a male traveler
passing by.

What I saw were sexy, partially clothed women
splashing around in the water. Four women danced around in
thigh-deep water, the cream cotton blouses they wore were so
tattered and see-through they barely covered their voluptuous
breasts, which bobbed around like small toddlers in a bouncy house.
Their long brown skirts were thin and slit up the sides, letting
you see the outline of their shapely legs. Each one had hair past
her waist, full lips, and bright blue-green eyes.

No guy, straight anyway, could resist them. They were
a typical cliché for a reason. Perfect bait to lure in their next
sex victim, though their victims probably wouldn’t consider
themselves too much of a victim.

“Gee, I wonder why you were eager to talk to them,” I
grumbled.

Ryker grinned. “You’d be surprised by what they see
and know.”

“Amazed.” I rolled my eyes.

Ryker and I walked over to them. The women stopped,
turning to us. Their eyes went straight to Ryker like he was a
deity rising from the water.

“I was hoping you ladies could assist me,” Ryker
said, low and commanding. He was naturally carnal and imposing, but
he was upping the charm.

A tall brunette, legs up to her ears, stepped from
the water. She pulled up her skirt to her knees as she stepped onto
the bank. “I will assist in anything you want.”

“I am hoping you can help me locate a shaman or
someone who might know of one.” Ryker’s eyes trailed over the
woman. She brazenly walked right to him, pushing her chest into
his. Her hand met his torso and slithered around him as she circled
him.

“You are so masculine and virile. Sexy.” She purred
into his ear. “And primal.”

“Thank you.” Ryker smiled, making no move to prevent
her fingers from exploring his chest and arms. “But I really need
information.”

The brunette’s hand curved over his ass.

A snarl raged in my chest, but I swallowed it back.
Where the hell did that come from? Am I jealous? Oh no...
nononono
. I didn’t do jealousy. For one thing, I was terrible
at it, with a tendency to hit or take the item causing the
green-eyed monster to emerge.

“So... do you know of any healers in the area? An
elder, perhaps?” Ryker’s voice sounded low and sexier than normal.
Besides Amara, Ryker felt the only people who might know of Regnus’
whereabouts would be another high-ranking shaman. Or at least
someone who could get word to him.

Another water fairy came to his other side, this one
had long red wavy hair. Her smooth porcelain skin stood out next to
the brunette’s olive complexion. “No, but I can help tend to your
needs.”

I rolled my eyes.
Could they be more of a
cliché?

Ryker glanced over at me, then cleared his throat and
stepped away from them. “Thanks anyway.”

“Wait. Don’t go.” Two more dark-haired girls ran to
him from the water. “You are far too magnificent to let go. A
mind-blowing specimen.”

“Seriously?” I threw up my hands.

Ryker’s gaze drifted to me, a smirk flickering on his
mouth. He was enjoying this. “Just looking for a shaman, ladies. A
particular one named Regnus.” He took a few steps toward me when
all four girls encircled and trapped him.

“I might know of someone,” a woman’s strong voice
rose from the middle of the waterway. A blonde goddess of a woman
stepped onto the bank. I almost wanted to cry.
Where the hell
did she come from?
It was as if she rose from the depth of the
river.

She stood over six feet tall, long, lean giraffe legs
hooked out from the slits in her skirt. Her golden locks tumbled
down her waist in glistening waves. Her face was so perfectly
proportionate, it was almost doll-like. But it was the way she held
herself that seized your attention. She embraced a confidence and a
cleverness even more than the other girls.

I couldn’t have felt tinier, more boring, or more
insubstantial, which only made me want to fight her.

“You know where he is?” Ryker pushed through the
girls surrounding him. They stepped back, sending Ryker longing
stares. The way the blonde woman moved and the response of the
other girls to her told me she was their leader.

“I did not say that. I said I
might
know of
someone.”

“Either you do or you don’t. Damn, you fairies love
to play games.”

“Oh, I think you do, too, Wanderer. Kinky ones. I can
feel it in you. I can guarantee you will love playing them with
me.” She looked him up and down, her eyes undressing him. “Yes, we
know who you are. You are a legend among us fae.” Other than Amara,
this gorgeous, confident woman was one I could picture with Ryker.
“Maybe we can work out a deal.”

One of his eyebrows went up. “A deal?”

“We help you, and you help us. Scratch each other’s
backs... and I’ve got an itch needing attention. If the gossip is
true, you are exceptional in that area.” She pressed closer to him.
She revealed not one ounce of shyness or doubt he would say no to
her proposition.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mumbled, my nails
digging trenches into my palms.

“What do you say, Wanderer?”

Ryker slid his hand down her face and pulled her body
in line with his. His other hand pushed her ass into him so she
could feel every part of him. The woman’s knees buckled; her eyes
widening with desire.

Anger bristled up my neck till I thought my hair was
standing straight.

He grasped her hair and yanked her head back. “I
don’t make deals.” Then he turned away, moving toward me.

“Wait,” the blonde yelled. “I can’t give you a name,
but you need to meet back here at sundown. I know someone you can
talk to.”

A smile spread over Ryker’s face, his eyes on me.

“Tonight then.” He didn’t even look back as he
grabbed my arm and tugged me back on the path.

“Bye,” a girl’s singsong voice rang out after us.

I yanked out of his grip, adjusting my bag on my hip.
Sprig’s weight lopsided one end of the carrier.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“Really?” One eyebrow cocked up.

“Yes.” I flicked my eyes to the side in annoyance.
“But I mean, was that necessary?”

“What?”

I crossed my arms and tilted my head back to the
women.

“Are you jealous?” Ryker snorted.

“Jealous of gorgeous women with Jessica Rabbit bodies
and legs up to their temples? Please...” I kept moving forward,
quickly.

“Jessica Rabbit?”

I waved it off. “I guess if you like them dumb as
shit.” And beautiful and willing to do anything in bed.

Fuck
.

I rubbed at my forehead. What man wouldn’t prefer a
bunch of stunning, eager-to-please vixens?

Double fuck
.

“You
are
jealous.” He slowed so much I had to
stop walking and turn my body to look back.

“No, I am not.” The words rushed out of my mouth with
force.
I’m not.
But whatever I felt, I did not like it.

“Really? So you wouldn’t care if I took one of them
up on their offer? Or maybe all of them at once.”

I whirled around, picking up my stride. “Do what you
want.”

“Zoey.”

I ignored him.

I heard his shoes crunch in the dirt as he jogged to
me. “Zoey, you know I was only playing them to get what I wanted. I
knew they wanted me, and I worked it.”

“Jeez. Ego big enough?”

“It’s a fact. Water fairies are not the brightest of
fae and only want one thing.”

“Sounds like a man.”

He grasped my arm and stopped me. “Look at me.” I
turned my head to his. “I don’t want any of them. I like women with
a bit more depth and stubbornness to them.”

So many emotions exploded in my chest, and I glanced
away. “Good thing for Amara then,” I mumbled.

He didn’t respond for a breath before replying,
“Yeah.”

A deep plum color coated the steep peaks and valleys
as we made our way back to the river later that evening.

I was glad Sprig stayed back in the room. The TV
worked, although it only showed three channels. One of them was a
Spanish soap opera channel. We handed him a bag of honey roasted
cashews, and he didn’t even look up when we said goodbye.

Yes, I was using TV as a babysitter. A sitter for my
narcoleptic, monkey-sprite who was ADD and had a honey
addiction.

I was all right with that.

Ryker’s body was tense and on guard, clenching
tighter the closer we got. My hand kept reaching for my fae gun,
which no longer hung off my belt. I missed it. Though I didn’t want
to collect fae anymore, I missed the rush the chase had given me.
When I quit street fighting, becoming a Collector was a close
substitute. I was trained to go in and expect the unexpected. But
we went in knowledgeable of the fae we were hunting, the area we
were in, and planned exit strategies and backups if we needed.

This was different. We were going in blind and
unfamiliar with the area. Ryker and I did a little investigating,
and he lent me two of his daggers. But those we were meeting and
how many would be there were complete mysteries.

While traveling with Ryker during the last month, I
noticed he didn’t seem to trust most fae and now seemed
apprehensive about this meeting. Another thing we had in common,
but we couldn’t pass up this chance.

The last bit of sunlight slipped below the horizon,
shading everything in a purple hue. There were no streetlights and
few buildings out here, intensifying the darkening sky.

Ryker reached over and swung his axe out of the
holder. My legs scrambled to keep up with his strides, my boots
striking the loose gravel. Flip-flops were never good when you
needed to fight or run. He glanced over his shoulder, frowning at
my trampling feet.

“What? I’ve got tiny legs compared to you.”

He didn’t turn back around, but his free hand found
mine and pulled me to him as we walked. “Stay close to me
tonight.”

I could protect myself, but I also wasn’t a fool.
Daniel had drilled into me not to let my ego get the better of me.
Or do anything stupid because I was trying to prove something. You
worked as a team, highlighting each other’s strengths. This was
Ryker’s lead, but I would have his back.

Hopefully, we were simply being paranoid, and it
would not come to any kind of altercation. I mean, shamans were
healers and usually known to be peaceful, herb-smoking
spiritualists. If anything, we should have brought Cheetos.

We stepped off the path where we met with the river
fairies earlier. The water was vacant of human or fae. Ryker kept
his hand tight around mine but scanned the area continuously.

“She was speaking the truth. It really is you,
Wanderer.” A man’s gruff voice came from the shadows, and a figure
moved from behind a tree, followed by a trail of cigarette smoke
billowing around his shape. “I thought there was no way the
Wanderer would be caught in these parts again. Not after last
time.”