Collector: City In Embers Part 30

Sprig's safety was another perfect birthday present. "I'm so happy you are safe. I missed you."

"I missed you too." Sprig reached and patted my face again, wiggling under my grip.

I finally let him go, and he bounced all over the bed like a windup toy. "So what are we doing today? Huh? Huh? Do you have any more of those granola bars? I'm starving. Oh, do you think there is one of those honey bears here?" He was already off, racing to the kitchen.

I didn't think my smile could grow any bigger. I looked at Ryker, and he also watched Sprig with amus.e.m.e.nt.

"Wish you could bottle his energy, huh?" I kept my eyes on the monkey crawling in and out of the cupboards as he continued to chatter.

"Or strangle it." Ryker snorted, pushing the covers off. From the corner of my eye, I watched his back muscles flex as he stretched and stood.

Heat flooded my cheeks when I saw it wasn't the only thing standing up.

"Coffee... maybe she has coffee." I scrambled from the bed and went to join Sprig.

The room spun, and I grabbed the back of the sofa. Heat exploded inside, expanding to my fingertips. Perspiration dampened the back of my neck and brow. "Whoa." I held my head, remaining in place.

"What?" Ryker turned to me. Everything about him stood at full attention.

I forced myself to continue my journey to the cupboard. "Nothing. I rose too fast." The fever I hoped would break overnight didn't. It felt worse this morning. Maybe this was what coming down from a drug high felt like. Whatever Maria gave me was still working its way through my system. "I need caffeine." I really wanted to crawl back in bed and stay there all day.

"What are you going to do? Lick the beans?" Ryker said. I could hear him pulling on his pants. Good.

It took me a moment to realize even if she had coffee, beans or ground, it wouldn't help me. No water, heat, milk, or ice.

"I am so over this storm thing. I want electricity. I want a good warm caramel latte from Starbucks." I would sell my soul for one if someone offered.

Sprig pouted on the counter till I removed a granola bar and handed it to him, rubbing his head as I did. d.a.m.n, I loved the little guy. Opening one of the cupboards, I found a bag of coffee beans. I opened the top and took a deep breath. "Oh yeah." I felt my eyes roll back in my head with ecstasy.

As he walked to me, Ryker tugged on the shirt I had thrown across the sofa arm. "Should I leave you two alone?"

I took a bean and plopped it into my mouth.

"You're not going to like it." Ryker shook his head.

Immediately, I opened my mouth, letting the acrid bean fall off my tongue. "Ick."

"Told ya."

"How can something so awful taste so good brewed in a cup?"

"Because of the caramel, sugar, and milk."

Okay. I wasn't a purest.

Sprig finished his bar and jumped off the counter, chirping and running and jumping about the studio like a crackhead. Mid-leap from the sofa to the bed, his condition kicked in, and he face-planted on the bed. Snoring.

I couldn't stop laughter from bubbling, along with fierce feelings of protection. I would never let him out of my sight again. No one would hurt him.

Ryker spoke after I stopped laughing. "We have to get going. I want to cross the bridge early. We are very exposed there, and I want to get it behind us."

I agreed and moved to the woman's closet. Along with the pajamas I borrowed, I would be stealing other clothes. Pants and a top were a necessity. Blood covered my jeans, and Ryker took back his shirt.

By the look of her clothes, she was tall and lean, so I had to take a pair of leggings. They still were long on me, but they fit my a.s.s well. I grabbed another tank top and sports bra. It felt nice to be rid of my dirty garments. She had good taste, and I couldn't help myself from snagging a cool brown faux leather jacket and a hoodie. Maybe I should leave her a thank you letter. No. It would probably be too creepy. Ignorance would be bliss.

While dressing, I realized the bruising along my ribs turned more yellow, and it didn't hurt as much to lift my arms. My ribs hadn't been fractured. I had cracked them before, and the pain was severe and lasted forever. It didn't make sense. I had heard them crack. I thought they were broken. Even the bruising should have been hurting me more. I felt stiff and sore, but not even in the realm of what I should have been.

Slipping back on my boots, I lifted Sprig and held him to my chest as I walked back to toward the kitchen.

Ryker leaned against the counter, staring at me.

"What?"

He lowered his head, shaking it. "Nothing."

I looped my purse over my head and put Sprig at the bottom. Reuniting him with Pam. The book and picture of Daniel and me were tucked underneath him. All my most prized possessions. I was so grateful Marcello left everything untouched.

Ryker withdrew bottles of water and more bread from the bag he brought the night before.

"Anything else hidden in there? Like a lasagna? Cannoli?"

"You are lucky we got stale bread for dinner." He stuffed the items in the empty compartment in my bag and moved to the door, grabbing his axe and makeshift cloak. "You ready?"

I nodded and followed him outside.

Whatever lay ahead of us, we would deal with it. The three of us.

Okay, Sprig would sleep through most of it.

Three and half hours later, we made it to the bank without incident, which had to be a record for us. We could see a little damage across the bridge, but not nearly what downtown suffered. Still, most of the businesses on the Bellevue side were out of electricity and seemed to be abandoned. At least for now.

We found the bank in the upscale part of Bellevue, sandwiched between Mercedes and Porsche dealerships. Smart move to have a bank in the middle of those two.

Ryker took us to the front doors, both of us on high alert for anything not feeling right.

"Great." I motioned to the pristine large double white doors. The bank appeared so pretentious it had no name on the front, only an address gold plated on the side. The chains hanging off the door handles protruded like sore thumbs. Several types of locks fortified the front door. Someone at least knew this would be a hotspot, and they were trying to prevent it from being robbed. But we weren't planning on taking a dime.

"Sprig?" I quit trying to keep him in my purse along the journey. If people saw us, they would think me a crazy lady with a monkey on her shoulder. My fever seemed worse. It rolled inside, pushing through my skin, keeping me splotchy and lightheaded. Sprig tried to keep my mind off it with his constant jokes, mostly about sprites or monkeys. Ryker gave the impression he wanted to silence him for good, but he didn't say anything.

"Yes?" Sprig responded. His tail curled around my neck. It made me even warmer, but I stayed quiet. I wanted him close.

I nodded toward the locks. "Go to it, monkey-man."

He chirped happily and jumped off my shoulder, plying his magic on the locks. One by one, the latches fell open as he worked through them.

"I really love you." I unhooked them from the door. "Seriously awesome."

He smiled. His little face lighting with pride.

Ryker didn't wait for Sprig to finish with the main lock. Ryker twisted the k.n.o.b till it shattered inside. He opened the door, motioning for us to enter. Sprig scuttled in before I slipped in after him. Ryker closed the door, looking around for something to block it. Money saturated the building and not only in its vaults. Elegant crystal chandeliers and white leather sofas and chairs decorated the lobby.

"Nice." My eyes took in the place. It made me feel like a vagabond-probably the intent of the place.

Daniel came here? If the security was as first cla.s.s as the decor, then I could see why he did. Though it probably wasn't prepared for a fae storm to destroy the cameras and electronic security.

Ryker pulled a sofa across the entrance and pushed it firmly against the door. It wouldn't hold people back for long, but it would give us warning.

We wandered the hallway lined with locked doors. Each one, Sprig unlocked for us. Most were offices or storage rooms. Finally, we found what we were looking for-the room storing the safe deposit boxes.

"Holy s.h.i.t." My eyes widened, taking in the metal-lined wall where boxes were inserted. Each had a number and lock on the front, and a key would release the box from the wall. There had to be more than three hundred of them. The numbers on the boxes appeared to have no rhyme or reason to them. Normally, the bank employee would retrieve your box for you. They certainly did not want to make this easy for people coming in like us, trying to find a particular box.

"We have a lot of boxes to cover and little time to do it." Ryker stepped to the wall.

"Sprig?"

"Go keep guard?" Sprig finished my sentence.

I smiled at him. "You're a rock star."

"Actually, I played in a band before my capture. Every other night The Honey-Dew's performed at the village tavern. I played the flute, and I-"

"Sprig," Ryker warned.

"Right. Going now." He ran from the room.

Ryker turned to me and pulled the key from under the collar of his shirt. "The first part of the number tells what bank it's from. The second part is the box it coincides with." He yanked at the cord, breaking the bind holding it there.

"Look for chest 79X3W."

My finger scanned the line of coffers. We were going to be here a while.

Ten minutes later, Ryker p.r.o.nounced, "I found it."

He pulled the bin and set it on the table and handed me the key. Apprehension chilled the back of my neck. Was I ready for whatever this strongbox held? In my core, I felt it would change my life. Would I be better off not knowing?

Sensing I needed a push, Ryker cupped his hand over mine and led it to the container. Together we unlocked the chest. He lifted the lid, and I almost stepped back, thinking something would jump at me.

I peered in the box. Two thick files sat underneath a handheld video camera. I grabbed the camera, holding it in my hands for a while, debating. What I might find terrified me. I wanted to believe Daniel Senior was a crazy old man, and no truth existed to anything he told me. If I hit the switch, would everything change?

No point in stopping now. I pushed the b.u.t.ton. The light on top turned green, the batteries holding enough energy to turn it on. A sharp inhale halted the air in my lungs as an image of Daniel came on the screen. I stared at him, not able to move. He was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt, an outfit I had seen on him many times. The same room we sat in appeared as the backdrop for his video. I fell into the chair, the same one he used. I felt frozen, locked on his face.

"Are you going to watch it?" I could tell Ryker was anxious. We didn't have a lot of time before someone noticed the building was broken into, but I couldn't move. "Do you want me to do it?"

I nodded.

Ryker leaned over and pushed play. Daniel cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. My heart lurched to see him alive. Had it been a day we had spent together before he taped this? Did he just drop me off at my house before he came here? Pain and sadness engulfed me, triggering my tear ducts. I squeezed my lids shut to keep the water back.

Daniel's eyes were locked on the camera. "Zoey, if you are watching this, then I am either dead or DMG has discovered what I know, and they have taken me prisoner. Knowing DMG, it is probably the latter, as they will try to torture me for information first. Either way, I'm as good as gone. I know how these things work." He took a breath, folding his hands and placing them on the table. His voice saying my name ripped at my heart. One hand went to my mouth to keep the sobs back, and the other one went to screen to touch him. It might have seemed silly, but it let me have him back for a moment. "There is much I need to tell you. I wish I could have told you this in person, but for your safety, for my father's, I needed to keep the facts away from even you. I am sorry for this. I hope you can forgive me. Because I do love you. I fought it for a long time, but I fell in love with you anyway."

I could no longer hold back the cry coming from my soul. These words were what I had wished to hear for so long. Words that would have changed my life but were never said. It felt even more painful to hear them now. It was too late. Our love would never be realized. It was now only a wish or dream-what could have been.

Daniel's voice continued. "It's why this is hard to say. I fear your feelings will change the moment you know how much I kept from you. But if you're watching this, then it is probably a moot point anyway." He shoulders fell in a sad shrug. "Before I begin, remember I did this because I care about you. Keeping you safe became my only concern." He took another long breath before he talked again. "If you are watching this, then you found your way to my father. I am glad he was lucid enough to remember the key I hid with him. I'm not sure how much he could tell you. DMG is keeping him almost incoherent, so I will try to explain it all.

"The DMG originally came together to tag, study, and experiment on fae. Dr. Rapava's initial design of the group might have come from good intentions... to save human lives. It is how they still portray themselves, how you know them. Sadly, like many government agencies, DMG soon became corrupt with money, power, and knowledge. Dr. Rapava quickly realized humans were outnumbered and outgunned. We had no hope to fight against the fae if they ever decided to invade us. People with the 'sight' or seers comprise a low percentage of the human race. The DMG didn't feel they could get a handle on the fae population. Not unless we produced our own seers."

My back went rigid, and I jolted away from the camera screen. Daniel's father's voice came back to me. If I knew what they really wanted to do with you guys... you were only babies. I felt as if I were about to step into a minefield. My whole world was going to explode, no matter where I trod.

"My father was a top molecular biologist, and they recruited him to generate human babies with the seer gene." Daniel's hand went to his mouth, rubbing absently before he let it drop again. "You are an experiment, Zoey. You were one of those who came from my father's experiments... Daniel's Kids."

What? An experiment? What did that mean?

"If you ever wondered about the coincidence of your last name and my first, don't worry. We are not related. The name originated from the experiment you came from." He coughed into his hand and took a drink of water from the bottle next to him. "Each child was created in a petri dish with an egg and s.e.m.e.n from strong seers all over the world. They tweaked and played with the DNA code, trying to strengthen and perfect the seer gene.

"While playing with genes, DNA made a lot of mistakes. Most of the eggs did not make it. And sadly, most of the babies died. Only a few of you survived."

There were others? My mind was having trouble grasping the full truth of what he was telling me. I existed because of a lab project.

"Being scientists, they were curious of the effect of nature versus nurture, wanting to see which child would develop into the stronger seer. Out of the kids who survived past a year, two stayed with DMG, five were placed with families, and six got the unfortunate alternative of being put in foster care." Daniel's lids flicked, his eyes burning into the cameras. "Think we know which hand you were dealt. DMG kept a close eye on all of their subjects as they grew, but they never interfered unless it became a matter of life and death. With all other things, they turned a blind eye." I felt the tears threaten again. I understood what he meant. Raped, beaten, drugged. All had happened, and they never interceded. They probably were more curious on how those incidents would develop my character or my seer sense than protecting the loss of my soul.

"Then something started happening to the surviving test subjects. They began to die. You were all made from different specimens but created from the same testing batch, so you share the same weakness. DMG would have kept creating babies like you, who would only die, if my father hadn't stolen the DNA codes. Over the last fifteen years, eleven of the subjects died of the same sickness. Twelve years ago, my father finally discovered the strand of DNA that was defective. A weakness you all have. By then it was too late. It's only a matter of time." Daniel's throat bobbed as he swallowed. Sadness seemed to cause his shoulders to droop. "Your headaches. The nosebleeds. I knew what they meant-what was slowly happening to you. It made me realize my true feelings for you, to know I had little time with you left." Air stilled in my lungs. "You've actually lived longer than my father estimated, but... you are dying, Zoey."

TWENTY-EIGHT.

You are dying, Zoey. The words repeated over and over in my head.

Coldness blew into my soul like an Arctic wind, icing my throat. It felt like Death stood behind me as the tip of his scythe skated the length of my spine. My limbs and lungs froze. No air circulated. Ryker stood next to me like a statue, no response showing on his face.

"I am sorry. I can't imagine how you feel at hearing this news, and I hate not being there for you. Every time I dropped you off, I felt scared it would be my last day with you. I wanted to tell you, but in a way I knew it was better you didn't know." Daniel glanced away, his lids blinking. "After finding this fault in the DNA, my father wanted to get away from the DMG. He destroyed some of his work and set the lab on fire. He did not want them to keep recreating more subjects, more innocent children who would die. They tried to force him back, but he refused. Let's say his retaliation did not go unpunished. We will never have conclusive proof, but a note left to my father about having his older son join his youngest was enough for both of us to know David didn't die from a random car bomb overseas. They killed him. I am sure they murdered my mother, too, but again we will never know for sure.

"When they recruited me after David's death, I understood it wasn't a choice. I decided to play the good soldier, pretending to hate my father, while finding enough proof on them to close DMG. Then they brought you in, and everything in my world changed. I still wanted to take them down, but protecting you became my main focus, to spend every moment with you I could."

I felt Ryker stir next to me, his hands flexing open and closed.

"As you've probably deduced, there are still two of you alive. The other girl was raised with a family in Seattle, also very unaware of where she really came from and DMG's true link to her creation." Daniel looked at the ceiling, a glimmer of a smile on his face. His eyes came back to mine. "You are going to love this, but the other kid is Sera."

My jaw unlatched and fell open. "Sera?" I sputtered. But she had a family.

"Sera's parents never told her the truth about her being adopted." Daniel clutched one of the folders, his fingers curling around the edge. "But it's true. It's all in this file."

Sera adopted? She was like me? I understood we weren't really sisters, but I felt like I learned she was. The girl I couldn't stand shared something with me no one else in the world did-a strand of DNA bonding us, making us more than sisters. Another thing connecting us was the nosebleeds. She would die from the same thing as me-a flaw in our DNA.