Collector: City In Embers Part 6

"You are taking on its qualities." He nodded, as if confirming whatever theory he had in mind.

"I am not pregnant," I finally whispered.

Rapava glanced down at the files in his hand. "These tell me different, Zoey."

"What?" My back strummed as I over-straightened. "They say I'm pregnant?"

The doctor stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. His restriction of my exit pumped more anxiety into me. "The pregnancy test came back inconclusive. Your general makeup is the same, except for a section in you, which has come back positive for fae DNA. I may not be able to hear a heartbeat, but I have no doubt you are carrying a fae offspring."

My whole world seemed to turn upside down. As sure as he was I was carrying fae sp.a.w.n, I knew I wasn't. I would never even touch a fae if I didn't have to. The thought of having s.e.x with one made me retch. The last time I had s.e.x was more than a month ago after a very intense training session with Daniel. It ended with him driving me home and a platonic nod goodbye. Chaste and by the rules. He had me really riled up, and I didn't want to be a good girl. After he dropped me off, I took out my frustration on some guy I picked up at the bar. A human man. We had been safe, and my monthly visitor four days later confirmed it.

He looked down at his clipboard and became even more formal than he usually was. "When were you a.s.saulted, Zoey?"

"I-I wasn't a.s.saulted." My mind spun, not able to grasp anything substantial.

"I see." Displeasure coated his words as he checked something on the form. "When was your last s.e.xual encounter with a fae, then?"

My head slowly shook back and forth. "No! You don't understand."

Rapava's hand came up, pen twined between his fingers. "I will not lie. I am greatly disappointed in you, Zoey, but in order to deal with this, I need you to be completely honest with me. We need to know all the facts, so I know how to handle it." He cleared his throat. "Now, tell me when you last had intercourse with a fae. When were you penetrated?"

I cringed at his words, feeling dirty and disgusted, but they did trigger a memory of the night. My hand grazed my stomach. It was still tender from where the lightning bolt went through. Penetrated. Duh, Zoey. "It was the lightning bolt!" I motioned frantically at my stomach. "The lightning did it." Okay, now looking back, I can see how crazy it sounded.

Dr. Rapava stared at me before his robotic voice filled with an emotion I had never heard from him.

Disappointment and shame. "I think you should lie down."

"No! You don't understand. The storm wa-"

Rapava's legs moved in the direction of the wall, stopping my words. He punched his finger into the intercom b.u.t.ton. "Liam, can you and Sera get down here? She is awake."

Terror constricted my lungs. Threat. Enemy. The words pumped through my blood into my thoughts. My reaction was immediate. Like a trapped animal, I squatted lower, preparing myself to attack. I had been in a lot of predicaments in the past, and I had always gotten out. Whatever it took, my self-preservation dominated.

Swiping up the closest thing, my fingers curled into the holes of Sprig's cage. A squeak came from him as I dumped him out and tossed the metal box at Rapava. Adrenaline allowed me to heave the container with precision and speed, nailing Rapava's head. He crashed to the floor under the force. He groaned and rolled to his side. I only had seconds before he would be back up, or Liam and Sera would enter the room. If they did-game over.

"Take me with you," Sprig chirped from the counter. It was a natural reflex to shake my head. I collected fae; I didn't set them free. He leaped off the table, following me as I dashed for the exit. "Please, don't leave me here with them. I can help you."

I swung the door open, and it crashed against the wall close to Rapava. I sprinted down the hallway.

"You can't go out this way. All exits are equipped with a fae alarm," the monkey screeched as he scampered next to me.

"Good thing I'm not fae, then."

Sprig's tiny form silently kept up with surprising ease as the smooth floor squeaked under my boots. Muscles in my legs tightened as I veered around a corner, leading me to the exit. Instinct was all I had to go on because I had never been this deep in the DMG building. Natural deduction skills had me following a route as if I were on the floor I knew. Most likely, they had been set up similarly.

My lungs throbbed under my ribs, more from panic than exertion. My eyes were set ahead, but I was aware of every door I pa.s.sed, afraid something would leap out. I skidded, rounding another corner. Stairs. My exit leading up was in sight. A machine similar to the ones for airport security bordered the end of the corridor before reaching the stairs. The moment my toes crossed it, the buzzer sounded, belting a loud signal off the walls. What the h.e.l.l?

"Not fae, huh?" Sprig skidded into the back of my boot. "I told you the doorways are lined with anti-fae material. If we step over, it sets off a warning bell," Sprig spouted nervously.

But I wasn't fae. Had he crossed it the same time I did? I had no time to wonder as shouts and the vibration of feet plummeting down the stairs whirled me around to head back across the scanner and into the depths of DMG.

"Hurry, Liam." Sera's voice rang through the corridor.

Sprig squeaked with fear, his body stiffened and toppled in a heap.

"What the h.e.l.l?" I bent over his little body. "Sprig?" His tiny chest moved up and down. He was still alive. I swept him up in my arms and took off in the opposite direction from Sera and Liam.

I turned toward the closest door, twisting the k.n.o.b. Locked. I tried a few more. All bolted. Sprig stirred in my arms. I searched behind me, then back at the stairs. s.h.i.t! I had nowhere to go. Liam and Sera were getting closer-only seconds from hitting the bottom of the steps. Soon they would see me.

The last door opened for me, and I raced through, closing and locking it behind me. Liam's and Sera's shouts drilled through the wood.

"She went in there," Liam bellowed.

Dread wrapped so tightly around my lungs it broke off my air supply. I only had a second to examine the room before Liam's fist cracked into the panel. The s.p.a.ce was another lab. There were different types of equipment and devices. Attached was a smaller room with windows, a room within a room. An operating table with chains hanging off the side was located in the side s.p.a.ce. Whatever they put on the bed, they restrained and observed from this outer room. My insides constricted at the thought. But right then I didn't have time to dwell on anything.

Bam!

The door shook again under Liam's strength.

Sprig perked his head up. "How did we get here?" He looked up at me studying me. "You saved me?"

"I-uh." I didn't have a response to his question. Why did I save him?

"I am indebted to you." He jumped from my arms onto the counter.

"What happened?"

"I tend to fall asleep at the most inopportune moments."

"You're a narcoleptic?"

"In so many words."

"What words would you use?"

His brown eyes stared blankly. "Those I guess."

A narcoleptic monkey-sprite. This was a new one for me.

There were no windows since it was far below the surface, the only door being the one we came in. What the h.e.l.l was I going to do? How would I escape? Think, Zoey. Think! The fan kicked on, pushing air down on me. My gaze went up, searching the air vent. "That's it."

"What's it?" Sprig replied.

The air had to be pumped down here. My hope locked on the idea if the vent moved the air to all the rooms below, it would lead to the surface.

"This way," I shouted and leaped on the counter and pointed at the ceiling panels.

"Ah, got it, bhean!" He clambered up the cupboard to the ceiling.

I scaled after him. Slipping into people's houses from an open top-floor window had once been my specialty. My tiny, limber nine-year-old frame could get into any snug or high place with no problem. My body had developed since then. My a.s.s was a lot more rounded, my b.o.o.bs more defined. I loved them, but it did make it a little harder to crawl into small s.p.a.ces.

"Zoey, come out now. You have nowhere to run," Sera screamed.

The door shuddered again as an impact hit lower. Sera's foot. I had been on the receiving end of her kicks many times. Her legs were tiny but powerful. She bruised my ribs a lot during training. Don't get me wrong-I had gotten her back-but deep down I knew I held back. When I would feel the blissful level of excitement pumping into my veins, when I wanted to tear her apart, I would walk away. This type of fighting was never allowed on DMG's mats. Daniel would never have condoned it. And I had never wanted him to see the dark version of me.

I pushed my foot off the last shelf of the cabinet and hit at a ceiling panel, exposing the open rafters. Sprig jumped up, gripping one of the metal braces. I crawled behind him, lifting myself to the supports. Wiring, metal beams, and insulation filled the s.p.a.ce like an obstacle course. I had barely put the panel back in place when I heard the door splinter. Please, door, hold a little longer. I needed a bit more time to get out of this s.p.a.ce before they figured where I went.

Sprig bounced from beam to beam, chirping and chattering like I had seen monkeys do on the Discovery Channel when they got riled up. "Shut it," I whispered hoa.r.s.ely, following his lead toward the far wall.

An opening cut into the wall went up to the surface, bringing fresh air to the underground sections. My trail to freedom. The metal vent stuck out of the wall enough so I didn't have to go in where the fan circled around like blades of death. I unhooked a panel on the side, letting it fall open. Sprig's nails dug into my jeans as he climbed to my shoulder and then leaped to the outlet. Fae of any kind had always been the "enemy," but in a matter of minutes, I had come to feel an alliance with the monkey. It was nowhere near fondness or even compa.s.sion but more a convenience-we're in this together kind of feeling. I a.s.sumed the moment we got through this predicament, things would change. We would go our separate ways, and he would deal with finding safety on his own.

It took me a couple of tries before I jumped high enough to get the majority of my upper torso into the opening. The sharp metal stabbed into my abdomen. My fingers scratched for any kind of traction, and my legs swung violently underneath me. A trickle of sweat trailed down my forehead into my eye.

"Come on. Hurry!" Sprig bobbed around me anxiously.

I grunted and pulled myself up into the s.p.a.ce. My legs slipped, and I crashed to the floor near the vent. All I wanted to do was lie there and pant like a dog, but I had no time. Sera and Liam were far from dumb. If they got into the room and figured out where I went, they would know where I was going. Even with all the work to get out, there was a good possibility in the end they would be standing by the ground flue and lead me right back to where I started.

Rolling over, I got on all fours and crawled. It was pitch black, and my hands felt their way through the s.p.a.ce, colliding with cobwebs and rats. I reached forward, my fingers sliding over something soft.

"Hey," Sprig yelped. "Stop grabbing my a.s.s."

I jerked my hand back.

"I mean, I don't think we know each other well enough yet. At least you could buy me a few drinks or something first."

I snorted.

"I am all for the incentive. I like a woman who goes for what she wants."

"Please, shut up now," I groaned. Great. I had a chatty, frisky monkey-sprite on my hands.

"You're the one who grabbed my a.s.s."

"I didn't mean to." I skidded forward on my knees.

"Still your fault."

Maybe the toy in his cage was more than something he curled up with at night. "Am I going to have to get you a stuffed animal to be alone with?" I sighed, feeling the tunnel take a sharp curve upward. "h.e.l.l. It's straight up from here."

Sprig stayed silent.

"Sprig?"

"Not. Talking. To. You."

"Again?" I shook my head. Standing in the vertical tube, my eyes tried hard to adjust to the pure darkness. All they could distinguish were strange shapes, which I knew weren't actually there.

"You insulted Sussanna at a time when I had to leave her behind. She will be so upset with me."

"Who is Sussanna?"

"She was my companion for the time I have been here and always there to comfort me. Such a good listener."

I gripped the sides of the slick walls, found small edges to put my boots on, and pulled myself higher, making my way up the tube.

"She has such big black eyes," he continued. A memory made me think back to the toy in his cage. A bear.

"Would Sussanna be considered alive?"

Sprig climbed my back, settling on my shoulder, his tail wrapping my neck. "Alive is such a technical term."

I bit my lip, laughter bubbling up. "So... she's a stuffed animal?"

He sighed deeply in my ear. "In the most basic meaning, I suppose it's what she is. But she has been my friend for more than five years."

That was actually sad and sweet-mostly sad. I was about to respond when I saw light gleaming down on me. Freedom. It was so close I could taste it. Trails of sweat etched my face as I forced myself forward. The vision of hope giving me newfound energy. My legs shook as I pushed myself higher, and my hands reached for the gap. Smoke and ash blocked out the sky, but raging fires from all around illuminated the billowing clouds.

Sprig climbed along my arm toward the latches on the edges of the vent. That's when I noticed it was bolted down.

"s.h.i.t! No..." I felt tears p.r.i.c.king at my eyes. Of course they would bolt it. They wouldn't want anyone to be able to get in. Or out. Once again, I was trapped. I couldn't go forward and couldn't go back.

"Watch and learn." Sprig's little fingers touched the bolts. One by one they popped out of their holes, falling below.

"How the h.e.l.l did you do that?"

"Magic." Sprig touched the last one. "We sprites are very talented." His little brown eyebrows went up and down.

Right then I was extremely thankful for Sprig and his fae magic.

Another first for me.

I lifted the cover off and let it tumble to the side. Sprig jumped out, going beyond where I could see him. With a grunt, I gripped the sides and pulled myself over the rim. My arms trembled underneath me. They were giving way when a hand grabbed the back of my neck, gripped my hood, and yanked me out of the hole.

"You're not getting away from me again," a man's voice growled into my ear from behind and slammed me back on my feet. A slipknot captured my wrist before he wrapped the other end around his own. Normally, this would have been my first concern, but what was in front of me moved this problem behind.

Lying on the ground at my feet was Sprig's body, curled in a ball. This time I was sure he was dead. "What did you do?" I demanded. "Did you kill him?"

Ryker snarled at the lump on the ground. "What do you care? It's a fae. I can sense it."

"It doesn't mean I want him dead. He helped me."

The Viking gripped me tighter and shoved me forward. "I didn't touch it. It collapsed when it saw me."

A breath of relief came from me. I felt strangely happy the little monkey-fae wasn't dead but sleeping. I hadn't believed him about being narcoleptic. "He saw you and pa.s.sed out." I laughed, but there was no humor in my voice. Distance grew between us and Sprig. Ryker forced me to move quickly down the street.

"It happens." Ryker dragged me into an alleyway. "Now, shut up."

"We can't leave him. He'll be captured again."