Free The Barrier Between (Collector Series # 2) by Stacey Marie Brown

will die and she will become my slave. A man is
always on the lookout for a good thief.” Slave? Great, another
Marcello. Was that all people wanted me for? “Get them!” Arlo’s
voice called out past us.
    Eight men dressed in dark clothing ran out from the
shadows, charging Ryker. All had a red bandana tied around their
heads. Ryker backed up, and I swiveled, putting my back against
his. Most of the men went for the Viking, but a few advanced my
way, leering grins on their faces.
    The sound of Ryker’s axe reverberated off a sword and
his body dove forward. He slammed back into me as he retracted and
sprang to the side, knocking down several men heading for me. My
dagger was an intimate type of weapon and required an assailant to
get close. I really needed my gun or a longer sword, but my
training never involved those old-fashioned weapons. DMG kept us
modern and simple.
    As a sword slashed at Ryker’s arm, his roar shook my
chest. Then he was gone. I whipped around, watching a handful of
men barrel into him, taking him down the bank into the river.
    Shit .
    A hand grasped my shoulder, and I swung around, my
fist slamming into my attacker’s face.
    “Fuck!” The man jumped back, his hand wiping the
blood pooling on his mouth. A large mole protruded from his lip
near the cut. He looked at his bloody fingers, and a leering smile
broke over his face. “Feisty, aren’t we?”
    He crouched lower, coming for me as another man came
up behind. Arlo. Crap. Spinning, my blade sliced across
Arlo’s chest, ripping open his black T-shirt. He stumbled back with
a grunt.
    “We got ourselves a spirited one here,” the mole man
voiced. I spun back around as his hand broke across my face in an
explosion of pain. Liquid slipped from my nose, and I stumbled to
the side. Arlo’s arm hooked around my neck, pulling me into
him.
    “You need to behave, you little bitch,” Arlo seethed.
Sharp metal scratched against my neck and I stilled. “That’s
better,” he whispered into my ear. In front of me, mole man had
stepped away, and I had a clear shot of Ryker fighting Arlo’s
men.
    “Hey, Wanderer. I have your pet.”
    Arlo’s men pulled back on their attack when they
heard their leader’s voice. Ryker glanced over his shoulder. He
looked at the knife and back to me, his eyes wild and fierce.
    “One more move and she dies, Wanderer.” Arlo held me
tighter against him. “I wanted to keep her for the fun of it, but I
don’t need her. If you’d like me to get rid of your human
problem, I can do it for you. Say the word.”
    Arlo’s blade dug into my skin, tearing a shallow cut
near my jugular. Ryker went motionless. “Drop the axe.” Arlo’s
voice vibrated into my chest. His knife went deeper, and I couldn’t
stop the hiss of breath exiting through my teeth. Warm blood
dripped down my tank top.
    Ryker loosened his grip, and the axe tumbled to the
dirt.
    Instinct to fight, to dig my elbow into Arlo’s
crotch, twitched my muscles. Normally I would have done it, but it
was more than my risk to take. If the blade found its way through
my neck, Ryker’s abilities were gone along with me. I never feared
death, but now I wasn’t living solely for me.
    “The stone, Wanderer.”
    Ryker stared at Arlo, and I let out a chuckle. “You
might as well kill me. You’re not going to get it.”
    Arlo yanked me, his fingers now digging into my
throat. “Oh, really? I think if it’s your life or the stone, he’ll
choose you.”
    “Then you’re an idiot.” I snorted, trying to swallow
over his clutched fingers. “I’m human. I am the last person he’d
sacrifice for the stone.” I was even willing to say he would choose
the stone over getting his powers back, which I understood now. The
stone, if put in the wrong hands, could destroy the world. Both his
powers and I took second place to this.
    “Zoey.” Ryker gave me a warning look, his voice
rigid. His attention went to Arlo. “This is between you and me. Let
her go and we