Read Online From Burning Ashes (Collector Series #4) by Stacey Marie Brown - Free Book Online Page A

voice.
    “Poor Ryker. So many women,” Croygen teased.
“Is there a chance the three of you would duke it out in a ring?
With mud…?”
    “Shut up, Croygen,” Ryker snarled.
    “Or Jell-O?”
    “How about both of you wres—” A deafening
scream from inside the building cut me off.
    My heart dropped to the ground, pulling my
soul with it. “Lexie!” I raced for the doorway.
    “Zoey, wait,” Ryker said from behind, but I
disregarded his plea. He wanted to go first to see what or who the
threat was, but my mind didn’t respond logically when it came to
Lexie. I would fight whomever or whatever stood on the other
side with my bare hands.
    I flung the door open, crashing it into the
wall, and sprinted into the room. “Lexie?” My gaze roamed to where
I left her, taking in the scene before me. My feet came to a sudden
halt, everyone coming in behind me. I had to blink to make certain
what I saw was real
    Lexie sat on the dirty mattress, her blanket
wadded up in a ball a few feet away, like she had tossed it. Her
gaze was locked on an object perched atop the crumpled fabric.
    Sprig held a coffee stirrer in his hand,
wiggling it at Lexie, as if it were a sword. “Back, you feral Leanbh! Back!”
    My hand flew to my mouth as a choked laugh
escaped. Both swung around to me.
    “Zoey!”
    “ Bhean! I said hello and she threw
me.”
    “Monkey. Talking,” Lexie sputtered. Her eyes
still held a blurry confusion, not able to focus on me.
    I bent down. “Come here, Sprig.” He stuck out
his tongue at her and darted for me, crawling up my arm to my
shoulder.
    “Th-that thing talks,” Lexie repeated, fear
making her stiff. I had forgotten she had never seen him before
today. Even in Rapava’s house of horrors, Sprig was an oddity.
    “Thing? How dare you! I am a sprite.” Sprig
huffed. “My name is Spriggan-Galchobhar.”
    Lexie blinked.
    “That is not going to help.” I chuckled. I
took a step toward Lexie, and she leaned back. “I promise you are
safe.” I held up my hands.
    “What is that thing?”
    “I’m a sprite.” Sprig shook his head, looking
at me. “Doesn’t she understand English? Do I need to talk
slower?”
    I glared at Sprig.
    “How are you feeling?” I returned to
Lexie.
    Her head swiveled around the room, and she
didn’t acknowledge me.
    “Lexie?” It took a couple more calls before
she finally looked at me.
    “I-I know I need to tell you something…” Her
brows crinkled on her forehead and she shook her head. “B-but I-I
can’t remember anything.”
    “It’s okay. You just need to rest right
now.”
    “No.” Her head moved back and forth
violently. “There is something…” She drifted off again, staring
into the void.
    “Hey.” I kneeled down at the edge of the bed,
cupping her cheek. “It’s okay.”
    Her eyes flew to mine. “How did I get here?
What happened?” She suddenly looked like the little girl I
remembered. Emotion filled her features, bringing her to life.
    “What do you last remember?” I sat back on my
heels.
    Her mouth opened and then she shut it. She
took in a hasty breath. “Everything feels like a dream. I don’t
know what is real and what is not.”
    “It’s probably the drugs DMG gave her. I’ll
bet it makes her forget, so she wouldn’t be able to tell anyone,”
Croygen spoke from behind me.
    Lexie peered around me, her gaze landing on
Croygen, gaping at him with a dreamy surprise. “It’s you,” she
whispered. Croygen looked around, then pointed to himself. Lexie
nodded. “You’re the man from my dreams who saved me.”
    I groaned as I saw Croygen’s face brighten.
“Croygen, she’s twelve. If you say anything… Actually, do not say
anything at all.”
    “What? I wasn’t…I didn’t… Oh, you guys are
disgusting,” he grumbled. “I mean, who can blame her? I am in most
girls’ dreams.”
    “Or restraining orders,” Amara muttered.
    “Hey, boot-humper? What did Bhean say?
Zip it, Lord of the Flies.” Sprig pushed my hair