by Laken Cane
Strad had given her a key to his place so she could come and go as she pleased. Tina was sedated and might not hear a knock on the door.
Not a lot made sense. Who had been trying to get Matthew before he was brought to River County? How had Llodra even known about the boy? Probably Sherry had opened her big mouth and the vampire had heard.
She sighed. Thinking about Sherry made her remember she had a pack of wolves she’d neglected the hell out of. As an alpha she was fucking lame.
But it was her job. Until she could find someone else to take her place, she had no choice but to take care of them.
She spoke to one of them once a day if she could find the time, and if there were emergencies they wouldn’t hesitate to call her. Other than that, she had little to do with them.
There was just no time.
Therefore she was not really surprised when Amanda called her that night with a heads-up.
“One of our wolves wants to fight you for alpha.”
“He doesn’t have to fight me, baby. If he’s what you all want, I’ll gladly hand you over.” And lest Amanda be offended, she added, “You know I’m not the alpha you guys need.”
“It doesn’t work that way, Rune. You have to fight him. If you just give him the position, he won’t be respected and the groups will hassle him—and us. And we need to know he can protect us. You’ll have an audience of Others and you will have to fight.”
“Fuck me,” Rune said, and groaned. “I don’t have time for this shit.”
“You’re going to have to make time.”
So she would. “Where and when?”
“Tomorrow night, two a.m., Hawthorne woods.”
“Hawthorne.”
Amanda said nothing for a moment, just breathed gently into the phone. Then, “I’m sorry. It’s where we go to fight and hunt.”
“Yeah. I’ll be there.”
“Bring a friend, Rune. Just in case.”
“See you then.” Rune hung up. She’d take Ellis and have him packing a bag of blood. She would have to throw the fight and in order to do it without people suspecting, she was going to have to get fucked up.
She already knew better than to ask Strad along to feed her. He wouldn’t stand back and watch a wolf kick her ass—he’d tear the wolf apart. Anyway, the berserker had enough to worry about. She didn’t want him worrying about her.
She could have found a stranger to feed from, but when she was full of blood and thinking straight the thought of sucking a stranger’s blood down her throat had about as much appeal as sucking a stranger’s dick.
Except the guy she’d met at the bar. The cowboy. There’d been something about him that even now, when the hunger wasn’t ruling her, piqued her interest.
It wasn’t just that he was hot. It was something in his eyes. Yeah, he was…interesting.
She called Ellis. “Ellie,” she said, when he answered, “I have to go to Hawthorne tomorrow night and get my ass kicked by an alpha wannabe. I’ll need some blood.”
“Rune! No. I won’t stand there and let you—”
“It has to happen so I can get these wolves off my back. I can’t handle them and they need someone who can.” Into his stubborn silence, she added, “I need you.”
He sighed. “And I’ll be there like always.”
He didn’t ask her to feed from him, for which she was grateful. “Thanks, baby.”
“Pick me up at my place.”
“I will. And Ellie…keep this to yourself.”
She hung up, glad to have that out of the way. It’d gone better than she’d thought it would, but she was sure he’d nag the hell out of her all day tomorrow.
The wolves would be better with an actual alpha, and that was what mattered. She could take a little punishment. She could take a lot of punishment. She’d make it look good.
Five minutes later she forgot about the wolves as she spotted a car parked in the middle of the highway, headlights on bright.
The car was surrounded by four people she at first thought were the passengers, perhaps trying to push the car out of the road.
But she realized in seconds the people were still inside the car. “Fuck,” she yelled, and slammed on her brakes. She had no time to get her vgun—her regular gun would have to do. It held silver bullets and would be enough to damage the vampires hassling the humans.
She jumped from her car, holding her gun in one hand and a wicked silver shiv in the other. The vampires turned to look at her, and she could see the exact moment they realized who she was.
She ignored the terrified screams coming from inside the car. “Isn’t this sweet. Vampires helping stranded humans.” She smiled and walked slowly toward them. Fucking vampires were getting braver, thanks to Llodra.
One of the vampires, a male with thin blond hair and wearing shorts, of all things, smiled back. It wasn’t a pleasant smile. “We do aim to please.”
The moon was a tiny slice high in the sky and didn’t offer much light, but the headlights from both cars lit up the night. When she was ten feet from the vampires, she stopped walking. “I can handle it from here. Take off.”
The humans, three of them, had finally stopped yelling and she noticed one of them frantically speaking into a cell.
The vampires noticed as well, and the one who’d spoken casually hit the car with his fist, destroying the hood. “I told you not to use your cells, bitches.”
The human dropped the cell and the screams began again.
Rune sighed. “I asked you nicely.” She shot one of the vampires in the head, almost before she even realized she was going to.
He dropped to the pavement, screaming, pale fingers scrabbling at the hole in his head. The other vampires crouched and growled like mad wolves, and the fight was on.
Rune shot another vampire before he rammed her body and knocked the gun from her hand. She stuck her shiv through the side of his head, sending it into his brain. “Heal from that, motherfucker.”
He ran screaming into the night, his mind on nothing other than getting the pain out of his head.
The first one she’d shot still lay on the ground, having no choice but to wait out the silver. Eventually it would run its course and he’d heal, but right now he was out of the game.
That left two vampires—the one who’d spoken and a female with a long black braid and eager fangs.
Those were not bad odds.
Rune grinned and shot her claws through her fingers, dropping her fangs at the same time. “I’ve got nothing else to do. Let’s play, motherfuckers.”
The male curled his lip. “If you kill us, Master will make you pay.” He gestured at the humans in the car. “Leave us to our toys and he won’t wipe out all the River County humans by morning. Maybe.”
The female giggled. “Maybe,” she echoed.
“Hmmm,” Rune said. “Wow, that’s tempting. But no. I’d rather rip out your hearts and send your heads back to Llodra.”
He hesitated but only for a second. “Then fuck you, bitch.”
He was a brave vampire, she’d give him that. She didn’t wait for them to attack. She forced her claws to elongate farther, not realizing before that moment that she even could, and charged the two vampires.
Some part of her brain comprehended that another vehicle crept toward them, but then she was lost in the fight and wouldn’t have cared or noticed if all of America watched.
One of her claws got stuck on the male’s ribs before she ripped it loose and with a quick turn, sent it into his heart. It was too easy and she was flying high. She was born to fight.
But the female screamed when Rune pulled the male’s heart from his chest—Rune wasn’t one to go back on her word—and with a total absence of fear or even good sense, went after Rune.
Rune’s good sense had fled as well. She shoved away the insistent little voice reminding her that Elizabeth had suspended vampire killings for a reason. This, after all, was self-defense. And she was defending the humans in the car.
She and the female clashed, fangs and claws ripping, tearing, slashing. She felt the damage—the female was stronger than she’d thought.
Whatever. Rune wasn’t worried.
They separated and circled each other as they both mentally catalogued injuries and gathered their thoughts.
“Just so you know,” the female said, “I fucked up your little friend before she died. I fucked her up a lot.”
Rune frowned, confused for a second before she understood. Amy. She shook her head to clear it. Rage was great, but if it made her lose her concentration it would do her no good. “Baby, you just bought yourself some pain before I finally send you to hell.”
The female lost her smirk. Her eyes widened just the slightest, as though she realized too late that Rune really would kill her, and that she would make it hurt.
That was exactly what Rune intended to do.
“Wait,” said the female, and held up her palms. “I give. White flag. Throw in the towel, all that shit. Let me go.”
Rune laughed. “Oh no. Can’t.” She heard her voice, thick and garbled, and wondered only for a second why. Then she went for the female.
Bloodlust and revenge clouded her mind. A red haze of rage covered her vision, and white noise was all she heard.
For Amy.
She forgot about the humans watching, forgot even that protecting them had started the fight—all she wanted was blood.
Forgot that Llodra held Matthew and that she should tread carefully.
Sirens screamed as SPD sped toward them, but that meant nothing to Rune.
She stalked the female. The vampire realized running would only get her heart ripped out through her back, and she stood her ground.
Rune’s booted foot hit something soft and she glanced down. The vampire she’d first shot still lay on the ground, trying to heal his agonizing wound.
Rune snarled and bent forward. She grabbed him by the throat, burying her claws deep in his flesh, and with a vicious pinch, separated his head from his body.
Hey. It was the only way to kill the bastards.
She dimly realized the screams from the trapped humans were louder. Those screams were now because of her.
She tossed the head aside and gave the female vampire all her attention.
Not good news for the female.
Rune was tired of playing. She ran at the vampire and in a growling tangle of fangs and claws and blood the two of them fought to the death.
The female was strong and she was desperate, but she was not a match for Rune. Rune dragged her sharp claws over the female’s face, taking half of it with her.
SPD arrived, crouching behind their car doors with guns drawn.
“Alexander,” one of them called.
“I’ve got this,” she murmured, and sent her nails into the vampire’s chest. She felt the female’s heart and lingered for a moment, looking into the girl’s eyes.
“What’d you do to Amy?” she whispered.
The vampire shook her head once, but hadn’t the strength for more than that. Her head lolled on her shoulders. “Just kill me, you fucking monster.”
“No. You’re going to suffer the way she did. I’m sending you back to Llodra.” She put her lips close to the vampire’s ear. “He’ll be upset with you, won’t he?”
The vampire would have ended herself if she could have, but couldn’t very well take off her own head. So she taunted Rune, obviously hoping Rune’s rage would do it for her.
“I terrified her, the bitch Amy. I made her cry. I found out her deepest fears and spent many dark nights using them against her. She called for you. She begged for you. But you never came, did you?”
Rune shuddered and with her free hand ripped out the female’s eyes. “Now you’re in the dark. And you won’t get the eyes back. Llodra will have so much fun with you.” She flung the vampire away.
She hung her head, bloody and battered, her mind traumatized by images of Amy being tortured, calling for her.
And she couldn’t do a fucking thing about it. Not now.
Too late.
The two most horrifying words in the history of words.
Too late.
Chapter Fifteen
In the age of technology, it was a given that Rune, gory and Other, would have been recorded as she put down the vampires.
Ellis had sent her the link, and she held her phone with a trembling hand as she waited for the video to load. She watched with dread and fascination, barely recognizing herself. She was Other. So fucking Other.
She flinched as she watched herself behead the fallen male vampire and groaned when she blinded the female.
When she was in the heat of the moment, she didn’t care.
But now it was morning and in the cold light of day, she was not happy with herself. She should have killed the female—or, as Elizabeth was sure to tell her—she should have let the vampires go. If they wanted an out, she should have given it to them.
She’d succeeded in pissing Llodra off even more. God only knew what he’d do now. No way would he let it go. But he’d already threatened to kill Matthew and other humans, so what more could he do?
Her phone rang, the display showing RISC. “Hello?”
“Rune,” Elizabeth said.
Rune sighed. “Calling to chew me out?”
“No. Just to give you the decision. The FBI is handling Matthew’s abduction, as you know. They don’t see the point in waiting and have teams tearing River County apart. We have to catch Llodra. You and Shiv Crew are cleared to hunt.”
“Awesome.”
“And Rune…”
Here it comes. “Yes?”
“Good work protecting the humans last night.”
Her jaw dropped. “Thanks,” she finally mumbled.
When she walked into the RISC building an hour later, Strad was there, and he was raging. “We have to do what he wants. He has my son.”
Elizabeth and two RISC security guards surrounded him. He was loaded down with weapons and twice as big as any of the three people trying to reason with him. His long silver spear was in its customary sheath on his back.
“Try to calm down,” Elizabeth said, causing Rune to groan. “We understand how you feel, but allowing Llodra to dictate rules will not bring your son back.”
Elizabeth was making it worse, but Rune didn’t blame her. The berserker was mad with grief and worry and in his mind, obeying Llodra might keep his child safe.
The child the rest of them believed was already dead.
She edged her way between the guards and took Strad’s arm. “Come on, Berserker. Let’s go talk.”
He ran his hand over his face. “I know everyone thinks I’m not thinking clearly, Rune. Maybe I’m not. But a full out hunt on Llodra is not the right thing to do.”
Elizabeth sent Rune a grateful look and sent the guards away with a nod. Rune led Strad toward her office, her heart breaking a little more for the big man.
“How is Tina?”
He sighed but said nothing. What could he say to such a question?
She stopped in the hallway and took his hand. “Strad, what can I do? Tell me what I can do to help you.”
“Find my kid. Find him alive. That’s what you can do to help me.”
“I’ll try with everything I’ve got.” And she would try harder.
She thought he would walk away then, but he snatched her off the floor and hugged her against him, hard. Every weapon and belt she had on dug into her flesh but she didn’t care.
“I saw you on the news this morning,” he murmured into her ear. “You make me fucking crazy.”
“It’s what I do.” Her voice was breathless and she shivered as he held her.
“You take too many risks.”
She heard footsteps and struggled against him until he lowered her to the floor. “I do what needs to be done.” She stared up at him, frowning. The berserker was getting some freebies because he was so tormented, but if he—
&n
bsp; “Next time you go out, call me. I want to…” He trailed off as though he knew he was about to cross a line.
She put her hands on her hips. “Dude. You want to what? Protect me?”
He didn’t backtrack like she thought he would. “Yeah, Rune. Yeah, I want to fucking protect you.” He didn’t waver, just held her stare with his own and waited.
“I am as bad as you or any guy in Shiv Crew, Berserker. Do you even realize how incredibly insulting you just were?”
“That’s how I feel. Want me to lie to you?”
“Yeah, sometimes I do. Fake it until you make it, Strad, because I’m not changing.”
A ghost of a smile flittered across his face. “I didn’t think you would.”
“Hello,” someone greeted, and the low voice sent shivers down her spine even before she turned around and saw who it belonged to.
She stared in shock at the cowboy she’d picked up in the Moor.
“John?” she asked. “What are you doing here?” Maybe he’d seen her on that morning’s news and decided to chase her down. She touched one of her holstered shivs, an almost subconscious gesture to any perceived threat, real or otherwise.
Strad didn’t look happy. He wrapped his fingers around her upper arm, his hold clearly territorial. “Rune, this is Owen Five. The new hire.”
She looked from one to the other, half-smiling. “Is this a fucking joke?”
John—Owen—lowered his stare to the berserker’s fingers encircling her arm, his stare dark but amused. He actually touched the brim of his battered hat. “Ms. Alexander.”
“Fuck you,” she said, humiliated and not liking it. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were?”
He shrugged. Then, as if he had all the time in the world, he leaned against the wall and crossed one ankle over the other. “Maybe the same reason you didn’t tell me who you were…Marie.”
“So you were just going to let me…” Dammit. No matter how much she fought it, she was still, deep down, ashamed of what she was. Of her need.
Strad’s fingers tightened and he stared the other man down. “Don’t.”
Just that one word, but the warning was clear. Owen straightened slowly, watching the berserker. “Do you want to make this into something, Matheson?”
