by Laken Cane
And no matter what happened, it went on.
Alone, Rune forced herself to go to the graveyard in which Amy was being buried, to stand at the edge and watch as a pathetically small crowd of people said their final goodbyes to the girl.
Amy’s father looked up once, toward Rune, and she thought he might have seen her. But then he looked down again.
Her eyes filling, Rune murmured a silent goodbye to the little bite junkie and slipped away. She should have talked with Amy’s father. Should have.
And three days after Tina and Matthew’s deaths, Rune and Shiv Crew attended the difficult double funeral. Rune walked away from the cemetery in which Strad had laid his wife and child to rest, digging deep to find a bright spot to latch on to. Anything to keep the darkness at bay.
It couldn’t win, that darkness.
She’d been fighting it for too long to give up now.
Ellis found her a house.
“Not just any house,” he’d said, “but the house.”
It belonged to relatives of his, and the owner, a thirty-something with a need for adventure, was eager to sell. Very eager.
The relatives were leaving the country and needed to show her the house that day, so she picked up Ellis and headed to see it. She wasn’t particular. She needed a place to live and it if even remotely suited her, she was buying.
The only downside was its location.
“The Moor, Ellie? It’s like moving from a garden to the wastelands.”
“I know. It’s perfect for you. You’ll see. I have a feeling about this place. And you need to live where the neighbors won’t blink an eye if you stumble home with a bullet wound and a pack of ghouls chasing you.”
“I see your point. Why did your cousins build there? That’s a little weird.”
He grinned. “My cousins are a little weird.”
And Ellis still hadn’t turned. Despite the nagging worry, she let herself believe that if he hadn’t turned by now, he wasn’t going to.
The house looked odd in the Moor. Most of the houses were broken and old. Dark, mean, and ugly.
But her house was all clean lines and landscaped property. It was only one level—no upstairs, no attic, no basement—but that one level was nearly three thousand square feet of hardwood floors and sunny rooms. It contained three bathrooms, one with a sunken tub large enough to fit two big men at once—were she so inclined to have them there.
It also had a fully functioning panic room. Living in the Moor, one might find it handy. Not her, of course, she’d never hide from a threat. She’d shoot a motherfucking threat.
There was furniture in the house, but not a lot. An enormous kitchen table, the appliances, a couch in the living room. They owners were leaving them there.
Rune had a feeling there was more to the cousins packing up and leaving the country in such a hurry, but no one was talking.
“I’ll take it,” she said.
And just like that, she had a house.
In the Moor.
Living in the Moor might not have been the smartest thing to do, but it felt right. In a few days, it’d be her new home.
And Ellie hadn’t fucking turned.
There was her bright spot, her light of hope.
That night at the inn she stood naked before the full-length door mirror and catalogued her scars.
She had no idea why some of them disappeared when she healed and some of them lingered, but she was amassing a hell of a collection.
It was almost as though her body needed at least one memento from all the shit she’d been through, all the battles she’d fought. Some lost, some won. All of them changing her.
She sighed and turned from her reflection in the rickety door mirror, grabbing her cell with something close to relief when it rang.
She no longer craved silence. Or solitude.
Yeah, she’d changed.
She glanced at the display. “Hey Z.”
“Hi, sweet thing. How’re you doing?”
She hesitated. “I’m all right.” Restless, anxious, unsettled…but all right.
He knew her, no matter what she said. “You need to work.”
“Always,” she answered. “What do we have?”
“Nothing tonight, Rune. I’m sorry. I’m still at RISC. Elizabeth asked me to call you. There are a few things I need to tell you.”
“Go.”
“First, RISC was contacted by a master vampire looking for a city. He wants to apply for Spiritgrove. Elizabeth would like you to talk to him.”
“Apply? Have we started handing out applications?”
She could almost hear him shrug. “It’s not a bad idea. The bigger cities are being courted by vampires looking for a place to live. She said he’s very courteous, this vampire, and because of the trouble we’ve had with Llodra, is asking permission.”
“Bad news travels fast.”
“Yes. And he sounded desperate.”
“Did you find out what his circumstances were?”
“Vampires are the most secretive group on earth. But he did tell her he’d been forced out of his coven by his former master. He and those now under his command are looking to for a city to claim. He chose ours.”
She frowned. “I still don’t see the advantages for us, bringing in another master.”
Llodra wasn’t even dead yet. But now that his children were dead, Matthew was…gone, and RISC had no more questions for him, he wasn’t long for the world.
Z hesitated. “I might see one.”
“Tell me.”
“I read that a couple cities have created centers for humans who have been turned against their will and need some help dealing with it. They’ve actually hired Others—vampires, wolves, shifters—to teach the new Others. Parent them, in a way. You know what I’m saying?”
Ellis.
“Yeah. I do.” She rubbed her temple, thinking. It was a good idea. Some newly turned humans lost control, went nuts, or simply lay down and died. They needed help getting through their first weeks and especially that first night.
Centers for turned humans.
Times were changing.
“Okay, I’ll talk to this master.”
“Let Elizabeth know and she’ll hook you up. Now, the second thing.”
“Give it to me.”
“Emerson’s brain cancer is still there.”
“Good.” But her blood hadn’t healed him. She couldn’t heal everybody. Even if she’d reached Matthew in time, she probably couldn’t have saved him.
She dug her nails into her bare thigh, concentrating on that pain. It was better than the pain of Matthew and Tina.
Oh, Berserker.
“But,” Z continued, “he’s so addicted to your blood he’s going crazy. They have him under suicide watch. From the information I got, even the coldest of the guards are having a problem watching him. They said they’ve never seen anyone suffer so much.”
Funny how that didn’t bring her any real satisfaction. “Good,” she said again.
Lex and Strad were also addicted to her, but it appeared there were varying degrees of addiction, just as she appeared to be able to heal some people and not others.
Or maybe it was only Others that she could heal. She sighed. “Everything is fucking complicated.”
“I figured you’d want to know.”
“Thanks. What else?”
“This is about work. The wolf alpha you fought when you first came home—”
“Darius Elliot.”
“He’s asking for our help.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. Some bad shit happening in his county.”
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know much. He told Elizabeth the Others are being fucked with. All of them.”
“Dirty county. And they have yet to come out of the Dark Ages.”
“That would be correct.”
“So what does he want us to do?”
“He said
something about Others going missing and that those who disobey—his word—are being sent to the Camp.”
Fuck. The Rock County Department of Other Corrections—the Camp—was whispered about by outsiders who had heard the stories. “We shouldn’t get involved.”
“He was terrified.”
“Still. Not up to us. We can’t do it. Not our problem. Besides. We have no jurisdiction over there.”
Z blew out a breath. “He believes COS may be connected. And…” He hesitated, as though reluctant to tell her anything that might hurt her. “He said a couple of kids were being hurt.”
Well son of a bitch.
“Okay then,” she said. “I’ll talk to Elizabeth about lending them a hand.”
She could almost feel his smile.
They were Shiv Crew.
It was what they did.
“What is RISC saying about Llodra, Z? Why are they keeping him alive?”
“They’re keeping that to themselves. Elizabeth didn’t really say—she just said he was being dealt with.”
As tired as she was of the violence, of the nearly constant emotional agony, Rune wanted Llodra’s death. She wanted revenge.
He was hers to kill.
Let RISC keep him alive. The longer they kept him, the better her chances of getting to him and taking what was hers. He had to die.
Maybe his madness would die with him.
Llodra had admitted to knowing that SCOS was going to take Matthew. Little went on in the Other community he didn’t know about. He’d used that knowledge to fuck with Rune. An amusing little game that kept him occupied in his madness.
“There’s nothing going on tonight, Z? I need to do something. I’m climbing the walls.”
Restlessness grew inside her like a malignancy. She needed to do something. Something to make her not have time to think.
Maybe she just wanted an excuse not to read Amy’s emails. She’d hidden that grief inside her and knew that someday it was going to mess her up. But not right then. She couldn’t handle it.
“I’m sure we could find something. Want me to come pick you up?”
“Maybe. I—”
A knock on her door, insistent and hard, cut her off. “I’ll call you back.” She hung up, hopping into a pair of jeans and pulling on a T-shirt before going to the door.
She tapped her gun against her thigh. “Who is it?” The doors of the inn had no fisheyes.
“It’s me.”
She leaned her forehead against the cool hardness of the door, her heartbeat suddenly quick and unsteady. Fuck me.
“Rune.” His calm, determined voice seeped through the wood. “Open the door. Let me in.”
She slid her hand to the doorknob, unsure, tempted.
Don’t do it, Rune.
She opened the door.
“Hello, Berserker,” she said, and she let him in.
About Laken Cane
The coffee addicted urban fantasy/paranormal and horror writer Laken Cane lives in Southern Ohio with her genius son, two Yorkies named Daphnis and Lexi, and one Golden named Chloe who rules them all.
From the author—
Authors need reviews like vampires need blood! If you’ve enjoyed this book, would you consider rating it and reviewing it on Amazon.com?
Books and reading order in the Rune Alexander series:
1. Shiv Crew
2. Blood and Bite
3. Strange Trouble
4. Obsidian Wings
5. New Regime
6. Wormwood Echoes
7. The Witch’s Daughter
8. Killing Land
9. Kill Switch
10. Chasing Darkness
You can find Laken at www.facebook.com/laken.cane.3 and www.lakencane.com
Strange Trouble
By Laken Cane
Copyright © 2014 Laken Cane
All rights reserved.
The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, association with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. Ebook copies may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share with a friend, please buy an extra copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
For more information about the author, you can find her online at
www.lakencane.com,
www.facebook.com/laken.cane.3
Dedications
I want to dedicate this book to the following people. You’ve all touched this series in some way—by answering questions, helping me get the word out about the crew, being the most awesome of fans, or by being super supportive. And sometimes you will write something so perfect about my books that I print it out and read it every single day for encouragement. You are very much appreciated.
Cheryl Bennett
David Bunch
Cheryl Carpenter
DeLane Corbin
Tiffany Dahl
Elaine Geight
Jerah Johnson
Lise Lotte
Pamela Meade
Merrylee
Tammi Porche
Jamie Lee Smith
Starla Stimmer
Table of Contents
Part One
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Part Two
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Part Three
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Part One
ATTRITION
Chapter One
Dozens of zombies surrounded them.
“Don’t let any of the fuckers bite you,” Rune said, her heart racing, “unless you dig that particular rotting skin look.”
“Sexy,” Z replied. He held two long silver blades, his eyes watchful and his body still as he waited for Rune’s signal.
“Zombies,” Lex muttered. “I hate zombies.”
Lex’s vibrations were so hard Rune could almost feel them. She glanced at the blind Other. “You doing okay, baby?”
“She’s fine,” Raze growled. “Now, Rune?”
Rune grinned and shot her claws through the tips of her fingers. “Let’s kill some fucking zo
mbies.”
Jack was the only one of the crew missing, and that was because Rune had sent him back to Spiritgrove for a flamethrower. They’d have brought the flamethrower with them if everyone they’d talked to in Rock County hadn’t lied about what was waiting there.
Zombies.
She ignored the screams and the blood and went to work, doing exactly what she’d told her crew to do—killing the zombies.
Lex fought beside her, mirroring Rune’s movements as though she were an extension of her captain. It was an oddity Rune didn’t question—it worked.
Technically, Lex couldn’t see.
At least not with the eyes her mother, the Church of Slayers founder, had destroyed when Lex had been a child.
But Lex could see.
And she could fight.
The berserker roared his way through the crowd of zombies. His size and his muscles were intimidating. His rage was legendary.
He wielded his long silver spear the way Rune used her claws—like it was part of him. Zombies fell beneath the fury that had grown even darker because of the deaths of his wife and child.
And because of Rune.
Let me in, Rune.
She shoved those thoughts away and focused on the zombies. Killing. Killing was what mattered.
And protecting.
They were Shiv Crew, and that was what they did.
Rune figured the Rock County officials had been too afraid to report the zombies. After all, the military had been known to destroy entire cities over an infestation. Even if they controlled the zombies and got the humans to safety, those humans would endure hell before they were declared healthy and virus-free and sent out to find new homes in new cities.
But now the zombies were out of control and spreading. Every graveyard in the county must have been emptied.
How it’d started she didn’t know.
Yet.
Z plunged his blade into a zombie’s belly and jerked upward, unzipping the monster like a hideous dress. And when the zombie leaned forward and put his hands on his ruined midsection, Z took his head.
Rune saw other things in the few seconds it took them to occur, but mostly she was busy taking zombie heads herself.
