by Laken Cane
Jack hugged her even more tightly when she stiffened against him.
Fucking berserker.
He waited.
After a few long, anxious moments, she pulled away from Jack and turned to face Strad.
He wasn’t alone. Owen stood beside him, and both of them were covered in gore and blood, and their eyes were…
Their eyes were a little monstrous.
“We tortured the fuck out of Cruikshank,” Owen said. “We thought he had you.”
“COS had me,” she said, and then, she met the berserker’s gaze. “The birds had me. Just as they had the twins.”
Raze slipped in to stand behind the berserker.
He watched Rune as he slid a blade into his hand.
Strad stiffened, but didn’t turn to look behind him. “I would never betray you or the crew.”
“You were up there,” she said. “You were on the mountain. The twins were there. They were right fucking there.”
“You didn’t even try,” Levi said.
Strad closed his eyes. “I fucked up.”
Jack eased his own blade into his hand.
But Owen moved a step closer to the berserker. “He didn’t know, Rune. If you’d have seen him when you went missing—”
“Maybe,” she said, her voice calm. So calm. “But he’s right. He fucked up.”
“Rune.” Strad gestured, unable to find words that could possibly show how tormented he was. How sorry.
“I didn’t need you to save me,” she told him. “I just needed you to believe me. You didn’t search.” She took a step closer to him. “And the birds knew you wouldn’t search. They knew you’d believe them over me.” She smiled as darkness thickened inside her. “Why, Berserker?”
“I trusted them.”
“You told me the birds couldn’t be trusted.”
“Not by you. Not by…” He clenched his fists, his jaws knotting as he ground his teeth.
And then, he told her something that helped it all make sense. The berserker had also been betrayed.
“The birds took me in when I was a kid. When I was…they’re my family.” He shook his head, and the rage he was famous for began to swirl around him like an almost visible mass of deadly debris. “The scepters were like parents to me. I thought they were too honorable to betray me.” He smiled, and it was not a nice smile. “I believed I mattered to them. I will avenge you.” He looked at the twins. “And you. I will earn back your trust.”
And without another word, he turned, shoved Raze out of his way, and strode from the house.
She might not see him again.
The part of her that had died up on that mountain wasn’t sure if she cared, or if she didn’t.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The twins had her blood inside them, but that one feeding wasn’t enough to make them whole.
While Lex was able to feed from Rune’s energy, that didn’t work for the two men.
So she fed them again.
Because she didn’t want to go through it twice, she fed them at the same time, one from each wrist.
“Heal,” she told them. “I need you.”
She sent Owen to drop Cruikshank at the hospital, knowing the reporter wouldn’t talk. She wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she knew.
But if she was wrong, they’d deal with it. They had bigger problems to work through.
Owen didn’t seem to think Cruikshank would be able to talk at all.
For the rest of the day and that night, Rune, the twins, and Lex stayed huddled together, sleeping in fits and starts, with Lex behind Rune and Ellis behind Levi. They soothed each other when one awakened from a nightmare, or forgot, for a second, where he was.
Owen, Jack, and Raze had stood guard all night.
“I’m worried about Strad,” Lex whispered once, into her ear.
“Yeah.” Then Rune sighed and admitted the truth, if only to herself. Me too.
The next morning, they were much closer physically to where they needed to be. And they all agreed on one thing—they needed to work. They needed their lives to get back to normal.
Normal.
Right.
They drove to RISC, all of them in their own vehicles. Coworkers rushed to shake hands and welcome them back, but Rice wasn’t eager to see them working.
“The three of you need to take some time,” he said. “Go get checked out, and for God’s sake, give yourselves time to heal. We can handle things here.”
“We can’t,” Levi said.
“We’ll work,” Rune said. “We have eight days before the new moon. COS will want to recapture the twins before then.”
Finally, Rice nodded. “Go get equipped, boys. Rune, can I see you in my office?”
While the twins followed a couple of RISC guards to the basement weapons room, Rune went with her boss to his office.
He gestured at one of the chairs in front of his desk, and once she’d sat down, he took the chair beside her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
But he was too sharp to believe such a lie. “Anything you all need, let me know. If you need to work, work. But if you need to take some time, don’t hesitate.”
She nodded.
He crossed his legs. “Getting this demon is important for COS. They’re going to come at us with an army. I don’t think we’ll see them again until the new moon, but when they come back, it’ll be with a hell of a lot of men.”
“I agree.”
He inclined his head. “So we have to be ready.”
She tilted her head. “What do you have in mind?”
He got up, walked to his desk, and pulled a map from the drawer. “Come look at this.” He spread the map on his desk and pointed to three places he’d circled with red. “These are the most…spiritual, magical, whatever you want to call them, places in Spiritgrove.”
“So they’ll be doing the ritual at one of these spots.” She studied the map. Rice had circled the area off Hook Road, a hill in Willowburg close to the Other clinic, and of course, fucking Hawthorne Forest.
“I think so.”
“Shiv Crew won’t be enough.” She hated to say it, but it was true. If the church put people at each spot to confuse them, the crew would have to split up.
“Two things,” Rice said. “First, I’m calling in favors from other cities. On the new moon, I hope to have more people helping us take care of COS and whatever demon they try to get through.” He held up a finger before Rune could speak. “And two, the tide is turning where COS is concerned. There is a movement to ban them—twelve states already have petitions going.”
“They were banned before,” Rune said, unimpressed. “They never go away for long.”
“Yes.” He crossed his arms and smiled. “But times are changing, and changing fast. Others are getting more rights, we’re publicly infiltrating government offices, and the entire population is getting sick of the trouble COS brings. They’re realizing that the Others aren’t the threat. COS is the threat.”
She pursed her lips. “Someone is succeeding in making the humans fear COS.”
“Not just someone, but entire groups of people. Humans. And when the humans start to fear something…”
“They start to hate it.”
They smiled at each other. It could happen.
He turned his computer monitor toward her.
It was a news website. As he began to scroll through them, she saw article after article, as well as images, of horrific COS transgressions. Not only against Others, but against humans.
One article stated that the church was recruiting and brainwashing children. Another stated that the slayers were devil worshippers. Another showed a photo of supposed COS members burning a pile of bibles.
Rune smiled. “This is good.”
The humans were getting scared.
Scared of COS.
“There are dozens of websites like this one,” he told her.
She looked at him for a long moment. �
�You’re doing this.”
His eyes sparkled. “I’ve been helping to do this for a long, long time. And each time there is a wave of anti-COS, it gets stronger. This time…” He shrugged.
“This time, it might stick. Keep me updated, will you?”
He nodded. “Of course. And another thing. In Washington this morning a crowd burned down a COS building. Thirty two members were caught inside.”
She didn’t speak for a minute. “You’re right. The tide is turning.”
“The crime is barely being investigated,” he said. “No arrests yet.”
They both stared at the computer screen. Finally, Rune broke the silence. “What do you have for us?”
“Are you sure you’re up to working?” He reached out a hand to pat her shoulder.
She flinched violently, such a sudden, knee jerk reaction she had no way of controlling it. “Shit.”
Rice frowned, his voice alarmed. “Rune?”
“I’m fine. Just…” She swallowed and waited for her rapidly beating heart to slow. Her stake wounds hurt, but she didn’t want to touch them and make Bill more concerned. “Give me some work.”
She needed to work. She needed to fight.
And maybe, she needed to kill.
Chapter Twenty-Five
She leaned her head against the cool hallway wall after she left Rice.
The twins were alive. They were safe.
She pulled desperately from the stockpile of good things, and it helped lift her mood. Yesterday, life had looked a hell of a lot bleaker.
Ellis rushed toward her, his shoes squeaking on the floor. “Rune.”
She took a deep breath and waited. “What is it?”
“The twins,” he said. “They’ve had some sort of breakdown. I’ve called to have them taken to the hospital.”
“I fed them,” she said, running back down the hall with him. “I thought…”
“They’ve been through hell, Rune. They’re not like you. They’re human, honey.”
“But I gave them blood. They were good. You saw.”
“I saw they were healing,” he agreed, his voice jerking as he ran. “But they are far from better.”
“Son of a bitch,” she said. “What happened?”
He said nothing at first, which let her know he was wrestling with some giant demons of his own. When they reached the break room, he said, “I tried to kiss Levi. It went downhill from there.”
Fuck me.
The twins were huddled together against the wall. Lex stood in front of them, her sightless eyes jerking. “They’re okay.” But her words were not convincing.
Levi tried to smile. “We’re really tired. And touchy.”
“We need to lie in bed, watch TV, and eat,” Denim said. “That’s all.”
“Hospital?” Rune asked.
“No,” they both replied. “No hospital.”
“My house is huge.” She turned to Ellis. “And empty. Ellie, get two guest rooms set up. One for the twins and one for Lex. Shop for furniture and stock the fridge. Can you get that done quickly?”
He nodded, his face clearing. “Of course I can. In the meantime, I’ll tuck them into your bed until the rooms are ready.” He pulled his cell from his pocket. “I’ll cancel the EMTs and then I’ll call Jessica to help me.”
Jess was a RISC employee and a female version of Ellis.
“Thanks,” Denim said.
“Just for a little while,” Levi added.
But if Rune had her way, the twins and Lex would be moving in. “Ellie, call Dr. Haas as well. Ask her if she’d be willing to make a home visit.”
The twins didn’t argue.
She called Rice’s office. “Bill, the twins are going to my house to rest. They’re not doing well.”
“Good. You should go with them.”
“No. But I’d like you send a team to guard them.” She walked a few steps away from the twins and lowered her voice. “It won’t be hard for COS to find them.”
“I’m on it.”
“Thanks.” She clicked off.
Jack came into the room. “Rune. Rice sending us out?”
Shit. She’d forgotten about the run. “Yes. RISC got a call from Spiritgrove PD. They’re holding three shifters for us. The shifters were found wandering the streets, naked, no ID, and no memory of who they are or where they came from.”
“Nice,” Jack said. “Let’s go pick them up.”
“Where are Raze and Owen?”
“Rice sent them to break up a fight in Toad’s and Butter’s. Four wolves giving the humans a show.”
She turned to the twins. “You need anything, call me.” She’d grabbed her extra cell from her office to replace the one COS had taken from her. “Let me know how it goes, Ellie.”
Ellis, talking animatedly into his phone, waved in her general direction.
He loved shopping almost more than she loved coffee, and he was happy to be doing something that might help the twins.
She grinned at him before she jogged from the room, Jack on one side, Lex on the other.
She ignored the pain between her legs and the one throbbing in her chest. The first one she didn’t want to think about. The other was a reminder of her weakness. She didn’t figure either of them would ever really go away.
She thought briefly of calling to check on Strad, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Lex buckled herself in. “What could make shifters lose their memories?”
Rune sped down the highway, happy to be moving. If she was lucky, maybe she’d run into a zombie or two on her way to the police station. “No clue. Strange things happen in Spiritgrove.”
“Levi and Denim will be okay,” Lex said.
“Yes. They will. They’re safe.”
“I should have stayed with them. I just…sometimes it’s too much and I have to take a breath. You know what I mean?”
“I do know, baby.” She reached over to squeeze Lex’s cold hand. “But we have the twins and Karin Love isn’t getting out of prison.”
“I’m not convinced. She’ll get out. Sooner or later, she’ll get out.” She brushed her hair out of her face. “I should have gone with the twins. I want to help you, Rune, but I should have gone with the twins.”
She made a U-turn and called Jack. “I’m taking Lex to my house. I’ll be at the station in a few.”
“I’ll wait for you,” he replied.
“Thanks,” Lex said.
“I’d rather you be there guarding the twins,” Rune replied. “And they’ll need someone to make them dinner.”
“That sure as hell won’t be me, but I’m willing to call for delivery.”
Rune smiled, then repeated the truth like a mantra. “We got back the twins. They’re safe.”
“Yeah,” Lex whispered. “But they’re so afraid.”
“Slayers hurt them.” Rune squeezed the steering wheel. “But remember, they’re mighty. They’ll be the twins again.”
Lex wiped at her face. “Yes. Yes, they will be.”
But Rune knew that part of the twins had stayed up on that mountain. They’d be the twins again, but always, they’d be different.
Just like her.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“I want them out of here,” the sheriff said, squinting through the silver-wrapped cell bars at the three shifters. “Talk about freaks.”
Rune glared at him. “You cuffed them.”
He held his hands up. “Hey. One of them tried to shift when they were picked up. My men had no choice but to get them some silver bracelets.”
The three shifters, one female and two males, sat quietly on the bench in the one cell in the police station designed to hold Others. They stared at the floor.
The shifters were underweight, dirty, and pale, but Rune saw no obvious injuries.
“You didn’t offer them clothes?” Jack asked.
The sheriff shrugged. “Nope.”
“Get them jumpsuits,” Rune said.
The sheriff motioned to one of his people. “Three of them. Hurry the hell up so we can get them out of here.”
“Have they said anything?” She wrapped her fingers around the bars, ignoring the sheriff’s astonishment when the silver didn’t deter her.
“The one on the left muttered something about not remembering anything. The lady said she didn’t know who she was when one of my men prompted her.”
“Prompted her,” Rune said. “I hope I don’t discover they were abused.”
Again, he shrugged. “If they were, it wasn’t by us.” His eyes were unwavering.
A deputy handed her a pile of jumpsuits and she stepped inside the cell, Jack at her back. The shifters didn’t look up.
One of the deputies followed them in to take off the cuffs.
Even when their arms were released, the shifters continued staring at the floor. There were no quick glances, no twitching, no rubbing their raw wrists. They just stared at the floor.
She stood in front of them, holding out the clothes. “Get dressed, guys. We’re going to take you to RISC so we can sort everything out.”
The deputy left the cell and joined the cops watching from behind the safety of the bars. Rune didn’t really blame them for their caution.
The shifter on the right took a jumpsuit, still avoiding Rune’s gaze, and the other two followed his lead.
Rune and Jack turned their backs and made a sort of screen with their bodies, though both of them knew the shifters were accustomed to their nudity and weren’t the least bit shy about it.
But the curious stares of the cops made her uncomfortable, so she gave the shifters what privacy she could.
“I’ll need one of you to sign some forms,” the sheriff said.
“Take care of that, Jack. I’ll bring them out as soon as they’re ready.”
He hesitated.
She raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
“Every time you’re left alone you get hurt or stolen.” But he grinned down at her. “I’ll be in the next room. Yell if you need me.”
She glared at his retreating back. “You do the same. Smart ass.”
His laugh floated back over his shoulder.
The shifters finished dressing themselves in the ugly jumpsuits and stood silent and almost too still.