Blood and Bite (8 page)

“How many did you stake?” Elizabeth didn’t even bat an
eyelash but a subtle tic at the corner of her mouth gave her away.

“Fourteen,” Rune answered.

“Fourteen,” Elizabeth repeated, and squeezed the bridge of
her nose. “You know him. Will he attempt fourteen human murders in
retaliation?”

Rune didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“As of this moment, the purge is temporarily suspended.”

“Elizabeth, you can’t give in to him. He’ll kill them
anyway. We need to destroy him and we need to do it soon.”

“I will call Shiv Crew to a meeting after I’ve discussed the
issue with Bill Rice—”

“Delays aren’t going to save the kid.”

Elizabeth leveled a long, cool look at her. “Do you really
believe the child is still alive?”

Rune took a gulp of her cooling coffee,
then
shook her head. “No. Not really.”
But I’d die before I admitted that to
Strad and Tina.

“We have to concentrate on keeping the humans safe from the
master’s retaliation.” Elizabeth stood, signaling an end to her meeting with
Rune. “I’ll let you know the new plan as soon as possible. In the meantime, do
not hunt the vampires.”

Rune shrugged and got to her feet.
“Whatever
you say.”
Then she left the room and went to find Strad. She had to show
him the note—a copy of the note, as Elizabeth had taken the original—before
someone else blurted out the terrible truth of his son’s capture.

Elizabeth had sent him out with the new hire—whose name,
Rune had discovered was Owen Five. Owen Five. What a shit name.

She walked into Ellis’s office with her cell to her ear,
waiting for the berserker to answer. It went to voicemail.
Shocker.

“Strad, I need to talk to you. Call me as soon as you get
this.”

She hung up and leaned against the doorframe, watching
Ellis. He sat behind his desk furiously typing up one report or another, and
she waited quietly until he stopped.

He rubbed his recently broken arm and looked up with a
cheerful smile. “Hi, love!”

She lifted an eyebrow. “You’re feeling better, I take it?”

“I’m tired of moping. I’m making myself sick.” He leaned
back against his chair and stretched out muscles that got too little exercise.
“Move in with me, Rune. Leave that room and come stay with me.”

“Sweetie, your apartment is the size of a closet. I don’t mind
the inn. I’m rarely home anyway.”

He rummaged through his desk drawer and brought out a folded
sheet of paper. “I sent this to your email before remembering your computer was
lost in the fire.”

“I could have gotten it on my phone,” she said, leaving the
doorway. “What is it?”

“A list of things already done and things you need to do. I
rented you a post office box and notified the post office and a few other
places of your temporary new address. The fire marshal wants a meeting—I set up
an appointment. You won’t be allowed a walk-through of the house, there’s too
much damage. And—”

“Ellie.
What would I do without
you?”

He grinned and said what he always said when she asked him
that question. “I don’t know, probably die.”

She snatched the paper out of his hand, smiling. “Well, you
are
my assistant, after all.” 

“And I’m awesome. Any leads on the fire?”

“No. But it could have been anyone. Spiritgrove is full of
assholes.”

He nodded in agreement. “What’s going on, Rune? You look
upset.”

She sighed.
“Bad shit, baby.”

“Oh no.”
His face fell. “Tell me.”

She handed him the note and said nothing more as she waited
for him to read it. He skimmed it,
then
started over,
more slowly. “Oh no,” he said again.

She took the note, folded it neatly, and slid it back into her
pocket. “I’ve told the crew to keep it to themselves until I can tell the
berserker.”

“How horrifying.
This will send him
over the edge. He’s already close.”

“I know.”

“What’s the plan to get Matthew back?”

“There is no plan, not yet. Elizabeth has called off the
purge until she meets with the police director and the others.”

“Nicolas will kill the humans?”

“Yes, he will.”

“You have to find him.”

“I will.” Llodra knew her. Somehow, he knew her. She’d carry
the guilt of the murdered humans around like the burden was hers to bear.
Hers alone.
And really, wasn’t it? Some part of her had
known that in his madness he’d not sit back and let them destroy him and his
coven, not this time. But she hadn’t wanted to think about that. She’d just
wanted to kill vampires, to destroy the madness before it reached her.

She hugged herself, suddenly cold.
Could
she handle
it?

As though he knew what she was thinking—and why wouldn’t he?
Ellis had brought her back to life when she’d let Jeremy tie her to that bed—he
stood and walked around his desk to pull her into his arms. As usual, he
ignored her immediate knee jerk reaction to affection and held her until she
relaxed.

“It’s not your fault, Rune. You have to know that.” There
was a note of fear in his voice that she didn’t want to hear.

“I’m not going to hurt myself, Ellie.”

“Swear it to me.”

She hoped her hesitation went unnoticed. “I swear it.”

He took a deep breath, his arms tightening. “Thank you.”

Ellis wasn’t much taller than she was and she rested her head
against his shoulder, her lips close to his throat. She shuddered at the sudden
desire to feed from him. She pulled out of his arms, smiling into his worried
eyes.

“Everything will be okay,” she said.
“Fucking
Llodra.”

“Maybe he hasn’t killed Matthew. Maybe he’s having too much
fun with him alive. Besides,” Ellis hurried on, when she started to speak, “he
may realize he needs the child for leverage.”

She closed her eyes for a long second. “Ellis, I hope the
boy is dead.
Because if Llodra has him, he’s torturing the
fuck out of him.”
She blinked away the sting of bloody tears. “I hope
the boy is dead.”

“That’s…you can’t say that, Rune.”

She changed the subject. “Talk to me about you. Tell me
about the guy you’re in love with. How is that going?” She hesitated. “Is he…”
She couldn’t tell Ellis she’d discovered his love interest was Levi. He’d tell
her if he wanted her to know.

He sat back down and motioned her into the chair in front of
his desk. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. We obviously aren’t meant to be
together.” He straightened his shoulders. “I’ll be fine.”

“You will. You’ll find someone else.
Fish
in the sea, blah
blah
and all that.”

He laughed. “You’re messed up, girlfriend.”

She winked at him. “You don’t have—” Her cell phone rang and
interrupted her. “It’s Strad,” she told Ellis, and answered the phone as she
strode from the room.

“Rune?
Has he been found?”

Part of her died at the hope in his voice. “No. I’m sorry. I
need to talk to you in person, Strad.”

“I’m on my way back. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“I’ll be in my office.”

She clicked off and went to her office.
God, I do not
want to fucking
do
this.
But she had to. And if he wanted her to,
she’d tell Tina as well. But he wouldn’t want her to. He’d do that himself.

She paced in her office until the berserker walked into the
room. He shut the door behind him and walked toward her, stopping just short of
touching her.

His face was pale and he had dark circles beneath blue eyes
so stark and hopeless she wanted to cry. Lines of worry and dark stubble didn’t
take away from how striking he was.
Perfection in one big
berserker.
Dammit.

She was starting to feel a little more for him than she’d
realized.
Starting to?

 “Strad—”

But he held a hand up. “Just give me a few minutes before
you break my heart.” He tried for a rueful smile, but couldn’t pull it off.

She swallowed hard. Her emotions were all over the place.
Don’t
cry. Don’t you
cry.

He opened his arms and she walked into them.

“
God,
Rune,” he said.

I’m so sorry, so sorry.

He lifted her and she wrapped her arms around his neck and
rested her lips against his throat. Melting heat grew between them but not only
that. She was accustomed to feeling lust.

But there was tenderness.

Fuck me. I’m falling in love with the berserker.

She wanted nothing to do with love.

But there it was.

“Strad,” she whispered, her lips moving against his warm
skin.
“Strad.”

She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes, then
fighting it all the while, she kissed him.

It was perfect, that kiss. Just like the berserker.

Part of her stood back with crossed arms and watched for a
second, then snorted in disgust and gave the hell up. She was too far gone to
listen to logic.

Strad turned to press her against the wall and holding her
there with his body, he touched her in places he’d never touched her.

She held his face between her palms and let him take over.
He kissed her with a passion and desperation she’d never felt, never
imagined,
and he made the whole world go away.

There was only his lips, his body,
his
need.

His desire fed hers. She shuddered in his arms, hot, cold,
breathless
.

He deepened his kiss and slid his hand inside her shirt,
over her ribs, and to her breast. She moaned into his mouth, her skin erupting
in gooseflesh, her fingers tightening on his face.

 After an eternity, or a moment, he pulled away, his
breathing ragged, his stare so hot she could physically feel it. He let her
slide down his body until her feet touched the floor, then he turned and ran
trembling fingers through his hair.

She leaned against the wall, fluttering her fingers over her
chest, her throat, her face.
What
was
that?

He took a couple of deep breaths,
then
finally faced her. “Tell—” His voice broke and he cleared his throat,
then
tried again. “Tell me.”

Disoriented, it took her a second to remember what she had
to tell him.
Oh fuck.
She’d rather have forgotten forever.

She stared up at him. “I’m so sorry, Strad.”

“Fuck.” He closed his eyes. “What?”

She clenched her teeth and pulled the paper from her pocket.
“We found this today at the mini purge.”

He took it, glanced at her,
then
read Llodra’s words.

She’d never seen such desolation on another person’s face.

He stared at her for a long moment, then turned and left the
room without another word.

He took the note with him.

She sank into her chair, her entire body shaking, and let
him go.

She drove down her old street on her way to the inn. She
wanted to take another look at the burnt rubble that used to be her house.

“What an eyesore,” she murmured. But that house had always
been an eyesore. Like a lot of the other older houses in River County, it
boasted an attic and a basement. The attic she’d used for storage. The small,
mean basement she’d left alone.

The rest of the house hadn’t been so bad, really. The rooms
had been large, and she’d never once had trouble with frozen water pipes in the
winter.

But now, it was gone.

She’d have to start looking for another place.

Soon.

Right now finding a house wasn’t first on her list of things
that needed to be done. Finding Matthew, that was first.

 She wanted more than anything else to give him back to
the ones who loved him. Tina was a shell of the person she’d been when Rune had
first met her.

She’d been visiting Tina, or at least calling her, as often
as she could. The woman was a mess and the thought of her medicated and alone
in Strad’s silent apartment was more than Rune could comfortably stand. So she
did her part.

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.