Obsidian Wings (3 page)

Strad turned left at Hook Road and then made a sharp right
into a part of the Moor Rune wasn’t very familiar with. The road she followed
him down was rutted and unused, surrounded by bare trees and dry ditches full
of rubble.

The land was dotted with a few abandoned, rundown houses,
and she could see how COS might find the area an attractive hiding place.

Strad led her through half a mile of swampland that could
have been a scene from a horror movie, even with the sun shining.

Somewhere, maybe somewhere close, were the twins.

But if they were—if COS had stashed the guys somewhere in
the godforsaken Moor—then they’d made huge error.

Surely they’d known that eventually, Rune and the crew would
find them.

Which scared her a little.

They had a reason for staying in River County. That reason,
though, was a big fucking mystery.

She nearly rear-ended Strad when he abruptly stopped his
truck. He got out and motioned for her to do the same.

She left her SUV and eased a gun from its holster. “Where
are they?” She sniffed, catching a whiff of acrid smoke.

And something else.

“Blood,” she muttered.

“This way.” He unholstered both his guns. With COS, a person
couldn’t take chances.

In seconds she saw a thin, lazy line of smoke rising into
the air. “They’re meeting outdoors around a fucking bonfire?”

But no one was there.

Evidence of their grim party remained in the recently
smothered fire, fresh footprints, and litter.

A crudely constructed, bloody altar straddled the embers.
“Oh hell,” she whispered. Singed ropes lay in the ashes, and as she bent
forward to retrieve them, her fingers brushed the hardness of something lying
beneath them.

She scooped it up, showing it to Strad even as she fought
not to let it drop back to the ground in disgust. “An obsidian blade.”

He frowned. “What the hell were they doing?”

“Sacrifices? Maybe they’re trying to placate a spirit or a
demon.”

“Or trying to call one.”

They stared at each other for a long moment. “COS is fucking
with black magic,” she said. “Just what we need.”

He holstered his guns and crossed his arms. “Spiritgrove is
suitably named. This city arose from magic and death.”

“That explains why they’re hanging around here. Why they—”
She cut her words off as a horrifying thought occurred to her. “The twins. Holy
shit. They’re going to sacrifice the twins to…” She gestured at the dying fire.
“To call whatever the fuck entity they want control over.” Sacrifices and
demons were embroiled in their city’s origins.

He looked around the area with narrowed eyes. “We don’t know
what they were doing.”

“I need to talk to Gunnar.”

“Maybe he knows something,” he agreed.

“We found Lex easily, but twins are special. Twins are
magical. That would explain why they’re taking extra trouble to make sure we don’t
find them.” She clasped her trembling hands together. “And why they only tried
to make some cash off Lex. Lex wasn’t the one they really wanted. It was the
twins all along.”

“We need to get her to talk,” he said.

Rune nodded. “It’d be horrible, watching them, unable to
help them…” She shuddered.

“If she’s with them then she knows how we can find them. Why
isn’t she telling us?”

“She can’t. I don’t know why.”

He blew out a hard breath. “At least now we know why COS
isn’t leaving River County.”

“Why can’t we find them, Berserker?”

“We will.”

“The twins think COS still has Lex.”

“Yeah.”

As long as the twins believed Lex was in the hands of the
church, they’d be easier to control. She took a deep breath, then frowned.

“What is it?” Strad asked.

“I smell something.”

“What?”

She held up a hand. “Wait.” She closed her eyes, cleared her
mind, and inhaled. It was there, an elusive, barely familiar scent she couldn’t
quite grasp. But then, she recognized it. “Birds. I smell the birds.”

His stare sharpened. “The shifters?”

“Yes.”

They looked at each other across the altar. “The birds would
have nothing to do with COS,” he said, and there was no doubt in his voice.

But there was plenty of doubt in hers. “They were here.
Right here.” At least one of them had been.

“Just because you picked up their scent doesn’t mean—”

“You think I’m making it up because of your fucking
friend?
”

He lifted an eyebrow. “No.”

She crossed her arms, then turned away from him. “They were
here. And I’m going to find out why.”

“Rune.”

“What?”

He hesitated. “Don’t fuck with the birds.”

She turned on him, incredulous. “What did you say to me?”

He didn’t back down. “Don’t fuck with them.”

Her laugh was mocking. She hoped he couldn’t hear the tiny
thread of pain running through it. “I promise not to hurt them too badly,
Berserker. Unless I find out they’ve been keeping shit about the twins from me.
Then I’ll hurt them.”

He stared down at her, the first stirrings of anger
beginning to show in his vivid blue eyes. “I’m not afraid for
them.
”

She could only gape.

Finally, insulted beyond words, she turned and strode back
to her car, the obsidian blade lying in her jacket pocket with an insidious,
hateful weight.

Strad didn’t follow her out.

She figured he’d explore the area more thoroughly. COS
couldn’t have been gone long.

She called Rice. “Cree Stark, one of the birds, is coming in
to see you. I’d like you to call me when she gets there and keep her on ice
until I arrive.”

“Any special reason?”

“I want to hear what she has to say.”

“I’ll question her about the bird’s murder and will keep her
here as long as I can. The birds aren’t exactly a patient bunch.” He hung up.

She stopped next at her house—her new house in the Moor. She
didn’t get out of the car, just sat staring through the windshield. She was
sick of the inn. It was time to move into the new place.

Ellie had managed to have a bed delivered and set up, and
the previous owners had left a couple pieces of furniture.

Everything she had left after her previous house had been
torched would fit in her car. She was suddenly reluctant to move in, but
couldn’t have said why.

Somehow, it felt…lonely.

She glanced into her mirror when a car stopped behind her.
Owen got out and strolled toward her, his customary hat in place. His unhurried
movements and lanky, slender body hid the energy inside him, which exploded
during battles.

The cowboy was deceptive in a lot of ways.

He opened the passenger side door and climbed inside,
shooting her a smile. “Moving in soon?”

She forced herself to look away from him. Owen had a
stealthy, subtle sexuality that crept up on a woman, got her in a stranglehold,
and refused to let go.

There was something dark and enigmatic beneath his
cordiality. Something that beckoned her. Made her want to—

“Rune?”

She swallowed. “Yeah. I’ll move in soon. There’s a bed.
That’s all I need.”

Shit.

He grinned.

She cleared her throat. “Did you find something?”

“No. You?”

“Strad and I went to a place off Hook Road. COS had been
there. They’d built a fire, had a bloody altar…” She shook her head, her voice
tight with disgust. “Bastards killed someone there.”

“Some sort of ritualistic magic.”

“Knowing COS, they’re trying to call a bad motherfucker to
help them in their attempts to rule the world.”

“Or at least River County.”

“It’s a magical place.” Which reminded her—she needed to
talk to Gunnar the Ghoul.

“You think they’re going to sacrifice the twins.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Well...yes.”

He nodded. “It makes sense.”

They both turned their heads as a car crawled down the
street behind them, its driver tapping the horn once in greeting.

Her breath caught.

Fucking Cruikshank.

She watched the car until it disappeared. When she finally
took her stare from it she found Owen studying her, his eyes shadowed beneath
the brim of his battered hat.

“The reporter,” he said, quietly.

She took in a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Cruikshank, right? The man who follows you everywhere.”

Again, she nodded.

“What does he want, Rune?”

“I think he wants to die,” she muttered.

He said nothing, but his eyes narrowed the tiniest bit.

“Owen,” she said, unaware she was even going to ask, “what
did the berserker say? During your talk?”

He knew what she meant. He looked away, and when he looked
back at her his eyes held something dark. “He told me your body is your own and
if you want to fuck me, you’ll fuck me.”

He fell silent, but before she could prod him, he continued.
“He said he wouldn’t control himself if I hurt you. He needed to warn me ahead
of time that if I talked you into my bed, he and I would fight.” He shrugged.

She let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “It
could have been worse.”

Owen smiled, but his stare was distant. “Then you weren’t
listening. You want to know what he said?”

“I said I did.”

“He said if you fucked me, or anyone, it’d tear him apart.
He said if you kissed someone else he’d hide away for a week with a few bottles
of whiskey. He said if you loved someone else his soul would die. That his rage
would overpower him and he’d kill the motherfucker who touched you, and he’d
make it hurt.”

He pushed his hair away from his face, then drummed his
fingers on his leg with an uneasiness she'd never seen in him before. “Strad
Matheson knows how to make it hurt.”

“You’re practically a fucking poet,” she mocked. She
couldn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she watched his mouth.

He didn’t smile.

She pushed a fist against her stake scar. “He didn’t say
that,” she finally whispered.

Owen’s stare was hard. “Yeah,” he said. “He did.”

The heavy silence was blessedly broken when her cell rang.
“Berserker,” she greeted, her voice cool. “Find something?”

“Where are you?”

“Sitting at the new house.”

“I didn’t find anything, but Cree is on her way to meet with
Rice. I’ll be at your house in two minutes.”

“Why?”

“You going to RISC to talk to Cree?”

“Fuck yes.”

“Then I’m following you in.” He hung up.

She glanced at Owen. “Strad is on his way here.”

He made no move to leave her car.

“Have you heard from Elizabeth today?” she asked, when he
said nothing.

“She’s complaining to anyone who’ll listen that she needs to
come home.”

“Soon. Owen, I’m—”

“No. No apologies. You didn’t know what Llodra would do.”

“Still,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

She rested her hand on the steering wheel and he reached
over to cover her fingers with his. He squeezed gently, and made no move to
withdraw when Strad pulled in behind them.

She slipped her hand from his and let down her window as the
berserker strode to her car.

He leaned down to peer at her through her open window,
ignoring Owen.

“Ready?” he asked.

“You don’t need to stand over me like a fucking nanny,
Berserker. I can take care of myself, even with those feathered beaky
bastards.” Her words were sharper than she meant them. She swallowed, trying to
force away Owen’s words.

He lifted an eyebrow. “Humor me.”

She started her car. “See you later,” she told Owen.

“I’ll keep searching for the twins. I have a couple
acquaintances lined up to answer questions. If I get finished in time, I’ll
join you at RISC. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting the birds.”

“Not sure you could call it a pleasure,” she grumbled. “Let
me know if your sources pan out.”

“I will.”

Rice called her as she was leaving her house. “I’m on my
way,” she told him.

She drove to RISC with Strad tailing her. Once they arrived,
she sat in her car, watching the berserker climb out of his truck and glance
her way.

She really didn’t like the birds. She was as reluctant to
see Cree again as she’d been to face Damascus, or very nearly.

Not out of fear, but something she wasn’t exactly familiar
with.

Cree Stark made her nervous.

“You’ve met Rune Alexander, I believe,” Bill said to Cree,
when Rune walked in. “And you know Strad Matheson.”

Cree sprawled in a chair in Rice’s office, a male bird at
her side. The girl didn’t bother acknowledging Rune, but sent the berserker a
bored smile.

“Hey,” she said.

Strad gave her a nod, then shook the male bird’s hand.
“Fin.”

Fin glided to Rune. “I’m Fin Lynch. I’ve heard a lot about
you.” He shot a quick look at Cree.

“Nice to meet you,” Rune said. “I haven’t become acquainted
with the birds.”

Fin was around five feet eleven and slim, with light brown
hair that hung in soft waves below his chin. He used that hair to hide the
right side of his face which, from the glimpse she caught, appeared to be
covered with ridged scars and discolored skin.

He was cute as hell. He flashed a quick grin, his green eyes
bright and friendly. “We don’t come down from the nest often. And when we do,
it’s usually a quick trip.”

“Yeah,” Cree said. “And we’re not here now to socialize with
the humans.” She pointed her chin at Rune. “Or the monsters.”

Rune felt the slow burn of anger, but ignored Cree. “The
nest?” she asked Fin.

He nodded but took a step back, closer to Cree. Obviously he
wasn’t keen on pissing her off. Maybe she’d been the one to give him his scars.
“That’s what we call our land.”

Finally, Rune looked at Cree. “Were you or your birds in the
woods off Hook Road today?”

When she remained stubbornly silent, Fin spoke. “No, I don’t
think any of the birds were out of the nest, except for those who came to view
Lara this morning. But they were all back home when Cree and I left earlier.”

Rune transferred her stare to him.

He took another step back.

“But you weren’t with them this morning, so you can’t be
sure they didn’t make a stop on their way back to the nest.”

He shook his head. “Not really. But—”

“Zip it, Fin,” Cree said. “We don’t have to explain
ourselves to her.”

He surprised Rune by scowling at Cree. “And I don’t need you
speaking for me.”

“Rune,” Rice said, a spark of curiosity in his face,
“exactly what is this about?”

Both birds stared at Rune silently, Cree fidgeting in her
seat. She knew something, of course, but wasn’t going to tell them anything.

“I’ll catch you up later,” Rune replied.
After the birds
are gone.

He nodded, but he was finished letting her question the
birds. Cree’s resentment was obvious, and Bill wasn’t going to fuck with the birds
if Rune didn’t have a hell of a reason. “I just have a couple more questions
for you, Ms. Stark,” he said.

“I’m not answering shit with her here,” Cree said.

Rice looked pointedly at Rune. “Excuse us, Rune.”

Cree smirked at Rune before looking at the berserker. “Strad
can stay.”

Strad took Rune’s arm. “Let’s go.”

He didn’t spare Cree so much as a glance.

Once they were in the hall, she grinned up at him. “She’s an
angry bird.”

He sighed and squeezed her arm gently. “She’s also
dangerous.”

“Have you met my monster?”

“One thing you should know about the birds. They don’t play
fair. They don’t
fight
fair.” He stopped walking and swung her around to
face him. “Don’t trust her, Rune. Don’t ever give her your back.”

Fear brushed her skin like a cold breeze, and that pissed
her off. “I can handle the fucking birds.”

“Be on your guard.” He shook her. “Promise me.”

“
Okay,
Berserker. Okay.”

He blew out a breath and released her.

She watched him for a long moment. “Tell me about the birds.
About Cree Stark.”

He began walking again, and she fell into place beside him.
He didn’t answer her until they were standing by her car. “They’re antisocial.
They make and follow their own rules. As long as they don’t interfere with
humans, they’re mostly left alone.”

“They have land on Spikemoss Mountain, I know. How many
birds up there?”

“Last check, fifty three.”

“That’s a lot of fucking birds.”

“And you wouldn’t know it. They keep to themselves. They
don’t socialize with humans.”

She gave him a sideways look. “Some of them don’t have a
problem with the humans.”

He grunted. His muscles bunched as he crossed his arms, his
eyes vivid and intense. Eyes that held secrets he wasn’t going to share with
her. “Are you okay?”

She knew what he meant. Her father, Z…those losses she
hadn’t yet dealt with. Wasn’t ready to deal with. “I’m okay.”

Her phone buzzed. “Ellie. How’s Lex?”

“She’s quiet. She hasn’t made a peep since you left.”

“Still out of it?”

“Yes. Maybe even more so. Bill wants me back at the office,
but he’s hired two private nurses to take turns sitting with her. She won’t be
alone even for a second. Is that okay?” He sounded anxious, torn, and tired.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Of course it is, baby. I
wish you’d go home and get some rest.”

“I need to stay busy. You understand that.”

“Yes, I do.”

“I…I just have a bad feeling, Rune. About the twins. About
Levi.”

“We’ll find him. We’ll find both of them. I’m bringing them
back, Ellie.”

But she shuddered as the memory of Lex’s horrifying screams
echoed through her mind.