different nests. Everyone
ready? Kill kits stocked?”
Everyone nodded affirmative and they filed out the door,
loaded down with silver.
“Call me if you need anything,” Ellis said, heading back to
his office. “And please, be careful.”
The house was dark and quiet when they finally reached it.
No one was there sleeping, but she hadn’t really expected Llodra to be there.
No, he’d have grabbed his people and gone into hiding.
Maybe the excitement of being hunted was what he needed. If
she caught him, she could give him what he most wanted. Peace.
It would give him something to look forward to in his
madness, his desolation. And she felt for him—the sort of empathy only another
like him could feel. She could stumble into the wasteland of that dark
existence all too easily.
“Ready to go in, Rune?” Z asked, and they all watched her, uncertain.
She shook off her thoughts. “Yes. But…”
Levi frowned. “What’s wrong? Do you feel something?”
God yes . “I need to say
this. If I end up mad, one of you has to end me. Swear it to me now.”
They stared at her, silent.
“You have to,” she told them. “I won’t be capable of doing
it any more than Llodra is.”
“Rune,” Denim said. He looked at her, then away. “Llodra
is…old. If you were to go mad, we’d be long gone by then.”
None of them could look at her. She felt the blood drain
from her face. He was right. Most likely she was fucking immortal—whether she
wanted to be or not. She hefted her vgun. “Let’s go in.”
Jack kicked in the locked door and then stood aside so she
could go in first. If the berserker had been invited to this little event, he’d
have gone in first no matter what she’d said. He seemed to think it was his
duty. His right.
But she didn’t need a guard or a man to shield her from the
evil. Most of her crew knew better than to try.
They went carefully through the long hallway, vguns ready.
It was too dark, the shadows too ominous. “Lights,” she said, and as one they
flipped on the long, thin flashlights they’d attached to the barrels of the
vguns.
They entered the large room where Llodra had sat on his
throne, then spread out. There was a lot of house to clear.
She went first to the throne. She wanted to be sure Llodra
hadn’t left Blood and Fire. He wouldn’t have—but she had to check.
The spot where the tortured vampire had been nailed to the
wall was empty except for dark stains. Blood. “Fuck you,
Llodra, you crazy son of a bitch.”
She’d destroy him, but the bastard would do more damage
before she could find him. It was true that hurt people hurt other people, and
Llodra was in fucking agony.
She knelt down to peer under his throne but found nothing
more than spider webs and something that looked like old pizza crust.
Food for the tools, most likely.
The vampire bite was addictive, true, but she couldn’t
imagine any human willingly living in the cesspool of Llodra’s household. Maybe
before he’d gone insane…
But not now.
She stood and started to head up the narrow stairs when
Jack’s familiar roar of rage shook the house.
Fuck me. This isn’t going to be good.
“Jack,” she yelled. “Where are you?”
Levi ran into the room, his vgun up and ready. “He’s in the
basement, Rune. Come on. I’ll take you.”
Z met them at the bottom of the old wooden stairs. “Rune.”
Shit. She closed her eyes for a long moment. “What is
it?” She didn’t want to know. She really, really didn’t.
It was so bad he couldn’t even say the words. He gestured helplessly, his pale face and wide eyes making her stomach
roll with fear. Yeah, it was bad.
“Show me,” she whispered.
Z simply nodded and turned around, leading them back through a maze of small rooms with what seemed like packed
dirt floors. The ceiling was so low the men had to duck to walk through.
Their lights weren’t enough to chase all the shadows back
but were enough to see by. It would have to do.
ready? Kill kits stocked?”
Everyone nodded affirmative and they filed out the door,
loaded down with silver.
“Call me if you need anything,” Ellis said, heading back to
his office. “And please, be careful.”
The house was dark and quiet when they finally reached it.
No one was there sleeping, but she hadn’t really expected Llodra to be there.
No, he’d have grabbed his people and gone into hiding.
Maybe the excitement of being hunted was what he needed. If
she caught him, she could give him what he most wanted. Peace.
It would give him something to look forward to in his
madness, his desolation. And she felt for him—the sort of empathy only another
like him could feel. She could stumble into the wasteland of that dark
existence all too easily.
“Ready to go in, Rune?” Z asked, and they all watched her, uncertain.
She shook off her thoughts. “Yes. But…”
Levi frowned. “What’s wrong? Do you feel something?”
God yes . “I need to say
this. If I end up mad, one of you has to end me. Swear it to me now.”
They stared at her, silent.
“You have to,” she told them. “I won’t be capable of doing
it any more than Llodra is.”
“Rune,” Denim said. He looked at her, then away. “Llodra
is…old. If you were to go mad, we’d be long gone by then.”
None of them could look at her. She felt the blood drain
from her face. He was right. Most likely she was fucking immortal—whether she
wanted to be or not. She hefted her vgun. “Let’s go in.”
Jack kicked in the locked door and then stood aside so she
could go in first. If the berserker had been invited to this little event, he’d
have gone in first no matter what she’d said. He seemed to think it was his
duty. His right.
But she didn’t need a guard or a man to shield her from the
evil. Most of her crew knew better than to try.
They went carefully through the long hallway, vguns ready.
It was too dark, the shadows too ominous. “Lights,” she said, and as one they
flipped on the long, thin flashlights they’d attached to the barrels of the
vguns.
They entered the large room where Llodra had sat on his
throne, then spread out. There was a lot of house to clear.
She went first to the throne. She wanted to be sure Llodra
hadn’t left Blood and Fire. He wouldn’t have—but she had to check.
The spot where the tortured vampire had been nailed to the
wall was empty except for dark stains. Blood. “Fuck you,
Llodra, you crazy son of a bitch.”
She’d destroy him, but the bastard would do more damage
before she could find him. It was true that hurt people hurt other people, and
Llodra was in fucking agony.
She knelt down to peer under his throne but found nothing
more than spider webs and something that looked like old pizza crust.
Food for the tools, most likely.
The vampire bite was addictive, true, but she couldn’t
imagine any human willingly living in the cesspool of Llodra’s household. Maybe
before he’d gone insane…
But not now.
She stood and started to head up the narrow stairs when
Jack’s familiar roar of rage shook the house.
Fuck me. This isn’t going to be good.
“Jack,” she yelled. “Where are you?”
Levi ran into the room, his vgun up and ready. “He’s in the
basement, Rune. Come on. I’ll take you.”
Z met them at the bottom of the old wooden stairs. “Rune.”
Shit. She closed her eyes for a long moment. “What is
it?” She didn’t want to know. She really, really didn’t.
It was so bad he couldn’t even say the words. He gestured helplessly, his pale face and wide eyes making her stomach
roll with fear. Yeah, it was bad.
“Show me,” she whispered.
Z simply nodded and turned around, leading them back through a maze of small rooms with what seemed like packed
dirt floors. The ceiling was so low the men had to duck to walk through.
Their lights weren’t enough to chase all the shadows back
but were enough to see by. It would have to do.
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