Killing Land (Rune Alexander Book 8) (18 page)

When she sat up, the gargoyles—some shifted and some not—gasped
and jumped away.

Gavin gaped at her.

“You’re alive,” Gage said. He sounded for a moment like he
might try to remedy that,
then
just sounded tired when
he repeated himself. “You’re alive.”

“She’s immortal,” Bellamy said, wiping her nose on the back
of her hand. “Roma told me.”

“Rune Alexander,” Gavin said, slowly, as though her name had
just occurred to him. “I’ve heard that name.”

“She’s the monster of River County,” Bellamy said.

“Fuck you,” Rune said, and struggled to her feet. “My
monster says fuck you, too.”

“Immortal,” Gavin said, and in his eyes was something she
didn’t understand, and didn’t care to.

She turned toward the staring block of gargoyles. “You
surprised me and got lucky. That won’t happen again.”

She remembered crushing the hand of the gargoyle
who’d
touched her earlier. That’s what she’d have to do to
beat them—crush them like fucking brittle rocks.

If they were immortal, they’d glue their ugly hides back
together again, but it’d take them a while.
And if she
scattered the dust…

That might make it a little harder.

“Where are you going, sis?” Gage asked.

She didn’t bother to answer his question. “Go kill each
other,
boys
. I’ve got something to check out.”

She limped toward the passageway.

Her gut pulled her back toward the black depths of the cave
and she could barely stand to wait. Excitement warred with fear and hope
battled doubt.

Would she know the person who’d escaped Skyll to land in her
world?

Was it a stranger?

She closed her eyes for a second and tried to get her heart
under control.

Is it one of mine?

When she opened her eyes, Gage Delaney stood blocking her
exit. “I can’t let you go. I’m going to kill one of my
brothers
in order
to keep Gordon alive. I’m not about to let that be for nothing. I can’t let you
go.”

Her voice was soft, silky, and full of a darkness he would
have recognized and shrank from had he known her better. “Get out of my way,
Delaney.”

He shifted.

Not slowly or messily or obviously.

A gargoyle’s shift was so fast and smooth it was almost
magical.

One second she was staring at Gage the man, and the next,
she was eye to eye with Gage the gargoyle.

He was as determined to keep her there as she was to leave.

And her fear whispered to her.
Remember
how afraid
you are of the gargoyles. Remember how—

“Shut the fuck up,” she growled.

He frowned. “I said nothing.”

His tone, short and not particularly angry—not then—still
scraped her ears raw and tunneled into her brain.

“Out of my way, gargoyle,” she said.

He fluttered his wings and they lifted him into the air. As
she stared up at him, her claws ready, he dove toward her, turned at the last
minute, and cut her from sternum to cheekbone with the edge of a wing.

Every part of the gargoyle was a weapon.

For a heartbeat, she though the wound wasn’t deep—no matter
how it felt—because it didn’t bleed.

But before she’d finished the thought, blood welled and
began to pour from the deep slice, covering her lower face, her throat, her
chest.

He buzzed away and hovered just slightly above the ground,
his face calm, serious, and completely without softness.

She hadn’t time to worry about bleeding to death, but she
understood that with the earlier crash and the blood loss from the wing slash
that she was going to need to feed.

And soon.

She retracted her claws.

Stabbing him would be like sending a blade through a brick
wall.

But she could beat the fuck out of him.

She raced toward him, jumped, and punched him as hard as she
could in the face.

As he slammed against the cave wall, his wings crumpling and
his eyes unable to focus, she hit him again.

And again.

Again.

Parts of his face broke off beneath her blows, and bloody
rock dust flew into her eyes, her lungs.

She’d found her rage, and all that mattered to her right
then was hurting the gargoyle. He was every fear, regret, and sadness she’d had
since returning from Skyll, and she wanted nothing more than to kill it.
Him.

He wasn’t done, though.

He roared and she caught an awful image of blood-covered
teeth before she was suddenly flying backward.

She hit the wall and for a moment, there was nothing but darkness
and a red, hazy pain.

But the gargoyle was coming, and she knew she had to shake
off the agony and fight.

Gavin leaned over her and squeezed her shoulders. “Had
enough?”

“I’ll have had enough when he’s dead,” she snarled.

He nodded and shoved her away from the gargoyles and back
toward Gage.

The gargoyles didn’t shout or cheer or make any sounds at
all. They simply watched with grim faces and cold, black stares. They waited
with a coldness that seemed uncaring, but Rune knew it was only a façade.

She’d seen that particular breath-holding, blank faced,
overly casual look before. They were afraid for Gage.

She was a little afraid for herself, but she wouldn’t admit
that to anyone but her monster.

All this because I didn’t kill fucking
Gordon.

If—
when
—she had another chance, she wouldn’t
hesitate.

Something was making her soft, and she didn’t appreciate it
even a little bit.

And terror made her fight harder.

Gage was an immortal being. He knew what to do to make her
stay down forever. If he got the advantage, she was the same as dead.

Worse.
Worse than
dead.

Gage caught her loose hair, wrapped it around his fist, and
began slowly and methodically hammering her face, the same way she’d hammered
his.

And she felt every bone that shattered and broke.

Her monster was there, but it’d have been stronger after she
fed.

So there was only one thing to do.

She would never have taken blood from a gargoyle. She’d
rather have dined on Damascus. She would
not
feed from a gargoyle.

But as Gage flew them both into the air and held her against
the wall and beat her and hurt her and
broke
her, she changed her mind.

She dropped her fangs, moaning as even that small movement
caused her pain. And as his huge, hard fist descended once more toward her
face, she gathered everything she was into one monstrous, mad, raging mess, and
caught his fist in her bloody, slippery grasp.

His eyes widened one second before she crushed every bone in
his hand. She grabbed him by the throat, wrapped her legs around his waist, and
struck.

He dropped like the stone he was and she rode him down, her
fangs buried in the one vulnerable place she’d seen other than his eyes—the
tender spot under his jaw.

But she’d forgotten one thing—the gargoyles’ voice.

As though it was a last resort, he opened his mouth as she
drained him, and he bellowed.

In the roar was desperation and pain and shock, and it was
like a straight razor slicing up her brain. Barbed wire twisted around her
body, her heart, and her mind, and began to tighten.

Still, she drank.

Her eardrums exploded and began to bleed, the blood
trickling down her face and neck and strangely enough, taking her mind off his
terrible voice as he sang the vicious song of the gargoyle.

His roar grew louder. It didn’t stop or even pause. It did
not hitch or waver or soften.

Her eyes bulged through the closed lids as the pressure
behind them grew.

She sucked harder, drawing in deep droughts of his blood.

Her heart slowed.

His
heart slowed.

And finally, finally, he closed his mouth.

His blood was inside her.

His power was inside her.

And when she rose from his body and tossed his empty husk
aside, the gargoyles scattered and ran.

All except for Gavin and the blonde girl,
Bellamy.

But she didn’t care about them.

She strode into the den where the cannibalistic, mutant
gargoyle waited, his face turned toward the fresh, cold air pouring in from the
hole in the ceiling.

He looked at her when she entered and opened his mouth not
to hurt her but to welcome her.

He smiled, she was sure he smiled.

It never occurred to her again that her claws might not
penetrate his chest wall. She shot out her built-in blades and without slowing
her stride, she ran as fast as she could to him and drove her claws through his
heart.

The look in his eyes never changed.

Maybe he was glad to go.

Maybe he wasn’t.

But she killed him then and there. She dug out his heart and
with two vicious swipes, she took his head.

When she dropped to the floor and turned, Gavin and Bellamy
stood watching her, something horrible in their faces.
Hatred?
Contempt?
Pain?
She didn’t
know.

Didn’t care.
Not really.

Half dead but full of power, she leaned over and buried her
fingers in Gordon’s matted, filthy hair.

In one hand she held the head, and in the other she gripped
the heart.

They belonged to her.

“Bury the rest,” she told Gavin, her voice hoarse and
unrecognizable. “I’m taking these with me.”

Neither he nor the blonde said a word—they simply parted and
let her pass.

She didn’t spare a glance at the fallen Gage Draven Delaney
as she walked by him, but knew if he’d lived his face would have been wet with
tears as he watched her carry parts of his dead brother from the caves.

When she was halfway back to camp, she spotted Raze and
Denim running toward her.
“Jack and Roma?”
Her voice
was cracked and hoarse, and she could tell by the way their horrified eyes
widened that she must look like death.

“We had the Annex send a copter. They flew them to River
County.”

She clutched the gruesome heart tightly. “Tell me.”

“The acid didn’t stop eating into them, Rune,” Raze said. “I
don’t know if they…” He gestured helplessly. “I just don’t know.”

She tilted her head. “What is that I hear?”

Denim stared at the ground. “The Annex is taking this place
apart.”

She shook her head and took a step back. “I promised we
wouldn’t.”

“Eugene decided we would,” he replied, his voice grim.

Raze glanced at her hands. “Uh…”

She waited, silent, her mind on Jack.

Finally, Raze cleared his throat, straightened his shoulders,
and pointed at the grisly items she carried. “You want me to carry that head
for you?”

She looked down at her hands. “I need the heart burned and
the head buried.
Far apart.”

“Who is that?”

“This is our monster.
The cannibal.
We can’t let the gargoyles see where these pieces go.”

“Are you okay, Rune?” Raze asked.

“Yeah.
But I have to go back
inside. There’s someone else there, just as the assassin said.” She frowned.
“Where is he?”

“Who knows,” Raze growled. “I haven’t seen him.”

She wanted to rub her throbbing temples but her hands were
full. She shook the gargoyle’s head at them. “Be careful with this head. Acid
might leak from his mouth and get on your skin.”

They nodded,
then
looked at each
other. “You take the head,” Denim told Raze. “I’ll get the heart.”

Raze pursed his lips. “I’ll flip you for it.”

Rune sighed,
then
caught sight of a
large, dark, four-legged figure sprinting toward them. “Grim! Where the fuck is
Ellie and Levi? Have you checked on them?” she asked the two men.

“Yes,” Denim answered, watching Grim’s approach.
“About an hour ago.
Levi said Grim was there.”

“Call them again.” She waited for Grim to reach her. “You
okay, boy?”

But he didn’t greet her. He didn’t even acknowledge her—he
just yanked the heart from her unguarded grasp, turned around, and ran like a
demon back the way he’d come.

She just stared after him, unmoving.

“
You going
to take it back?” Raze
asked her, shooting a worried glance at Levi.

“I have a feeling he needs it,” she answered, smearing blood
across her forehead when she pushed back her hair. “At least if he eats it, the
gargoyles can’t dig it up.”

“Who’s back in the caves, Rune?” Denim asked. “Do you really
think someone came off the path?”

“Someone came from Skyll,” she said. “I don’t know how. I
don’t know if he walked the path. I just know he’s from Skyll. I smell Skyll.”

Denim drew in a deep breath. “You think there’s another
portal.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know what to think. But he got here
somehow, didn’t he?” She handed Denim the head. “Raze, call the Annex and get
an update on Jack and Roma.”

“Do you need to feed?” Denim asked her, as Raze made the
call.

“No. I fed from fucking Gage Delaney.”

He frowned. “Delaney?”

She caught him up, and Raze listened as well, though his ear
was glued to his cell.

“Thanks,” Raze said, and clicked off.

“Well?” she asked.

“Doctors put them both under. Apparently they couldn’t do
enough for their pain with them awake. They’re going to try to stop the spread
of the acid while they’re asleep.”

She closed her eyes. “I should go there.”

“Nothing you can do,” Raze said. “Let’s go see to our
visiting Skyllian.” But he couldn’t meet her stare.

She straightened. “We’ll check out the caves then run to
River County.” She turned toward the caves. “Bury the head, Denim. If we’re not
back in an hour, bring some Annex ops and come in after us.”

He nodded and jogged away, the head swinging from his hand.

Rune took a deep breath,
then
began
to walk back toward the caves, Raze at her side.

The blonde girl Bellamy stepped from the dark cave mouth.

Rune stopped walking. “What do you want?”

She didn’t have to look to know that Raze had his blades in
his hands.

Bellamy held up her hands. “I have a message from Gavin.”

“Okay.”

“We heard you’re recruiting. Gavin and I will join your crew
and return with you to River County.” She lifted her scarred chin and stared
back at Rune, her blue gaze unreadable.

Rune hesitated, surprised. She’d killed one of theirs—two,
if they decided because of some fucked up gargoyle rule not to bring Gage back.
Because of her, the Annex was invading their land.

Even though she’d sworn that wouldn’t happen.

“Nowhere else will have us.”

“Fuck,” she said, and patted her pocket for a long lost
phone. “Let me borrow your cell,” she told Raze.

Eugene answered on the first ring. “Yes?”

“Call off the Annex.”

“Rune, two of your people are here because fucking gargoyles
are in Killing Land. Do you know how—
”

“Eugene,” she said, her voice soft, “call off the Annex and
leave these people be. I’m bringing back two gargoyles to fight for us. If you
don’t call off your people, I’m going to stand with Killing Land and fight
you
.
Do you understand?”

He said nothing, but she could hear him breathing.
Thinking.

“You’re bringing me back two willing gargoyles.”

She kept her stare on the blonde.
“Yeah.”

“You have a deal.”

“Hold on,” she told him. She tossed the phone to Raze.
“Bellamy, is there an antidote for the acid?”

The girl lowered her hands. “Why?”

“Two of mine were hit. They’re in bad fucking shape. That’s
why.”

“In a war, casualties are expected.” Bellamy tensed, despite
her calm voice, and her hands curled into fists. “I’m sure your fighters will
die bravely.”

Rune took a step closer. “Is there a fucking antidote?”

But she knew Bellamy wasn’t going to give up the
information. Not without some urging.

Rune was on her before the girl could shift. She pushed one
of her claws an inch into her throat. “Do you want to be a casualty of war?”

“Not really,” Bellamy said. She didn’t sound scared, but
Rune could feel her rapidly beating heart.

“Answer my question, or I will end you right now, Gargoyle.”

“I’m sorry,” Bellamy said, and she sounded sincere. “There
is no antidote.”

Rune slid her claw in a little deeper.

“I swear it.” A tiny note of pain entered Bellamy’s voice. “Don’t
make me shift and tear your head off. I want to join you.”

Almost casually, Rune pushed her claw deeper into the hated
gargoyle flesh.

“Are you going to kill me?” Bellamy asked, wheezing.

 “No,” Rune said, and reluctantly released the girl.
“You’re coming to River County to please fucking Eugene Parish.”

Bellamy glared and clapped a hand to her wound. “I’m not
impressed with the way you treat your crew, Alexander.”

“You’re not crew,” Rune said, then looked at Raze. “Tell
Eugene there’s no antidote. He’ll have to figure out something else. Tell him
not to let them die. And tell him to get the Annex the fuck out of here.”

He nodded and put the phone to his ear.

“You just said I’m going back with you,” Bellamy said. “How
am I not
crew
?”

“Why do you and Gavin want to go to River County?” Rune
asked, ignoring her question.

“Why would we want to join up with a respected group instead
of living under our commander’s thumb and hiding from the real world? Why would
we want to get out of this hole? Living here is exhausting.” She grabbed a
handful of her worn shirt and shook it. “There are no shops here, but Gage
doesn’t allow us to leave. Now he’s out of commission. It’s our chance to go
somewhere better.”

Three gargoyles crept from the cave mouth. “You were going
up before the council,” one of them said, sneering at Bellamy. “Say what you
want to
her
, but we know you’re deserting the block—Gavin too, if he
goes with you.”

“What will that mean,” Rune asked, curious.
“If they leave the block?”

“It means we’ll be forbidden from ever coming back,” Bellamy
said, without waiting for him to answer. She pointed her chin at the three
gargoyles. “We’ll be hunted. Not by them, but by those they send after us. What
he says is the truth. The council would kill me. Gavin won’t have me die but he
won’t have me going out into the world alone, either.”

“You could have told us that to begin with,” Raze said.

Bellamy shrugged. “It’s second nature for gargoyles to hide
our truths. We show nothing, especially not to outsiders.”

“Some of you are better at it than others,” Rune murmured,
as an image of Gavin’s unreadable eyes floated into her mind.

As she walked back to the caves, Raze at her side, she
couldn’t help glancing back. All the gargoyles were gone.
Even
Bellamy.

But she could feel their cold, calculating stares following
her until she strode finally through the entrance of the caves.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the walls put a
protective barrier between her and the gargoyles she hated.