girl.
“Thank you.” She sat down, but her shoulders were stiff, her
eyes were downcast, and her face was completely closed off.
“What’s your story?” Levi asked her.
“No story,” she replied. “I don’t remember my life before
Skyll.”
“Why’d you decide on a slingshot for a weapon?” Jack reached
across the table and picked up the slingshot, which Roma had placed on the
table in front of her.
She snatched it away from him. “I liked it,” was all she’d
say.
Rune knew all about secrets and wanting to keep her business
to herself. The girl would tell them her story eventually, if she wanted to.
It was hers, and they had no claim to it.
“What are you?” Raze asked, finally leaving his place
against the wall and taking a seat. “Some kind of shifter or
something?”
Roma darted a quick, panicked look at Rune.
“Leave her alone, you nosy bunch. Ellie,” she went on,
changing the subject, “call Bill and ask him to join us.” She didn’t like the
thought of him alone in his darkness.
“Already did,” Ellis said, cheerfully. “He declined.” He
carried a huge bowl of mashed potatoes to the table.
Levi stood and took it from him before placing it carefully
in the middle of the big table.
“He’ll be okay, Rune,” Jack said. “Just has a lot to deal
with.”
“Yeah,” she said, “but he doesn’t have to be alone while
he’s dealing.”
“That’s the way he wants it,” Denim said. “Other than at
work, we don’t see him.”
“I don’t like it,” Rune replied. “Bill was having some
issues before Elizabeth’s death. He’s struggling.”
“What issues?” Raze asked.
“I never found out. Shit kept happening.” She shrugged.
“Then he told me to fuck off. I’ll pay more attention to him now and see if
there’s anything we can do.”
“I heard Eugene is bringing a replacement for Elizabeth back
from Washington,” Ellis said.
Rune groaned. “Why? We don’t need more new people.”
“Yeah,” Jack said. “I don’t think Bill is happy about it
either.”
“Do you have a name for the new guy?” Denim asked.
“No,” Ellis replied. “Somebody carry this stack of plates to
the table so we can eat.”
Rune got up and fetched the salad, while Jack got the plates
and forks.
“New people,” Raze grumbled. “Too much
trouble.”
Roma glared at him, and he pointedly ignored her.
“Ellie, something’s burning,” Rune said.
“Lord,” he shrieked and ran for the oven. “The
pie.”
But it was just a little scorched, and not one of them
minded.
“It’s perfect, baby,” Rune said, after they’d eaten dinner
and were digging into dessert. “Somebody pass the ice cream.”
Later, as she lay in bed alone, images of her berserker and
the cowboy and the little blind Other came sneaking
into her mind. She drifted off, eventually, but when she awakened the next
morning, evidence of her broken heart had soaked her pillowcase in sad, damp
crimson.
Chapter
Eight
“Sorry to wake you.” Bill Rice’s voice was alert and steady.
She was pretty sure he rarely slept but wished he would take her need for sleep a little more seriously.
“ It’s fine,” Rune said, blinking
bleary eyes. “What time is it?”
“Five thirty.”
“Fuck.”
“Sorry,” he repeated.
“You don’t sound sorry,” she grumbled. She sat up in bed and
shoved her hair out of her face, looking around hopefully as though coffee
might magically appear. “What’s up?”
“I just got word that a group of humans are rounding up
newly healed Others . They’re shooting them, then beheading them. The human who called it in said he was
with them when they were just running the Others out
of town, but what he was witnessing was too much.”
“Son of a bitch,” she said, no longer sleepy. She jumped out
of bed, put her phone on speaker, and began dressing in whatever clothes she
got to first. “How the hell are the humans controlling the Others ?
Why aren’t
“Thank you.” She sat down, but her shoulders were stiff, her
eyes were downcast, and her face was completely closed off.
“What’s your story?” Levi asked her.
“No story,” she replied. “I don’t remember my life before
Skyll.”
“Why’d you decide on a slingshot for a weapon?” Jack reached
across the table and picked up the slingshot, which Roma had placed on the
table in front of her.
She snatched it away from him. “I liked it,” was all she’d
say.
Rune knew all about secrets and wanting to keep her business
to herself. The girl would tell them her story eventually, if she wanted to.
It was hers, and they had no claim to it.
“What are you?” Raze asked, finally leaving his place
against the wall and taking a seat. “Some kind of shifter or
something?”
Roma darted a quick, panicked look at Rune.
“Leave her alone, you nosy bunch. Ellie,” she went on,
changing the subject, “call Bill and ask him to join us.” She didn’t like the
thought of him alone in his darkness.
“Already did,” Ellis said, cheerfully. “He declined.” He
carried a huge bowl of mashed potatoes to the table.
Levi stood and took it from him before placing it carefully
in the middle of the big table.
“He’ll be okay, Rune,” Jack said. “Just has a lot to deal
with.”
“Yeah,” she said, “but he doesn’t have to be alone while
he’s dealing.”
“That’s the way he wants it,” Denim said. “Other than at
work, we don’t see him.”
“I don’t like it,” Rune replied. “Bill was having some
issues before Elizabeth’s death. He’s struggling.”
“What issues?” Raze asked.
“I never found out. Shit kept happening.” She shrugged.
“Then he told me to fuck off. I’ll pay more attention to him now and see if
there’s anything we can do.”
“I heard Eugene is bringing a replacement for Elizabeth back
from Washington,” Ellis said.
Rune groaned. “Why? We don’t need more new people.”
“Yeah,” Jack said. “I don’t think Bill is happy about it
either.”
“Do you have a name for the new guy?” Denim asked.
“No,” Ellis replied. “Somebody carry this stack of plates to
the table so we can eat.”
Rune got up and fetched the salad, while Jack got the plates
and forks.
“New people,” Raze grumbled. “Too much
trouble.”
Roma glared at him, and he pointedly ignored her.
“Ellie, something’s burning,” Rune said.
“Lord,” he shrieked and ran for the oven. “The
pie.”
But it was just a little scorched, and not one of them
minded.
“It’s perfect, baby,” Rune said, after they’d eaten dinner
and were digging into dessert. “Somebody pass the ice cream.”
Later, as she lay in bed alone, images of her berserker and
the cowboy and the little blind Other came sneaking
into her mind. She drifted off, eventually, but when she awakened the next
morning, evidence of her broken heart had soaked her pillowcase in sad, damp
crimson.
Chapter
Eight
“Sorry to wake you.” Bill Rice’s voice was alert and steady.
She was pretty sure he rarely slept but wished he would take her need for sleep a little more seriously.
“ It’s fine,” Rune said, blinking
bleary eyes. “What time is it?”
“Five thirty.”
“Fuck.”
“Sorry,” he repeated.
“You don’t sound sorry,” she grumbled. She sat up in bed and
shoved her hair out of her face, looking around hopefully as though coffee
might magically appear. “What’s up?”
“I just got word that a group of humans are rounding up
newly healed Others . They’re shooting them, then beheading them. The human who called it in said he was
with them when they were just running the Others out
of town, but what he was witnessing was too much.”
“Son of a bitch,” she said, no longer sleepy. She jumped out
of bed, put her phone on speaker, and began dressing in whatever clothes she
got to first. “How the hell are the humans controlling the Others ?
Why aren’t
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