Shadows Past: A Rune Alexander short. Book 5.5 of the Rune Alexander series. Read Online Free

“The phone is on speak—”
    The last thing she heard before his phone went dead was Ellis screaming.
     
     
     

Chapter Five
    The drive to her house was a blur—she remembered barreling down her street in a frenzy of fear, wondering if Jack, and oh please God, her Ellie, were okay.
    Ben’s father had painted a horrifying picture of his son’s capabilities.
    “If he hurts my people,” she told Ben’s father, “I’m going to rip your fucking head off.”
    “It’s not my fault,” he murmured. “It’s not. It’s not. ”
    “Shut up.” Rune balled her fists and almost hoped he’d give her a reason to stop the car, turn around, and punch him in the throat.
    He shut up.
    And the rest of the way home seemed to take forever.
    She drove through the tiny yard and almost to the rickety porch before hitting the brakes with such force that Z nearly went through the windshield.
    “Ellie,” she screamed, running through her house. “Jack!”
    When Jack answered, her legs weakened. Relief that Jack was alive, fear that Ellie wasn’t.
    “In the kitchen,” he called.
    He sat on the floor cradling Ellis in his arms. “He’s alive,” he murmured, looking at Rune. “Just unconscious and…burned. The kid burned him.”
    “I know,” she said, and crouching on the floor, she pulled Ellie into her arms. “Ellie, Ellie.” She moved carefully, terrified of hurting him. His shirt was burned into the skin over his ribs, black and ragged, the flesh beneath red and raw.
    He would live. He would fucking live.
    And at that moment she didn’t care about anything else.
    “I called 911,” Z said, holding his cell. “They’ll be here in five minutes.”
    “Where’s Raze?” Jack asked.
    Rune looked at Z and frowned. “He was right behind us, wasn’t he?”
    “He’s looking for the kid.”
    “What the hell is he?” Jack asked.
    “He’s human with a shitload of power,” Rune said. “He’s searching for a group to take him in.”
    “Let’s hope COS doesn’t find him,” Z said.
    “If we don’t get to him soon someone will find him, and that kind of power in the wrong hands…” Jack shook his head.
    “Yeah,” Rune said. “And fucking Llodra is already on his trail.”
    “He might lose his power if he’s turned,” Z said.
    Rune shrugged, her stare on Ellie. “And he might not.”
    Sirens sounded just as Ellis opened his eyes. “I’m burned, Rune,” he said, his voice calm.
    “I know, baby. Paramedics are on the way.”
    “Ben is dangerous. He grabbed me…I felt my skin just give. But it’s worse than that. When he touched me…”
    “What, Ellie?”
    He swallowed, and tears he didn’t even seem aware of slid down his face. “He was in my mind.” He tried to shake his head, then grimaced and stopped. “I felt him in my brain. I understood what it was like to be him. I wanted to burn people too.” Those last words came out in a whispered rush. “I needed to. He needs to. It’s like…touching, burning, is what he needs to feel right. Do you understand?”
    The medics crowded into the kitchen, but Z held up a hand. “Wait.”
    “Do you mean—” Rune started to say, but Ellis interrupted her.
    “It’s like the best orgasm you can imagine,” he said, his voice low. “It feels so good. So good. ”
    “He craves it,” Rune said.
    “And,” Ellis went on, as though she hadn’t spoken, “the more he burns, the better it feels. The stronger he gets.” He lifted his fingers, his face full of terror and regret. “I feel it in my hand.”
    She grabbed his hand and pushed it against her arm. “Your palm is burning hot.”
    He nodded. “He gave that to me. I don’t want to be like that, Rune.”
    “You won’t, baby. He’s not that strong.” Not yet.
    “Rune,” Z said, kneeling beside her. “If he can learn to burn people without killing them…”
    “He might make others just like him.”
    “Shit,” Jack said.
    “We have to find him,” she said. She looked at Z, then