Chapter 18 RUNO
RUNO
I was five seconds away from getting fucked.
I knew I was. We both felt that monster cock against my stomach before he demanded I tell him my plan.
And now, we were hanging around the table, full from the chicken cacciatore I had made for the first time in my life.
I was mildly surprised it turned out edible but now they were all waiting for me to talk.
Aeron sighed as he laid down his fork and broke the silence. “Has anything come from the murders at the institution a few days ago? Those are still hanging out there, right?”
I tensed and then relaxed, realizing that my plans didn’t cover everything. “I don’t have an alibi for those. Or really a backup plan, which is why this new plan should work. It didn’t really hit the papers at all because Dad absolutely cleaned it up but… ”
Samael leaned back as he threaded his fingers behind his head. “Are you going to share with the class?”
“We have to kill Samael.”
The kitchen went silent as my head erupted into chaos.
Daemon: What the fuck?
Dark: Absolutely not. Why is that the plan?
Finn: I knew something was going to blow up.
Killian: This should be interesting.
I growled at all of them to stay quiet. “Shush. I got this.”
However, I didn’t have this. Aeron and Slash were completely frozen but Samael was pissed, rage billowing behind his dark eyes. “I need you to say that again, slower, and make sure it’s the right words.”
I threw up my hands, my grin faltering for effect. “Not for real! The plan is to make Dad think Samael is dead and then have him work to cover it up. The kicker is that you’re not actually dead, and so he’s just constantly on edge.”
Slash frowned. “At what point do we kill your father?”
“We don’t,” I pushed out. “He doesn’t get the sweet release that death provides. He’ll stay on edge for as long as it takes, and it’ll sic Tyrone in a different direction.”
A cold calculating grin spread across Samael’s face as he held my gaze. “I love how optimistic you are. The real world doesn’t work like that.”
I shrugged. “It works like that if we leave.”
Killian: This is reckless, even for you.
When none of my men spoke, I cleared my throat. “Why aren’t you more excited about this?”
Aeron set his fork down, his sea-green eyes wary of my plan. “Because nothing is ever that easy, and to be honest, your plans are a bit… out there.”
I hadn’t wanted to get into the details at the table because it didn’t matter. All I knew was that it would work. I had everything I needed—well, mostly everything—and it would only be a matter of time before Dad’s life began to truly fall apart. “Fine, we’ll get into the details.”
Slash narrowed his gaze at me, swallowing the last bite of his meal before speaking. “First, I’d like to bring up the DMD issue. You keep zoning out. I’ve noticed it two or three times now since you, Runo, got out. Is one of the others fighting to come out?”
I grimaced. “No, I just… I’m eventually going to lose my head, which is why I’m trying to enjoy life as it comes.
” I hadn’t wanted to get into the details of this issue either.
There was so much the world didn’t know about DMD, me included, but what I did know was that it presented differently than HMD and I wouldn’t be able to enjoy a long, healthy life by just taking some meds.
Aeron’s brows furrowed slightly, his expression softening. “Do you know how long you have?”
I shook my head, my throat tightening as I tried to keep my wits about me.
“My mom lived to like 40 something, and while I don’t have the same thing, mine is a bit worse.
I just… can we not talk about that?” None of them said anything.
“Look, I just want a few more years of normalcy before I can’t hold onto reality anymore. Call me selfish if you like, but…”
Aeron slid into the chair beside me and pulled me into his side, his arm warm against my back. “That’s why your timeline seems like it’s on warp speed. Because it is, isn’t it? You’re trying to make up for lost time.”
I cleared my throat, the heat of his touch stirring a flicker of something softer, clashing with the rage in my chest. “Just bear with me a little longer, alright?” Softness didn’t suit me or my alters, not like this and being vulnerable around my men felt weird.
Slash clicked his tongue and added, “We’re not going anywhere, even if you’re a little terrifying.”
“Slash is right, we’re here until the end. That’s not changing. Now, give us the details.” Samael leaned his elbows on the table, his hands folded neatly under his chin. The position had the muscles in his shoulders bulging beneath his shirt, a minor distraction.
“Right, the plan.” I shook my head to get rid of those lingering, pitiful emotions.
“I have enough evidence to set my father up for most of the murders in Primrose and some of the ones in the other cities we lived in. Public fear will fill in the rest. However, I have to make the connection, which is why I stole one of Aeron’s freezers the other day. ”
Aeron pulled away from me. “What the fuck?”
I turned to him, my grin softening, a playful edge creeping in. “Would you like to have dinner with me? A date? At Dad’s house.”
“Runo… I need you to explain the details. You keep jumping around without explaining anything. We could have just made food or something at my house.”
Killian: Stop playing with the poor man and cut to the chase.
That ruined all the fun, though. However, I had already given them a scare, saying that we should kill Samael. “Aeron, I need to leave evidence in his house, and with the freezer…”
Samael’s hand slammed on the table, the plates rattling. “That is a terrible idea.”
I shrugged. “And you forget that me and my alters have lived in a house with a police officer, not to mention that we’ve had a fascination with crime for years. I know how to clean up after myself.”
Samael still wasn’t on board. “Tyrone is already involved. It’s only a matter of time before this gets bigger than just Primrose.”
That was what they didn’t understand, though.
“I don’t think you have any idea how fragile my father’s sense of worth is.
He’s kept this contained with pitiful curfews for what, three years?
You think that’s because he’s bad at his job?
Quite the opposite. He’s that good at covering up tracks and making sure this doesn’t come back to him.
He hasn’t been sure it wasn’t me, so he couldn’t just ‘catch’ the fuckers.
And now he knows that it isn’t, but he’s in this just as deep as everyone else. ”
Samael blew out a whistle. “Damn, you’ve really thought this out.”
“I just really want to see my father suffer.” I brushed off my voices, unable to stuff them down so I just ignored them. “Now, I asked Aeron out for a date, but I’m thinking we should make it a thing. Who’s up for a little night of fun?”
Slash groaned, his eyes searching mine. “Nothing with you is ever little. What does this night entail?”
There was no way this plan was going to go off without a hitch but I could try. “Dinner, some hard work, and hopefully dessert.” I wiggled my eyebrows, making sure that Samael knew exactly what I was asking for. The fucker had denied me dick the past few days but I was determined to get it.
Even if they never told me they loved me again, if they couldn’t love Runo, the way they had loved the others, as long as they stayed, I would be happy.
I tsked, becoming a little more excited about this plan.
“It’s time to steal a body. Like old times.
Well, you never stole a body. You stole a piece of it.
This time, I need you to steal the whole thing.
” I remember them telling me about the first time they truly gave into their demons, Samael stealing a few scraps from the morgue so that Aeron could eat it.
Samael frowned, his eyes narrowing at me. “Who are we stealing and why?”
My grin widened, the thrill surging through my veins. “I’m glad you asked. Dr. Harley. The poor bastard gets to make a second appearance! It’s going to be fantastic.”
Slash coughed, his face contorted up in confusion. “You’ve lost me. Why are we stealing bodies?”
“So that I can prop him up and pretend it’s Samael. They’ll find out it’s not...”
Samael still wasn’t convinced. “Just pause for a second, Runo. Why Dr. Harley? There’s no way to pretend it’s me because we don’t look anything alike.”
A playful sigh fell from my lips. “No, that’s true. It’s more figurative. I’m doing this because I hated him. Dad knew it and still threw me back into his arms. I could use anyone but it’s more of a statement I guess? It’s easier to just show you. I’ll meet you at my house in like… three hours?”
Aeron’s eyes widened. “And we just come through the front?”
I snorted. “Hell no. Come through the back. We can’t have the whole neighborhood seeing you. That would be weird.”
“I have no idea what it must be like to live in your head,” Samael mused, his voice then turning serious, “but if this fails, that’s going to be the end.”
I shrugged, my grin faltering for a second. “We won’t survive either way. But hey, at least I’ll go out with a bang, and Dad will still suffer.” I blew him a kiss and then headed out before they could make the conversation uncomfortable again.
Killian: How long do we really have, Runo?
“No fucking clue but I don’t want to be stuck in Primrose when it happens.”
Killian: So, you think it’ll happen soon?
“You guys are already starting to act like each other, sometimes I don’t know who is speaking.
You used to zone out all the time when Daemon and Finn were more present but there’s no more of us, not now anyway.
Look, we just stick to the plan. Get out of Primrose and then we’ll figure it out. I just don’t want to end up like Mom.”
Silence met my words as I slid into my car and took off.
No one ever stayed, I knew that much. However, until I lost my head, I wanted my men at my side.
The crazier the plan, the better. They would stick around because they were excited to see the chaos.
I just hoped that they meant all those words they said in there. My sanity was banking on it.