Page 13

Renee settled into her sleeping bag and tried to mentally prepare herself for whatever the interaction would be with the king tonight. Impossible to predict his moods or what affected them, she was making her best attempt not to talk to him. She was still upset about her rabbit friend. At least he kept his distance when they were alone. It bothered her he didn’t sleep and, from what she could tell, stared at her all night. It would have been uncomfortable, but she figured it was because he didn’t want her to run and didn’t trust any of the others to monitor her.

“If you had escaped, where would you have gone?” His voice made her stomach flutter, which annoyed her even more.

“Why are you asking about that again? You made it crystal clear it couldn’t happen,” she grumbled.

He lifted a shoulder. “It won’t, but I’m curious.”

“Why would I tell you? It will just make it easier to find me.” Renee straightened her shoulders to seem less intimidated.

“There is nowhere you could go that I wouldn’t find you. Nowhere. I own you.” He leveled his gaze at her. “Now tell me,” he ordered.

Condescending prick. He didn’t own her. Just because he captured, and kept her prisoner, didn’t mean he owned her. People didn’t own people anymore. Of course, he wasn’t a person. Shit. Why would an undead creature care about owning anything?

“I already told you I’d find a military base.” She muttered and moved her view away from him.

“You don’t know where they are.”

His self-assured tone made her want to slap him. Probably because what he said was true. She had known of several places years ago that were run by the military and safe, but they were gone now. The zombies were a plague that ate or destroyed everything in their path, including secure military facilities. It wasn’t hard to take down an established safe place made by humans. Infect one of two people, and it was only a matter of time.

The king leaned forward, his amber irises brightening at his words. “Even if you did make it to some sort of military installation, the soldiers are no threat to us. We are too many and they are too few. The pitiful humans who are hiding on those bases barely understand how to use the weapons they are surrounded by.”

She frowned. “You don’t know that.”

The corner of his lips ticked up before it turned into a smirk. She tried to ignore how much more attractive he appeared at that tiny movement reshaping his features. “Can you use a gun? Or even melee weapons?”

“I’m not a soldier, of course I don’t.” She snapped.

“Not even after all these years?” His smirk grew into an unsettling smile.

Great. He was picking on her too, for not being a badass like almost every person she’d met in the last seven years. In the beginning, many more people like her were lucky and somehow survived the initial assault of the zombies. But because they were “soft,” lacking any real survival skills, they didn’t last. Luck only got someone so far. How she still existed was almost miraculous.

“I don’t like violence or death. You know that.” Her words were barely above a whisper.

“I understand, but you aren’t weak and you don’t like when others are hurt. Wouldn’t it make more sense to learn to use a weapon to defend others, or at least yourself?”

Her eyes flicked back to him so see if he continued to mock her, but his expression was serious. He didn’t think she was weak? Her brother was the only other person she recalled who didn’t believe she was pathetic.

He leaned even further forward, his gaze sharpening as he spoke. “You are a survivor.”

She blinked. Any human alive was a survivor. Except when he said it to her, something inside of her clicked, made her sit straighter, almost convinced her she wasn’t weak. How dumb was she to be flattered by her enemy, telling her she was brave when he was subjugating her? It was his fault everything was horrible.

Renee sighed. Okay, it wasn’t his fault. The king might be the king of this horde, but he wasn’t patient zero that started the zombie apocalypse. As fucked up as it was, technically, all zombies were victims of other undead who turned them. Shit. Did that mean her vengeance was pointless?

No. The current undead might not be the ones who started everything, but if the humans didn’t stop them, nothing would be left and he’d already told her that was his plan. Logically, it was likely the plan of all zombies. Of course, she hadn’t met any other zombies that seemed to have any agenda other than eating what was in front of them.

She grit her teeth. This was why she hated nights with him. Every conversation was worse than the last because it confused her or made her question things. Sometimes she even questioned herself.

“I’m just lucky.” She shrugged. “It sucks for all the groups I’ve traveled with, because apparently that luck doesn’t extend to anyone else. They’re all… gone.” She turned her head away as her eyes burned.

“They weren’t chosen, you were. You’re meant to be here, with me.”

Renee was worried she gave herself whiplash with how fast she turned her head back to him. The confidence of his tone, the absolute lack of doubt in his features, astonished her. Chosen to be his prisoner? Is that what he was saying? It didn’t make any sense.

She shook her head. “They used weapons and could fight. Sometimes they even had important skills, like medical or teaching. I just… I’m here.” Damn it. It wasn’t what she’d planned to say and as she reflected on the words, she wished she’d said nothing.

The king rose from the floor and approached her. Her stomach tightened, unsure if it was from fear or something she didn’t want to consider. Bending over to take her chin in his chilly fingers, raising her head until their eyes locked.

“You cannot see what I see.” His bloodshot eyes traced her face. “I assure you; you are not what you believe. You are more.” His thumb stroked the side of her face.

Shit. Shit. Her heart raced in her chest from his stupid praise, making her miserable as her body tingled from his words. He wasn’t lying, but she couldn’t understand why he thought that way. His touch was still foreign, but she couldn’t deny how much she craved contact with another person, even if that person was dead. How much she wanted hugs or gentle touches that showed affection. Something she couldn’t achieve with her own parents, much less any others she’d come into contact with.

Her mind screamed at her to tell him to stop, to move away. But her body begged her to let him stay, let him give her any small amount of kindness because who knew how long it would be before someone else would gaze at her like this? He was part of the reason the world was hell, but at that moment, she was the closest to heaven she’d ever been, and she prayed it wouldn’t end.

“I am?” Her hushed words crossed her lips.

“Yes, and one day you will see it, too.” His irises shifted and, although still bright, deepened in color. It reminded her of a setting sun. It was breathtaking. His grip tightened on her flesh and his expression hardened. “So, stop trying to escape. Accept this life.”

She pulled out of his grip even though it hurt. “I’ll never accept this! I’ll never accept being trapped by you!”

He straightened and loomed above her, showing his teeth like the monster he was, before he schooled his expression. “You are trapped by your past, your mind. Your world is dead. This is your world now - you have no choice.”

“There is always a choice.” She told him through gritted teeth.

He laughed and moved away. “Not for you. Go to sleep.”

Renee fought the urge to jump up and hit him. He continued to insist she was safe with him, but she was so irritated she wanted to test that theory. If she attacked him, what would he do? Her lips pinched when she recalled the roof. He’d laughed at her. Angry with herself, she grumbled and turned away from him.