Page 19

They had been heading north for days, which Renee wasn’t thrilled about. Unlike the ranks of the undead, she still breathed, and it was getting colder as they traveled. It pained her to admit, even to herself, but she was relieved when the king found an enclosed shelter of some sort. She kept meaning to ask Brie if they traveled when it snowed and what that was like but kept forgetting.

Renee glanced at the king. He’d appeared forlorn while outside, staring at the sky most of the time, Renee had been eating and glancing in his direction every so often. Tonight was going to be one of those nights. It was moments like these, when he seemed depressed and lonely or when he was thoughtful and cooked her meat the way she liked, that made her doubtful about her plan. He was too… human.

After they entered the small shack, she thought about climbing into the sleeping bag and calling it a night. But his despair filled the tiny space and felt like a weight on her chest. His back was against a wall, one knee bent, and the other leg stretched out. His right hand rested on his knee. Renee tried not to notice, but he’d changed clothes and smelled clean again. The king’s hygiene practices seemed to also be more frequent.

“You, okay?” she asked in the dimly lit room.

“Does it matter?”

“Yeah, of course, it does. You’re protecting me. If something’s wrong, that’s bad for me, right?”

He stared at her for a long time before he answered, “We are about to enter a long span of travel with no available food.”

“Oh.” Did that mean they would eat each other? If so, it could be the opportunity she’d been waiting for. She’d hoped to at least see the chosen or get more information about them, but there might not be another opportunity for a while.

“Do you understand what that means?”

“Umm… everyone is going to get hungry, and I guess turn on each other?”

“Yes, but that’s not my concern. It’s time for a culling, anyway. The strong will remain, they always do.”

For a king, he was a bastard who didn’t give a crap about his horde.

Renee ran her fingers over the worn cover of her book. “Okay, well then, what’s the problem?”

“You.”

“Me?” The heat left her as the meaning of his words sunk in. Shit, they were going to eat her. “I’m screwed. There are too many of them.” Her mind flashed back to what they’d done to her rabbit, making her stomach uneasy.

“You will not die,” he said resolutely.

He needed to let her go if he wanted her to live. Is that why he was upset? She still didn’t really understand why she was there, anyway. Their discussions or arguments, depending on the night, couldn’t be that interesting to him that he wanted to keep her around.

“You have to let me go. You can’t stop all of them.”

His jaw ticked. “I am their king , as you’ve pointed out. They obey me.”

She shouldn’t have been so insistent on the title. It was going to his head. How did a zombie’s brain even work, anyway? Not the time , she reminded herself.

“Then, I don’t understand.”

He stood and moved until he was hovering over her. His fingers wrapped around her shoulders before hauling her up. “Every time we eat another group, even animals, you run in fear.”

“Because I don’t like it.”

“You can’t escape this. You can’t escape me.”

His words made her lips tremble as warmth crept over her skin. “I’m not trying to run.”

“When the horde turns on one another, there will be nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.”

Her stomach tightened. “But you said they wouldn’t hurt me.”

“They won’t.” He released her shoulders. His fingers drifted up to touch the side of her face. “I didn’t know it would be like this. That you would be like this.”

“I don’t understand.” She didn’t understand anything anymore. His body was so close to hers, there was actual fear evident in his eyes. Her mind wandered to that moment in the van when she thought he might be threatening her, but his voice sounded like it did now.

His fingers threaded into her hair as his other hand slid around her neck. “I won’t lose you. You’re mine .”

Renee tried not to let his words affect her, but not one person in her life had ever said anything as romantic. This was so screwed up. All those characters in her books were beautiful creatures saying things like that and she got a crazy zombie king. He only meant it in the way someone owned property or an object, but still, it made her heart speed up.

“I’m not going anywhere.” It was a lie, but at the moment, it was the absolute truth.

“Mine,” he whispered as he lowered his mouth to hers.

She expected to be disgusted and push him away. Instead, she leaned into his hungry kiss. It was frosty, like the first chill of winter, yet so gentle and feathery. He kissed her like she was precious. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his torso, delighted by the hard lines of muscle under his shirt. His mouth moved over hers more fervently. She opened her mouth to him and moaned when his tongue slicked against hers.

Her hands roamed over his chest and stomach as their kiss heated. He broke their kiss and moved his lips to her chin and then her neck. She felt like she was floating as they shifted to the floor on her sleeping bag. Every kiss, every touch, grew more frenzied. His fingers snaked inside her shirt, briefly skimming over her scar before moving up and sliding over her bra. She moaned again as he captured her lips and slowed his movements.

Reluctantly, he broke their kiss and gazed at her. She reached for his hair and ran her fingers through it. God, it was as glorious as she’d thought it would be. He turned his head and kissed her fingers. He was a wizard, for somehow, he’d cast a spell on her, and she was entranced. How could a zombie be so coordinated? Interested in something so emotional? Renee had to be missing something, but at the moment, she didn’t want to keep questioning why things were the way they were, she only wanted to lean into her feelings, and into his safety, affection and protection.

“Will you let me help you?” he asked quietly.

She was pretty sure she’d agree to just about anything if he kept kissing her. She nodded.

His gaze slid back to her. “Do you trust me?”

Crap. She didn’t want to lie, but she also didn’t want him to stop. It wasn’t a lie, not completely. She did trust that he wanted her alive and would protect her, so she nodded.

“Then you’ll listen to me until we reach more food?” He kissed her fingers again.

He was making it hard to focus. Her fingers traced his lips as she nodded.

“Promise me.”

She pinched her eyebrows, unsure if she could promise that. At her hesitation, he leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. She tugged him closer and slipped her tongue into his mouth. He tasted so good. Such an unlikely paradox, but it was the truth, like fresh citrus. She couldn’t get enough. He gently nipped her lip and pulled back. Damn, that was hot.

“Promise me.”

It was like she’d regressed into a horny teenager and was starved for sex. She’d had sex a few times, but the way things were, it was risky and not worth it, in her opinion. She would willingly trade those experiences for his kisses any day.

“Okay. I promise. I’ll listen to you.” Renee tried to pull his mouth back to hers.

“Without a fight?”

“Yes, okay. Without a fight.”

He finally brought his lips to hers. Renee kissed him like it was the last thing she’d ever do, because maybe it was. A tiny voice in the recesses of her mind condemned her even as she clutched him. She had to make the self-hatred worth it. Too soon though, he ended the kiss.

“You need to sleep.”

To hell with sleep. “Later. Just a little longer.” She put her mouth against his.

“Only if you behave,” he said against her lips.

“What?” She pulled back.

“If you keep your promise to me, then I’ll give you almost anything you want.” His eyes moved over her face like he was trying to memorize it.

She nodded like an idiot. Pretty sure she’d just made a deal with the devil because she was horny. No, not the devil, with the king of the dead. When she went to Hell, she’d deserve it for sure.