Authors: Kelliea Ashley
She swallowed hard and opened her mouth, but no words would come. What could she say? It was crazy trying to harness a creature that hungered nonstop for blood and guts. She’d kill or turn him eventually. The thought made her collapse on the bench after he disappeared down the hallway. Didn’t he realize his days were numbered? One false move and she’d be on him. To him, she was his sweet, innocent little sister, but to the thing in that room he was nothing more than food. She had to talk him out of this mess, somehow.
“Your clothes are clean, knives on top of the bag. I’ll just go to the kitchen and make some food while you change.” Instead of handing her the bag and her shoes, he placed them on the stairs and picked up the bowl.
“You mean, you’ve had food up here all along?” Her threatening tone made him shrug a shoulder as he rubbed his bruising jaw.
“I couldn’t chance you coming up here, could I?”
“I should have hit you harder,” she hissed through her teeth as she moved toward him. He turned, muscles tense in preparation for her attack, but she just grabbed the bag and walked into the bathroom to shut the door in his face.
“Would a hot shower make it up to you?” His voice held a teasing note that had her reaching for the doorknob to invite him to join her, but she turned the lock instead.
“No!” She heard a thud on the door as if he’d hit it with his head. She waited and watched the doorknob to see if he’d try to get in. When he didn’t, but seemed to move away, she eased her death grip on the knife and moved to the glassed-in shower stall. It only took a few seconds for the water to get hot.
She really wanted a shower, but every horror film where the heroine took a shower didn’t work out too well for the girl. After a few seconds of deliberation, she finally said to hell with caution. She hadn’t had a hot shower in two weeks. Stripping quickly, she took the butcher knife in the shower with her. If he was going to attack her in the shower, he wouldn’t find an unarmed woman. She made the shower a quick affair, though she would have loved to stay beneath the heavenly spray. Drying her face on a fluffy white towel, after wrapping herself in another one, Mina sighed in pleasure as she pulled her knives out of the bag, kissed each one, and set them down on the counter. Next she pulled out her bra and panties.
Embarrassment that he’d not only seen her underwear, but handled them, turned into thankfulness as she quickly dropped his shirt and boxers to the floor and tugged them both on. Her shirt was next and she took a second to breathe in the clean scent of laundry soap. She could almost forgive the man anything for this simple gift of clean clothes. A look in the mirror startled her when she realized she was smiling. She still looked like hell with her hair hanging in snarling curls and the cut on her cheek. Yanking on her jeans, she hastily did a quick search, coming up with a brush and a couple rubber bands to tie her hair after she braided it back from her face.
She was bent over, strapping her knife to her thigh, when he banged on the door. “Don’t you know women like to take their time in the bathroom, Sergeant Landing?” The door smashed in and she bit back a scream as wood shattered around her. Her hand closed over the knife as she stared up at Gabe’s sister.
The girl raised her head, black drool oozing from between the hideous gap in her teeth. A growl emitted from her throat as one hand rose. Mina bit her tongue to keep from screaming as she saw the hand was rubbed raw. Black goo covered the bones from wrist to knuckles. She knew if she looked down, the girl’s—no, zombie’s—feet would be the same. Shackles and chains didn’t hold long when the prisoner didn’t feel pain.
Mina waited, not daring to move a muscle, as she watched for any signal that her enemy was going to attack. She didn’t have long to wait as the zombie’s nostrils flared and a blood-curdling cry echoed around the bathroom. Mina pulled her knives just in time, hacking at the outstretched hands, their fleshless wrists cracking as her blades sliced them.
She kicked the creature right in the gut, sending it back only a few paces, but enough to give her room to work with. Daren drilled it into her skull to aim for the head, but take the arms and hands if they were available. The zombie came back at her, swinging its arms right to left. She caught one with her knife, but the other knocked her backwards. She couldn’t catch herself as she fell right over the toilet. The zombie didn’t give her time to get her bearings before it fell upon her. Reeking breath gagged her as she barely stopped the remaining teeth from sinking into her neck. One knife was still clutched in her hand and had pierced the zombie’s shoulder, but the other was somewhere on the floor beside her. Fear, unlike any she’d ever felt before, made her blood run ice cold in her veins as her hold on the zombie started to give out. Her arms were weakening, the muscles spent. This was the end for her. Oddly, it was a kind of relief from fighting to stay alive. One bite wouldn’t hurt that much, but did her life really have to end in the bathroom of all places?
The zombie growled. Thin, chapped lips pulled up in a grotesque mimic of a smile. Mina hated that look with a passion. It was one being recognizing it had power over another. The stronger surviving as was predetermined. Her anger filled her at the unfairness of it all.
“To hell with Darwin!” she screamed, let go of the blade, and threw a punch with all the power she had left. The zombie’s head snapped to the side, teeth went flying, making little pinging noises as they bounced off the porcelain of the toilet. A low growl shot terror down her spine. “Oh, shit!” Mina instinctively covered her face with an arm as the head snapped back around and lunged for her.
Suddenly, the heavy body was yanked off of her. Mina sat up to see Gabe’s jean-covered rear blocking the doorway. “Gabe!”
“Izzy, you don’t want to do this.” His deep voice shook. She wasn’t sure if it was from fear or trepidation, but she could see the blackened feet of the zombie as it ran toward him. The noise of a blade slicing the air made her cringe as a head with a black braid attached dropped with a thud and rolled to his feet. The sound of the body hitting was a blessing and a devastating loss.
Gabe dropped the blade, metal hitting tile as it landed beside the head. When he turned to look back at her, his eyes were too dark, his face far too pale. He quickly looked her over with a silence that was scary.
“Are you bitten?” The words seemed pulled from him.
“No. I don’t think so.” She was surprised her voice sounded so steady. He nodded his head and then turned to lean over the sink to vomit loudly. Mina pulled herself to her feet. Her eyes strayed to the grotesque form of the beheaded zombie as she moved toward him. Her hand almost touched his shoulder before he lifted his head to stare at her in the mirror. The haunted look in his blue eyes turned to glacier blue, making her hastily pull her hand back.
“You never should have come here.” He dropped his head to turn on the taps and rinse out his mouth.
“Gabe—”
“Don’t!” His warning snapped out at her as he wiped his mouth with the towel. “Get your stuff and wait for me down at the dock.”
“What about Is—”
“Don’t even say her name,” he bit out between clenched teeth. Hatred and rage filled his tone. Mina stepped back, her fingers clutching the smooth blade of her knife as she looked at him. “I have to bury her.” His head turned toward the doorway. “Then I’ll take you down the river.”
“I’m sorry.” She felt her eyes sting with unshed tears, her limbs shaking in shock and reaction as her teeth began to chatter. All this she tried to hide from him as he was dealing with his own troubles. Sorrow, anger, and guilt came off his rigid body in waves. “Let me help you.”
“I don’t want your help, thanks. Do what I ask of you just once.”
“No.” Something told her he wouldn’t make it through burying his sister alone. Her gut told her to stick to him like glue, and for once she knew her instinct was right. His jaw ticked dangerously, making her body want to move back in self-preservation, but her heart wouldn’t let her move. “You need help. I’m not leaving you. We’ll take care of her together.”
She didn’t breathe until his rigid shoulders eased beneath the white T-shirt. His blue eyes narrowed at her before he nodded and stepped past her to grab towels from the cupboard. Tossing them at her, he wiped a hand down his face before getting to the task at hand.
They wrapped her body and head tightly in towels and sheets pulled from the beds. Gabe carried her out of the house to the side yard where Dr. Faucher’s wife had planted a huge circular perennial garden. It was in full bloom with fragrant roses, lilies, and flowers she didn’t recognize, all within a circle of green and white hostas. Gabe came back from the garage with two shovels and they went to work digging. Silence was only broken by their harsh breathing and the occasional swear word when a rock was hit.
“That will have to do,” Gabe breathed roughly when he hit a solid rock only three feet down. Mina watched him lift up his sister’s body as gently as if she were still alive. Then he carefully placed her in the shallow grave. He looked down at her with tears sparkling in his blue eyes.
Mina cried then. Her tears felt hot as they slipped down over her cheeks. She looked away to wipe her eyes, but when she opened them she saw a rosebush that had survived their digging. Pulling her knife, she went over to it and cut a long red bloom that was barely opened. Gabe’s eyes widened when she knelt down in front of him and held it out.
Emotions blazed in his eyes as he solemnly took the rose and placed it on Isabella’s chest. “Thank you. She would have liked this.” He stood with a shaky breath and grabbed the shovel to begin the arduous task of covering the grave. Mina worked as fast and as hard as she could to help him. Her arms were burning and sore by the time they finished. Gabe stood beside the grave, his hands in his pockets, with an expression of such sorrow that it broke her heart. She didn’t know whether to approach him or not.
Gabriel hadn’t wanted her help. Obviously he blamed her for the demise of his little sister, and wanted her gone as soon as possible. She couldn’t blame him. He’d killed his sister for her. Not really, but to him he was just as much to blame for dismembering her body as that little boy was for taking her life.
“She liked to play card games. The little brat could out bluff a saint when it came to poker.” He smiled, but it didn’t stay long. “She didn’t want to leave home, you know. She said she only felt safe in her room.” He looked up at her then. Pure emotion glistened in his haggard expression. “I should have listened to her.”
“No.” Mina moved to his side, grabbing his arm to turn him toward her. “No. You did what you thought was right. You didn’t know this was going to happen, Gabe. I know you would have protected her with your life. She knew it, too.”
He broke then, his body collapsing against hers, ragged sobs shaking him as his arms came around her. They went down on their knees and Mina cradled him against her chest as he let out the hurt and loss. She didn’t know how long they sat there beside the grave, but when the rain started he sat up, staring at her as if he’d never seen her before.
“Gabe?” He placed a finger to her lips. His blue eyes were bright and alert, staring into hers as he removed his finger and replaced it with his mouth. It was a kiss like no other she’d ever experienced. This kiss felt like a promise, a pledge, and a blessing. His hands came up to frame her face as his lips lightly brushed over hers. When she thought he was going to deepen it, he pulled back to rest his forehead against hers.
“It’s time to get you to your family, Mina.” His whisper made her sag against him.
Chapter Nine
The rain came down as if the heavens were crying for his loss. Gabe felt numb. He’d never imagined taking his sister’s life, but deep down he’d known there was nothing left of her bright light after she died in the master bedroom. She’d begged him to give her body peace. At the time, he’d had hopes of someone finding a cure. He’d been foolish and selfish to let her rise as a Z. He wiped water out of his burning eyes and tried to keep the motorboat in the dead middle of the river.
Behind him Mina was sitting down in the seat with a life vest on. She was clutching the seat for dear life. Her dark hair whipped about her head, long wet strands escaping her braid to stick to her cheeks. She met his gaze with a brave lift of her chin and a hesitant smile. How had he forgotten that she was terrified of boats? At least that was the excuse Callie gave him for her evasive refusal to go fishing with them. Pulling forward on the throttle, he slowed the boat down, his need for speed and escape from his guilt taking a back seat to her comfort.
“Are you all right?” he yelled over the loud reverb of the motor. She smiled as her head bobbed up and down. “You can go down in the cabin.”
“No!” Her quick shake of denial made him smile. His brave little Duchess was definitely scared to death of boating. He’d have to get her over that fear, for he loved fishing and speeding down the river.
Gabe turned back to stare out at the river with a startled exclamation. Had he actually just thought of Mina Brady as his? What was he, a glutton for punishment? She didn’t want anything to do with him when they were living in a sane world. There was no reason to think she might have changed her mind now that they were in a survival situation. He shook his head, sending drops of water flying off his face.
The plan had been to get her to her summer house and leave her there to her family. Nothing had changed since then. “Damn!” Everything had changed. She’d somehow dug her pretty little claws into him once more, only this time was so much worse because now he knew how she felt lying beneath him. He craved her sweet kisses, missed her nails raking down his back and the wild little mewing cries she tried to hold back when he thrust into her waiting depths.
It wasn’t just the sex, though. He loved her kick-ass attitude and the way she bravely faced death head-on. She had listened to him as well. It hadn’t been her screams that alerted him to the danger she was in. It had been his sister’s deep growl and the splintering crash of the bathroom door caving in. Any other woman would have screamed like a banshee. His Mina had only pulled her weapons and tried to defend herself. A remnant of his fear when he saw Isabella over her ran down his back. He slammed the boat in park with the motor idling and turned to stare at her.