Lover in Hell

Dia Cole

Contents

Summary

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Afterword

About the Author

Excerpt from the Heaven in Hell series

Summary

Chapter 1

Thank you

Books By Dia Cole

Lover in Hell

All rights reserved.

Published by Black Diamond Press LLC.

Copyright © 2017

This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction, electronic sharing, or other unauthorized use of this book is prohibited without the express written permission of the publisher.

Cover Art by Addendum Designs

Edited by Anne-Marie Rutella

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

ISBN: 978-1-946975-06-5

Ever since the Z-virus wiped out humanity, Eden spends her days rescuing animals from the undead and her nights avoiding Mike—the sexy alpha male soldier who wants to claim her for his own. He’s too intense, dominating, and overprotective—everything Eden doesn’t want in a man. Even worse, his smoldering gaze weakens her resolve to swear off men forever. But when a routine supply run goes horribly wrong, the unthinkable happens—Eden becomes infected. Now, trapped for the night with Mike, and with only twenty-four hours left to live, Eden must decide if she wants to die a virgin or experience mind-blowing passion in the arms of a man who would follow her to hell.

For the brothers...

1

The creature watched me with unblinking glowing eyes.

I crept toward it trying to ignore the rattling moans of the Biters outside the car repair shop. Two months ago, before the apocalypse hit, I might have curled into a fetal position at the sound.

But not now.

The cacophony of the dead harmonized with the drizzle of rain on the dust-covered skylight above me and became white noise. If not for the bone-chilling scrape of skeletal claws against the metal bay doors on my left, I could almost forget the monsters were there.

But the monsters are always there.

Even this far north of downtown Saguaro Valley, with only a few high-end businesses and a smattering of luxury homes nestled in the foothills, a handful of Biters had found us.

The cat in front of me let out a rumbling growl.

I froze, willing my eyes to see through the dim light.

There. Next to the air compressor.

I slowly reached for the small shape.

“Eden, hurry. Your soldier is coming,” whispered a female voice.

In a flash of movement, the cat darted away.

I turned and glared at the woman behind me. “Trish, I said you had to be quiet if you wanted to help.” I pushed my long dark hair out of my face. “And for the last time, Mike is not my soldier.”

And he will never be.

Trish was nineteen like me, but her pixie-like stature and the way she twirled her wooden spear around like a baton made her look much younger. “Then why do you look at him like he’s the last morsel of chocolate in the world?”

“I do not.”

Am I that obvious?

She grinned. “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

“Keep your voice down.” I furtively glanced around to see if the handsome Sergeant was in earshot.

Thankfully, he was talking with Trish’s older brother, Jared, at the back of the warehouse-sized garage.

Trish made a god-awful noise by scraping her tongue ring against her teeth. “I don’t get it. He’s interested in you. You’re interested in him. So, what’s the problem?”

“I’m not interested,” I said much too quickly.

She gave me a knowing look.

My face warmed. So what if Mike’s possessive gaze heated my blood? There was no room in my life for dominating alpha male soldiers. If I were ever able to trust a man enough to get into a relationship, it would be with someone gentle and laid-back like my best friend, Reed.

She smiled, looking a bit too much like a Cheshire cat. “So you’re saying he’s fair game?”

The idea of the beautiful redhead going after Mike made my gaze narrow. “How about you keep your eyes open, mouth shut, and be ready with this?” I tapped my foot against the pet carrier I never left the safe house without.

She glared at me.

Who cares what she thinks?

She was my older sister’s friend not mine.

More than likely Lee had her go on this mission to keep an eye on me.

I gritted my teeth. My sister thought I needed protecting at all times.

If she only paid attention, she’d see what I was capable of.

Like the other civilians in the safe house, I trained for hours every day with Mike and the rest of his squad. The soldiers taught me everything I needed to know about defending myself from the dead. Dominic, the deadly knife-throwing sergeant who led our group, had even said my progress was impressive and he wasn’t a man who gave compliments lightly.

I jogged in the direction the cat had run, past a slick-looking Porsche that sat high up on a car lift. A twitching tail near the front bumper of a pearl-colored BMW told me I was on the right track. The BMW was up on a jack, a front tire missing. I pushed a tire iron out of the way and lay down on the ground. As I reached under the vehicle, I caught a whiff of blood.

Oh, no. The cat must’ve injured itself running from me.

My heartbeat sped up. My mission was more critical now. If I didn’t catch the animal, the Biters would come for it. Like sharks, they seemed able to smell fresh blood a mile away.

“Here, kitty, kitty,” I sang in my best vet assistant voice. I reached under the car and grabbed the rust-colored tabby by its scruff before it could take off again.

Aha.

Feeling relieved and triumphant, I dragged the cat close to my chest. My tattered jeans and pink hoodie were covered in dirt and now carried the faint syrupy scent of radiator fluid, but who cared about appearances these days?

All my attention was focused on the poor animal quivering in my arms. “It’s okay, kitty boy. I’ve got you now.”

Initially, the cat struggled, but as I stroked its emaciated body, it sagged against my chest.

Poor thing is starving.

I stroked it from its pink nose to the white tip of its tail. Although dried blood matted the fur on its haunches, I could find no open wounds.

That’s good news.

Soon, its motorboat purrs drowned out the sound of the Biters outside.

A glaring light shone in my face. A deep voice rumbled, “What are you doing?”

I held up one hand to shield my eyes. “Being blinded by a soldier with a Maglite.”

The light clicked off and Sergeant Mike Williams’s muscle-pack frame stepped into view. Dressed in camo, he looked every inch the Special Forces soldier he was, from his dark close-cropped hair to his shiny combat boots. He strode toward me with a lethal grace that brought to mind a large panther.

I glared over his broad shoulder at my supposed lookout.

Trish mouthed, “Sorry,” and retreated in the direction of her brother.

I cursed under my breath and slowly raised my gaze to meet Mike’s penetrating stare. As always, the sight of his gunmetal gray eyes, fringed by long dark lashes, took my breath away.

His sensuous lips pressed together in a firm line as he looked down at the cat burrowing into the opening of my hoodie. “I told you no more animal rescues. You know Dominic will tear me a new one if I let you bring another animal back to the safe house.”

I stood up slowly, not wanting to jar the animal. “But this is probably the last cat in Saguaro Valley, maybe even the entire state of Arizona.”

Mike’s gaze narrowed. “You said that the last time. And the time before that. Put the cat down and help me find the engine parts we need.”

I snorted. “I wouldn’t know a catalytic converter from a can opener.” Mike knew very well that there was only one reason I went on missions—to save domesticated animals from the dead. “If we don’t rescue this cat, he will either starve to death or be eaten by the end of the week.” I buried my face in the cat’s soft fur. My chin rubbed against something around its neck—a thin collar similar to the faux leather one I wore.

I read the name on the metal tag. “Tango. His name is Tango and he’s coming with us.”

“Is that so?” Mike took a step closer, the heat of his body invading my personal space.

Although he was at least a foot taller than my five-foot-four height and outweighed me by at least a hundred pounds, I stood my ground. “Yes.”

He scowled. “Last time I checked, I was in charge of this mission. And we are not bringing it back. We have our hands full just keeping everyone fed as it is.”

That much was true. Mike and the rest of his squad worked night and day to keep our ragtag group alive. Sometimes I wondered why the soldiers didn’t just leave. No one would blame them if they did. Their original mission to rescue us civilians went up in smoke the day the helicopter from the nearby army base failed to show. But in the two months since the missed rendezvous, the soldiers never abandoned us.

Just like I’ll never abandon an animal in need.

I straightened my shoulders and clutched the cat closer. “Tango wouldn’t be any trouble, and you know how much Rosie would like him.”

His expression softened infinitesimally.

It was probably wrong to use the little girl to justify rescuing the animal, but I’d do whatever it took to save it. I couldn’t explain it logically, but suddenly the cat represented hope to me. Maybe because it was only the fourth domesticated animal I’d seen since the world went to hell or maybe it was because the cat’s amber eyes were similar to those of a puppy I’d once nursed back to health. Of course, that had been back before the law mandating the slaughter of all dogs had gone into effect.

A shard of grief pierced my heart as I touched the dog collar around my neck. The collar was all I had left of my sweet Sasha. There was some poetic justice in the fact the people who condemned her to die were probably zombies now like most everyone else in the world.

“Release the cat, Eden,” Mike said, drawing me back to the present. He stepped closer and the woodsy scent of his aftershave played havoc with my senses.

My breath caught in my lungs. I licked my lips knowing his gaze tracked the movements of my tongue. “No.”

His expression hardened. “I’m ordering you to put it down.”

Damn his orders.

I lifted my chin. “I’m not leaving without the cat.”

Mike’s nostrils flared. “Are you challenging me?”

“Yes.” My heart hammered in my chest. I was playing with fire now and had no idea how the dangerous soldier would respond.

2

He took another step closer. “You’re sexy as hell when you do that.”

The unexpected shift in conversation had me stuttering, “D-do what?” Every cell of my body hummed in awareness of his close proximity.

“Go toe to toe with me,” he said in a low voice. “Most people are too afraid. But not you. Why is that, Eden?”

Unable to articulate a coherent reply, I could only stare into his handsome face.

His expression softened. “Look, if it were up to me, I’d gather up every damn cat in Saguaro Valley for you. But I’m not in charge.”

I took a step closer. “Dominic listens to you. You’re his right-hand man.”

“I can tell you right now he won’t go for this.”

I chewed the bottom of my lip. “Dominic doesn’t have to know. I could sneak the cat through the back entrance of the school.”

Mike straightened his shoulders. “I won’t lie to my superior officer. Honesty and loyalty are everything to a soldier. To me.”

Great. Now I feel like a jerk.

I scrambled to think of a scenario that didn’t end up with us leaving the cat to die. “Could we compromise? We could at least take Tango somewhere safer.”

If I stash him somewhere close to the safe house, I can bring him back without either Mike or Dominic finding out.

“That we can do.” He reached out and brushed his fingers across my cheek. “You have some dirt here.”

I shivered, way too distracted by the warmth of his hand. The last time we’d gotten this close was Christmas. The memory of the one kiss we’d shared sent a frisson of heat through my body.

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he confessed in a low voice.

That makes two of us.

For a moment I was snared in his all-consuming silver gaze.

My father used to look at my mom like that.

An internal panic light went off inside my head. I backed away from him.

His brow furrowed. “Eden—”

A soft wolf whistle interrupted him.

At the end of the garage, Trish trailed her fingers down the hood of a bright yellow Lamborghini as if it was a long-lost lover. “Check this out.”

Grateful for the interruption, I jogged over to the redhead’s side.

“Come and meet my new ride,” she said bouncing up and down in her sneakers like a Jack Russell terrier on crack. “What I wouldn’t have given to have driven a car like this back in the day. It’s on my bucket list, you know.”

I started to ask why a nineteen-year-old needed a bucket list, before biting my lip. In this new world we all could die at any minute.

I probably need to get my bucket list together.

Just a few inches taller than his sister, Jared didn’t have to slouch much to peer inside the luxury car. He hummed his approval. “It’s an older model, but still in great condition. There are even keys in the ignition.” He tapped the glass with grease-stained fingers.

As if feeling my gaze, he looked over his shoulder at me. “What do you think, Eden? Wanna take it for a spin?” He grinned, and then quickly held his hand over his mouth as if embarrassed about his missing teeth. Not for the first time the mechanic reminded me of my surrogate uncle, Duncan. In addition to sharing a jack-o’-lantern grin, both were the type of men who would give me the shirt off their back if I needed it.

Sadness pierced my heart as I remembered Duncan’s murder at the hands of vicious gang members. Killing one of the men involved in his death hadn’t lessened my grief.

Jared cleared his throat.

Realizing that he was waiting for my answer, I shook my head. “Fancy cars never impressed me.”

“What does impress you?” Mike asked softly from behind me. He stood so close his breath ruffled my hair.

Once again, every cell in my body came alive. Trying to ignore his distracting effect, I stepped closer to Trish. When I could breathe again like a normal person, I looked over at Mike. “Cat lovers impress me.”

He arched a sable brow, the corner of his lips turning up. “Touché.”

“I’m a cat lover,” Jared said, smiling at me. He quickly withered under Mike’s scowl.

“No one asked you.” Mike looked at him through narrow eyes. “Did you find what we needed?”

Jared swallowed hard and patted the messenger bag he carried. “Yes, sir. We got almost everything except the fuel pu—”

Before he could finish, there was a loud shrieking sound from outside the garage.

We all froze.

The clawing on the bay walls stopped for a moment. Then it resumed, doubling in intensity. It now sounded like far more than a handful of Biters out there.

“What the hell was that?” Trish asked, her eyes wide.

Mike let out a curse and drew his gun. “A Howler.”

I gulped at the mention of the super zombies that Mike and the other soldiers continually warned us about. They were supposed to be incredibly fast and strong. I had counted us lucky that we hadn’t come across one yet.

Seems our luck has run out.

The creature outside shrieked again. Closer this time.

The noise spooked Tango who struggled against me. I held the cat firmly nestled against my chest, and then zipped my hoodie up so only the tufts of his ears stuck out. It took a second for him to calm down and the rumbling purrs to start up again. I headed toward the front of the garage where Trish had left the pet carrier.

Mike stopped me by grabbing my arm. “This way. We’re leaving now.” He held up his handgun and motioned Trish and Jared to follow us over to the west side of the garage. “Weapons out.”

Jared unsheathed his bowie knife, Trish held up her spear, and I drew the tactical ax Mike had given me during training a few weeks ago. The spike end on the back of the ax was razor sharp—perfect for piercing Biter skulls and stopping the creatures in their tracks.

“Use your guns only as a last resort,” Mike ordered reaching the bay door we’d entered through.

We all nodded, knowing all too well that loud sounds like gunfire drew Biters like flies to rotting flesh.

If only I had a military-issued sound suppressor for my gun like Mike’s.

The barrel attachment on his handgun was unlike any suppressor I’d ever seen. Instead of only slightly muffling the noise of his handgun, it nearly eliminated it.

I eyed the suppressor covetously.

Mike leaned down and started to lift the garage door. It hadn’t gone up more than an inch before bodies slammed into it from the other side.

Where did all these Biters come from?

Trish gulped. “We’re surrounded.”

Jared made a panicked sound. “How are we going to get out?”

Mike was quiet. Too quiet.

A lump grew in my throat.

Are we trapped in here?

Trish grabbed my arm and nodded her head toward the Lamborghini. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

I shook my head. “Don’t be crazy. The car is in here for a reason. It won’t run.”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Trish sprinted to the vehicle.

I turned to see if either Jared or Mike noticed Trish ducking inside the car but Jared’s attention was on the front of the garage and Mike was looking down at his hand radio.

Realizing that Mike was going to call for help, the tension whooshed out of my body.

Dominic and the rest of the soldiers at the safe house will get us out of here.

I stroked Tango’s forehead. “Everything is going to be okay.”

Mike looked at me, lines of strain pinching the corners of his mouth. “I’m out of range.”

My stomach pitched and rolled.

Well hell.

A skeletal arm with rotting flesh hanging off it somehow managed to wriggle through the bottom of the bay door closest to us. The door started to rise.

Without even thinking about it, I rushed forward and severed the limb with a downward thrust of my razor-sharp ax blade. The arm flopped around at our feet as the metal door began to buckle inward.

How long until the Biters bust through?

Even now the doors on the east side were starting to give under the pounding of the dead.

Mike grabbed my arm and pulled me away. “Move toward the center,” he ordered, motioning Jared to follow us.

Jared shook his head. “Look, there.” He pointed at a grease-stained door near a row of tools hanging on the wall. “Come on. We can get out this way.” He took off running.

“No, Jared!” Mike shouted.

Seeming not to hear the warning, Jared darted past the car lifts, grabbed the door handle, and turned it. The door flew open and a horde of zombies poured into the garage.

My breath crystallized in my lungs as they staggered straight toward us.

Most of the dead were in similar states of decay with putrid skin clinging to skeletal frames. Swarms of flies buzzed around their rotting faces as they lurched forward. The sound of their gnashing teeth filled the air while the pungent stench of wet decaying flesh had me gulping back the protein bar I’d had for breakfast.

Mike cursed and pushed me behind him.

Trish jumped out of the Lamborghini. “Jared!” she cried, her eyes wide with panic.

Pinned behind the door, her brother futilely pushed against the onslaught of zombies.

“Sit tight, Jared,” Mike shouted as he fired into the oncoming horde. “Right now you’re the safest person in the room.”

Mike’s bullets took down an armless teenager in a Superman T-shirt and an elderly woman in a headscarf.

The Biters didn’t look twice as they trampled over their fallen.

“Stay behind me, Eden,” Mike ordered as he continued firing. Four more Biters dropped to the ground.

It wasn’t enough.

I swallowed hard. I hadn’t seen this many Biters since the day the world went to hell. Terror choked me as I remembered seeing a woman being devoured alive. I still heard her screams in my nightmares.

I never want to go out like that.

I plastered myself to Mike’s side. “What’s the plan?”

“Stay alive,” he said, reloading.

3

Mike drew his second weapon. With a gun in each hand, he rotated his arms around firing in a half circle. He looked like some kind of action hero as he mowed down Biter after Biter. But just as soon as the front line of zombies fell, another group took their place.

There are too many.

Trish shouted something, but I couldn’t make out her words over the sound of clicking teeth. She darted back into the Lamborghini.

A second later, the sound of an engine sputtered to life.

Just as hope went off like a firework in my chest, the engine died.

Damn it.

Spooked by all the noise, Tango dug in his claws and did his best to turn my shirt into confetti.

Breathing hard, I wrapped one arm across him to keep him secure.

I’ll protect you, kitty boy.

Several Biters escaped Mike’s deadly stream of bullets by coming at us from the side.

I raised my ax. After so much practice with the weapon, it felt like an extension of my hand.

A small man with a goatee framing his chattering teeth lunged.

I swung the spike end of my weapon at the top of his skull.

Metal met bone in a wet crunch.

As if I’d flipped a switch, his body went lax. Gritting my teeth, I tore my ax free. Black blood sprayed in an arc covering the heavyset woman pushing her way toward us. Her intestines hung out of her stomach like slippery wet eels.

Gross.

Dodging her grasp, I slammed my ax into the top of her head. She collapsed, taking my weapon with her.

“Move toward the car,” Mike said, firing over my shoulder.

“Which one?” I gasped struggling to free my ax while holding on to the panicked feline.

If I survive this, I’ll train to fight one-handed.

“Leave the ax!” Mike shouted.

No way. I love that weapon.

I tugged harder.

Mike cursed and snapped his hand around my wrist like a handcuff. He dragged me away. “I can’t fight if I’m worried about you.” He pulled me over to the BMW, opened the door, and shoved me inside.

“Hey.” I landed akimbo on the back seat, the air whooshing out of my body.

“Stay here.” Mike slammed the door closed.

Damn it. He’s as bad as my sister, never letting me fight.

I pulled myself up onto the seat.

Tango yowled in protest and pushed his way out of my hoodie.

I grabbed for him, but he swiped the top of my hand with inch-long razor-sharp claws.

“Ouch, don’t scratch the person trying to save you!”

My appeal fell on deaf ears. He jumped down to the floorboard and half wedged himself under the front passenger seat.

I looked down at the thin line of blood welling up on the top of my hand.

As if things weren’t shitty enough…

Thunk.

A Biter wearing a cop’s uniform slammed his face into the windshield. The goo from his decomposing skin left smears on the glass.

I’ve always hated cops…

Two more Biters joined the police officer. Their hands slapped at the windshield.

My blood must be drawing them.

I sucked on the wound hoping it would clot faster.

The windshield cracked.

My hands shook as I drew my gun.

As soon as I fire, I’ll draw all the Biters here.

Damned if I do. Damned if I don’t.

A loud scream rang out.

I glanced out the car window.

Jared was still behind the door, but instead of trying to push it closed, he clung to the handle while a mass of Biters beat and clawed at the front of it.

The wood barrier won’t hold.

Fingers of dread wrapped around my heart.

“I got you, Jared,” Mike shouted from on top of the Porsche lifted high above the horde. He stomped on the hood making a loud banging noise. “Come over here you dead sons of bitches.”

Jared’s attackers turned away from the door and staggered toward the Porsche. Following suit, the cop and his friends abandoned their assault on the windshield and joined the mass of dead clawing the air trying to reach Mike.

Fear and anxiety spiked my blood.

There have to be at least forty of those things.

Mike called down to the horde looking like a rock star high above a bloodthirsty crowd. As the Biters clawed the air trying to reach him, he opened fire.

Body after body hit the floor.

As soon as he emptied his guns, he reloaded with astonishing speed and began firing again.

It’s working. The horde’s thinning.

At this rate, he’d mow through the rest of them in no time.

I let out a shaky breath.

We’re going to get out of here.

I wiped my bloody hand on my hoodie and glared down at Tango. “When we get home I’m going to teach you some manne—”

A bloodcurdling shriek blasted through the garage.

What the…

A chill skated down my spine as the Biters slowly cleared a path for a muscular blond man wearing blood-covered military fatigues.

Hunter?

The soldier bore a striking resemblance to one of the hulking members of Mike’s squad.

As he stepped into the garage, I realized he was a few inches shy of Hunter’s nearly seven-foot height.

He’s not one of ours. Who is he?

Mike did a double take when he spied the soldier. He slipped on the hood of the Porsche.

I dug my fingers into the leather seat willing him to right himself.

He caught his balance and opened fire on the soldier.

Inexplicably, the soldier twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding the bullets.

I blinked in confusion.

Biters can’t do that. They are slow and stupid and—

The soldier unhinged his jaw and let out a guttural shriek that reverberated throughout the room.

My blood ran cold.

It’s the Howler.

The creature sniffed the door.

“Come and get me you soulless coward!” Mike shouted. His bullets sliced through the air, slamming into the creature’s back and head.

Ignoring him, the Howler ripped the door from its hinges.

Jared cowered back against the wall of tools. When the creature came at him, Jared swung his bowie knife.

Dodging the weapon, the Howler grabbed Jared’s head and, with a horrendous tearing sound, ripped it off at the neck.

Jared.

I choked on my sob. The shy mechanic didn’t deserve this.

The Howler tossed Jared’s head away as if it was a bowling ball. He shrieked again.

As if he’d rung the dinner bell the remaining members of the horde staggered over and fell onto Jared’s headless body like starving animals.

The Howler looked up at Mike and bared his teeth.

All the fire hairs on my body rose. I’d never seen a zombie act like that before. The Howler hadn’t even eaten Jared. It was as if he’d killed the mechanic for sport.

An engine roared to life followed by the shrill sound of tires squealing.

As I watched in shock, the Lamborghini raced by, slamming into the Howler with enough impact to send him flying into a stack of tires.

Go Trish.

She opened the door and started to get out. Tears ran down her face, her shirt was torn and covered with blood.

Was she attacked too?

“Jared,” she cried, looking at the remains of her brother.

Losing interest in their meal, the Biters stumbled to their feet. They began to stagger her way.

Mike called down to Trish, “You and Eden get out of here.” He looked my way and motioned me to join Trish.

He didn’t need to tell me twice. I grabbed the cat by the scruff and started opening the car door.

Trish screamed.

I jerked my head up and saw the Howler running toward Trish.

My mouth fell open in shock.

Impossible. Zombies didn’t regenerate from injuries. Did they?

“Go, go, go!” Mike shouted at Trish. He reloaded again and opened fire on the Howler.

Trish jumped back in the Lamborghini and peeled away. With a crash she took out one of the metal bay doors and zoomed off into the distance.

At least one of us will make it out alive.

Mike looked down at me. “Get to safety.” He pointed at the opening in the side of the garage.

But what about him?

Just then the Howler vaulted on top of the Porsche, its desert tactical boots crunching into the hood. It struck out at Mike and sent the sergeant flying to the concrete below.

Heart in my throat, I willed him to be okay.

Mike groaned and rolled to his feet.

Thank Go—

The Howler jumped down.

Mike won’t survive that thing. I have to help him.

I set the cat down on the seat and jumped out of the car. As I rushed over to where Mike fought the Howler, I nearly tripped over the tire iron on the ground.

Cars and bullets didn’t seem to work on the Howler, maybe this will.

I scooped up the long piece of metal and ran around the front of the BMW.

The Howler had Mike by the throat. Mike’s head was twisted to the side at an impossible angle.

Oh, no! I’m too late.

I cried out in denial.

He can’t be dead.

Mike.

God, no.

Pain and fury burned away my fear. I ran at the creature and rammed the iron up into the back of its skull with all of my might. “Die, you undead freak!”

Black blood ran down the tire iron, coating my hands.

I released the slippery weapon and waited for the Howler to face-plant on the oil-stained concrete.

It didn’t fall.

Instead, it dropped Mike, and yanked the tire iron out of the back of its head.

All the fine hairs on my body rose as it slowly spun around. I saw my death in its frosted gaze.

Oh, shit.

Backing up, I drew my gun and fired repeatedly. I might as well have been tossing pebbles at it. As soon as a bullet tore through its skull, the entry and exit wounds healed.

Click. Click. Click.

I was out of bullets. Fear paralyzed me.

The creature let out an inhuman howl. Then it rushed forward, grabbed me by my arms, and flung me at the BMW.

The back of my head hit the windshield with a crunch and everything went dark.

4

I woke to the sound of a gun being reloaded.

Startled, I opened my eyes and stared up at an ivory silk canopy.

Where am I?

Ignoring my throbbing head, I sat up. Trying to blink away the dizziness, I looked around the palatial bedroom suite taking in the cream-and-gold sheets of the massive four-poster bed I was lying on. They perfectly matched the expensive-looking rug in the middle of the room. Over that hung a chandelier of all things.

My gaze locked on the French doors that led out to a balcony on the other side of the room. The sheer drapes were tied back revealing the dark silhouette of a mountain against the darkening stormy sky.

Nothing looked remotely familiar.

My breathing turned jagged as I tried to remember how I got there. The last thing I remembered was the Howler.

“Relax, you’re okay,” said a deep voice to my left. “We’re in a gated mansion near the foothills. We’ll hole up here for the night.”

Mike.

I turned my head and found him seated next to the bed on a wingback chair that looked like it belonged in a museum. He was covered in blood, but very much alive. I let out the tense breath I’d been holding.

Wait…how is he alive?

“You were dead. Your neck broken.” My tone was accusatory as I scanned him looking for any sign of injury. There wasn’t one. In fact, there wasn’t a scratch on him.

Did I imagine it?

He set his gun down and looked over at me. “I was playing possum. When the Howler went after you, I grabbed the tire iron and rammed it all the way through his brain. That put him down for good.” His voice softened. “That was a crazy thing you did trying to save me. You should’ve run. Why didn’t you?”

Because I couldn’t imagine a world without you in it.

Deflecting his question, I said, “You were the one that saved my life. Thank you.”

He cocked his head. “That makes seven times by my count.”

“I’ll give you six. You can’t count that convenience store fiasco.”

“Can too.”

Smiling at our familiar argument, I shifted my gaze to the line of handguns on the nightstand. His weapons looked almost obscene laid out on the froufrou antique-looking piece.

We have our guns. We’re both alive and the cat is…

A wave of panic gripped me. “Wait. I left Tango in the car. I have to go back for him.”

Mike gave me an incredulous look. “After what we just went through you’d want to go back for a cat?”

I balled my blood-encrusted fists against the sheets. “I have to.”

Please don’t let the Biters have eaten him.

He shook his head. “Relax. I rescued the damn thing too. I put it in the bathroom.” He nodded at a closed door across from the bed. “I even gave it a can of tuna I found in the kitchen.”

My mouth fell open. “You really did that?”

The back of his neck reddened. “Yeah.”

The man continues to surprise me.

“That was sweet of you.” His kind gesture had me looking at him with new eyes.

He’s thoughtful and gorgeous.

Even the streaks of blood and grease on his face couldn’t detract from his movie-star good looks. If I wasn’t careful, I could be in serious danger of losing my heart to him.

As if reading my mind, he cleared his throat. “Don’t get your hopes up. The cat is still not coming back to the safe house.” He interrupted me before I could argue. “How are you feeling?”

“Surprisingly well.” I rolled my shoulders and took stock of my injuries. My head throbbed, my back ached, and my hand felt strangely numb, but overall I was doing far better than I should under the circumstances.

If not for Mike, I’d be dead.

I felt the blood drain from my face.

I hate to admit it, but my sister is right. My zombie-fighting skills need improvement.

I looked up to find Mike staring at me intently. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

Unable to stop the impulse, I wiped my hand over my forehead. It came away filthy.

No wonder he is looking at me like that. I probably look like a Dumpster-diving hobo zombie.

I self-consciously finger-combed my hair. “How long was I out?”

“A few hours. You whacked your head pretty hard. I figured we were better off finding shelter for the night than trying to get back to the safe house in the dark.”

“What happened to Trish?”

His jaw tightened. “She didn’t stick around. I’m hoping she made it back to the school.”

I hoped so too. “She must be so upset. Losing her brother like that…” My chest grew tight thinking of the pain she must be in.

I don’t know what I’d do if I lost Lee.

As much as we fought, my sister was still the most important person in the world to me.

Mike let out a heavy sigh. “It’s my fault Jared’s dead.”

I reached over and touched his hand. “There was nothing you could’ve done. The Howler was unstoppable. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Remembering the way it shook off the bullets made me tremble.

He grabbed my hand tightly. “It nearly killed you. I can’t risk that happening again.”

A sinkhole opened in the pit of my stomach. “What are you saying?”

He pressed his lips in a firm line, the furrow in his brow answering my question better than words would.

I yanked my hand away. “No. You can’t keep me from going on missions.” My rescue work was too important.

“Don’t look at me like that. You have no idea how much you mean to me.”

I inhaled sharply.

What am I supposed to say to that?

Needing to change the subject, I nodded at the hand radio hanging on his tactical belt. “Please tell me you were able to reach the safe house and let them know we’re okay.”

He shook his head. “We’re still out of range.”

A sickening feeling came over me. “Oh, God. My sister and Reed are going to think I’m dead.”

He shrugged. “It’s unfortunate, but there is nothing we can do about that now. Think about how happy they will be to see you alive tomorrow.”

I let out a hysterical laugh. “You don’t know my sister very well. Lee will be losing her mind. She’ll never let me out of her sight after this…”

“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” Mike said looking at me with a mixture of concern and possessiveness.

I made a choking sound as I realized that between Mike and my sister, I’d probably never leave the safe house again.

Mike stood and walked over to the door across from the balcony. “Well, since we are trapped here for the night, I’m going to do another perimeter sweep. Why don’t you take a shower?”

He can’t be serious.

I smiled at his joke. “Right, and after that I’ll blow-dry my hair.”

He stopped with his hand on the door handle. “Didn’t I mention that this house runs on solar and has well water?” He flicked the switch by the door and the chandelier lights turned on.

“No way!” I scrambled off the bed and ran into the bathroom if you could even call it that. The entire space could’ve fit the classroom I currently slept in. It sported a long white marble countertop cluttered with toiletries and makeup, a large glass shower, and a white leather couch next to a fireplace.

Unable to resist the temptation, I flicked on the bathroom light and opened the door to my right. Inside was a large walk-in closet. There were rows of dresses organized by hue and an entire shelf of high heels in every color under the sun.

Whistling under my breath, I walked to the shoe shelf and picked up a purple suede stiletto. The shoe probably cost more money than I’d made in my entire life. As I set it back down, I noticed the end of the shelf wasn’t flush with the wall.

Curious, I looked closer. There was a dark passageway behind the shelf.

God knows what could be behind there.

Fear skittered down my spine.

“Mike!”

I reached for my gun. It wasn’t in my holster. Cursing myself for going anywhere without it, I raised the stiletto like a club and braced myself for something dead to stumble out.

Nothing did.

I let out a shaky breath. My shouting should’ve attracted any dead things lurking inside.

There’s nothing in there.

I set the shoe down with trembling hands and promised myself I’d never be stupid enough to wander into dark closets again. The world was dangerous enough as it was. The last thing I needed was to go looking for trouble without a weapon.

I wrinkled my nose at the overpowering odor of floral perfume seeping out from the passageway. It reminded me of the flowers at my mother’s and sister’s funeral. Wanting to escape the painful memory of that day, I tried to push the shelf close. It wouldn’t budge in either direction.

Oh well.

I shrugged my shoulders and quickly backtracked to the bathroom.

I was just shutting the closet door when Mike rushed in guns draw. “What it is?”

“False alarm,” I said waving him back. “I’m going to clean up now.”

Mike’s fierce expression melted into masculine interest. “Need any help with that?”

My breath shallowed at the mental image of him bathing me. “No!”

“Well then, I’ll be right outside if you need me.” Mike scanned the bathroom again and walked out, closing the door behind him.

I need you.

Wait. No, I don’t.

I bitch slapped my hormones back into line.

A flickering tail under the couch grabbed my attention. Grateful for the distraction, I walked over and peered underneath.

Tango’s iridescent eyes blinked at me.

Now this is a male I can get close to.

“Hi, kitty boy. How are you doing?”

He let out a pitiful meow and scrambled back nearly to the fireplace.

Well, he clearly doesn’t want to cuddle.

I stood up and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror over the sink.

Damn. I look like road kill.

Rubbing at one of the many bloodstains on my face, I made my way over to the shower. I held my breath as I turned on the faucet. Water sprayed out from a large showerhead. A quick turn of the faucet and the water heated. A shriek of delight escaped my lips. For months all I’d been able to take were sponge baths with the cold rainwater we’d managed to collect at the school.

Entirely focused on the possibility of getting clean for the first time in months, I tore off my blood-spattered clothes and unclasped Sasha’s collar. It was covered in blood and other things I didn’t want to think about. I set it near the sink so I could clean it.

But first me.

I stepped into the shower, savoring the glorious feeling of the hot water hitting my skin.

I’ve died and gone to heaven.

I’d already washed my hair three times and shaved with the bath products sitting on the shower ledge when I noticed a weird smudge on the back of my hand near the scratch Tango had given me. I scrubbed at it.

It didn’t wipe away.

What the…

I held my hand up and looked closer. There were tiny black veins around the scratch.

Oh my God.

Time seemed to stop.

I’ve been infected.

5

My heart pounded as I remembered the Howler blood coating my hand back at the garage.

The blood must’ve gotten into the scratch.

Shit. I should’ve been more careful.

I heard Lee lecturing me in my head. Your bleeding heart animal rescue crap is going to get you seriously hurt one of these days.

I let out a hysterical laugh. Lee was right.

She’s always right.

Tears blurred my vision as I realized I’d never see my sister again. The last time we’d spoken we’d fought as usual. She’d forbid me from coming on this mission and I’d told her where she could stick it.

I don’t want that to be the last memory she has of me…

I stared closer at the top of my hand. The dark veins were already spreading. In less than twenty-four hours they would cover my entire body and I’d die. Then moments later I’d return as a Biter. Or worse—a Howler.

Oh, God.

My stomach rolled as the ramifications slammed into me. I turned off the water and slowly got out of the shower. There was a robe hanging on a wall hook by the closet door. So distracted, I barely registered the softness of the fabric as I pulled it on. In a daze, I made my way over to the couch and sat down. Tears streamed down my face. I never thought I’d die before my twentieth birthday. There were so many things I still had yet to do.

Now’s a good time to put together that bucket list.

Not that there was much I could do in twenty-four hours. I couldn’t go skydiving, learn archery, or have sex…

A sharp knock at the door startled me.

“I’ve brought you some food and something to drink,” Mike said from the other side.

Oh, God. Does he know I’m infected?

I answered the question myself.

Of course not. If he knew he would’ve shot me in the head so fast I wouldn’t have seen it coming.

All of the soldiers had strict orders to kill any and all infected. It was viewed as a mercy killing since no one ever survived the Z-virus.

I don’t want to die.

My hands started to shake.

“Eden, are you okay?”

I have to tell him.

Something tugged at the bottom of my robe. I looked down and saw an orange paw batting the fabric.

What will happen to the cat?

The minute he knew I was infected, Mike would have to kill me and Tango would be left to fend for himself.

I have to get the cat back to the safe house. And when I go back, I’ll have a chance to say goodbye to Reed. And to Lee…

I let out a sob. There were so many things I needed to say to my sister.

I can’t let Mike know I’m infected.

“Y-yes.” I cleared my throat and said in a steadier voice, “I’ll be out in a minute.”

I scrubbed the tears from my face with the cuff of my robe, and then searched the bathroom cabinets until I found a roll of thick medical gauze. I wrapped my hand all the way up to the wrist.

It’ll buy me a little time.

I headed for the door to the bedroom before a backward glance at the mirror had me stopping in my tracks.

Ugh.

Knowing I was ridiculous for caring what Mike thought, I still took a minute to splash some water on my face, apply some makeup, and brush my hair.

As soon as I walked into the bedroom, the scent of melted cheese had my stomach rumbling.

Mike was setting a steaming plate of pasta on top of the nightstand next to a can of soda. He’d cleaned up too. His hair was damp and the only thing he wore was a pair of clean jeans, his dog tags, and the gun holster strapped across his bare chest. Every inch of his golden skin was ripped.

Hot damn.

My insides went liquid and my mind went blank. I’d seen other men shirtless, but Mike put them all to shame. I licked my lips wanting nothing more than to run my hands across his washboard abs.

“Is your hand injured?”

His words broke me out of my daze. With a start I realized he was looking down at the bandage.

“It’s fine. Just a scratch,” I said with a dismissive wave. Eager to avoid further questions, I turned my attention to the mouthwatering food. “Is that mac and cheese?”

“Yeah,” he said. “And before you ask, it’s dairy-free cheese. The people that owned this place must’ve been vegan like you.”

I grinned, thrilled beyond words. “I’m impressed you remembered.” Although I tried to eat as animal free as I could, I’d been forced to relax some of my dietary preferences. It was a sad but necessary fact that survival trumped moral conviction.

Mike gestured me to sit in the chair. “I’ve been watching you for the past two months. I know a lot about you.”

“Yeah?” I said sitting down.

Mike handed me a fork. “You like your sodas warm. You’re annoyingly cheerful in the morning. You like children, especially Rosie. Your sister pushes all your buttons, but you seem to love her anyway. You have a strange infatuation with the color pink and you look down at your feet when you lie. You like checkers, but hate chess. Your sleeping area is always a mess. You’re stubborn to a fault and Reed seems to be the only person able to change your mind once you’ve made it up. Shall I go on?”

God. He knows me better than I know myself.

Taken aback, I tried for some humor. “Okay, stalker.” I pushed aside one of the guns on the nightstand and took a bite of pasta. I shut my eyes in bliss as the gooey cheese-like taste exploded in my mouth. This was real food not those tasteless MREs or dry protein bars we’d been eating for weeks. I wanted to savor every bite. “Mmm.” When I opened my eyes, Mike was frowning down at me with his arms crossed.

Feeling the weight of his glare, I wiped some imaginary cheese off my chin. “What?”

“Why are you calling me a stalker? Is it just a coincidence that you showed up for every one of my training sessions? And I know you get up at the crack of dawn, but you’re a regular at the cafeteria when I eat breakfast. And your sister hates it when you go on missions but you’ve volunteered for every single one that I’ve led. And was it just chance that you happened to be standing under the mistletoe when I walked by that night?”

Oh, man. He’s got my number…

I swallow the food in my mouth and raised my hands in surrender. “Okay. Maybe I’ve been somewhat intrigued by you.”

His expression softened. “I’ve been intrigued by you too.” His gaze was so intent it felt as if he was peeling back the layers of my soul.

This is getting too heavy.

The cheesy noodles seemed to lodge in my throat.

“I wanted to give you this,” Mike said, handing me a rose that must’ve been shoved in his waistband. “I found it in the garden in the back.”

He’s romantic too…

I sniffed the scarlet petals inhaling the sweet fragrance. “It smells heavenly.” I ran my fingers along the smooth green stem. “You shouldn’t have cut off the thorns.”

He seemed transfixed by the movements of my fingers. “I didn’t want them to cut you.”

One of my favorite quotes from Brontë slipped from my lips, “But he who dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose.”

“That’s beautiful,” he said in a husky voice.

“I didn’t come up with i—,” I broke off, snared by the hunger in his gaze. I clutched the flower to my chest like a lifeline. “Please stop looking at me like that. Because I—”

Without waiting for me to finish, Mike leaned down and kissed me.

6

Stunned, my head spun out like a car hitting black ice.

He flicked his tongue against the seam of my lips until I opened them. His scent—a woodsy aftershave spiked with an essence that was his and his alone surrounded me. A searing wave of desire roared through my bloodstream leaving me shaking and breathless. Unable to help myself, I dropped the rose and wrapped my arms around his neck.

He groaned. Then he plundered my mouth with the hot wet heat of his tongue and lips.

The man can kiss.

An overwhelming need to stroke his warm smooth skin ran through me. I skimmed my fingers along his shoulders wanting to touch every inch of him. A slow delicious heat built between my legs.

He tasted like peppermint and raw male. The flavor was addictive.

I need this. Need him.

No.

I pushed him away. “I can’t do this.”

He pulled back with muffled groan. “Why not?”

My mother’s scream echoed in my head.

I fisted my hands. “I don’t want to get into it.” No part of me wanted to talk about the horrific night that changed my life forever.

“Why do you keep pushing me away?” When I didn’t respond, he turned and stalked over to the French doors. He put one hand on the glass and looked out into the darkness. “I’ve never felt this connection to anyone else. None of the women I’ve been with affected me the way you do.”

The idea of him being with someone else unsettled me. “How many women have you been with?”

And why does it matter so much to me?

“That’s not the point.” Mike spun around. The emotion churning in his eyes pinned me to the chair. “In this world we live in, you don’t walk away from love when you find it.”

Love. Did he just say love?

“I want you, Eden. I know you’re supposed to be off-limits, but I want you with every breath in my body. I have since the moment we met.”

His confession rattled me to the depths of my core.

I want him too.

No matter how I tried to fight it.

He started to speak. Then stopped. The fierce soldier seemed uncertain. There was suddenly a boyish quality about him I’d never seen before.

He cleared his throat. “I’d hoped that you wanted me as much as I want you.”

I do.

I licked my lips, tasting his kiss. Just imagining the two of us skin to skin on the bed next to me set my blood on fire.

Apparently taking my silence as rejection, a mixture of emotions crossed his face—fading hope, sadness, and resignation. Finally, he turned away. “Forget it. I know when to quit.”

I looked down at my bandaged hand.

I don’t have much time left. Do I really want to die without experiencing desire? Without experiencing Mike?

My gaze flickered to the sculpted muscles of his back.

It’s not like I’m contagious.

The news reports had made it clear the virus could only be transmitted after death.

I fisted my hands. This was my one and only chance to experience passion with a man I found undeniably attractive.

Before I could second-guess myself, I stood up and untied my belt. The robe fell to the hardwood floor with a whisper of a sound.

Mike spun around and inhaled sharply. His widening gaze raked over me from head to toe. “Eden?”

Heart thumping against my ribs, I took a deep breath and straightened my spine. “Will you have sex with me?”

He made a sound like he was choking. “What the… You didn’t want to kiss me. And now you’re asking me to…”

I fought the instinct to cover myself with my hands. “Are you saying no?”

“I’m saying I want you to be sure. Are you sure?”

No.

“Yes.” My voice was as tremulous as a gossamer thread.

He moved so fast it was almost a blur. One second he was by the French doors, the next he was standing in front of me. He reached for me and then, as if changing his mind, he dropped his hands. “I don’t want to rush this. I want to be the best you’ve ever had.”

I blinked up at him. “Well, I haven’t had any so the bar isn’t that high.”

He froze. “You’re a virgin?”

I nodded, feeling the blood rush to my face.

Mike looked shell-shocked. “How is that even possible?”

You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted.

I raised my hand up and laid it on his bare chest. His heartbeat thundered against my fingers. “Do you still want me?”

“Fuck yes.” He searched my face as if looking for any sign of indecision. “But I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

I licked my suddenly dry lips. “The only thing I’ll regret is not being with you tonight.”

He grinned. “Then let’s not waste any time.” Without warning, he scooped me up into his arms and carried me to the bed.

My breathing grew jagged as he set me down on the sheets and laid next to me.

“Do you know you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen?”

I barked a surprise laugh. “You’ve met Lee, right?” My whole life I’d lived in the shadow of her drop-dead gorgeous looks.

“You’re more attractive.”

Well, that’s a first.

Happiness sparked inside me at the ring of truth in his words.

He rubbed a damp lock of my hair between his thumb and forefinger. “I have to be the luckiest man in the world to be trapped for the night with you.”

“There aren’t many men left, so probably.”

Ignoring my sad attempt at humor, Mike caressed my face with the pads of his fingers as if he was memorizing each curve. Then he lightly touched the valley between my breasts, before tracing the length of my hip and thigh. “Your skin is soft as silk.”

I was too focused on his hands to respond. My breathing hitched when he returned his attention to my breasts. My nipples tightened painfully and my breasts seem to grow fuller under his heated gaze.

Avoiding the scratches Tango had given me, he dipped his head down and traced a circle around my nipples. Then he drew one of the hardening peaks into his mouth.

I moaned at the exquisite feeling.

He gently bit down.

I nearly bucked off the bed.

He chuckled. “Sensitive nipples. I like that.” He ran his hand down my stomach. “Spread your legs.”

Fighting away a sudden onset of shyness, I slid my legs open.

He rumbled his approval and gently nudged my thighs farther apart. Then he touched me. “You’re so wet.”

Embarrassed, I tried to move away.

“Stay right here.” He grabbed my hip and forced me back to his hand. “Does this feel good?”

“Yes,” I hissed in pleasure as he zeroed in on my clit. White lightning arced through me with every pass of his masterful fingers. Never had I felt such an overwhelming carnal hunger.

“Look at me,” he commanded.

I opened my eyes to meet his.

He rumbled his approval and pinched my clit between his thumb and forefinger.

Oh, God.

Blazing heat radiated out from my core. Biting back a scream, I flew apart.

Wow.

While I lay there boneless, he slid off the bed. “Where are yo—”

I lost my train of thought when I saw him shrugging off his shoulder holster. His tanned skin looked almost gold in the soft light of the chandelier. My breath shallowed as he pushed down his pants and released a huge erection. The broad crown pulsed under my gaze.

I was drawn in like a fish on a lure. I’d always been curious about men’s bodies.

This is the only time I’ll ever get to explore one.

“Can I touch you?”

He shuddered. “Hell no. If you put your hands on me, this will be over.” He must’ve seen the disappointment on my face, because he walked to the edge of the bed. “Fine. I’ll try to control myself.”

Filled with excitement, I slid over to the end of the bed and ran my fingers down his hard abs.

They flexed and danced under my touch. I dipped my hand down and wrapped my fingers around his swollen length.

Like satin-wrapped steel.

He bit off a moan as I traced the thick tip. It grew even larger under my touch.

There was a moment of awkwardness when I wasn’t sure how best to stroke him. Experimenting, I fisted him and moved my hand up and down.

“Oh hell.” His head fell back, his hips thrusting with the rhythm of my hand.

A primal thrill shot through me.

I’m making him lose control.

His cock glistened with a drop of precum.

Curious, I leaned over and licked the tip. The salty sweet flavor was unlike anything I’d tasted before.

Mike moaned my name.

Seeing him panting for breath filled me with feminine power. A delicious heat grew between my legs.

I looked up at him through my lashes. “Can I go down on you?”

His nostrils flared. “Fuck.” His voice was raw with need.

Taking that as a yes, I took him into my mouth.

He stiffened as if every muscle in his body contracted.

I tried to take his entire length, but gagged. I pulled away feeling a stab of anxiety. “I’ve never done this before.”

He looked down at me with a strained smile. “Just take it slow.”

I tentatively slid my tongue around the engorged head as I wrapped my fist around the base of his cock.

His body shuddered. “That feels so—fucking good.”

Smiling around his hard flesh, I sucked him up and down while moving my fist back and forth.

He inhaled sharply, his eyes glazing over.

My entire focus centered on licking and sucking and keeping the friction going with my hand. Erotic pleasure sizzled through me with each raspy moan he made.

His hand tangled in my hair as he thrust against my lips.

I opened my throat to accommodate his full length.

Impossibly, he grew even larger around my lips.

Sweat dotted his bronze skin like fine mist. He tried to pull me away. “Stop. I can’t hold back.”

I want to see him totally lose control.

Drunk on the hot musky taste of him, I slid off the bed and knelt on the hardwood floor. I dug my nails into his tight ass, holding him in place as I sucked harder.

I want all of him.

He tensed, his hands gripping the back of my head. “I’m going to come.” He jerked suddenly and howled my name.

Warmth shot against the back of my throat. I swallowed instinctively, drinking down his essence.

He swayed unsteadily on his feet, his heavy-lidded eyes locking with mine. In his gaze I saw shock and awe and something else. Something that overwhelmed me and excited me at the same time.

I could easily get addicted to this. To him.

I don’t know how long we stayed like that, with me on my knees looking up at him, but eventually he let out a shuddering breath.

“There is something you should know about me,” he said kneeling down next to me.

“What’s that?” I said with a squeak as he lowered his head to my breast.

His eyes darkened with a predatory glint. “I give as good as I get.”

7

The dark promise in his gaze made me tremble. All of my sexual confidence evaporated in one shaky breath.

He drew one nipple into his mouth and suckled the taut nub.

Wet heat bloomed between my thighs. Bolts of lust curled low in my belly, stealing my capacity for thinking. For breathing.

The throbbing between my legs intensified when Mike released one nipple and claimed the other. Then he licked his way down my body.

He’s going to…

I sucked in a shaky breath.

Mike circled my belly button with his tongue, and then his head dipped lower. “My turn to taste you,” he said pressing his lips against my dark curls.

A flash of shyness had me pressing my legs together. A million self-conscious thoughts danced through my mind.

“You want this. I promise,” he said nibbling the inside of my thigh.

Remember, I only get one chance at this. It’s now or never.

I moved my knees apart.

He slid my legs over his shoulders. “I’m going to stick my tongue deep in your pussy. Has anyone ever done that to you?”

“No,” I gasped. The image of his tongue there had me trembling.

Mike lowered his head and licked the center of my core.

“Oh, God.” I arched off the hardwood floor, my clit throbbing in time with my racing heart.

“You taste so sweet.” He gripped my hips and fastened his mouth over me.

Instantly, I was lost. I shuddered as he lapped, nibbled, and sucked. The electric burn of his tongue on my clit was so incredible, the pleasure bordered on pain.

“That feels so good. Mike, don’t stop.” I bucked and writhed against him, my senses overloading.

“Come for me,” he ordered thrusting his tongue deep into my wet channel.

Without warning, my core contracted and I exploded in an orgasm that seemed to go on forever. When I came to my senses Mike was carrying me back to the bed.

He set me down on the mattress and walked over to the nightstand. Bending down, he rummaged through the drawer.

Lost in admiring the hard, muscular globes of his ass, I started when I heard the sound of something tearing.

“We’re lucky the former occupants of this bedroom were fully stocked.” He pulled a condom out of a foil package and slid it onto his throbbing length. Then, somehow a second later he was on his knees sliding his legs between mine.

I gasped, feeling the insistent pulse of his thick shaft against my inner thigh.

He rested on his elbows above me, his dog tags tickling my breasts. “I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want you right now.”

Me either.

Feeling wanton, I lifted my hips and rubbed my mound against his erection.

He groaned, the harsh angles of his face freezing into an expression somewhere between pleasure and pain. Then he entered me inch by inch.

My first time.

I painted a mental picture of the moment. The softness of the sheets against my back. The intoxicating smell of his aftershave. The sound of my heartbeat like a trapped hummingbird beating inside my chest.

He moved slowly, sweat trickling down his temples.

The sensation of being stretched past the breaking point had me gasping. A whimper escaped my lips as he pushed through my flesh until his entire length was buried in my body.

Mike held still a moment and gulped a breath of air. “Are you okay?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Hopefully, this gets better.

Mike slowly rocked his hips.

It didn’t feel good. Or bad really. Just different. As I adjusted to the unfamiliar sensation of him inside me, he moved his hand between our bodies and found my clit. Pleasure arced through me. “Oh, yes.”

So good.

He began thrusting his hips in time with his fingers. Slowly at first and then picking up speed.

Incoherent words escaped my lips as an inferno of desire raged through me. I dug my heels into the mattress driving my hips upward to chase the incredible sensation. “Yes. Yes,” I screamed.

Something seemed to snap inside of him. His gaze lit with an almost savage intensity. His thrusting went wild as if something feral and primitive had taken over.

His loss of control set fire to my blood. I met every one of his thrusts with one of my own.

His hand tangled in my hair, tugging my head back. He slanted his mouth over mine and kissed me deep and rough.

Oh, God.

I gasped for breath against his lips. The intense friction was becoming almost too much to bear. Thunder roared in my ears.

He thrust faster and harder.

My inner muscles spasmed around his pistoning cock and, with a shuddering cry, I splintered into a soul-shattering climax.

He reared above me, shouting my name.

Our gazes locked.

In that moment of desperate unbearable bliss, it felt as if our souls merged into one.

There was no Mike.

No Eden.

We were something infinitely more.

The feelings I’d tried to keep at bay for so long crashed through my emotional defenses. There was no point in denying it any longer.

I’ve fallen for him.

* * *

Filled with dazed wonder, I fought the urge to pull him back when he rolled off onto his side.

He kissed my shoulder. “That was incredible.”

All I could do was nod in agreement. I didn’t trust myself to put my feelings into words.

Mike is my first lover…and my last.

I flinched at the unwelcome tidal wave of grief gathering in my chest.

It is so unfair. I don’t ever want this to end.

He pulled off the condom and put it in the waste bin by the nightstand. Then he reached over and pulled me close.

I laid my head against his chest, listening to the galloping of his heart. Every moment we were together I felt a deeper draw to him.

If only I wasn’t dying. If only we’d gotten together sooner.

A tear slipped out of the corner of my eye.

“Is everything okay?”

I won’t ruin what little time I have left.

“Yes,” I said pushing the sadness away. I put my arms around him and hugged him tightly. “I was just thinking that we should have done this a long time ago.”

He let out a laugh. “You’re telling me. Why did you fight this for so long?” He motioned between the two of us.

Haunting memories blew through me, sweeping away my afterglow. “I don’t want to—”

“Talk about it,” he finished for me. His brows knitted together. “Don’t you trust me, Eden?”

“Yes, but…”

It seemed to have gotten colder in the room.

I sat up and rubbed my arms. “I’ve never talked to anyone about what happened.”

His expression softened. “It’s okay. You can tell me some other time.”

There will be no other time.

Swallowing hard, I looked at the dog tags around his neck. “My father was a soldier like you.”

He looked up at me with surprise. “I didn’t know that.”

“Lee doesn’t think I remember him. But I do. He did bad things. Terrible things.”

A shuttered look came over Mike’s face. “I’ve done things I’m not proud of. In battle soldiers have to follow orders that—”

“No. I’m not talking about that.” My chest felt tight as the nightmarish memories weighed down on me. “One night he went crazy and killed my mom and older sister, Angel. After attacking Lee, he came for me.”

Mike inhaled sharply.

“I’d never felt fear like that before.” I closed my eyes as shivers racked my body. In my mind, I saw my father’s combat boots thumping across the floor as he walked over to my hiding place under the bed. “Even though she was badly hurt, Lee protected me.”

I owed my life to my sister.

The mattress shifted.

I opened my eyes to find that Mike had sat up.

“Jesus. I had no idea. When did this happen?”

I let out a shaky breath. “A long time ago. I was just a little kid. But I never forgot the feeling of being so scared and helpless. I guess that’s why I care so much about rescuing animals. So often they’re in situations where they are scared and helpless too.”

His eyes widened as if he’d come to some realization. “You didn’t want to be with a soldier like your dad.”

“I never wanted to be with any man,” I said looking away. “My dad was so into my mom. The way he looked at her, it was like nothing else existed when she was in the room. He was obsessed with her and for him to…do what he did. I’ll never understand it.” Tears swam in my eyes.

Mike pulled me into his arms. “Eden. I would never hurt you.”

“I know,” I said softly. And I realized the truth of my words.

Mike is nothing like my father.

The tender feelings I’d been trying so hard to suppress rose to the surface. I couldn’t deny that I cared for this man.

He kissed my forehead. “I’m so sorry you had to live through that.”

“I still miss my mom.” My throat tightened as memories of her flashed through my mind. Gran had tried her best to raise Lee and me, but she’d never replaced my mother in my heart. No one ever could.

“It’s hard to lose someone you care about.”

I wiped my eyes. “You sound like you know from experience.”

He tensed. “I’ve been to war. I’ve lost fellow soldiers who were like brothers and sisters to me.”

I raised my uninjured hand to his face rubbing it against the faint stubble of his chin. “I’m sorry.”

He turned his head and kissed my palm. “Don’t be. We all have to die.”

Some sooner than others.

Sadness hammered my soul.

He released my hand. “Thank you for being so honest with me. There are things about me…things I want to share with you too. But not right now. Maybe later after we get back to the school.”

I swallowed hard.

There isn’t going to be a later.

Guilt and shame pressed down on me.

I can’t keep him in the dark. I have to tell him I’m dying.

“Mike, I—”

There was a loud crash from outside our room.

Mike’s expression turned sharp and deadly. He jumped to his feet. “Stay here.” Faster than I could blink, he slid his pants on, grabbed his holster from the floor, and rushed out the bedroom door.

8

Had Biters gotten in?

My blood pressure soared at the thought. I scrambled off the bed and threw on the robe. I was just reaching for a gun when Mike ran back through the bedroom door.

“I didn’t find anything.”

There was another crash. It sounded closer.

Mike’s gaze locked on the door to the bathroom. Motioning me to get back, he ran over to it and slowly opened the door. He stood there a moment looking inside before shaking his head.

“What it is?”

He scowled. “Damn cat. He’s tearing the place apart.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

I’ll take ornery cats over Biters any day.

Mike strode back over to my side. He set his holster down on the chair and wrapped his arms around me. “Now, where were we?”

“Tango is probably scared out of his mind.” I pushed past Mike and walked into the bathroom.

The makeup along the counter had been knocked to the floor along with a glass container of perfumed powder. The container had shattered, releasing a plume of white power that coated the sink, tile, and couch. The sickly sweet floral scent was overpowering. It was the same heavy scent I’d smelled in the closet.

Mike followed me inside and sneezed. “It smells like old ladies exploded in here.” He pointed at the large pieces of glass on the tile. “Watch where you walk.”

As I carefully stepped closer to the vanity, I noticed bloody paw prints around the couch. “Oh, no. Tango must’ve cut his paw on the glass.” I knelt down on the ground and looked underneath the couch.

The cat was hunched in a ball, trembling from whiskers to tail. A disturbing crimson puddle surrounded one of his front paws.

That looks bad.

“Come here, kitty boy,” I crooned

The cat didn’t budge.

Mike snorted. “Just leave him alone.”

I shot him a disapproving look. “He’s bleeding.”

Mike made an impatient noise. “Okay. Fine.” He shut the bathroom door behind him and grabbed a towel from the rack hanging on the wall. “I’ll help you catch him.”

“I don’t think that—”

He held up his hand. “I’ve got this. Don’t give me that look. I won’t harm one hair on his furry little body.”

I chewed my lip. “Be gentle. He’s been through a lot.”

Mike muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t quite hear.

“What’s that?”

“Nothing. Stand behind the couch. I don’t want him escaping out the back.”

“Okay.” I climbed over the couch and got into position in front of the fireplace.

Mike’s gaze heated. “Do that again.”

I glanced down to see my robe gaping open. My face heated. “Humpf.” I tightened the robe belt. “Let’s focus on the task at hand, Sergeant Williams.”

“I got a task for you,” he said with a wag of his eyebrows.

I chewed the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. “If you help me catch Tango, we’ll tango if you catch my drift.”

“A reward for my cat-catching services?”

I returned his wicked grin. “If you’re up for it.”

“You better believe it.” He snapped the towel taut between his hands. “One cranky feline coming up.” He knelt down. “On my mark, make a loud noise. Three, two, o—”

I backed up and accidentally bumped into the stand holding the fireplace tools. A wrought-iron poker and brush crashed to the tile with a loud clatter.

Tango dashed out between Mike’s legs.

Mike cursed and chased after him.

The cat darted inside the glass shower, turned around, and raced back toward the couch. His eyes were wild with fear. Each of his strides leaving bloody paw prints on the tile.

“Don’t let him get back under the couch!” Mike shouted.

Hating myself for frightening the cat even more, I jumped over the couch blocking the animal from ducking beneath it again.

Tango switched course and ran toward the door to the bedroom.

Mike charged after him, diving onto the tile and catching the cat in the towel in one fluid movement. “Gotcha.” He wrapped his fist around the top of the bath towel and held the howling bundle up at me in triumph. “And you doubted my cat-catching abilities.”

“Clearly you showed me,” I said giggling at the sight of the huge soldier on the floor, covered in white powder.

Suddenly, there was a crack of splintering wood. The closet door crashed open and a thin female Biter in black lingerie launched herself onto Mike’s back.

My laughter turned to a scream.

Mike dropped Tango’s towel and the cat raced past me to his sanctuary under the couch. Mike jumped to his feet trying to dislodge the disgusting creature clawing at him. Half the skin on the lower part of the Biter’s face was missing. Her jaw—nothing but bone and teeth, clicked in excitement as she wrapped her skeletal limbs around him like a python.

Another male zombie stumbled out of the closet and attacked Mike from the front.

Panic choked me. “Mike!”

“Eden, stay where you are!” Mike punched the male, and then reared back, slamming the female against the wall.

I have to do something.

Before I could rush over to help, more Biters streamed out of the closet and turned in my direction.

Leading the pack was a bloated female Biter whose half-eaten arm dangled by a sinew. The rotting limb swung back and forth like a pendulum as she stalked forward. A six-foot-tall, bald, muscular Biter with bloody foam dripping from his mouth jostled her. Her rotting limb snapped free, fell to the tile, and was trampled by three other female Biters wearing black-and-white maid outfits.

Through the wall of staggering death, I could see Mike stomp on the head of the male Biter with his bare foot. He still grappled with the female on his back.

The zombies closing in blocked my view of his struggle. The stench of their decaying flesh cut through the floral perfume and made me gag.

“I’m coming for you,” Mike yelled over the sounds of raspy moans and gnashing teeth.

He’ll never get here in time.

The one-armed Biter was only a few feet away. Her teeth clicked together excitedly as she increased her pace.

Adrenaline kick-started my heart. Uncaring of the glass cutting into my feet, I rushed over to the fireplace. I picked the fire poker up from the floor and swung it at the one-armed Biter.

Her head exploded like an overripe melon. Blood, brains, and skull fragments sprayed the mirror over the countertop. She dropped like a brick.

The maids tripped over her body.

Behind them Mike tore the lingerie zombie off his back and threw her at the door to the bedroom.

The creature hit the wood with a hard crack.

There was no time to cheer him on because the bald zombie lunged for me.

I ducked, barely escaping his watermelon-sized hands.

My turn.

I swung the poker as hard as I could at his huge bald head.

Clang.

The metal rod bounced off the top of his skull with enough force to rattle my teeth.

Damn. He must have a steel plate in his head.

Panic beat its wings frantically inside my chest as I backed up. My calf hit the edge of the couch.

No where to go.

He charged.

Dropping the poker, I fell back over the couch with the creature on top of me. Every muscle in my body strained as I tried to keep his gnashing teeth away from my throat.

He’s too strong.

“Eden!” Mike shouted. The bodies of two of the maids lay at his feet. He kicked the last maid out of the way in his rush to get to me.

Can’t hold it...

My shaking arms gave way.

The Biter bit into the side of my neck.

I screamed, agony leaving my vision white.

Like a lion making a kill, the Biter shook my neck back and forth.

Somehow, I managed to get my knees under him and kick him away.

The Biter flew into the bathroom counter. Righting himself, he let out a rattling-moan and charged me again.

With a roar, Mike intercepted the creature before he got to me. Using a towel rack he must’ve torn from the wall, Mike stabbed the creature through its foaming mouth.

Mercifully, it collapsed to the ground

Battling dizziness, I held my hand up to my neck trying to stop the heavy flow of blood. “Are you okay?” I managed to whisper.

“I’m fine.” Mike’s gaze locked on my neck. He paled. “Eden,” he said in a broken whisper.

A mottled female face appeared over his shoulder. “Behind you!” I wheezed.

Moving lighting fast, Mike turned, tore the towel rack from the head of the bald zombie and stabbed the maid through her milky eye with the metal rod. Kicking aside her body he grabbed one of the bath towels that had fallen onto the floor and rushed back to my side. “Where the hell did they come from?”

The hidden passageway.

My stomach dropped.

“There was a passageway in the closet. Behind the shoes,” I gasped.

I should’ve told Mike about it and we should’ve cleared it.

“I didn’t think anything was back there. I’m sorry.” My idiocy had endangered his life and ended my own.

He shook his head. “You’re not to blame. I saw it too and thought the same thing. The infected must’ve been in stasis and awoke when they smelled the cat’s blood.” He knelt down beside the couch and wrapped the towel around my neck. “I can’t fix this,” he said his voice breaking. “I failed you and now you’re dying.”

“No.” I clenched my teeth through the pain. “I was already dying. I was infected back at the garage.” I pulled apart the bandage and held up my hand. Black veins covered the skin from knuckles to wrist.

He inhaled sharply, shaking his head back and forth as if in denial.

Too weak to hold it up, I dropped my hand back to my side. “I wish we would’ve had more time.” Numbness spread throughout my entire body. “T-tell my sister that I’m sorry…sorry for everything. Tell her and Reed that I love them.” My voice seemed to come from far away.

He gathered me against him. “You can’t leave me now. Not after we finally got together.”

The feelings I had for him swelled up inside me. “I want you to know I was more than somewhat intrigued by you.”

He caressed my face. “I—”

Every muscle in my body seized. I shook violently, the world rocked on its axis around me.

“Look at me. That’s it. I’ve got you.” Mike bent down over me, his face coming into sharp focus.

A pulse of fear shot through me.

When I die, I’ll turn into one of the monsters.

I grabbed his arm. “You have to…get your holster…shoot me before I turn.”

“Holster.” Mike’s body stiffened. “Yes. The accelerant!” He ran out of the bathroom.

My vision began to dim.

A moment later he was back with his holster. He pulled a glass vial from a pocket on the inside of the leather. “Drink this.” He popped the top off the vial and poured something in my mouth.

It tasted sweet, like the candy my mother used to make.

Mama.

I could hear her voice faintly calling me. I could no longer keep my eyes open.

“Stay with me, honey,” Mike begged.

I wanted to stay, but my mother’s voice grew louder. It pulled me upward past the darkness and into the light.

9

“Eden, wake up.”

Craving more sleep, I burrowed deeper into the soft sheets.

They were pulled away from my face.

I blinked against the bright morning light as the world swam into focus.

Mike stood over me next to the bed, wearing only his jeans. He had dark shadows under his eyes and lines of tension around his mouth.

As soon as I realized that I was laying buck naked in front of him, I gathered a sheet around my body.

Mike didn’t seem to notice my embarrassment. “Look,” he said holding up a cosmetic case mirror.

I glanced into the reflection. My throat was completely healed. There wasn’t a drop of blood on me either. Filled with wonder, I examined my hand. There were no black veins at all.

I blinked stupidly at my unblemished skin. “Incredible.”

I’m not infected. I’m not going to die.

It took a second for it to sink in.

Looking relieved, Mike set down the mirror and sat on the edge of the bed. “The accelerant cured you.”

“Accelerant? The stuff you made me drink?”

He nodded. “Every soldier in our squad was issued a vial in case we were badly injured. Command told us it would help our bodies heal.”

Shock and fury had me sitting up. “You had the cure to the Z-virus the whole time?”

Mike shook his head furiously. “No. I…I had no idea it would stop the infection.”

I searched his face for any sign of a lie. Not finding one, I released the fists I’d made with my hands. “Mike, if this—accelerant you have can cure the Z-virus, we can stop this. We can save the world.”

He chuckled. “First things first. Let’s get back to the safe house and let the others know.”

Lee. Reed.

Knowing we had a way to keep them from becoming infected made me giddy. “How quickly did the accelerate heal me?”

Mike scanned my body again. “Almost immediately although you were out for hours. I watched you carefully for any signs of turning. By the time you started snoring, I realized you weren’t going to die.”

I tossed a pillow at his head. “I don’t snore.”

He snatched the pillow out of the air. “Loud enough to wake the dead. Or at least Tango.”

As if responding to his name, the feline stalked out from under the bed and rubbed up against Mike’s leg.

I threw up my hands in mock frustration. “Now he comes out.”

Mike reached down and picked up the cat. “We’ve gotten to know each other over these past few hours. He’s growing on me.”

The sight of the huge sexy soldier cuddling the cat melted my heart. “Does this mean he can come back to the school?”

He smiled. “I’ll plead his case to Dominic myself. If that fails, I’ve got something Dominic wants to get his hands on. If I trade it, I can guarantee you Tango will get into the safe house.”

Relieved, I ran my fingers through the cat’s orange fur. “I’m sorry I keep dragging you into danger, kitty boy.”

Mike’s hand brushed over mine. “I’m sure he forgives you.”

Tango let out a loud rumbling purr of agreement.

I looked up at Mike though my lashes. “Can you forgive me? For not telling you I was infected?”

Mike looked away.

A fist tightened around my heart as I waited for his response.

He set the cat down on the ground and finally looked at me with an unfathomable expression in his eyes. “Yes. But I want us to be honest with each other from now on. Okay?”

Relieved, I nodded.

He grabbed my hand. “I have my own confessions to make.”

“Yeah,” I said slowly.

He flashed me a wicked grin. “I gave you a sponge bath while you were out.”

“Oh really?” I arched a brow in mock offense. “Taking advantage of an unconscious woman?”

His smile faded. “I’ve lived a long time, Eden.”

“Right. You don’t look a day over twenty five.”

His lips pressed together. “I’m older than I look.”

I opened my mouth to ask his age, but he continued speaking. “I’d given up on ever finding my mate. And then in the middle of hell, I found you. A beautiful stubborn woman who teases me one minute and challenges me the next. An animal-lover with enough moxie to try to take down a Howler.”

I snorted unattractively. “You make it sound like I actually knew what I was doing.”

“I’m in love with you.”

I sucked in a sharp breath as my thoughts scattered like startled birds.

His hand tightened around mine. “I want us to be together. Now and forever.”

Now and forever.

Those words had been stamped into the frame of my parents’ wedding photograph. The last time I’d seen it, it’d been covered in my mother’s blood.

A wave of panic flared inside me. “No.” I tore my hand away.

A devastated look crossed his face before he turned away from me. He stood up and put on his shirt with sharp, jerky movements. “Just forget it.”

My gut twisted. I wanted the heat and softness to come back to his eyes. “I—Just give me a minute,” I choked out as I wrapped the sheet around my body and bolted into the bathroom. I slammed the door and rested against it, taking several deep breaths. Whatever fragile thing had been growing between us was fracturing.

If I don’t go back out there in the next few minutes, it likely will crumble into dust.

I made my way over to the sink noting that the Biters were gone and the mess had been cleaned up. My gaze landed on Sasha’s collar. It still lay on the edge of the soap dish, near the sink. I picked it up and wrapped it in a protective fist. The metal clasp dug into the flesh of my palm. I welcomed the biting pain. It was a reminder I was still alive. Miraculously, I’d been given a second chance at life.

Now what am I going to do with it?

I set the collar back down and glanced at the door to the bedroom. Mike was the most intense man I’d ever met, but I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. Last night he’d brought me pleasure beyond my wildest fantasies and I wanted more.

I won’t let my childish fears stand in the way of our happiness.

Squaring my shoulders, I walked to the bedroom door and flung it open.

Mike was snapping on his shoulder holster.

There are better ways he can use those fingers.

“We should head out,” he said, looking down. “If we leave now, we could make it back to the safe house by eleven hundred hours.”

“What’s the hurry?” I asked, letting the sheet slide to the floor. “I think I owe some payment for cat-catching services rendered.”

Mike’s head snapped up, his eyes glowing with raw hunger as they raked over my naked body.

As I walked over to where he was standing, I stepped on the rose he’d given me the night before. I stopped, picked it up, and brought it to my nose.

The wilted petals still held their intoxicating fragrance.

Mike watched me with a wary expression on his face. “Are you sure? Because a few minutes ago it looked like you didn’t want to have anything to do with me.”

I chewed my lower lip. “I’m sorry. The whole I’m-about-to-die-and-now-I’m-not was a bit overwhelming for me.” I stroked the soft rose petals over my breasts. “Trust me, I’d like to have a lot to do with you.”

Mike took a step forward and then stopped. “I don’t want to play games, Eden. I’m dead serious when I say I want to be your man. I’m not the easiest man to lo—” He stopped, swallowed and continued, “…to be with. I can’t promise you that I won’t be overprotective at times.”

I smiled. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.” I crossed the distance between us. “I want to be with you Mike. I love you.”

A wide grin spread across his face and he dragged me into his arms. He slanted his head down and claimed my lips in a slow kiss that turned savage.

There was an odd twinge of numbness in my hand as he carried me to bed, but I shook it off. The only thing that mattered was the soldier who now held my body and heart.

And the cat hiding under the bed of course.

DID YOU ENJOY LOVER IN HELL?

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* * *

To continue the adventure, check out the Heaven in Hell series. A preview follows the About the Author page.

About the Author

Dia wanted to be a writer from the time she could hold a pencil. A lover of science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, and paranormal romance, she writes action-packed stories featuring kick-butt heroines and the alpha male heroes who fall for them.

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Excerpt from the Heaven in Hell series

Live by his rules or die by them…

In the wake of the zombie apocalypse, twenty-year-old Lee Walker is desperately trying to keep the last of her family alive. Salvation seems to come in the form of Dominic Rosario, a sexy army sergeant. Despite his questionable motives and brutal tactics, Lee can’t deny the scorching attraction burning between them. When a dangerous mission goes south, Lee must face her growing feelings for Dominic and a terrifying new creature that will hunt them to the grave.

1

The dead woman slammed into the café window. The glass rattled and the brightly colored tinsel hanging over the dusty wood blinds danced in the hazy afternoon light.

It was yet another reminder that the zombie apocalypse had come two weeks before Christmas. Three months later, I was still battling the undead in a town forever festooned in the cheerful trappings of my least favorite holiday.

The woman’s filmy white eyes rolled in her desiccated skull as she tottered back to the sidewalk in heels and a dazzling purple sequined dress. The creature, who I immediately dubbed Ms. Sparkle, lifted her head like a dog sniffing the air and then hurled her body against the glass a second time.

I jolted at the sound of the impact.

The Biter is going to break the glass.

I tightened my fingers around my knife. There was no way the creature could see us crouched down near the cash register, but she could smell us.

Next to me, my friend Reed tensed. Although nineteen, the same age as my younger sister, Eden, and only a year and a half younger than me, his long blond dreadlocks and scruffy beard made him looks years older. “We shouldn’t be here, Lee.”

I nodded, wishing I could ease the lines of strain around his bright blue eyes. I’d do anything to keep both him and my sister safe.

“This is a suicide mission,” he said in a low voice, nodding at the chilling view through the window.

I leaned up far enough that I caught a glimpse of Heritage Square Plaza in the distance behind Ms. Sparkle. There the rotting remains of Saguaro Valley’s finest shuffled around the memorial fountain. The tattered army fatigues, hospital gowns, and Southern Arizona University sweatshirts fluttering against putrid flesh were evidence that the town’s former citizens had been an eclectic mix of retirees, college students, and military families. They almost looked like normal people, until you noticed their heads bent at odd angles as they lurched forward. Some dragged half-torn limbs in their wake.

A chill worked its way down my spine. Although slow, Biters were dangerous in large groups and there were close to a hundred in that horde. “I’m sure Dominic has a good reason for bringing us here,” I said with more conviction than I felt.

Reed gritted his teeth. “It’s probably just one of his stupid tests.”

I couldn’t argue with that. The sergeant in charge of our ragtag group was obsessed with assessing our fighting skills. In addition to daily defensive training, he’d regularly wake us in the middle of the night for mock zombie invasion drills. It was tedious, but I’d play whatever games he wanted to keep Reed and my sister safe. I looked over to where Eden knelt by the display case filled with rotting pastries.

She hadn’t so much as batted an eyelash for the past twenty minutes. Her strange mannequin impersonation was as unsettling as her new look. For some ridiculous reason, she’d recently bleached her brown hair a hideous shade of white-blonde that only served to emphasize her too-pale skin. She’d also been skipping rations to the degree that her pink Have You Hugged a Vegetarian Today T-shirt hung too loosely on her thin frame. And I’d bet my last pair of clean socks that the sunglasses she wore hid dark circles under her eyes.

She shouldn’t be here.

Bang.

Ms. Sparkle hit the glass again.

The sound will draw the others.

The thought made my stomach churn.

Where the hell is Dominic?

I leaned up again so I could peer out the window and scan the street outside.

No stubborn, infuriatingly handsome sergeant in sight.

What if something happened to him?

An invisible band tightened around my heart. I shook my head, rejecting the possibility. The man’s fighting skills were legendary.

He’s fine. More than likely he’s watching to see how we’ll handle ourselves.

The window rattled again, harder this time.

Reed cursed and fumbled with his shotgun. The long sharp combat knife Dominic had secured to the tip of the barrel quivered dangerously in my direction.

I quickly reached out and pushed the weapon away.

“S-sorry,” Reed said with weak smile that didn’t dull the panic in his eyes.

I ground my molars together in frustration.

He doesn’t belong out here.

He’d spent the past three months assigned to food prep at the safe house for good reason.

Damn Dominic for insisting that he and Eden come today.

Neither of them was in any condition to fight.

Bang.

The window cracked.

Fear for Eden and Reed sluiced like ice water through my veins.

I have to do something.

I rubbed a sweaty palm against my jeans. “Reed, can you go check on Eden?”

He gave me a jerky nod and crawled in her direction.

Moving fast so he didn’t realize what was going on, I stood and crossed over to the door. Every step seemed heavier than the last. Going toe-to-toe with a Biter was never something I usually volunteered for, but I had to protect my family.

The bells tied to the handle jingled as I opened the door. I stepped outside and the damp air enveloped me in a clammy embrace. I took a precious second to glance at the rain clouds gathering in the gray sky above.

It never rained this much in the Valley where triple digit temperatures in the spring were more the norm. It was as if Mother Nature got the memo that the world had gone to hell and wanted to come to the party.

Ms. Sparkle turned away from the front window and shambled in my direction. Back when she’d had a heartbeat, she might’ve been an attractive young woman or an elderly bag lady. Her rotting skin made it impossible to know for sure. Her milky white eyes locked on me and she let out a loud moan.

Please don’t let the other zombies hear.

I froze, panicked at the thought of the horde turning in my direction. I tried to push away the anxiety and summon Dominic's training exercises. I settled into a fighting stance and raised my knife.

She was three feet away.

I waited until she was close enough that the perfume of death burned the back of my throat. Then, dodging her skeletal hands, I swung my knife at her head.

Two feet of razor-sharp military-issued steel sliced through her cloudy eye in a stomach-turning squelch.

She crumpled like a rag doll at my feet.

I stared at the lifeless body, waiting to feel something. Horror. Sadness. But my reservoir of sympathy for these creatures was bone-dry.

I bent down to retrieve my knife only to find it stuck in the Biter’s skull. I gave it a futile tug and heard a loud sound. Startled, I looked up to see Reed slap his hand against the café window and point to my right.

Three men in tattered evening wear stumbled around the abandoned cars in the street and headed straight for me.

My mouth dried.

Crap. Where did these Biters come from?

My heart pounded as I tried frantically to free my knife.

As they shambled closer their blackened lips peeled back to reveal bloodstained chattering teeth. The sound was like bone on chalkboard and it sent an involuntary tremor through me.

The guy in the white tux was almost on me. Panic was a noose around my throat. I gave up on my knife and fumbled for my gun. I aimed between his rolling pearlescent eyes. My finger was on the trigger when I remembered that the noise would draw the horde.

Shit.

The guy in the tux lunged.

Instinct had me jumping back, barely avoiding gnashing teeth.

“Eat dirt!” shouted a man behind me.

Months of training conditioned me to drop to the ground.

I didn’t hear the knives flying through the air, but the guy in the tux and his friends collapsed one by one with Dominic’s blades embedded in the centers of their foreheads.

His knife skills are unreal.

I slowly picked myself up, my back stiffening at the sound of Dominic’s combat boots stomping down the weed-choked sidewalk.

“What the hell was that? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Inwardly cringing at the censure in his tone, I bent down to retrieve my knife from Ms. Sparkle’s head. This time a hard tug pulled it free.

“Remember the third rule of survival.” His deep voice rumbled like thunder.

He was close enough that I could smell the cinnamon gum on his breath and the spicy cologne he used to mask himself from the Biters. His scent did crazy things to my insides. I fought hard to keep my suddenly haywire hormones from clouding my mind. “Don’t get bitten?” I said, refusing to turn around. I stayed kneeling as I wiped my blade clean and tucked it back into my thigh sheath.

His massive shadow fell over me. “No. That’s a given. Rule number three is be aware of your surroundings at all times. Something you just failed to do.”

Dominic and his damn rules.

I finally turned and craned my neck up at the six-and-a-half-foot wall of muscle dressed in army fatigues and enough weapons to arm a small country. His sculpted cheekbones, chiseled jaw, and bronze complexion made him a direct threat to my vow of abstinence. Too bad he was also a domineering pain in the ass. “She’s dead, isn’t she?”

“And what were you going to do about them?” He pointed at the guy in the tux and his pals.

My stomach curdled.

The truth was if Dominic hadn’t shown up, I didn’t know what I would’ve done.

“They would’ve surrounded you.” Dominic’s large warm fingers curled around my wrist. He unceremoniously hauled me to my feet.

I stumbled and crashed into him. The feel of his hard muscles sent frissons of heat pulsing through me.

He thrust me away and took two steps back.

I sighed, too used to the way he avoided all contact with me to be offended. “I would’ve figured something out.”

His neck muscles bunched up like they did when he was warming up for a fight or a lecture. “If you don’t start paying attention, you’ll end up like them.” He jabbed his finger in the direction of the horde congregating around the memorial fountain.

I sucked in a shallow breath. Needing to divert his anger, I asked the question that had been on my mind since we got to the café. “Why are there so many of them here?”

He nodded south, where plumes of black smoke melded with the storm clouds in the distance. “The gangs are lighting fires to drive them north.”

I shivered and not because of the dampness in the air. We’d heard stories of how gangs roved the streets looking for female survivors. I’d choose taking on a horde versus being captured.

Some things are worse than death.

Of course, if they kept moving the Biters north, we’d join the ranks of the dead in no time.

“We need to move the safe house,” I said for the tenth time today. Every day there were more and more Biters around the school where we’d been staying.

His full lips pressed into a line. “It’s not your call.”

“It’s getting too dangerous to—”

“My orders are to keep you and the others on the list at the school until we’re evacuated.”

My eyes narrowed at his mention of the mysterious list he’d been given by his superiors. He and his squad had been ordered to locate and rescue everyone on it. “About that list, why is my name on it?”

The majority of our survivor group included the family members of soldiers from the nearby military base. It made sense for the army to try to bring their loved ones to safety. But Eden and I didn’t have any such connections, and the only member of the military we were related to was long dead.

May he rot in hell.

Dominic ignored my question. “We’re not moving the safe house and that’s final.”

I huffed. “No one’s coming to save us.” There’d been no contact from the base since we’d gotten to the school. The evacuation date had come and gone. Yet, Dominic insisted on waiting for help that likely would never arrive.

The hard line of his jaw told me I might as well be arguing with a brick wall.

My attention slid back to the café.

I won’t let his stubbornness kill what is left of my family.

The digital watch strapped to Dominic’s wrist buzzed. He looked down and frowned.

Darcy and her scouting party must be late checking in. Darcy was never late for anything…

He pushed me in the direction of the café. “Get inside.”

Dominic’s high-handed tactics were getting as old and raggedy as my jeans. It was infantile, but I stuck my tongue out at him while he marched over to the guy in the tux.

It was impossible not to notice how the well-defined muscles of his shoulders went taut against his short-sleeve black T-shirt as he retrieved his knives.

The abandoned cars in the street, the boarded-up store windows, and the crimson stains on the sidewalk all faded away.

Damn. The man’s fine.

He looked up and caught me gawking. The corner of his mouth twitched.

No way would I let him think I was mentally undressing him. I pretended to shudder and scrunched my face up in disgust. “You’ve got brains on your vest.” I motioned to one of the front pockets of the black tactical vest he never seemed to take off.

“Oh.” His smirk faded, and he flicked the zombie goo away. “Inside. Now.”

“After you, oh mighty leader,” I said, with a mock bow giving my hormones a silent bitch slap. They could go back into stasis where I’d forced them to live my whole life.

He glared at me until I gave up and walked ahead. I could feel his gaze on my back as we walked to the café. I had to forcibly stop myself from swaying seductively from side to side.

He’s the last guy I should be encouraging.

I frowned. Not that he’s shown one iota of interest.

Since he first kicked down our front door, bloody knife in hand, and demanded that Eden and I evacuate with his squad, he’d done nothing but bark orders. Other than the mandatory daily training sessions, he avoided the very sight of me.

That’s fine. I need a man like Biters need their taxes done.

With that thought, I stalked into the café vowing to forget about the handsome sergeant once and for all.

DID YOU ENJOY THIS PREVIEW OF THE HEAVEN IN HELL SERIES?

You can find it available here.

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Books By Dia Cole

Heaven Before Hell

Heaven in Hell: Episode One

Heaven in Hell: Episode Two

Heaven in Hell: Episode Three

Heaven in Hell: Episode Four

Heaven in Hell: Box Set (Episodes 1-4)

Lover in Hell

Heaven in Hell: Episode Five - Coming Fall 2017