The Queen of Zombie Hearts

by Gena Showalter

  Test her.

  I reached out, letting my hand hover over hers, ready to draw back at a moment's notice--or stab, as promised. She shut her eyes. Tendrils of warmth drifted from her and seeped into me. It wasn't long before it surrounded me, consumed me and grew hotter...so danged hot. It was like being set on fire from the inside. Yet, she wasn't even touching me.

  True or false--I now had my answer. False. Totally false. I tried to pull away but couldn't. I was stuck. My head fell back as a scream traveled up my throat, ready for release.

  Suddenly she dropped her arm to the side. The scream died. The burning faded.

  "Wh-what did you do to me?" My skin tingled. My blood fizzed.

  Silent now, she pointed to a spot on the tree, turned her back and glided away, disappearing behind another bush.

  "Hey!" I shouted, pursuing her. "I'm not done with you." But when I crossed the bush, she wasn't there. In fact, there was no sign of her. No footprints. No lingering scent in the breeze.

  I searched...and searched...but came up with nothing.

  Frustrated, I returned to the tree, to where she'd pointed. Several vines ran down the side and--

  I frowned, moved closer and ran my fingers through them. They weren't vines. They were too firm, too warm.

  Cords? Wires?

  "What are you doing?"

  The voice came from behind me.

  I spun and met Cole's gaze. What progress! He was already out of the sling and clearly ready for action.

  "Come here," I said.

  He moved to my side. His heat instantly enveloped me, sweet tingles pricking at me. I ignored them and pointed to the wires.

  He went from zero to sixty in less than a second, his calm shattered. "Those aren't Ankh's, but I bet they're hooked into his system, which would explain how Anima was able to get inside his house." He confiscated my knife, sliced through each one. "How did you find them?"

  "A woman," I admitted, saying nothing of the burn she'd caused in me. No reason to alarm him when I wasn't clear about what had been done.

  "What woman?"

  "Her name may or may not have been Sami. Or Samantha." And she gave me a gift. Said she wanted to "help" me.

  "She called and told you about the wires? Or she was actually here?"

  "Here."

  Violet eyes narrowed on me with laser-sharp focus. "You saw a stranger on this land, a day after we endured a massive attack that led to the deaths of three of our friends, and rather than shouting for help, you thought you'd follow her?"

  Ugh. Put that way, I sounded like the world's biggest idiot. I felt like the world's biggest idiot. Still, I said, "That about sums it up, yes."

  His eyes narrowed further. "Where is she now?"

  "Don't know. She got away."

  He took my hand and dragged me back to the house. "We'll watch camera footage and track her down. I'd like to chat with her."

  No one waited in the foyer, saving us from having to answer any questions about where we'd been or what we'd been doing. Cole shut us inside Mr. Ankh's office and claimed the desk chair. Clearly, he knew all the computer codes, because his fingers danced over the keyboard without hesitation. I stood over his shoulder, suitably impressed.

  The front porch appeared on screen, Mr. Ankh, Kat and Reeve there and waiting. The SUV Frosty had temporarily borrowed pulled up, and everything played out like I remembered. Bronx leading the way. Frosty carrying Mackenzie. My little conversation with Mr. Ankh. My hug session with Kat. My stopping and looking around.

  When I leaped into motion, Cole pressed a few more keys, and the entire front lawn came into view.

  Only, there was no sign of the mystery blonde.

  "But...she was there," I said, confused. "I saw her."

  Cole leaned back in the chair and ran two fingers along his jaw. "Ali-gator. You're tired, stressed. Maybe you--"

  "I did not hallucinate. How could I? She showed me the wires. Which I previously knew nothing about! Consciously or subconsciously."

  He thought for a moment. "I'll tell Mr. Ankh about the wires, but for now, we'll keep quiet about the woman."

  "But you believe me, right?"

  "Of course," he said, as if the answer had never been in doubt. "Weird stuff happens to you. It's part of the package. I've accepted it." He stood and gathered me in his arms, and I leaned my head against his shoulder, taking comfort in the racing beat of his heart.

  "Thank you."

  "Save your thanks, because I'm about to start yelling."

  Uh-oh.

  "Do not ever--ever--follow after a stranger like that. Do you hear me?" He wasn't actually yelling, but it was pretty darn close. "She could have led you into an ambush."

  "Duh. I had the same thought."

  He stiffened, saying softly but menacingly, "You had the same thought, and yet you trailed her anyway?"

  Had to learn when to zip my lips. "Don't forget number seven. I'm such a good fighter, you could stand back and watch while I take care of business."

  "That doesn't mean you're invincible." His sigh caused several strands of hair to dance over my forehead. "I'm going to regret number seven for the rest of my life, aren't I?"

  "And probably part of your afterlife, too."

  He snorted. "Come on. It's my turn to show something to you." He led me upstairs and into the first room on the left.

  A lump on the mattress shifted, and I paused. Who--

  "Jaclyn," I said, nearly buckling with relief. Another slayer had been found.

  Even in her sleep, she recognized me, turning her head toward the sound of my voice. Tangled hair surrounded a beat-up face. One of her eyes was black-and-blue, swollen, and her lip was split in the center. Skin usually a healthy olive was now pallid. She looked terrible, but she was alive. Alive meant she'd heal.

  "Where's Justin?" I asked. Her twin brother was never far behind.

  "Still missing."

  From the highest high to the lowest low.

  "Coley-poley!" a girl called.

  I pivoted as Juliana threw herself into Cole's open arms. His expression softened, becoming almost...tender.

  I still wasn't jealous. Maybe. He had girl friends, and I had boy friends, and there was nothing romantic about it. Nothing wrong with it. But there was something between these two. A definite bond.

  A definite bond he'd kept secret from me. Why?

  Once, Veronica had bragged about an "ace in the hole," something guaranteed to break up my relationship with Cole. At the time, I hadn't given it much thought. Ace? Please. Now I didn't think I'd be pondering much else.

  At least Juliana was too old to be Cole's kid. (Yeah, I admit it. A secret baby had been my first guess.)

  A whispered conversation ensued between the pair, and I hesitated to join. I didn't want to interrupt, but I didn't like standing on the outside, either.

  Cole brushed his knuckles over Juliana's scars. She grinned, not the least bit self-conscious with him. She knew she was loved and accepted, just the way she was.

  I headed toward the bed, intending to sit beside Jaclyn. But Cole had been aware of me, even though he'd seemed utterly absorbed by Juliana, because he returned me to his side with a gentle tug. His arm wrapped around my waist, and I found myself tucked firmly against him. He gave off more heat than usual and it cast a net around me, ensnaring me. But then, I was a willing captive. I gladly breathed in the sweet scent of him--the fruit candies he ate when no one was looking--and cuddled against him, this boy who'd become my shield against the rest of the world, my shelter in any storm, but also my anchor. He kept me grounded.

  "Have you met my girlfriend, Ali?" he asked Juliana.

  She transformed from sweet to sour in a snap. "Yeah, I've had the displeasure. And I shouldn't have to remind you that you're not usually into blondes. I mean, weren't you and Gavin boinking your way through the brunette population? What happened with that? Everyone needs a goal."

  O-kay. Wow.

  "Mouth," Cole said on a si
gh.

  "Yes," Juliana said, nodding. "I have one."

  He wagged a finger in front of her face. "You shouldn't talk about boinking. You don't even need to think about it."

  "I'm fourteen, not a damn baby." She planted her hands on her hips. "Would you rather I used the word fu--"

  "No!" Cole released me to slap a hand over her mouth. "Never."

  She blinked up at him innocently.

  "Just so you know, I'm all about the blondes now." He tweaked her nose and dropped his arm. "This blonde in particular."

  Juliana made a face, said, "Whatever. You guys are gross" and flitted away, but not before looking back at me and sticking out her tongue.

  "Real mature." Clearly the girl had a crush on Cole. Just as clearly, he had no idea her feelings veered in a romantic direction. "She makes me feel like I've showered with sunlight and rainbows."

  "Don't worry. She'll grow on you."

  "Like fungus?"

  Grinning, he grabbed me in a headlock with one hand and rubbed his knuckles into the crown of my head with the other. "No. Not like fungus."

  "Like mold?" I managed to say through my giggles.

  He released me and as I straightened, framed my face, peering into my eyes, the intensity of his expression draining my mirth, making my insides tingle all over again. I'd missed him. Missed this. Us.

  "Thank you, Ali."

  I blinked, the new direction of the conversation lost. "For what?"

  "For finding my friends. For bringing them here."

  "They're my friends, too."

  "I know, but you could have returned here and stayed safe, like part of me really wanted you to do. But you didn't. You put my needs before my wants, your needs before your wants, and even above your own life, and I will be forever grateful."

  I rested my palms on the girth of his shoulders. Oh, the burdens these babies had always had to carry. But he wasn't alone, not any longer. "That's what love does. It gives."

  His gaze dipped to my lips. "Well, I want to give you something." His voice was low, husky. "Reason fourteen. You are one smoking blonde. All this hair... I like it wrapped around my fists."

  "Yeah?" I asked, breathless.

  "Oh, yeah. I like to have you under my control." He fisted the strands, as he'd described, and angled my head the way he wanted it. "It's the only time you do what I tell you."

  The sheer dominance of the action excited me. "I could say the same."

  On the battlefield, we were as tough as armor. In a fight, we never backed down. But when we were in each other's arms, we could give and take and demand...beg...and it just made the moment sweeter.

  Jaclyn moaned, capturing our attention, fragmenting the moment.

  I moved to the bed, away from the temptation of Cole. Jaclyn hadn't yet woken. Her dreams must have been plaguing her.

  "She needs fire," I said.

  "That's what I was doing when you arrived."

  His absence now made sense. "How did you find her?"

  "I didn't. She came to us. She says two guys broke into her home and drugged Justin. When she tried to stop them from leaving with him, she was thrown across the room. She pretended to be unconscious as Justin was carried to a van. She hot-wired a neighbor's car and followed."

  "And?" I prompted.

  "And she passed out before she could explain the rest."

  Dang. "If she knows where Anima took Justin, we can go in and get him."

  "And destroy Anima once and for all." He moved beside me, pinched a lock of my hair. "I got sidetracked when everyone but you came upstairs."

  "That's when you decided to go total Animal Planet and track me, right?"

  His lips quirked at the corners. "That's right. The hungry lion and the gimpy gazelle."

  "Please. You're the one with the injury."

  "Not anymore."

  "You mean it's gone completely?" Excited, I pushed back the collar of his shirt. A bandage was taped to his chest; it was white, without a single speck of blood. I lifted it to peek at his wound--or rather, his baby scratch. The center was already closed, without the aid of stitches, the edges pink and irritated rather than raw and angry.

  "I just... I can't... The fire works so quickly."

  What if we'd gotten to Lucas, Trina and Cruz in time? Could they have been saved, their lives spared?

  Oh, glory. I loved the answer as much as I hated it. Yes. They could have been saved.

  Guilt...so much guilt. The dark companion to "what if." It choked me, made me feel like the one who'd pulled the trigger, the one who'd ended them.

  "We can't look back. We'll never get anywhere," Cole said, a catch in his voice. His mind must have traveled the same road as mine. "We can only move forward, learn from our mistakes."

  Jaclyn moaned again, her eyes now rolling rapidly behind her lids. Sleeping Beauty was close to waking up.

  I gave Cole a swift, hard kiss. "I want to talk to Jaclyn alone." Men had attacked her, so Cole might scare her.

  He could have refused or fired off a thousand questions. Instead, he said, "All right" and gave me a swift, hard kiss in return. He left, shutting the door behind him--leaving me trembling.

  Would he always affect me this strongly?

  I sat at the edge of the bed and patted the top of Jaclyn's hand. Her skin was cold and clammy. "You're safe now. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

  Gasping, she jolted upright. Her good eye was wide and wild, and she couldn't quite catch her breath.

  "You're safe now," I repeated. "You made it to Mr. Ankh's."

  "Ankh's," she repeated, falling back on the bed. Her expression shuttered with agonizing pain. "Justin."

  "Where is he, Jaclyn? Do you know where the men took him?"

  "Justin," she said again, then rolled to her side and sobbed. "I couldn't save him. I tried, but I couldn't fight both intruders, so I waited for them to leave with Justin and tracked them. They're going to hurt him. Hurt him so bad. I need him safe. Ali, I need him safe."

  "I know." I brushed the hair from her sweat-dampened forehead. "I know. That's why you've got to calm down and think. Talk to me. Tell me the rest."

  She latched on to my hand. "I stole my neighbor's car. Ours had been disabled. I found the van easily enough and trailed it to a warehouse about an hour away." She rattled off the address. "There was no one outside, but there were a lot of men inside, and they had a lot of weapons. I snuck through the building, but couldn't find Justin. I knew I needed help, so I drove to Cole's, saw the state of the house and drove to Ankh's." Her gaze beseeched me. "Who's out looking for Justin?"

  Never one to lie, I said, "No one."

  "What! Why--"

  "You passed out," I said. "We didn't know where to start."

  She croaked, "How long have I been here?"

  Judging only by the time I'd been gone... "About six hours."

  "No!" She threw her legs over the side of the bed. "The longer he's there, the greater chance they've..." Tears streaked down her cheeks and as she stood, her knees buckled. "I have to help him."

  I caught her and let her use me as a crutch. I didn't lead her to the door, but circled back to the bed. "Listen to me. You're in no condition to travel. I will gather the other slayers, the ones who haven't been shot, stabbed or beaten, and we will go to the warehouse. We will find Justin. You have my word."

  I never offered a promise lightly. I would do this or die trying.

  "I'll go with you," she said, once again trying to stand.

  I pushed her back down. Gently, but firmly. "You'd only get in our way, and you know it."

  "No. I feel better by the second," she said.

  Truth? Or exaggeration? Her color was better, and the swelling in her eye had already gone down.

  "Alice."

  The sweet voice came from the entryway, yet I hadn't heard the door open. I twisted, and my heart nearly jumped out of my mouth. Finally! My eight-year-old little sister, Emma--or rather, her spirit--had arrived. She stepp
ed from an almost blinding ray of light, her straight-as-a-pen hair hanging in two dark ponytails. She wore a pink leotard, a pink tutu and pink ballet slippers. The outfit she'd died in.

  I wanted to rush over and hug her more than I wanted to take my next breath, but she was a spirit, and just like with zombies, spirit could not tangle with flesh.

  I winked at her instead.

  The dark eyes she'd gotten from our mother beseeched me. "Alice," she said again. Almost a moan.

  Something was wrong.

  My grin fell.

  "Ali?" Jaclyn asked. She couldn't see Emma. Only Cole and I could. I'd always thought it was because I was connected to my sister and Cole was connected to me.

  "I'll be in the hall," Emma whispered and vanished.

  A sense of urgency overcame me. "Stay here," I said to Jaclyn. "I mean it. I can take care of Justin, or I can take care of you. Your choice."

  She sighed. "Justin."

  "I'll keep you updated." I practically sprinted into the hall. Thankfully Emma was the only person in sight, and all the bedroom doors were closed.

  "I'm so happy to see you." And I was. Even if she'd come bearing bad news.

  Her hands twisted together as she said, "I heard what happened. Four of your friends were killed and--"

  "Four?" I interjected and shook my head. "There were only three."

  She peered down at her ballet slippers. "No. There were four."

  "You're certain?" Of course she was. When had she ever been wrong? I closed my eyes and let the knowledge sink in. Another life lost. Another friend taken from us.

  Only two slayers were still missing. Justin and Collins. So, which one was it?

  The urge to fall on my knees and scream, "That's it! I've had enough! No more!" hit me, but I somehow found the strength to remain in place, quiet, another storm of tears on lockdown. There was too much to do. Starting with my promise to Jaclyn.

  Compartmentalize.

  "Anima is planning something else," Emma said. "Something big."

  I'd figured, but confirmation managed to rip me apart. "Do you know what?"

  She nibbled on her bottom lip, shook her head. "All I know is this--what happened last night was only the beginning."

  Chapter 9

  PREY FOR ME

  I told Cole what I'd learned from Jaclyn, and what I'd learned from Emma, and his reaction was similar to mine. Shock, anger...agony. It was hard, watching him suffer. Worse than dealing with my own riotous emotions.

  He fisted a handful of his own hair, yanking at the strands as if he meant to pull them out, and stalked around my bedroom. His boots thumped against wood, then rug, then wood again. He stopped in front of the wall and, with an animalistic growl, punched a hole in the plaster.