The Queen of Zombie Hearts

by Gena Showalter

  Daughter? Throb, throb, throb.

  Cole cracked his jaw, nodded. "Fine. Lead the way. But if this is a trap..."

  "You'll what?" she quipped. "Yell at me?"

  He snapped his teeth at her. Mimicking a zombie?

  She moved through a hall I didn't recognize. Cole maintained a tight grip on my hand. Up an elevator she had to hot-wire, since the fire alarm had shut off every cart. Down a flight of steps. Down another elevator.

  Finally, Helen stopped at the end of a dim corridor. "Ali. Your hand."

  What--

  Cole moved me to the front, pushed my palm against the ID box. Warmth. A click. The door opened, and it wasn't long before we were in another room I'd never seen. One with the twenty or so Witnesses I'd cleansed, trapped in a special cage with electric pulses that rode the length of the metal bars.

  Slayers stopped and stared, flabbergasted.

  "What. The. Hell?" Blondie said.

  "They were zombies. Like those." I pointed to the other cage and the undead. "But I cleansed them."

  "Cleansed?" Cole repeated.

  I yanked from his grip and went to the cage of Witnesses. Another ID scan, and just like that, they were free. They floated out, thrilling with excitement and relief...rising...soon vanishing through the ceiling.

  I went to the cage of zombies.

  "No, Ali," Cole shouted, stomping after me. "Don't."

  "But I can cleanse them, too," I said, turning to face him. Didn't want him at my back.

  A zombie reached through the bars and grabbed me. Because he was collared, he was solid to me and managed to sink his teeth into my arm. It hurt, and I yelped, but it wasn't anything to send me to my knees. In fact, it was better this way, being free of the shackles.

  Cole was suddenly in front of me, pulling me to safety. Scowling, he punched the zombie in the face.

  He faced me, tenderly framed my cheeks with his big hands. Just like in the memory. "In a minute, there's going to be two of me. My hand will light up. I'll push the flames inside your wound. It'll hurt but--"

  "There's no need," I said. The bite was already healing, the burn in my veins already cooling. "The toxin doesn't affect me."

  "Impossible."

  "Cole," Blondie said. "Look at the zombie."

  Cole twisted in time to watch the gray fade from the creature's skin, the red dim from his eyes.

  "I don't understand," Cole said.

  "Hello. Anyone remember Rebecca?" Helen clapped her hands to gain our attention. "Zombies can wait."

  But--

  Cole tugged me down another hallway. We stopped in front of a metal door. Ethan sprawled in front of it, motionless, practically floating in a puddle of blood.

  I wasn't sad, I realized, and that confused me all over again.

  Helen waved her hand at the door. "When you stopped the pulses around the building, I went straight to Ali. When I realized her memories had been covered, I knew Rebecca had stolen her slayer abilities, and went after her. So, Cole, you've got another choice to make. Kill Rebecca now and end her reign of terror, but in the process, ensure that Ali will never get her abilities back. Or take Rebecca with you and cage her. When Ali remembers her past, she will be able to take her abilities back."

  Stolen abilities? Covered memories?

  "The code is..." Helen rattled off too many numbers to remember.

  Cole glared at her for a long while before jabbing his finger into the keypad. He extended his crossbow as the door slowly opened.

  I waited, more uncertain than ever. What would we find on the other side? Rebecca, as promised? Or a trap?

  Which did I prefer?

  If Rebecca was in there, the slayers would win. If it was a trap, I might be able to get away.

  But did I really want to get away?

  A smile lifted the corners of Cole's lips. "Hello, Rebecca."

  Chapter 32

  SEVERED HEADS

  OR TANGLED TALES

  I paced the confines of my new room. Well, not mine, but his. Cole. This was his bedroom. He was letting me borrow it, though I knew he wanted to stay here with me. Last night, when he'd brought me here, he'd said so, about a thousand times. I'd said no. Of course.

  He was still an unknown.

  Could I trust him?

  Before, I would have given an unequivocal no. Now? I wasn't sure. When he wasn't gunning people down in a hallway, he was actually kind of sweet. And charming. And witty. And so hot he made my mouth water.

  He'd brought me breakfast this morning. He'd pointed out the dresser drawer holding my things, so that I would always feel welcome. He'd said he was planning our "third date," that he wanted to take a knitting class with me, or something equally tame, because we needed less excitement in our lives.

  And he was majorly concerned with my well-being. Like, obsessively so. He and Helen had argued heatedly last night. He'd demanded that she fix me. She'd said that she was trying, and it'd be nice if he would, too. He'd said he was doing everything she'd told him to do, telling me stories about my past.

  It was true. He had. For hours. But his stories were so far-fetched.

  Or had been. When finally I'd fallen asleep, I'd had such vivid dreams....

  I'd seen everything he'd described. Me, standing in a hallway painted black and gold, catching a glimpse of him for the first time. He'd been leaning against a bank of lockers at school, goofing off with his friends. A hat had shaded his eyes, but then he'd looked up and we'd both been trapped, connected by a vision of the two of us kissing.

  I shivered.

  Then I'd seen us training in a boxing ring. We'd taken jabs at each other and argued good-naturedly, our hands roaming where they shouldn't, our sweaty bodies rubbing together.

  Another shiver.

  I'd seen us fighting zombies together, protecting each other. The concern on his face every time I was bitten--

  Yeah. Another shiver.

  I couldn't deny there was history between us. Or that my heart recognized him, even if my mind did not. I couldn't deny that the urge to throw myself into his arms, press my lips against his and cling to him as if my life depended on it--as if he was the only raft in a storm--grew stronger every second. But Rebecca was trapped in an underground bunker behind his house... Was I just supposed to ignore that?

  Even if Rebecca was a liar and the enemy, I didn't condone violence. Did I?

  The door swung open, and in stepped the woman I was supposed to call Nana. I liked her, a lot, and wasn't annoyed that she'd just barged in, like I'd been with Rebecca. She'd been here waiting for me when Cole brought me, and I'd enjoyed her too-tight hug.

  "Ali," she said with a huge grin. "How are you, dear?"

  "Well, thank you."

  She embraced me again, and I awkwardly patted her back.

  Her expression was a little sad as she straightened, and I hated that I'd upset her. "I'm here to escort you to the dining room."

  Time for dinner, then. He would be there.

  She hooked our arms and led me through the house. There were tons of visitors, but I didn't see any sign of Cole. Sharp disappointment. Tendrils of dread. A houseful of slayers--why? I'd been introduced to each one already, and they seemed to like me, but that didn't make them any less intimidating. Not that I'd ever let them know I was disconcerted.

  "Hello," I said, nodding in greeting. I frowned when I realized there was no food on the table. Slayers, but no dinner?

  Gavin winked at me.

  Mackenzie blew me a kiss.

  Reeve waved at me.

  Bronx nodded at me.

  Frosty stared out a window.

  Justin and Jaclyn smiled at me.

  River patted his lap, a silent request for me to sit.

  That would be a big fat no, thanks.

  He shrugged, unfazed by my refusal.

  Mr. Holland, Cole's dad, motioned to an unoccupied chair. Nana led me forward and I sat.

  Besides Cole, the only two people missing were Veronica
and her younger sister, Juliana. Apparently, Juliana had done something to enrage everyone, especially Frosty, so the two had gone back home to Georgia, where they would stay.

  At the far end of the room, Emma the Witness appeared. Like Mackenzie, she blew me a kiss. Once upon a time, Cole and I had been the only ones capable of seeing my little sister--was she really my sister? But now, because of some kind of fire-share, everyone could.

  Helen materialized beside her, and everyone saw her, too. She had the ability to cloak her image, but wasn't doing that anymore.

  What the heck was going on?

  One by one, the slayers told me stories about the time they'd spent with me. There was a bit of disconnect between the first round of stories and me. I heard, but I didn't see. Then little Emma spoke, and the throb returned to my chest. Two sisters, deeply in love. Separated by a crash, yet able to find each other again.

  The throb only grew worse as Helen spoke. A mother who'd given up her only child in an effort to protect her. A mother who'd mourned the loss every day for the rest of her too-short life. A mother determined to have a second chance.

  When it was Frosty's turn to speak, he stood and walked out of the room. Without uttering a single word.

  The throb...out of control now, consuming me, hurting me. I hunched over, gasping for breath. An image flashed through my mind. The dark-haired girl with hazel eyes. Helping me tie Get Well balloons on roadkill. Loving me when everyone else turned their backs on me. Laughing, always laughing. Living.

  Where was she? How come I hadn't gotten to speak to her? Because she was joy, and she was love, and I wanted so badly to--

  To bring her back.

  Yes. To bring her back. But I couldn't. She was dead, gone.

  Her eyes, dull. Her body, immobile. Blood, all over her.

  Kat!

  The name screamed through my mind, the pain that came with it...too much. Tears rolled down my cheeks. "Kat." I said it. I had to.

  "Her funeral is tomorrow," Mackenzie said with a sniffle. "She would want you there."

  Her name. I'd gotten it right.

  "We think Frosty has seen her spirit, that she's a Witness like Emma and Helen, but he won't confirm or deny," Reeve said, wiping away a tear.

  I rubbed at my heart. Where was Cole? I needed Cole. I wasn't sure why.

  As if I'd summoned him, he walked through the crowd. Maybe I had summoned him. There was a connection between us. His eyes never left mine. I reached for him, and he picked me up to carry me to his bedroom. He placed me on the edge of the bed. As my gaze lifted, the reason he hadn't been part of the storytelling party became clear. He'd been hanging poster-sized photos of us all over the room.

  In them, we smiled. We laughed. We kissed.

  My already raw nerves kicked up a fuss as he crouched in front of me and smoothed the hair from my forehead. "No more stories," I said. "Not now."

  "Sorry, love, but we're going to bombard you until your memories are completely uncovered. And if it can't be done, well, we're going to start building new ones. And we're going to start now." He fisted his T-shirt at the collar and pulled the material over his head.

  I gasped at the beautiful buffet suddenly displayed before me. Strength and vitality--life. He was bronzed and muscled. Tattooed--good glory! That was my name etched across his chest, stretching from one nipple to the other. Ali Bell, not Sami. And one of those nipples was pierced!

  He could not be any sexier.

  I reached out before I'd realized I'd moved and flicked my fingertips over the silver loop. The metal was cool, solid. His pec tightened up, and he hissed in a breath.

  "Gavin has started calling you the queen of zombie hearts," Cole said. "And you know what, he's right. It fits. Before you, I wasn't really living. I was existing. Moving from girl to girl. Killing zombies. I was as good as dead, but you brought me back to life. And you are most definitely the queen of my heart."

  Melting me...

  "You know what else I realized?" he said. "You were never the 'she.' Your mother was."

  The she? "I don't understand."

  "Because of her, what she died doing for you, the rest of us had a chance." He fisted two handfuls of my hair. "I can't really regret the past, because I have you in my future."

  "Cole."

  He pulled me forward and kissed me. His lips pressed against mine, his tongue thrusting into my mouth, and I tasted the strawberries I'd scented on him every time he'd neared.

  I found my arms wrapping around him of their own accord, my head tilting to welcome him in and take him deeper, my legs even parting in a silent plea for him to scoot closer. A plea he must have heard. His hands lowered to my backside and yanked me forward so that the hardness of him was flush against the softness of me.

  My blood heated...and heated...and I began to move without conscious thought. My fingers, tangling through his hair, then lowering, riding the ridges of his strength. My hands, playing at the waist of his pants, opening the fly and the zipper before I could process what was happening.

  When I did, I wasn't frightened. I was excited.

  Cole tore off my shirt, unsnapped my bra. He kissed the skin he'd bared--and I had a flash inside my head. Of a time before, when he'd stripped me on a rug, and I'd opened up to him, and he'd taken my virginity.

  He'd branded himself on me. Spirit, soul and body. Had left no part of me untouched. I was his girl then, and I was his girl now. The knowledge bubbled inside me, unable to be covered for long.

  "Cole," I exclaimed, and he stilled. "We've done this before."

  I'd thought him still before. Now he didn't even seem to be breathing. "Yes."

  I closed my eyes, ignoring the cool stroke of air against my skin. A live wire seemed to run through every inch of me, and his kiss had just used it to delve past a layer of dark clouds and into an ocean of memory. The good, the bad and the ugly. A storm in my mind. The first six years of my life with Helen. Coming to love my dad and Miranda. Emma. The crash. Meeting Cole. Falling in love with Cole. Being captured by Anima the first time, being tortured. Kat, oh, the joy of Kat. The heartache of losing her. Being captured by Anima the second time.

  Finally, victory.

  A tide of emotion. Happiness, regret, sadness, sorrow, more joy, more heartache, anger--triumph. The storm calmed. The dark clouds thinned...cleared.

  "We won," I said, shocked to the bone.

  Cole stiffened, as if he didn't dare hope. "You remember?"

  "I do. I really do." Tears streamed down my cheeks. "I remember everything."

  "Thank God!" He launched himself at me, throwing me back on the bed, wrapping his arms around me, pinning me with his weight. A kiss on my brow, the tip of my nose. Both of my tearstained eyes and, finally, blessedly, my lips. Kiss, kiss, kiss. Between kisses, he said, "Rebecca--has your--"

  "Abilities. I realize that." Now. "I'll take them back...and then I'll take her memories." The decision solidified as I spoke. "She'll never be able to hurt us again. The war will be over." Once and for all.

  And we could live, I realized. Really live. We could cleanse zombies. Have a new purpose. A greater one. Gift with life, rather than end with death.

  A girl couldn't ask for more than that.

  "I love you, Cole Holland."

  "I love you, too, Ali Bell. And now...I think it's time we stopped talking and put our mouths to better use."

  "Hey! I once said that to you."

  "And it was definitely the smartest thing I've ever heard."

  I laughed as he kissed me.

  *

  Here I was, at Kat's celebration of life. I'd lost her twice already and should have been prepared for the emotional turmoil. But I wasn't. I cried like a baby and didn't care.

  Deep down, I knew it wasn't about how long we lived, but how we lived. And she'd lived well. She'd made an impact. She'd loved. She'd forever changed me for the better.

  Detective Verra had found her body inside Anima's building, along with hundreds of others
. She'd then made an official statement, saying the company had kidnapped people to illegally test medicines they hoped to sell on the black market.

  The world was shaken.

  And rightfully so.

  Kat's dad stood in front of her casket, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed. Since the moment of her birth, he'd known he would one day lose her, but like me, he hadn't been prepared. A bright ray of light in a very dark world had been snuffed out. We needed more of those, not less.

  Wren and Poppy were here. Both had hugged me, and though they'd said nothing about zombies, I knew they'd accepted the truth. They were on guard now, distrustful of those around them.

  Though the sun was shining, the air was bitterly cold, a sharp wind slapping my hair against my cheeks. Breath misted in front of my face. I distantly heard people talking about Kat, about how she'd touched their lives, but none of it registered. I was too lost in my own memories.

  How she and I had laughed and teased. How we'd bonded to each other. Nothing and no one could destroy that bond, not even death. It was far too powerful. Too precious.

  Even still, I missed her.

  But one thought kept me from breaking down. We'd have all of it again. Her body was dead, yes, but her spirit lived on. She was up there, and one day, I would join her. I would hug her and never let go. It would be cake.

  Frosty stood off to the side, separated from the crowd. He wore a pair of sunglasses, hiding his eyes. His head was bowed, his hands fisted at his sides. My heart broke for him.

  But it was quickly put back together when I noticed the two girls standing hand in hand a few yards away from him. Emma and Kat. They were here!

  I wanted to run to them but didn't. Disturbing the ceremony would have been so uncool. So I stood in place and waited, squeezing Cole's arm to hold myself back. He kissed my forehead, his comfort and support unwavering.

  Finally, everyone ambled away from the site.

  Kat watched Frosty, her expression concerned.

  "Ready, love?" Cole asked me.

  "Let's talk to the girls."

  "They're here?"

  "Yep." I released him and bounded over. Both Kat and Emma smiled at me, and I would have sworn the sun got brighter.

  "Dude. Did you notice how many people were here? Tons!" Kat exclaimed. "I put the fun in funeral."

  Only Kat.

  She arched a brow and said something I'd said to Cole many times before. "Too soon to joke?"

  "Forever will be too soon," I muttered.

  Cole came up behind me, wrapped his arm around my waist. "Girls still here?"