Through the Zombie Glass - Gena Showalter, Gena Showalter (the unexpected everything TXT) 📗

thing shielding my body from hisstrike. Cole had yet to forgive himself.Maybe that was why he’d built a wall.Maybe he needed a reminder of just how wily I could be.“Cole,” I said huskily, and his eyelids lowered to half-mast.“Yes, Ali.”“This.” A slow smile spread as I circled my handsaround his ankles—and jerked. He slid off the bed andthumped to the floor.“What the hell?”I leaped on top of him, pinning his shoulders with myknees. The action caused the scar on my stomach to throb, but I masked my wince with another smile. “What are yogoing to do now, Mr. Holland?”He watched me intently, amusement darkening hisirises. “I think I’ll just enjoy the view.” He gripped me bythe waist, squeezed just enough to make sure he had myfull attention. “From this angle, I can see your—”Choking back a laugh, I took a swing at him.“Shorts,” he finished, catching my hand just beforeimpact. I wasn’t given the chance to tug free. He rolled meover, stretched my arms over my head and held me down.Tricky slayer.“What are you going to do now, Miss Bell?”Stay just like this and enjoy?I could smell the pine and                soap of his scent. Could hear the rasp of our breatintermingling. Could feel the heat and hardness of his body pressing against me.“What would you like me to do?” I met his gaze, and theair around us thickened, charged with electricity.Would he touch me?I wanted him to touch me.“You’re not ready for what I’d like you to do.” Hesearched my face as he reached between us, his actions belying his words... please, please...until he slowly pushedthe hem of my tee over my navel, revealing every inch odamaged flesh.He looked me over, and my stomach quivered. Heck, allof me quivered. He crawled down, down, and kissed oneedge of the wound, then the other, and a moan left me. Please. More.But a moment passed, then another, and he merelyreturned to his former position, driving me crazy with hisnearness but never doing anything to relieve the tensiospiraling inside me.“One more week of rest,” he said, his jaw clenched asif he’d had to force the words to leave his mouth.“Doctor’s orders.”I shook my head. “I’ll ask Bronx and Frosty to traime.”His eyes narrowed to tiny slits. “They’ll say no. I’llmake sure of it.”                “At first, maybe.” Definitely. Everyone alwaysfollowed Cole’s rules. Even other alpha males recognizeda bigger, badder predator. “However, I have a secretweapon.”He arched a brow. “And what’s that?”“Sure you want to know?” I asked, rubbing my kneesalong his hips.“Yes. Tell me.” His tone had gone low, gruff.My knees slid higher, higher still, and he went utterlymotionless, waiting to see what I would do next. I had twooptions. Try to seduce him into making out with me— theway he’s looking at me...I might actually succeed thistime— or prove I wasn’t out for the count.Sometimes I hated my priorities.I planted my feet against his shoulders and pushed witall my might. He propelled backward, catching himself ohis knees.“With you? Distraction,” I purred.Laughing, he stayed where he was and lifted my leg to place a soft kiss on my ankle. “I must be seriouslydisturbed, because I like when you rough me up.”Heat spilled into my cheeks. “You make me sound likesome kind of he-woman.”He laughed again, and oh, it was a beautiful sound.Lately, he’d been so somber. “I also like when you blush.”“Yes, well, I’ll bug Frosty and Bronx until they sayyes.” Apparently my inquisitive personality wasnot                 charming to everyone. Go figure. “They’ll be so irritated by their lack of fortitude, they’ll throw me around like I’a meat bag.”“So? You’ll get a boo-boo I’ll have to kiss and make better. Problem, meet solution.”I swallowed a laugh of my own and had to concentrateto adopt a stern expression. “I’ll let you kiss me better—ithe boo-boo is on my butt.”“Hmm. Kinky. This is a plan I can get behind... It’s avery nice behind.”Tease!“Cole,” I said with a pout. “You can’t flirt withme like this and then do nothing about it.”“Oh, I’ll do something about it.” The gruff, wanting tonewas back. His gaze locked on my mouth, heating witawareness. “Once you’ve been cleared.”So, seven more days of Cole’s china-doll treatment?on’t whimper.“Mr. Ankh would have cleared mealready if not for you and your protests.” I sat up andshifted my fingers through the silk of his hair. “I’m better now. I swear!”“No, you’re finally on the road to better. But if you starttraining, that could slow your progress. Besides, you’remine, Ali-gator, and you’re precious to me. I want you better. Ineed you better. And okay, yeah, I don’t like thethought of my friends putting their hands on you.”Ali-gator? Really? I think I would have preferredsomething like, I don’t know, cuddlecakes. Anything was                 better than a comparison to an overgrown lizard, right?And had he just called mehis?See? Melting...“Bronx is secretly into Reeve and Frosty is bat-crapcrazy for Kat. They wouldn’t try anything.” And really, before Cole, no boy hadever tried anything with me. I hadno idea what made me so irresistible to him.“Don’t care,” he said, leaning forward to nuzzle myneck. “I will put my boys in the hospital if they come near you. I don’t share my toys.”I had to swallow a snort. “If anyone else called me their toy, internal organs would spill.”“Agreed. Like I said, you’re mine. And, Ali, I’d love to be called your anything, especially your toy. Ireeeallywant you to play with me.”Okay, I did snort. Hello, mixed signals. “I’d really likeyou to prove that, Cole Holland.”His response? A groan.I sighed. There was nothing mixed about that, wasthere? “Back to the pimp hand you’re planning to throwaround.” I had no doubt he could put people in the hospital —he had before—but his friends? Never. I opened mymouth to tell him so, only to gasp. He’d just bitten the cordof my shoulder, and the most delicious lance of pleasurehad shot through me.“Cole.”“Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. Had to do a little proving.”                “Don’t stop,” I breathed. “Not this time.”“Ali,” he said with another groan. “You’re killing me.”He stood with me in his arms and gently laid me on the bed. He stretched out next to me but didn’t pull me into hisside.I swallowed a shriek of frustration. I wasn’t sure if hewas punishing himself for what he’d done to me or if hereally was afraid he would break me. All I knew was thatI missed the feel and taste of him.I rolled toward him and rested my head on his shoulder.His skin was warm and surprisingly soft as I traced acircle around the piercing in his nipple. Bad Ali.Smart Ali.His heart kicked into a faster rhythm,delighting me. Disappointed Ali.He remained just as he was, here butset apart from me.“When you’re better,” he finally said.His ability to resist me was sonot flattering.“I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I caused yoany more harm,” he added, and I lost my ire.His concern for me wasbeyond flattering.“Look, I have to help you guys in some way, KingCole.” The moment the nickname left my lips, I knew I’dmade a mistake. He’d embrace that one a little too tightly.“Doing nothing isdestroying me.”He pushed out a heavy breath. “All right. Okay. You cacome to the gym tomorrow morning. We’ll see how you                handle things.”I kissed his jaw, the shadow-beard he sported ticklingmy lips. “I think it’s cute that you thought I was asking for  permission.”“Thank you, Cole,” he grumbled. He cupped the back omy neck, tilting my head. My gaze met his. “I just want totake care of you.”“You will...just as long as you keep your swords toyourself.”His eyes darkened. “That’s not funny.”“What? Too soon? My near-death experience and your  part in it aren’t something we can joke about yet?”“Probably not ever.”I nipped playfully at his chin. “Okay.” Taking mercy onhim, I changed the subject. “Will you finally tell mewhat’s been going on these past few weeks?” Boss’sorders. Business wasn’t to be discussed. “As you can see,if it’s bad news, I can take it.”“Yeah. All right,” he replied, his relief obvious. “Tostart, Kat and Frosty broke up again.”I made a mental note to contact her first thing in themorning.“Also, Justin’s sister is missing.”Justin Silverstone used to be a slayer. Then his twinsister, Jaclyn, had convinced him to switch sides and joinnima Industries; the Hazmats, we called them. Theywanted to preserve the zombies for testing and studying                and planned to one day use them as weapons, uncaringabout the innocent lives that were lost along the way.“She probably ran off, afraid we’d come after her,” Isaid. She and her crew had helped bomb my grandparents’home. I owed her.Cole nodded. “Then there’s my search. We need moreslayers. I know there are kids out there as confused as yoused to be, unsure why they see monsters no one else casee, and they have no idea what to do about it.”“Any possibles?”“Not yet. But two slayers from Georgia came to help usout until we’ve rebuilt our team.”For a while, I’d thought the zombie problem existedonly in my home state of Alabama. I’d since learneddifferently. There were zombies all over the world.Slayers, too.“You should have shared this info long before now.You are such a pain, Coleslaw,” I said. Better, but thatnickname wasn’t the winner, either.“I know, but I’m your pain.”And just like that, my irritation drained away. How didhe do it?“Does Mr. Ankh know you’re here?” Since mygrandfather had died and my grandparents’ house had beentorched, Nana and I had moved in with Mr. Ankh and hisdaughter, Reeve.Mr. Ankh—Dr. Ankh to everyone outside his circle of                 trust—knew about the zombies and did all the medicalwork on the slayers. Reeve had no idea what was goingon, and we were supposed to keep her in the dark. Or else.Her father wanted her to have as normal a life as possible.What was normal, exactly?“I gave Ankh’s security the finger,” Cole said with atwinge of pride. “He would feel the need to tell your grandmother, and I don’t want to be kicked out and have tosneak back in. I just want to be with you.”“So you’re planning to stay here all night and hold me,Coley Guacamole?” Ugh. I shouldn’t have gone there. Thatone reeked.He barked out a laugh. “I liked King Cole better.”“That’s not actually a surprise.”“It just fits me so well.”“I’m sure you think so.” I gave a gentle tug on his nipplering.“I doubt I’m the only one. And yes, I’m staying.” Hecurled his fingers over mine, pried my grip loose and brought my knuckles to his mouth for a kiss. A secondlater, there was a flash of panic in his eyes. One I didn’tunderstand and must have misread. Because he said, “Justso you know, you can call me anything you want—just aslong as you always call me.”

* It might be a little messed up but I'll fix it later. Enjoy.*

Chapter 2

On Your Mark...Get Set...STOP!

I woke up alone, drenched in sweat and gasping for  breath, another dream of the accident hovering at the bacof my mind. I’d seen my mother reaching for me. Felt theunusual heat of her touch. Heard her yell at me. Then I’dwatched as the zombies finished eating my dad, glided toour car and jerked her out, ready for dessert.She’d fought against their hold, her expressio panicked. She’d called my name again. “Alice! Alice!”I’d struggled to reach her, begging the creatures not tohurt her.Then nothing. Now I wanted to cry.Why was I seeing this? It hadn’t happened. Not really.Had it?Had I woken up in