Through the Zombie Glass Read online

Page 26

Page 26

 

  I gazed down. I was absentmindedly rubbing my thumb over the daggers. Oh. Well. “They comfort me. ”

  Reeve gasped and stomped on the brake. The car jerked to a stop, throwing me forward as much as the belt would allow.

  “What the—”

  “Bronx,” she screeched, tearing off her belt and stepping into the daylight.

  Just in front of her car, right in the middle of the road, was Bronx’s old, rusted truck. He leaned against the hood, arms crossed.

  I should have expected this.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he spat. “Sneaking out in the middle of the night, meeting some strange guy and going to his place. Do you know how dangerous that is?”

  “How did you—argh! It doesn’t matter. ” She grabbed a rock and threw it at him.

  Reflexes honed, he ducked.

  She shook her head, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just done. More calmly, she said, “He’s not some strange guy, he’s my boyfriend, and what I do with him isn’t your business. ”

  “Everything about you is my business. ”

  Her back went ramrod straight. “Screw you. I’m not doing this with you, Bronx. Not anymore. ” She turned.

  He grabbed her arm, spun her around. “Did you sleep with him?”

  Very calmly, she said, “I told you. What I do with him is none of your business. ”

  “And I told you everything about you is my business, but neither of us seems to be listening. ”

  The forced calm vanished as she jerked away. “You can’t do this to me. Can’t pretend you care. Tomorrow, after I’ve dumped him, you’ll change your mind. ” She shoved him, a puny action, really, when comparing a six-foot-five gigantor to a five-foot-five fairy princess, but he released her anyway.

  “Does Daddy Dearest know about him?” he asked quietly.

  She pointed her finger in his face. “No, and you won’t say a word. You don’t get to play any part in my love life. We’ve been sniffing around each other since junior high. You were so sweet to me at first. You made me things. You were my first kiss. Then suddenly you wouldn’t look at me, wouldn’t even talk to me—until I turned my sights to someone else and tried to move on. You’d come on strong, and I’d always fall back into your arms, but it wouldn’t take long for you to start ignoring me all over again, and I’m tired of it. ”

  I shouldn’t be listening to this. I would have hated it if anyone had heard my arguments with Cole, especially the final one.

  Trying to distract myself, I turned up the radio. Taylor Swift, “I Knew You Were Trouble. ” Fitting. I texted Nana. Can we talk later? Just U & me?

  If my emotions started to go haywire, I’d adios.

  Her: I would love that.

  Me: I’m sorry I’ve been so weird lately, & I’m sorry about the fight w/the girl.

  Her: We can talk about the reason at dinner. And just to make you happy, I promise I won’t spend too much on groceries.

  I laughed.

  Her: BTW, do you want to tell me why I found a note in your room saying “Did this to myself”? WHAT DID YOU DO?

  Uh-oh.

  Me: Almost @ school. Gotta go. Love you!

  Hey. Not a word of that was a lie.

  “—can’t be with you the way I want,” Bronx was saying, drawing my attention back to the conversation.

  “Why?” Reeve demanded. “For once, give me a straight answer. You do, and I’ll never see Ethan again. ”

  Bronx pressed his lips together.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. ” Bitterness tinged her tone.

  Reeve stomped to the car. Bronx stomped to his. His tires squealed as he turned the vehicle around. Dirt sprayed as he shot forward.

  “That boy,” Reeve said, her body trembling.

  “He cares about you. ”

  “Yeah, just not enough. ”

  I reached over, patted her hand. “Believe me, I get it. ”

  She tossed me a sad smile before resuming the drive.

  A few minutes later, she was parking in her usual spot. The lot could be overflowing, but no one, not even teachers, would dare encroach on her territory. Not because of her or her father’s money, but because of Bronx. I heard someone made the mistake of parking here only once; Bronx had hot-wired the car and crashed it into the trees the students had spray-painted gold and black to proudly display our school colors.

  Silent, we strode over the tiger paws mowed into the grass and headed inside the building.

  Trina and Mackenzie were leaning against a locker, snarling at anyone stupid enough to approach them. When I walked past—never said I was smart—they pushed away from the wall and flanked my sides, shouldering Reeve out of the way.

  “You have to talk to Cole,” Trina began.

  “I never thought I’d say this,” Mackenzie said, “but I want you to do more than talk to him. I want you to seduce the hell out of him. I don’t know how much more post-Ali drama I can take. ”

  “O-kay. Cue my exit,” Reeve said, branching away from us. “See you at lunch, Ali. ”

  “Yeah. See ya. ” I sighed. “What’s the problem?”

  Trina twisted the ring in her eyebrow. “For starters, he’s meaner than my stepdad’s Yorkie. ”

  “Your stepdad has a Yorkie?”

  Mackenzie slashed a hand through the air. “Forget the tiny terror dog. Cole lashes out at everything we say, and has for weeks. ”

  For weeks?

  Until two nights ago, he’d shown me only his gentler side.

  “He busted Lucas’s nose during training,” she continued. “Last night, he punched a window and needed eight stitches. ”

  Last night? While he’d been with Veronica. “It has nothing to do with me,” I assured them. If I’d had claws, I would have scraped them over the lockers.

  Calm.

  “I happen to think it has everything to do with you,” Trina said. “I’ve seen the way he watches you when you’re not looking. ”

  “And I swear vessels burst in his forehead every time Gavin mentions your name,” Mackenzie said, nodding.

  “Guys. Cole broke up with me. I told him I’d work on being his friend, and I will, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stroke his. . . uh, ego and make him smile. ”

  “Fine,” Trina replied. “We’ll stop trying to convince you to sex him up, but you still gotta talk to him. You’re the only one he’ll listen to. ”

  “I don’t think that’s true. ”

  She ignored me, saying, “He disappears for hours at a time. No one knows where he goes. He’s paranoid we won’t keep detailed records about what we find on patrol. He gets phone calls from blocked numbers and steps out of the room so no one will overhear his conversations. Before, he kept us in the loop about everything. ”

  So he was still spying on the slayers. But what was it, exactly, that he was trying to uncover?

  I reached my destination, freed the lock on my locker and stuffed my bag inside. “I’ll talk to him about his weirdness, but that’s all I can promise. ”

  Mackenzie shocked me to my bones when she hugged me. “Thank you. We, like, seriously owe you one. ”

  As if our conversation had summoned him, Cole turned the corner and strolled down the hall toward us. He was wearing a red baseball cap and had his hands in his pockets. I couldn’t see his newest wound. He walked past us, nodding at Trina, then Mackenzie—avoiding me. My chest constricted.

  “Or maybe I won’t be talking to him,” I muttered, and took off for my first class.

  Just before Cole turned the corner, he looked back at me; our gazes locked. I tripped over my own feet. No vision. But I saw hunger. Fury. Regret. Remorse. Fear. Then he was gone.

  Someone laughed, breaking me from the spell he’d woven. Dazed, a little angry with myself—calm
, dang it—I looked to see what was so funny. Wren and Poppy stood with a group of girls making fun of a tall, skinny redhead with freckles and braces. Wren and Poppy weren’t laughing, but they weren’t stopping the taunts, either. The redhead was doing her best not to cry.

  I stomped over and, to a chorus of “Hey” and “Watch it,” shoved the girls out of the way. Glaring, I said, “You have five seconds to leave, and then I get mad. ”

  I wasn’t ever going to be a sedative, was I?

  They might not know how good I was with my fists, but they certainly knew the people I ran with, and, paling, they left without another word. Poppy cast a remorseful look over her shoulder. Wren, too. Only she mouthed, Thank you, baffling me.

  “Thank you,” the redhead said, then swallowed a sob. “My shirt. . . I didn’t bring a jacket today, so I can’t cover up. ”

  It was white and soaked with water, revealing every stitch on her bra. “Why don’t we trade?” I didn’t want her sitting in the cold and the wet and thinking about what had happened. “Your shirt goes better with my jeans. ”

  “Really?”

  “Really. ”

  She brightened, and we raced to the bathroom.

  “Thank you so much,” she said after we’d made the switch.

  “Don’t worry about it. ” Shivering, I darted to class to avoid a tardy I couldn’t afford.

  To my surprise, Justin was waiting at the door. “Hey, Ali. ”

  “Hey. ”

  He opened his mouth to say more, closed it. Opened it. Snapped it closed. Finally he settled on “How are you?”

  “I’ve been better. ” I headed toward my seat, and he followed me. “You?”

  “Fine. I’m fine. ”

  I studied him, saw dark circles under his eyes, gaunt cheekbones and lips that had clearly been chewed. He wasn’t fine. “I know you told me nothing abnormal had been happening to you. Is that still the case?”

  His brow furrowed, becoming a slash of anger. “Want to tell me what’s been happening to you? Because something has, right?”

    Ecstasy in Darkness Read onlineEcstasy in DarknessFirstlife Read onlineFirstlifeCan't Hardly Breathe Read onlineCan't Hardly BreathePlaying With Fire Read onlinePlaying With FireThe Queen of Zombie Hearts Read onlineThe Queen of Zombie HeartsTwice as Hot Read onlineTwice as HotUnraveled Read onlineUnraveledThe Darkest Secret Read onlineThe Darkest SecretSeduce the Darkness Read onlineSeduce the DarknessLord of the Vampires Read onlineLord of the VampiresThe Darkest Surrender Read onlineThe Darkest SurrenderEnslave Me Sweetly Read onlineEnslave Me SweetlyThe Darkest Lie Read onlineThe Darkest LieIntertwined Read onlineIntertwinedInto The Dark Read onlineInto The DarkSavor Me Slowly Read onlineSavor Me SlowlyCan't Get Enough Read onlineCan't Get EnoughAnimal Instincts Read onlineAnimal InstinctsThe Harder You Fall Read onlineThe Harder You FallThe Darkest Promise Read onlineThe Darkest PromiseThe Closer You Come Read onlineThe Closer You ComeThe Pleasure Slave Read onlineThe Pleasure SlaveThe Darkest Warrior Read onlineThe Darkest WarriorOn the Hunt Read onlineOn the HuntThe Darkest Prison Read onlineThe Darkest PrisonBlack and Blue Read onlineBlack and BlueThe Amazon's Curse Read onlineThe Amazon's CurseWicked Nights Read onlineWicked NightsTwisted Read onlineTwistedBurning Dawn Read onlineBurning DawnThe Darkest Pleasure Read onlineThe Darkest PleasureThe One You Want Read onlineThe One You WantThe Darkest Night Read onlineThe Darkest NightThe Hotter You Burn Read onlineThe Hotter You BurnDark Swan Read onlineDark SwanThrough the Zombie Glass Read onlineThrough the Zombie GlassAlice in Zombieland Read onlineAlice in ZombielandRed Handed Read onlineRed HandedThe Darkest Assassin Read onlineThe Darkest AssassinAwaken Me Darkly Read onlineAwaken Me DarklyThe Darkest Fire Read onlineThe Darkest FireThe Darkest Seduction Read onlineThe Darkest SeductionBeauty Awakened Read onlineBeauty AwakenedThe Darkest Craving Read onlineThe Darkest CravingThe Darkest Kiss Read onlineThe Darkest KissJewel of Atlantis Read onlineJewel of AtlantisThe Darkest Angel Read onlineThe Darkest AngelThe Darkest Whisper Read onlineThe Darkest WhisperEverlife Trilogy Complete Collection: Firstlife ; Lifeblood ; Everlife Read onlineEverlife Trilogy Complete Collection: Firstlife ; Lifeblood ; EverlifeThe Darkest Passion Read onlineThe Darkest PassionPrince of Stone (Imperia) Read onlinePrince of Stone (Imperia)Heartless Read onlineHeartlessThe Stone Prince Read onlineThe Stone PrinceA Mad Zombie Party Read onlineA Mad Zombie PartyKat in Zombieland Read onlineKat in ZombielandAll Write Already: Year Of Your Book Read onlineAll Write Already: Year Of Your BookSecond Chance Read onlineSecond ChanceCan't Let Go Read onlineCan't Let GoLast Kiss Goodnight Read onlineLast Kiss GoodnightHeart of the Dragon Read onlineHeart of the DragonEverlife Read onlineEverlifeThe Darkest Touch Read onlineThe Darkest TouchThe Nymph King Read onlineThe Nymph KingHeart 0f The Dragon (Atlantis Book 1) Read onlineHeart 0f The Dragon (Atlantis Book 1)The Darkest Captive: A Lords of the Underworld Novella Read onlineThe Darkest Captive: A Lords of the Underworld NovellaLifeblood Read onlineLifebloodBlacklisted Read onlineBlacklistedPrince of Forever Read onlinePrince of ForeverForbidden Craving Read onlineForbidden CravingThe Warlord Read onlineThe WarlordThe Darkest Seduction lotu-10 Read onlineThe Darkest Seduction lotu-10Shadow and Ice (Gods of War) Read onlineShadow and Ice (Gods of War)Unraveled i-2 Read onlineUnraveled i-2The Darkest Captive Read onlineThe Darkest CaptiveThe Glass Queen Read onlineThe Glass QueenThe Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil) Read onlineThe Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil)Last Kiss Goodnight (Otherworld Assassin) Read onlineLast Kiss Goodnight (Otherworld Assassin)After Dark Read onlineAfter DarkOh My Goth Read onlineOh My GothBlack and Blue oa-2 Read onlineBlack and Blue oa-2Wicked Nights aotd-1 Read onlineWicked Nights aotd-1The Darkest Kiss lotu-3 Read onlineThe Darkest Kiss lotu-3The Darkest Assassin: A Lords of the Underworld Novella Read onlineThe Darkest Assassin: A Lords of the Underworld NovellaAlice in Zombieland wrc-1 Read onlineAlice in Zombieland wrc-1The White Rabbit Chronicles Read onlineThe White Rabbit ChroniclesThe Darkest Promise--A Dark, Demonic Paranormal Romance Read onlineThe Darkest Promise--A Dark, Demonic Paranormal RomanceRomancing the Gravestone Read onlineRomancing the GravestoneThe Pleasure Slave i-2 Read onlineThe Pleasure Slave i-2Can't Let Go--A Bad Boy Romance Read onlineCan't Let Go--A Bad Boy RomanceFirstlife (Everlife #1) Read onlineFirstlife (Everlife #1)The Stone Prince i-1 Read onlineThe Stone Prince i-1Playing With Fire (tales of an extra ordinary girl) Read onlinePlaying With Fire (tales of an extra ordinary girl)The Darkest King Read onlineThe Darkest KingThe Darkest Prison (lords of the underworld) Read onlineThe Darkest Prison (lords of the underworld)The Vampire's Bride--A Paranormal Romance Novel Read onlineThe Vampire's Bride--A Paranormal Romance NovelBeauty Awakened aotd-2 Read onlineBeauty Awakened aotd-2Twisted i-3 Read onlineTwisted i-3Dark Taste of Rapture Read onlineDark Taste of RaptureJewel of Atlantis a-2 Read onlineJewel of Atlantis a-2Atlantis Series Complete Collection Read onlineAtlantis Series Complete CollectionThe One You Want (Original Heartbreakers) Read onlineThe One You Want (Original Heartbreakers)Last Kiss Goodnight oa-1 Read onlineLast Kiss Goodnight oa-1Wicked Nights (Angels of the Dark) Read onlineWicked Nights (Angels of the Dark)The Vampire's Bride a-4 Read onlineThe Vampire's Bride a-4The Darkest Passion lotu-6 Read onlineThe Darkest Passion lotu-6Everlife (An Everlife Novel) Read onlineEverlife (An Everlife Novel)Ever Night Read onlineEver NightHeart of the Dragon a-1 Read onlineHeart of the Dragon a-1The Darkest Whisper lotu-5 Read onlineThe Darkest Whisper lotu-5The Nymph King a-3 Read onlineThe Nymph King a-3The Darkest Fire lotu-1 Read onlineThe Darkest Fire lotu-1The Darkest Surrender lotu-9 Read onlineThe Darkest Surrender lotu-9The Darkest Lie lotu-7 Read onlineThe Darkest Lie lotu-7Tempt Me Eternally Read onlineTempt Me EternallyLord of the Vampires and The Darkest Angel and The Amazon's Curse and The Darkest Prison Read onlineLord of the Vampires and The Darkest Angel and The Amazon's Curse and The Darkest PrisonMagic at Midnight Read onlineMagic at MidnightThe Darkest Night lotu-2 Read onlineThe Darkest Night lotu-2The Amazon's Curse (atlantis) Read onlineThe Amazon's Curse (atlantis)Catch a Mate Read onlineCatch a MateThe Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld Book 8) Read onlineThe Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld Book 8)Lord of the Vampires rhos-1 Read onlineLord of the Vampires rhos-1Shadow and Ice Read onlineShadow and IceBeauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark) Read onlineBeauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark)The Darkest Torment Read onlineThe Darkest TormentLords of the Underworld Bundle Read onlineLords of the Underworld BundleThe Darkest Craving lotu-11 Read onlineThe Darkest Craving lotu-11Temptation in Shadows Read onlineTemptation in ShadowsThe Darkest Surrender (Hqn) Read onlineThe Darkest Surrender (Hqn)The Alien Huntress Series Read onlineThe Alien Huntress SeriesThrough the Zombie Glass wrc-2 Read onlineThrough the Zombie Glass wrc-2Can't Get Enough (The Original Heartbreakers Book 6) Read onlineCan't Get Enough (The Original Heartbreakers Book 6)