The White Rabbit Chronicles Page 32

  To me, this meant we had a future.

  “Why now?” he asked, here in the present. The stockade fence loomed behind him, trees at his sides. There was no moonlight, no flashlight, but I could see his face clearly. Dark hair was brushed back and damp, violet eyes were luminous. “What’s changed?”

  “Me, I think.” As I’d already realized, some part of me had been pushing him away, resisting him. And then today, after talking to Kat...well, I was unsure how much longer I had with her, and I was envious of the connection she had with Frosty. I wanted that kind of connection with Cole, and I realized I’d decided I could have it, if only I would open myself to the possibilities.

  “Well, I approve. I want that.” His voice was a husky rasp, as rich and decadent as chocolate. “What we saw.”

  “Me, too,” I admitted.

  “Do you know me well enough now?”

  I knew he was strong, determined, protective, and that he cared about his friends more than he cared about himself. He obeyed no rules but his own. In the Wild West days, he would have been an outlaw. I knew his sense of humor fit me, just as mine seemed to fit him.

  “Yes,” I whispered. “I do. Not sex,” I added. “Not yet. But...”

  “But more than what we have.”

  “Yes,” I repeated.

  “Good.” He took my hand, ushering me through the darkness and mud. I knew there were traps out here, but I couldn’t see them. Nor did I see any sign of the zombies. “One of the guys will stop by your house every hour to check things out.”

  “Thank you.” Cole’s Jeep was once again parked at the curb. Only difference was, Bronx wasn’t poised at the wheel. Cole claimed the driver’s seat.

  I buckled in and shifted to face him. “Everyone’s well?” I asked as we rambled down the road.

  “Yeah. Recovering nicely.”

  “Where was the nest?”

  “A mausoleum in a cemetery.”

  “And they were...what? Just sleeping in there?”

  He nodded. “We opened the door, and they just stood there, staring at us. They didn’t even put up a fight when we attacked.”

  “Maybe something was wrong with them.” Like...the essence of a poisoned spirit working through their systems?

  “Maybe. We’ve never encountered anything like it.”

  “So you guys were able to ash them without any problems?”

  “Yep.”

  And I bet they’d celebrated afterward. Throw me a pity party, because I wished I’d been there. I shifted to my other side and traced a fingertip over the dusty window, leaving a smear. “How did the boys find them?”

  Cole accelerated, passing one car, then another. “They were doing patrols and followed the smell, which was more rank than usual.”

  We lapsed into silence, leaving me alone with my thoughts—which quickly switched from zombies to Cole himself. I knew where he was taking me. His home. We’d go to his bedroom, and what? Just start making out? And, crap! Even though we weren’t having sex, I hadn’t initiated “the chat” with him. Things could spiral out of control, or I could change my mind.

  “So...what do you slayers believe about heaven and hell?” I asked, keeping myself busy. “Do you go to church?”

  “I can’t speak for the other guys, but yeah, I go to church. Me and my dad, every Sunday. You?”

  “I do, too.”

  We reached our destination, and he parked in his driveway. He got out, came to my side and helped me to my feet.

  “Don’t be nervous,” he said. “We won’t do anything you don’t want to do.”

  That was the problem! I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Now or never, I mused. “Are we official? I mean, are we together and only seeing each other?”

  He paused on the porch to look at me, a strange expression on his face. “Maybe I did a terrible job communicating with you, but we have been together and only seeing each other for a while now. We just had a few things to iron out.”

  Elation poured through me, potent enough to make me tremble. “Oh.”

  There was a flash of fury in his eyes. “Have you been seeing someone else?”

  “No!”

  The fury drained, and yet, his new expression failed to comfort me. I’d thought Pops was determined about the boxing thing, but this...

  “Okay, then,” I said. “I just had to make sure.”

  “Next time make sure sooner.”

  Inside, I managed to steal a glance at the living room before he tugged me down the hall. I’d been here countless times, but never inside the house. Only the barn. The sparseness astonished me. A brown couch, a love seat and a coffee table, but no other furniture and no photos on the walls. No vases or flowers or decorations of any kind. Wait. Scratch that no other furniture thing. There was a safe, big and black and probably loaded with enough firepower to raze the entire town.

  “Your dad—” I began.

  “Isn’t here.”

  “And Bronx and Mackenzie?”

  “Bronx is asleep in his room, and Kenz is out.”

  Kenz, again. A nickname meant affection. I could have let doubts about his feelings for me—and his feelings for her—invade my mind, take root and grow branches, but I refused. No more fear, I reminded myself. Plus, I either trusted him or I didn’t. I couldn’t have it both ways.

  My thoughts splintered as we entered Cole’s bedroom. He shut the door with a soft click. I looked around nervously. He had a full-size bed, dark covers and sheets. A nightstand with a book resting on top (I couldn’t see the title). A dresser. Very tidy. Very...lonely.

  Without a word, Cole backed me into the wall. The plaster was cool, making me gasp, then he was pressing into me, so hot my brain short-circuited.

  “Sure about this?”

  “Y-yes.”

  He stared at me for a long while before finally meshing his lips against mine, his tongue sliding into my mouth. The kiss was slow at first but soon sped into something wild. Would it always be this way with us? I wondered dazedly.

  Somehow, my nervousness vanished and my hands ended up under his shirt, my nails embedded in his skin. I couldn’t touch him enough. Couldn’t get close enough.

  Just like in the vision, my legs ended up wrapped around his waist. He leaned back, taking me with him. No longer was the wall the anchor that was keeping me vertical. Cole was.

  He walked to the bed with me clinging to him like ivy. Then he was tilting...tilting...and the softness of the mattress was absorbing my weight. He settled on top of me, the kissing never pausing.

  To my surprise, he never took things further. Well, not much. All we did was kiss, our hands playing here and there, high but not low. Finally he groaned, and lifted his head. His pupils were huge, swallowing all that violet.

  “We have to stop.”

  What? Why? “O-okay.”

  “When you’re ready for more, we’ll both know it.” He rolled beside me and gathered me against him.

  “What if I want to wait until I’m married?”

  “Are you asking me to marry you?” he asked with a laugh.

  “No!”

  “If that’s what you need, that’s what you need. Never let anyone talk you out of it, even me. And I hate to say it, but I’ll probably try.”

  “And I’d probably be disappointed if you didn’t.” I snuggled into his side, and he sifted his fingers through my hair, letting the strands fall back into place before capturing them again. I was pleased to note he was trembling as much as I was.

  “Do you miss your other life?” he asked.

  Surprised as I was by the topic switch, I needed no time to think about the answer. “Yes, but only because I miss my family so much. I wish...I wish I could tell my dad that he wasn’t crazy. I wish I could tell my mom how much I love her. And I wish my little sister was alive and well. She was the light of my world.”

  “Has she visited you again?”

  “No.” And despite the grimness of her predictions, I wished she had. “He
r last words to me were, ‘He’s coming for you.’”

  “He, who?”

  “I haven’t been able to figure that out.”

  Cole sat up and glanced at me over his shoulder, his expression grim. “Will you tell me about the wreck? About what happened afterward, to your parents?”

  I licked my lips and forced myself to speak before I shut down like every time before. “I came to and saw my dad spotlighted by the car’s headlights. Three zombies fell on him, disappearing inside him, coming back up for air. Then I blacked out, and when I came to again, those same zombies had somehow dragged my mother beside him and they were doing the same thing to her.”

  “Was he alive at the time, your dad?”

  “He couldn’t have been. He never made a sound.”

  “And your mom?”

  “D-dead, I think. In the car, there was so much b-blood on her.” My teeth began to chatter.

  “She couldn’t have walked to the zombies to try and save your dad?”

  “N-no.” Right?

  “We don’t have to talk about this anymore,” Cole said, returning to a stretched-out position beside me. “You’re a little shocky.”

  “I’ll be okay. But why did you ask about the wreck?” Here and now, of all places and times.

  There was a long, heavy pause. “The ‘he’ your sister mentioned...”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t react until you hear me out, okay? But if your dad was alive before the zombies bit him, they could have infected him. He could be—”

  “No!” I shouted. More softly, I repeated, “No. That isn’t possible.”

  “Ali.”

  “No.” I peered up at the ceiling, tears welling in my eyes, spilling onto my cheeks. He was saying my dad might have become the very evil he’d once feared, and that simply couldn’t be right. It couldn’t.

  If I had to fight my own father...if I had to end him... No! I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it.

  But someone would, I thought. For all I knew, they had already.

  “I know it’s a hard thing to consider, and you know I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I didn’t think it was a possibility. I would never purposely hurt you, but I wanted to prepare you, just in case, because...that’s what happened to my mom.”

  A buzz of shock lanced through me. “Your mother was a zombie?”

  “Yes. I was there when my dad ashed her,” he said flatly.

  “I—I—” All I could do was hold on to him more tightly, offering what comfort I could.

  “She’d come for me, determined to make me like her. I fought her, but not to the best of my ability because she was my mom, and she managed to bite me. I shouted for my dad, and when he raced inside my room she lunged for him. She almost beat him, but he rallied himself and struck with a glowing hand. He was crying when he did it.”

  “Oh, Cole. I’m so sorry.”

  “The zombies aren’t mindless at first. They remember what they had, and they hate that we still have it. They want to take it from us. The fact that you’re being hunted so determinedly...”

  Yeah. I didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. My dad could be hunting me.

  Cole sighed and said, “Come on. I’ll take you home.”

  “All right,” I replied gently. I needed time to think, to plan.

  We were loaded into his car a few minutes later, then parking at the curb soon after that. He checked his phone as he walked me through the forest, and frowned.

  “Something’s going down at your house,” he said.

  “What?” Suddenly on the lookout for zombies, I raced forward.

  “He didn’t say.” Cole moved in front of me and prevented me from falling into any traps. Halfway there, I inhaled the scent of rot. It saturated the breeze, so thick it created a film over my skin.

  I looked up but saw no hint of a rabbit in the sky.

  Why hadn’t Emma warned me? “Well, the zombies are out here somewhere,” I said, palming my blade. “Do you see them?”

  “Not yet, but they’re close by. The scent is unbelievably strong.” He unsheathed his crossbow with one hand and phoned Frosty with the other.

  The closer we got to my house, the faster we ran. No zombies jumped out at us. When we reached my fence—no zombies waited there, either, thank God—I caught a glimpse of a retreating Cruz as I threw open the gate, too upset to even tell Cole goodbye. I had to check on my grandparents.

  “What the—” I heard him say.

  First thing I noticed: all the lights in the house were on. The second thing: policemen were everywhere.

  “Weapons,” Cole reminded me.

  I tossed the blade to the ground before I scrambled forward. “Nana! Pops!” The officer who stood at the back door grabbed me and held me in place.

  “Are you Ali?” he demanded.

  Porch light spilled over us. He was an older guy, on the heavier side, with concern bathing his face. “Yes. Where are my grandparents? Are they okay? What happened?”

  “Are you okay?” he demanded.

  “I’m fine. My grandparents—”

  He ignored me, shouting, “I’ve got the girl.” His gaze moved behind me, to Cole, who’d followed me. “Who are you?”

  “The boyfriend,” was Cole’s response.

  Understanding replaced the cop’s concern. Other cops rushed to our little group, and between their questions and mine, answers began to fall into place. A “vandal” had broken into the house and scared my grandparents. Pops had made sure Nana was hidden and had then come looking for me. He hadn’t been able to find me. The vandal spotted him, knocked him around. Meanwhile, Nana called 911.

  Couldn’t have been a zombie. Cole had promised there was a Blood Line all around the perimeter. So...why the smell?

  “Justin,” Cole muttered.

  My eyes widened. Justin wouldn’t have done this, I didn’t think, but his co-workers certainly could have. Still, that smell of rot...

  I’d figure out the flaws in my logic later. Pops was now in the hospital, in stable condition and expecting a full recovery. Nana was here to answer the phone in case my kidnappers called. Only, I hadn’t been kidnapped, I’d snuck out.

  I would carry the guilt of this forever. I’d brought this war to my grandparents’ doorstep. I couldn’t even comfort myself with the knowledge that I’d been out fighting tonight. I’d been making out, having fun while they worried and suffered.

  “Can I see her?” I croaked.

  “Sure,” the cop who’d first grabbed me said.

  Though they weren’t done questioning Cole, he followed me inside, refusing to leave my side. I found Nana in the living room, sitting on the couch and silently crying. Her eyes were red and puffy, her nose running. They must have told her I’d been found, but had kept her here while they dug for the truth.

  The moment she spotted me she was on her feet and racing to me, throwing her arms around me. I hugged her right back, holding on to her with all of my strength and crying along with her.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said.

  “We’ll talk about it later. I’m just happy you’re safe.”

  After all the wonderful things they’d done for me, I’d caused my grandparents nothing but grief. And the horrible thing was, I knew I’d continue to do so.

  * * *

  Pops came home from the hospital a few days later. He looked so fragile I wanted to slug the doctor who’d released him and the insurance company who’d refused to pay for any more of his care.

  I told Nana to take any money necessary from my college account and get him readmitted, but she refused. She had been desperate to have Pops back and under her care.

  He had bruises under his eyes, and his cheeks were hollowed out. His skin was grayish and paper-thin, and all of his joints were swollen. He was such a darling man, my Pops. How could anyone have hurt him like that?

  First day back at school, Cole and I confronted Justin and his sister in the parking lot. Cole spotted them as they
stepped from the bus. He got out of his car and shouted, “Silverstone!”

  Justin faced him. Without any other words spoken, the two launched at each other and just started hitting.

  I got out and approached Jaclyn. “Interfere, and you’ll end up just like your brother,” I said through gritted teeth. “You and I are going to talk.”

  She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Screw you.”

  “If you ever go near my grandparents again,” I snarled, “I will wipe the floor with your face. Do you hear me?”

  She scowled, the wind blustering her hair back into place. “What are you talking about? We didn’t do anything to your grandparents.”

  “Just like you didn’t start those rumors about me?”

  The boys were busy throwing punches, cursing.

  She shrugged. “Yeah, I stared the rumors. So what?”

  “So you’re an evil little troll with no morals, who doesn’t mind hurting innocent people. I know you and your group came to the house to harass me, maybe even to rough me up. When you discovered I wasn’t there, you turned on my Nana and Pops.”

  “I told you! I didn’t do anything to your grandparents.”

  “You know who did, and you will tell me.” I didn’t wait for her response. She needed to know how serious I was. I popped her in the nose, blood instantly spurting from her. Her knees collapsed and she hit the ground with a howl.

  Dr. Wright raced outside, the school doors banging shut behind her. “Enough!” she yelled. “Enough, boys. Ali. Now!”

  The security guards had to pull the boys apart. Me, I held up my hands, palms out and said, “Self-defense.”

  All four of us ended up suspended.

  Kat came by to see me that night, but I was distracted and we ended up arguing, too.

  “I told you about my illness, but you won’t tell me what’s going on with you?” she said, arms lifted with exasperation. “And I know something’s going on. You’re spending more and more time with Cole, you’re bruised all the time and I would think he was beating you if I hadn’t seen the bruises on everyone else you’re hanging out with. I know you’re involved in whatever Frosty’s involved in, and I know you’re keeping secrets from me.”