“I didn’t say you looked bad, just tired.” He handed me a syringe, tucked snugly in a small, black case. “That’s your EpiPen.”
My zombie toxin antidote. “Thank you.” I carefully placed it in my back pocket.
“Any problems with zombies last night?”
“No.”
“Good. That means none of them escaped my traps.”
Surely he wasn’t saying he’d fought them. I hadn’t seen the rabbit. “You mean…”
“Yep. We tracked a nest headed toward your house.”
Emma was right. They were hunting me. But…why? And why hadn’t she formed the cloud?
“We managed to stop most of them before they could reach you,” he added. “The ones that made it past us must have gotten caught in the trees.”
I hadn’t seen them, hadn’t known anyone was out there. Either they were getting better at hiding, or I’d been too distracted. Neither boded well for me.
“When do you guys sleep?” I asked, reaching out before I could stop myself and playing with the button on his shirt. You shouldn’t touch him. It promotes a familiarity you do not share with him. Gritting my teeth, I dropped my hands to my sides.
“Haven’t you heard?” His warm breath trekked over my forehead, reminding me of just how wonderfully tall he was. “We sleep during class.”
I couldn’t detect a shred of sarcasm from him. “Great. That’s just great. Next you’ll tell me to set up camp in the principal’s office, since I’ll be spending so much time there.”
“You probably will.”
Peachy.
“Good news is, Dr. Wright is one of us so she’ll let you off the hook if at all possible.” There was a heavy pause. “So. Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “We actually sleep in shifts. You’ll get used to it. Last night we all stayed up because we suspected the zombies would head for wherever you were and we’d have to fight more than we were used to.”
“They did, and you did.”
“Yeah.”
“My grandparents…” My hand fluttered to my throat. I wanted to look at him, to judge his expression, but I still couldn’t allow myself.
“They will be in danger if they leave the house at night, yes. We’ll do what we can with the traps, but it’ll be better if you move in with someone else.”
I tried not to reveal my horror, but I’m pretty sure I failed. “With who?”
“Me,” he said simply.
No way. Not just because he’d dumped Mackenzie when she’d moved in with him, but because…well, just because! “How can you even suggest that?”
“Because I want you protected.”
“No.” I couldn’t hurt my grandparents like that. But then, I couldn’t let the zombies hurt them, either, now could I?
My plan to save others from this kind of situation was growing more complicated by the minute. I’d figure something out, though. I’d have to. Until then, I’d protect Nana and Pops with my own life.
“You can place a guard or two out here,” I said. “I’ll make sure Nana and Pops stay inside. I’m not leaving them.”
“That takes soldiers out of the line of duty, but okay,” he replied. “For now.”
“Thank you.”
“You look beautiful, by the way,” he said, stunning me.
Pretty words meant to soften his “for now,” I’m sure. “I thought I looked tired.”
“Beautifully tired.”
“In my plain white button-up meant for winter? Doubtful.”
“I don’t mean your clothes. It’s you.” He sifted strands of my hair through his fingers, tickling my scalp. “There’s something about you. Something that sets you apart from everyone else.”
I pulled the strands free, severing contact—and trying not to melt. “You don’t like me, you do. You don’t again, you do again. Make up your mind.”
A growl sprang from low in his throat. “Don’t be that way. I messed up, okay? I know you’re pi— I mean, ticked at me. I’m sorry for what I said at the party. The others had been riding me about your motives, and then you showed up with Justin and he shot off his mouth. I reacted.”
“And this is my reaction. I’ll be any way I choose.”
“Is that so?” he said quietly.
“Yeah.”
“Even though I was trying to protect you?”
“Even though.”
“Ali,” he barked.
“Cole.” He was the bear in the cage, and I was the little kid with the stick. He might be under lock and key, but in no way was he subdued. He was a warrior. Too young for the army, but leading his own anyway. He fought, and he killed. And here I was, purposely provoking him.
While he would beat up anyone else for such a thing, I knew he wouldn’t harm me. He wouldn’t even let his friends yell at me. But pain wasn’t just physical, and I wasn’t sure he knew that. He’d wounded me with his rejection, whether it had been for my own good or not, when I’d only just begun to heal from other wounds.
“In my defense, I’ve lost a lot of friends doing this, and you look so fragile. So…breakable. Forgive me.” His voice dipped low, became a mere rasp. “Please. I love that you ask a thousand questions a day, and I don’t know what I’ll do if you’re not around.”
Melting… “I—” Was a big-time sucker. But he’d said please, and I found I had no defenses against that. “Fine. You’re forgiven. We’re friends. But don’t ever try to push me away for my own good again.”
“I won’t,” he said. “But you have to promise to continue getting to know me.”
To date him? No, couldn’t be. After everything that had happened, we were meant to be friends, only friends. “Deal.”
“Good. Do you want to know what I’ve learned about you so far?”
I couldn’t stop my whispered “yes.” Stupid curiosity.
“I’ve learned that you are stubborn, willful, funny and—”
I pounded a fist into his chest. “Hey!”
“Well, you are.” He flattened his hand over mine, keeping me from delivering another blow. “And you’re vengeful.”
“Why would you want to know more about a person like that?” I practically snarled.
“Maybe because those are my favorite qualities.”
Hardly. “Then you should get back together with Mackenzie.” Whom he might still have feelings for, I reminded myself.
“Ouch. There’s that vengeful side again. But you’re also sweet. You don’t smile very often, but when you do…” He leaned down, his nose rubbing against mine. “I find myself thinking very naughty thoughts.”
I gulped. That wasn’t a very friend-like thing to say, now was it. “Wh-what kind of naughty thoughts?”
“Can’t repeat ’em without violating several laws.” He traced his fingers over the back of my hand. “Why had you never been kissed before? How is that possible?”
I studied his boots, the mud streaked on the sides, the brand-new laces. “My dad never allowed us to go out at night, which meant no dinner or movie dates. I didn’t want anyone to pick me up at home for a day date because I didn’t want a potential boyfriend to meet my dad and see how crazy he was. How crazy I thought he was.”
“Well, I already know all about your crazy life, so that’s not an issue.”
“I know.” Wait. Was he trying to tell me that he was now ready to date me? “That doesn’t mean you’re good for me. I thought I could handle you, but I soon learned how wrong I was.”
“Please. I’d love to meet the guy you couldn’t handle, and give him an award,” he replied darkly. “Now, are you ready for the vision or not?”
The vision. Right. Nothing else mattered right now. I squared my shoulders, forced my mind away from my confused state, and said, “I’m ready.”
I raised my head. He pushed back his hat. Just like that, the shadows were gone. Our eyes met. Annnd…nothing happened.
I blinked, shook my head. Still nothing. Frowning, I cupped his cheeks with more force than necessary and shook his head. Again nothing.
“I don’t understand,” he said with a frown of his own. “Even when you were poisoned and drugged out, I saw something.”
Yeah. Us kissing, he’d said. “This is weird.” And I never would have guessed I would think not having a vision was weird. My arms fell to my sides, slapping at my thighs. “Unless…maybe we don’t have anything we need to avoid today.”