“I’m fine,” I say and glance—again—at Camilla.
She looks away hastily. Has she been watching me? The way I’ve so often found myself watching her...
“Usually I have to tell a guy to look away from my boobs,” Kat says, “not another girl.”
I grit my teeth. “You want me to fall for another girl, remember? You insist on it. You can’t get pissed when I oblige.”
“Not her,” she says quietly. “Anyone but her.”
I don’t want Camilla, not like that—damn it, I don’t.
A beep sounds from my phone, saving me from a reply. Kat attempts to lift the device, but her hand ghosts through it and she growls with frustration, banging a fist against the counter, rattling my plate.
I read the text to her. “Cole says knock, knock.”
“That’s it?”
I nod and set the phone aside.
“Well. Aren’t you going to respond to him?”
“Later.” My phone beeps again. “Knock, knock,” I read.
“Frosty,” Kat says on another sigh.
Fine. I type, Who’s there?
Cole: Me. I’m @ UR door. Open up.
Knock, knock.
The noise actually comes from my front door. My gaze lands on Camilla, and she stands, her body tense.
“I know you’re in there,” Cole calls through the wood. “I’m not leaving.”
Kat smiles at me with a mix of affection and sadness. “He’s got a proposition for you. You’ll want to say no, but I expect you to suck it up and say yes.” A second later, she’s gone.
Thank God for distractions. I wasn’t sure how much more Slayer and Ghost: A Love Story I could take. And okay. All right. Part of my irritation stems from my fascination. Frosty used to transform from caterpillar to butterfly every time Kat visited. His features would freaking glow. He would laugh and joke. Today, however, not even Kat is able to cheer him up. He’s as sullen and snappy with her as he is with me. Why?
Has he finally given up on her?
Do I want him to?
Well, I’m not gonna think about it right now. We have a visitor. Hopefully he’ll stay awhile, and I won’t have to spend the evening worrying about the coming nightmare. And it will come. I have one every night now, no exceptions.
I palm a dagger? just in case Cole’s here under duress, and move in front of Frosty to open the door.
Nope. No one has a gun to Cole’s head. My weapon goes back into its sheath.
The beautiful Cole is not alone, however. Ali and Gavin flank him, both giants compared to me.
Cole and Ali nod at me. Gavin wiggles his brows.
“I can answer my own door, thanks.” Frosty comes up beside me.
“You can, but you won’t.”
He glares at me before focusing on his friends. “What’s up?”
“My blood pressure if you don’t let me in.” Ali pushes her way past us.
Cole follows suit. “Love, Justin, Jaclyn and River are on patrol with some of our new recruits.”
Love. Mackenzie Love, Cole’s ex. And Justin Silverstone. About a year ago, Justin betrayed Cole’s team and aided Anima, believing their “we make the world a better place” propaganda. When the company abducted and tortured his sister, Jaclyn, all in an effort to force him to do more, to do worse to the friends he once fought alongside, he flipped sides once again. And yes, he had to go to great lengths to earn back their trust, but in the end, he succeeded.
I can’t hope for the same. Once bonded, always bonded with this group, and I’ve never had the luxury.
“So...River’s in town,” I say. He’s out there. He’s hunting zombies, teaching newbies, living his life without me. “He’s okay?”
Ali’s features soften. “Yeah. He’s fine.”
Recruiting is something my group has always done, but this is a first for Cole. Trust issues, I guess. But now that Anima has been defeated, he must be willing to try new things, to help kids who have no idea they’re slayers; they just know they’re different.
“No zombies have emerged in weeks and no one has seen a rabbit cloud in the sky,” Cole says.
I’d heard Ali’s sister, Emma, somehow shapes a cloud to look like a rabbit whenever she sees zombies stirring in their nests. A warning. Kinda like riding into town on a pony, shouting, “The undead are coming! The undead are coming!” But I don’t rely on that cloud like these guys. Emma can see a lot, I’m sure, but she can’t see everything. I think Frosty agrees with me, otherwise he’d have stayed home the past few rabbit-cloudless weeks.
“We’re on call, just in case,” Cole adds, “so there won’t be any drinking. But. Yeah. I said but. We’re going to Hearts and hanging out like we used to. You’re coming.”
“A night off? No.” Frosty shakes his head.
“Why? You got a hot date with a zombie?” Ali scans him from head to toe. “Seriously. I’m not just using the best pickup line ever when I say you look good enough to eat.”