The White Rabbit Chronicles
Page 72
Someone would have to get bitten, and we would have to try this again to be sure, but deep down I knew I was right. Even Mr. Holland would be able to fight the zombies again.
Kat shoved her way through the crowd, shoved Cole aside and threw her arms around me. “You’re healed!”
I hugged her back.
And there was Reeve, wrapping her arms around me, and then the three of us were jumping up and laughing. I wanted this for Kat, couldn’t stand the thought of losing her to kidney disease. What would the fire do to her, though? Would we kill her if we touched her, a nonslayer, with the flames?
What I knew: she was going to die if we didn’t.
I bet I could read the journal now. The answer might be inside it.
“Okay. My turn.” Cole pried me out of the girls’ arms and pulled me into the locker room. He faced me.
Before he could speak, I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my mouth into his.
His hands wrapped around my waist and lifted me, even as he pressed my back into the wall. I wound my legs around him and drew him ever closer. The kiss deepened, our tongues rolling together, sure and confident, driving me crazy with heat and sweetness and sensation.
His strength surrounded me. He was all that I knew, all that I wanted to know. We were the only two people alive. And we were together. Now, always.
“You need to sleep in your old bedroom tonight,” he said. “I’m sending everyone home and sneaking in.”
“Don’t want Kat and Reeve to hear your best moves?”
“Don’t want Kat and Reeve to hear the way you respond to my best moves.”
Oh, my.
“Are we officially back together?” I asked.
“I should spank you for even saying that. We’ve been together this whole time. You were just being stubborn.” He kissed his way down my neck. “I’ve never been so scared in my life, Ali. I’ve been trying to hold it together, but watching you spiral, then watching you fade and not knowing what to do...” He shuddered.
“I told you to have faith.” I nibbled on the lobe of his ear. “We survived and we learned. We’re stronger than ever now.”
He moaned, tilting his head to allow me better access. “Against the zombies, yes. But what about Anima? They’re still out there, and they have to be stopped for good.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I said. “Right now you’re going to kiss me until I have a permanent impression of your lips on mine. Then you’re going to send everyone home. Then you’re going to sneak into my room, as promised. Then you’re going to show me just how much you love me.”
“Consider it done. But if someone interrupts us tonight, I’m going to... I’m not sure there’s an action violent enough.”
I laughed.
He softened. “I love when you laugh. It’s the perfect birthday present.”
My eyes widened. “Today’s your birthday?”
“No. January ninth.”
A few days ago. I’d missed it, I realized, and frowned. “Cole—”
“No. You were sick, and I wasn’t going to celebrate without you.”
“Well, you’re eighteen. Legal. You’re getting a party,” I said. “A surprise party.”
He was the one to laugh this time. “Then why are you telling me about it?”
“Oh, just shut up and kiss me.”
* * * * *
A Note From Cole
I’d rather not write this. You want to know how I feel. You want to know, in minute detail, why I did what I did, what happened behind the scenes, what I think of my mistakes, the outcome and what I plan to do next. You want me to describe the things I’m desperate to do with Ali.
Why don’t you just take my sac, instead? The result will be the same.
I’m not a bare-your-heart-to-strangers kind of guy, and that’s not going to change, so I’m not going to give you what you want. No, I’m not sorry.
I know this proves everything you’ve heard whispered about me. I’m too hard-core. I’m only nice to a select few. I’m mean, bossy. I’m not an easy guy to like. Some people can take me, but most would rather leave me.
I don’t really care.
I am what life has made me.
Besides, you’re wrong about all of it—I’m worse.
Here’s what I will tell you: I’ve seen and done things that would make you vomit. I spend the majority of my time in the shadows, and sometimes darkness clings. Sometimes it’s hard to shake off. But most important, I will die to protect what’s mine—better yet, I will kill.
Ali is mine.
If you’re out there, Anima—and I know that you are—if you’re planning to make another move against my girl, you had better be prepared to battle the beast you’ll wake. I will hunt you, and I will not stop. I will take you out one by one, until the last of you is gone.
You may look at me and see a teenager. An afterthought. I will look at you and see a target. A dead one.
I’m very good at hitting my targets.
So, think long and hard before you decide to take me on. There is nothing I won’t do—nothing—to ensure the health and wellness of those I love. If you’re smart, you’ll run and hide before it comes to that.
This is the only warning you will receive.
Cole Holland
Dedication
To the two best kids any mother could ever have—my kids. R and V. I’m blessed to have you, blessed to have raised you and blessed to know you. May your lives be everything you dream. Mommy loves you.
To a wonderful husband who, after almost twenty years of marriage, still makes me feel pretty...even though I wear the same sweatpants almost every day of the week. Washed smoshed.
To my best friend Jill Monroe, who still takes my calls, even at the most inopportune times. What a treasure you are! One of my favorite divine connections.
To my “totes amazeballs” editor Natashya Wilson, who goes above and beyond for me every time. Your support means more to me than I can possibly say. And I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for your notes on this book. Talk about nailing it! Woman, you make me smile.
To my mother, who, when I called crying, picked me up, dusted me off and helped me stand back on my feet.
To my agent, Deidre Knight, who supports me every step of the way. I’m excited to march into the future with you!
To Alyshea Rains. I’m blessed to know you!
And to God, because at one of the lowest points in my life, I looked up and there You were with Isaiah 43:1-2.
THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS
Gena Showalter
I have a plan.
We’ll either destroy them for good, or they’ll destroy us.
Either way, only one of us is walking away.
In the stunning conclusion to the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, Alice “Ali” Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She’s ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers…until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It’s then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters…and the worst has only begun.
As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies…and she isn’t the girl she thought she was. She’s connected to the woman responsible for killing—and turning—Cole’s mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima—even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.
Books by Gena Showalter
available from Harlequin TEEN
The White Rabbit Chronicles
(in reading order)
ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND
THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS
THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS
The Intertwined Novels
(in reading order)
INTERTWINED
UNRAVELED
TWISTED
To Mom and Dad. Just because.
Contents
Epigraph
A Note from Ali
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
A Note from Cole
Acknowledgments
Bonus Scene: A Note from Gena
Cole
ROSES ARE RED
VIOLETS ARE BLUE
BE VERY AFRAID
WE’RE COMING FOR YOU.
A NOTE FROM ALI
Are you ready for this?
The romance and sizzle...the betrayal...loss...pain...
The end?
I thought I was. I had begun comparing myself to a coin, with life on one side and death on the other. I’d felt as though I’d been tossed in the air, only to tumble down fast and hard. Which side I landed on would be totally up to fate. But I’ve learned not everything that happens is meant to be.
Think about it. The fact that I ate a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast—not fate but hunger.
The fact that I lost my mother, father and beloved little sister in a car crash—not fate but panic.
The fact that four of my friends were gunned down in one night and two others were killed soon after—NOT FATE! Evil.
Fate and meant to be come down to one thing. The tool we’ve been given to shape our destinies. Choice. Mine...yours...theirs. Good, bad. Ugly.
Here’s mine: Months ago, I decided to join a crew of slayers and spend my nights fighting zombies.
Yes. Zombies.
These vile creatures live among us, invisible to the ungifted eye. They emerge at nightfall, hungry for human spirits, the essence of life. They feast, and they poison, and if ever you’re bitten, your spirit will rise, starved and ready to devour.
I considered zombies the worst enemy ever to walk the earth.
I was wrong.
Humans can be more dangerous than monsters.
There’s a company out there. Anima Industries. They control zombies, and they’ve decided slayers are a problem with only one solution: extermination.
Now, slayers have a choice. Go underground...or go to war. In other words, hide our coins or toss them ourselves.
We’ve lost so much already, and there are so few of us left. The smart thing to do is pack up and hide. Live to fight another day.
Screw smart.
We’re tossing. One way or another, we will destroy Anima for good—or they will destroy us. But this time, only one group is walking away.
Our choice is made.
Ready or not, here we come.
See you on the other side,
Ali Bell
Chapter 1
UP IS DOWN AND
DOWN IS UP
“Dude. How about that one?” My best friend, Kat Parker, pointed toward the far corner, to a table occupied by three boys about our age.
One guy was hot enough to melt a polar vortex. One wasn’t handsome in the traditional sense, but with his unusual chartreuse eyes, it hardly mattered. The third was amazingly rugged, with a fresh scrape on his cheek and scars on his knuckles.
Well, well. We had finally found a smorgasbord of different flavored man-meat.
“Perfect,” I said with a nod.
“I don’t know.” Reeve Ankh, my other friend, surveyed the boys and chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m getting danger vibes from the one on the right.”
The one on the right—Knuckle Scars. Excellent. Her dandar—danger radar—was working at optimal levels.
In our little trio, she’d always been the voice of reason. Or, as Kat would say, “the voice of shut up and live a little.”
My darling Kat meant it in the nicest way possible, of course. She simply had no filter. She always spoke her mind, always stood up for what she believed—that her way was the best way—and lived by the motto I’m On Board the Awesome Train and You Can Hop On or Get Run Over.
Was it any wonder I loved her so much?
“This is stupid, you guys.”
The grumble came from Mackenzie Love. Once my archenemy, now one of my favorite pet projects.
Most people were surprised by our sudden friendship, but I’d learned life could change in the blink of an eye.
Everything could change in the blink of an eye.
I accepted, and I rolled.
“Suck it up.” Trina Brighton, the last member of our group, kicked Mackenzie under the table. “This was your idea.”
“That’s right. You asked for our help, and we agreed to give it to you on one condition. That you do what we say, when we say.” Grinning her happy-kitten grin, Kat rubbed her hands together. While I had grown to like Mackenzie, she hadn’t. But she had softened...ish. “This is gonna be fun. For me!”
Hated to admit it, but...yeah, it was gonna be fun for me, too.
We were at Choco Loco, a chocolate bar where girls picked up treats and boys picked up girls. Not that I wanted to be picked up.
I’d been going out with the drool-worthy Cole Holland—officially...again—for a little over a month. And, okay, yeah, there was a slight problem with our relationship. In the course of that month, we’d been on...give me a second to count them—zero dates. We’d had a total of...let’s see, let’s see—zero minutes alone. And we’d kissed...oh, I don’t know—zero times.
Here are things that suck worse: _____________________.
Okay, fine. There are a few things that suck worse. Like the time I was an all-you-can-eat dinner buffet for zombies. The time I battled the worst Z-poisoning in the history of ever. And my personal favorite, the time Anima Industries locked me away, electrocuted me, starved me and studied me like a freaking zoo animal.
Considering all I’d been through, my love life should have been a sparkling diamond in a sea of coal. Or a sea of “Cole.” Har har. We had tried to get together, like, plan-everything-down-to-the-last-second tried, but each of our sneak-overs had encountered one teensy-weensy problem.
Her name: Nana.
Seriously, my grandmother had morphed into the Make-Out Police, and okay, okay, I didn’t really have to rack my brain to figure out why. One night Cole had saved me from a very painful death, and we’d decided to celebrate. Alone. He’d stolen into my bedroom, and we’d done what we always did. (I refuse to provide the down-and-dirty deets. But it was. Down and dirty. Anyway.) She’d heard us—the horror!—and had busted in.
We’d still had (most of) our clothes on, but yowza, the position she’d caught us in...
Ever since, Nana has been attached to my side. In fact, the only time she detaches is when I’m hanging with my girls, or when I’m prowling the streets, hunting zombies.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Nana to pieces. And so does Cole. When the three of us get together, we actually have fun. But I want more. I need more. I’m addicted to Cole�
��s hands...and his mouth...and oh, Ali-want, his nipple ring. Withdrawals stink!
“What are you waiting for, love buns?” Kat banged her hand on the table. “Did I not make it clear that you don’t get a vote in this? That the tribe has spoken? You know what you gotta do, so, do it.”
A waiter stepped up to our table before Mackenzie could respond. He set a mousse shooter in front of each of us.
“Um.” Reeve frowned. “We didn’t order these.”
“Compliments of the hounds in the corner.” A wink, and the waiter was off.
In unison, my friends and I gazed at our chocolate-addiction enablers. Hot and Chartreuse lifted their own mousse shooters in a toast. Knuckle Scars just stared.
Reminded me of Cole.
Kat stood and called, “My friend MacLovin’ will come over and thank you in person just as soon as her heartbeat settles. You totally rocked her—”
Mackenzie tugged on her arm, both returning her to her seat and silencing her. “Do you have to be so humiliating?”
As the toasters high-fived, Kat slapped Mackenzie on the shoulder. “What are you complaining about? We came here to find you a date, and now, thanks to me, it’s practically mission accomplished. I’ve set the stage, so all you have to do is walk over there and pick your favorite boy toy. You’re welcome.”
Mackenzie leaned over and bashed her forehead against the table.
“Why are you acting like such a baby?” Kat gave her another slap. “You’re, like, some kind of super ninja warrior who spends her nights catching butterflies and—”
“Good glory,” I said. “Stop calling it that.”
“Seriously.” Mackenzie stopped bashing and looked up. “You make us sound like—” she shuddered “—girls.”
Though Kat and Reeve were civilians, not slayers, they knew about the dark, secret world in operation around them. And Kat, well, she now liked to refer to slaying zombies as catching butterflies. She was sweet like that.