by PJ Schnyder
Survive to Dawn
By PJ Schnyder
Book three of London Undead
The zombie epidemic in London has been contained, but that’s all the werewolf pack that protects the city has been able to manage. Danny, as pack medic, is concerned the epidemic isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. And that the pack’s Alpha is too focused on eliminating the deadly threat to consider working toward a cure. When a team of American scientists arrive, talking of a vaccine, Danny is quietly hopeful.
Deanna thought she was prepared for anything. But an argument with the London pack leaves her research team exposed and alone, on their own against countless hordes of the walking dead. Within hours, her colleagues are slaughtered...and it’s only because of Danny that she manages to get out alive.
Deanna unhinges Danny in every way, tempting him beyond reason. She also pushes him to face the one thing he’d been avoiding: his Alpha is wrong. Simply surviving isn’t the answer...it can’t be.
Don’t miss Bite Me and Sing for the Dead, available now!
33,000 words
Dear Reader,
I’m jumping right into it this month because New York Times bestselling author Shannon Stacey’s next book in the Kowalski series is out in both digital and print at the end of April. Taken with You is the story of girlie-girl librarian, Hailey. She’s easy to get along with, is a small-town girl who loves where she lives, but she also loves nice clothes and fine dining and is looking for a guy who will be there when she comes home at night, and who will dress up and take her out to something a little more upscale than the local diner. It’s also the story of Matt, a hunky forest ranger who loves the outdoors, loves his dog, and is looking for a woman who doesn’t mind his erratic hours, will take a muddy ride on an ATV and won’t kick him out of the house when he walks in covered in dirt. Needless to say, these two opposites attract when Matt moves in next door to Hailey, and their story will take you on a wonderful romantic rollercoaster that will leave you with that happy-book sigh at the end.
If you love the TV show Scandal, have I got a new series for you. In Emma Barry’s Washington, D.C.-set, politically charged Special Interests, a shy labor organizer and an arrogant congressional aide clash over the federal budget but find love the more difficult negotiation.
April also brings a week of sports-related romance releases at Carina Press and we have six fantastic, very different contemporary sports romances being added to our already fantastic sports romance lineup. Allison Parr’s Imaginary Lines continues her new adult series. Tamar fell hopelessly in love with Abraham Krasner at age twelve, but knew he’d never see her as more than the girl next door—until years later, she gets a sports journalist position covering the NFL team Abe plays for...
Author Michele Mannon follows up Knock Out with Tap Out. Underwear model and playboy extraordinaire Caden Kelly will let nothing stop his come-back as an MMA fighter, especially a red-headed busy-bodied reporter hell bent on ruining his shot at a title. Meanwhile, Kat Latham writes the London Legends series about the world’s hottest rugby team. Book two, Playing It Close, features the team captain and a scandalous woman with whom he spent one passionate night and never thought he’d see again—until she turns out to be his team’s newest sponsor.
Kate Willoughby brings the on-the-ice action when a hunky hockey player falls helmet over skates for a nurse, but has to convince her he’s not the typical different-puck-bunny-every-day athlete in On the Surface. In a much warmer-weather sport, professional tennis player Regan Hunter’s temper is as notorious as her unstoppable serve, but love and ambition will go head-to-head when she meets former player-turned-coach Ben Percy. Check out Love in Straight Sets by Rebecca Crowley.
And because we can’t leave out America’s favorite sport, Rhonda Shaw’s The Ace brings us a sexy baseball romance in a follow-up to her debut, The Changeup. “Love ’em and leave ’em” is real estate agent Karen Bently’s motto—that is until her longtime crush, ace pitcher Jerry Smutton, sets her in his sights and offers her a proposal she can’t resist.
But it’s not all contemporary romance all the time in April. We have an eclectic selection of books from a lineup of talented authors (as always, right?). R.L. Naquin is back with her popular Monster Haven series. If you haven’t checked out this fun, sometimes zany, but always adorable series, look for book one, Monster in My Closet, at all of our retail digital partners. This month’s installment, Golem in My Glovebox, finds crazy shenanigans mixed with a gruesome, cross-country trail of clues, as Zoey and Riley attempt to save the rest of the country’s Aegises—and ultimately, Zoey’s lost mother.
PJ Schnyder is wrapping up her London Undead trilogy with Survive to Dawn, in which werewolf and pack medic, Danny, must choose between his Alpha’s orders and the human witch who might have the cure to the zombie plague. And in the second installment of the Once Upon a Red World science fiction romance saga from Jael Wye, the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk unfolds on a devastated Earth 300 years in the future in Ladder to the Red Star.
A.J. Larrieu debuts with her first full-length paranormal romance novel, Twisted Miracles. A reluctant telekinetic is drawn back to New Orleans’ supernatural underworld when her friend goes missing, but once she’s there, she finds her powers—and her attraction to the sexy ex-boyfriend who trained her—are stronger than ever. Talented fantasy author Angela Highland is back with Rebels of Adalonia book two in her epic fantasy Vengeance of the Hunter. As rebellion ignites across Adalonia, the healer Faanshi must save both the Hawk Kestar Vaarsen and the assassin Julian—the one from magical annihilation at the hands of his Church, and the other from a path of revenge.
For mystery fans, we welcome author Delynn Royer to Carina Press with her book, It Had to Be You. An ambitious tabloid reporter stumbles upon the story of her career when she joins up with a jaded homicide detective to solve the Central Park murder of a notorious bootlegger in 1920s Manhattan.
Rounding out the April lineup is a book for all Regency historical romance fans. Wendy Soliman’s Forsters series wraps up with Romancing the Runaway. When Miranda and Gabe discover her childhood home has been stripped of all its valuables, Gabe uncovers more to the old house than either of them had imagined. And with Gabe’s safety hanging in the balance, Miranda is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice...
I’m confident you’ll find something to love among these books and I hope we provide you with many hours of reading enjoyment and escape from the neverending dishes!
Coming next month: Fan favorite male/male author Josh Lanyon, an amazing science fiction lineup, more sexy cowboys and hot moments from Leah Braemel and so much more!
Here’s wishing you a wonderful month of books you love, remember and recommend.
Happy reading!
~Angela James
Executive Editor, Carina Press
Dedication
To “Data”
No matter what world you are born into, may it still be one in which there’s time for love in the desperate race to live.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Kerri Buckley. This story is so much better for having you as my editor, and though it is the last in the trilogy, I hope we return to the London Undead.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About the Author
Copyright
Chapter One
Danny decided to give the humans two more minutes to argue their cause with Seth before he stepped in to save them from themselves. His alpha had a firm leash on his temper, but it was notoriously short. This particular group of scientists was clearly trying the limits of his patience.
“The cage is integral to our purposes, you see.” The old human kept his eyes down, his posture relaxed, and used no sudden hand gestures to punctuate his argument. No movements to trigger a defensive and potentially violent response. “We need tissue samples.”
“Plenty have been taken, but if you’re in need of more, our teams can hold the zombies.” Seth ground out his assurance.
True. Seth himself had held one or two of the mindless dead while Danny had taken the samples. As shape-shifters, they were immune to the zombie virus that could turn the human scientists into the very blighters they were trying to study.
“But if your people hold the zombies, they’ll kill them right away.” A young woman stepped forward, right up to the quarantine line, too fast in her urgency. Danny’s attention, as well as his alpha’s, fastened instantly on her. The British soldiers on the outside would’ve been too slow to stop her from crossing into London even though they were standing just a meter or two from her. She dropped her chocolate brown eyes a second late, but at least she’d remembered. Looking a werewolf in the eye was a challenge, aggressive behavior, especially when entering their territory. Werewolves, like all predatory shifters, tended to deal with such acts immediately and definitively. Primal instincts were an integral part of who they were. Anyone attempting to cross the quarantine line was supposed to receive a werewolf primer now, as the London pack had absolute authority within the city. Based on this team’s behavior and the relaxed attitude of the military guards, it might be time to look into reinforcing those. Luckily for the girl, Danny and his alpha had more control than most and could allow her the leeway.
Seth let loose a low growl. The color drained from her tanned face, but she held her ground even as a couple of the other scientists retreated a few steps. Several of the soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons.
Jumpy around the big bad wolves, eh?
They might be on constant guard on the quarantine line, but they didn’t have direct dealings with Seth often. Danny fought to keep a properly stern expression. Based on his alpha’s relaxed posture and the lack of anger in his scent, Seth was amused. But then, the both of them appreciated a woman with a spine. And this one was a right beauty to boot.
Medium height, a touch on the slender side, with the natural bronzing of someone who spent a lot of time outdoors someplace sunny. Her dark hair was pulled back in a serviceable ponytail but a few escaped strands framed her heart-shaped face. Very pretty. Though currently, her lips were pressed together in a thin line of stubborn determination.
“We need samples from the same specimen over time. Your people can’t eliminate the ones we catch right away. There’d be nothing left to test after the accelerated decomposition leaves us with just...potting soil.”
“Actually, what’s left after a zombie is well and truly dead is a bit drier than the stuff they use for plants.” Danny scratched his chin, enjoying the woman’s surprise when he spoke up. Very focused, this lass. She forgot to lower her gaze. Since it didn’t prick his temper, he gave her a wink. “But then, nobody I know has been mad enough to try setting up a garden from the stuff. Might be worth a go, see if it’s actually good for something.”
She blinked. At the sight of her baffled expression, Danny could hold back no longer. He grinned at her.
Her gaze darted back and forth between him and Seth, but lingered on him. “Th-the hypothesis we’re testing revolves around the effect of our experiment over time, like I said. Samples from different individuals would skew the results, introduce unnecessary bias to the findings.” Deep rose stained her cheeks.
Good, the interest was mutual. “As much as I personally do enjoy the very lovely sound of science passing your lips, lass, it doesn’t change a hard and fast rule. If you’d have sent your study protocol on ahead to Brian, he’d have told you the same.”
Danny would’ve been interested to read it, regardless. Their experiment sounded structured more to test a potential treatment. The usual kill-the-zombies-instantaneously solutions the science-types had been trying to develop generally meant a one-time, lethal dose.
“The protocol and the related investigational drug product are proprietary.” She pressed her lips back together, just for an instant. “It wasn’t available for dissemination to anyone without top-level security clearance. Plus we require a signed nondisclosure agreement.”
The way she shaped words, took a breath as she was about to let loose a long sentence in one go...he liked it, wanted to coax her into a more in-depth conversation. The bigger the vocabulary, the better, as far as he was concerned.
Oy. Talk science to me. It’s a bit of a thing for me.
Besides, she wasn’t only cerebral. She was clever. She’d given him a bit more of what he wanted to know while telling him she couldn’t. The pleading look she was giving him now convinced him not to ask more at the moment, but he wouldn’t mind a chance to get her alone and have a little chat. He liked several aspects of that idea.
Seth shook his head. “Too many zombies in the city as it is. We can’t afford to keep however many you decide to capture for study and risk having them loose again, especially when you don’t know what will happen once you do...whatever it is you plan to do to them. I won’t have cages in the city. Too many idjits have used them for the wrong things.”
Others, trophy hunters, had left bait in their cages. Live bait. Danny’s vision swam with red at the memory. Volunteers would have been bad enough, but no. They’d taken street urchins, orphans too young to know what they’d been nipped out of the alleys for, too hungry to question until they couldn’t escape. If their pack ally, Kayden, hadn’t rescued Ollie and the boys, they’d have eventually been set up for the same.
The atrocities people were capable of committing on each other never ceased to horrify Danny. It hadn’t been only Seth to go on a rampage that night. Danny had let go of everything human as he’d let his rage loose on not only the zombies lured to the site but the bastards who’d devised the traps. They’d been able to rescue a few of the children, but not all. And the trophy hunters? The wolves had ripped them apart and left them in the park. A better death than they deserved. Cleaner.
Since then, no cages in London.
Of course, there were a few other taboos too, but only one came to mind that would anger Seth more.
It was best for them all if they avoided the topic.
The pretty woman had collected herself and returned to championing her cause. “While we were able to demonstrate a significant effect on the tissue samples sent to us, in this phase we’ll look to demonstrate the effectiveness on an actual, animated specimen. We need the cage to hold a zombie so we can monitor the effect of the vaccine injected over time. Samples need to come from the same zombie at each of our planned time points to provide comparative data. It’s key to the next step in our research.”
Danny perked up. Good to know the tissue samples he’d been sending all over the world were being put to some use. If there was a cure, it needed to be found. Things were far past the containment point and something decisive needed to be done soon.
Seth sighed. “We have rules for reasons, Miss...”
“Deanna, everyone just calls me Deanna.” Her eyes opened wide with hope.
Ah no, the big-eyed puppy look wouldn’t work on Seth. ’Course, if she decided to turn that look on him, no telling what would happen.
“Deanna, then, even if you and your team have good intentions, letting the cages into London is a mistake.
They could be stolen. Other things could happen to your team.” Seth’s voice took on a grim tone. Too many groups of humans went into the parks either to try their hands at the latest “dangerous game” hunting or to study the walking dead. Most of them ended up eaten or zombies themselves. “Based on our friend Brian’s recommendation, we’re willing to offer pack escort into the city and for the duration of your studies. But as alpha, I’m not going to break my own rules. The cages stay outside city limits.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but one of her other scientists called out, “You can’t just step all over us and tell us what equipment we can or can’t bring. We have the United States government’s backing on this research trip.”
Seth stood straighter, the muscles across his back tensing. Governments and politics were a sore spot. Parliament’s lack of action had allowed the zombie outbreak to take over and lay London to waste. Officials had been frozen by the horror of it, convinced it must be some hoax or some ridiculous drug overdose, limited to a few of the poor in a free clinic. They’d not wanted to recognize it as a true epidemic, hadn’t taken measures to keep it from spreading through the whole city. By the time quarantine protocols had finally been enabled, it’d been too late. Interference now, be it from the same government or another, stuck in Seth’s throat.
The scientist who’d spoken out, a man in his early thirties, glared at Seth and Danny from a distance he probably thought was safe. “We’ve got plenty of guns and ammunition to defend ourselves if it comes down to it. Don’t treat us like kids on a school trip. We don’t need you.”
“Others have come in with bigger guns. They’re all dead.” Seth dropped the fact like a stone. No need to raise his voice for dramatic effect.
The American jutted out his chin. “Your Parliament wants us to find out why you haven’t gotten this under control. Our government needs to be sure it doesn’t reach our shores. We’ve got their joint backing on this, plus the eyes of the United Nations on us. No one wants this to spread to the main continents. If you stop us from conducting our studies here, they might as well nuke the place!”
