by L. A. Boruff
Relief punches me in the gut. “Then you’re not infected.”
Sophie’s eyes widen. “How can that be?”
“Are you sure?” Jack says at the same time.
“There’s no discoloration or dark veins anywhere.” I hold Sophie’s arm up under Jack’s nose so he can see for himself. The telltale black marks that spider out from any infected bite or scratch are missing.
He looks as dumbfounded as I feel.
There’s a loud knock at the door. “Sophie?” It sounds like Tore’s voice. We all ignore him.
Sophie shakes her head. Her eyes are unfocused and she looks dazed.
“You’re immune.” I don’t know how or why she is, but it’s restored my faith in…well just about everything. With a gleeful cry I wrap my arms around her and Jack.
The door crashes open. “What the fuck is this?”
I look up to see Tore standing in the doorway, a murderous look in his eyes.
8
Sophie
Dimly, I’m aware of Tore stalking into the room and shouting at Xander and Jack.
My friends jump to their feet and yell back at Tore.
I know I should intervene before they try to kill each other, but I can’t shake the confusion hijacking my mind.
My breathing quickens as I stare down at my arm. The indentations made by Kevin’s teeth are still visible, but it looks as if the bite has been healing for weeks, not hours. Xander is right. There are no signs of infection. No signs of the Z-virus. How can this be?
Everyone I’ve ever known who was bitten or scratched by a zombie would have been covered in black veins by this point. Why aren’t I? Can I really be immune to the Z-virus? If so, does that mean I might be the key to stopping the apocalypse?
Dots dance in front of my vision and I realize I’m hyperventilating. Slow down, Sophie. I take a deep breath and slowly let it out. Maybe I’m immune, or maybe Kevin hadn’t been a zombie long enough to turn me, or maybe I had guardian angels watching out for me today. Either way, I’m not going to die.
A wave of dizzying relief hits me. I sit back hard on my butt. Something stabs into my skin. I reach underneath me and pull out my engagement ring hanging on the chain. The sparkly stone gleams up at me accusingly.
Logan. I’ve cheated on Logan. I wait for the guilt to hit me, but it doesn’t. It doesn’t because I’ve finally accepted the truth. He’s gone.
Deep in my heart, I’ve known for some time, but it took me facing death to finally accept it and move on. I slowly coil the silver chain into a ball. “Logan’s dead,” I say out loud.
Jack and Xander look at me with mirroring looks of confusion.
Tore levels his dark eyes on me. “You’ll be dead soon too, Sophie.” His gaze turns accusatory. “I thought we were spending your last few hours together.”
“I thought so too, before you ran out of the room,” I fire back.
“I had to check on the others. I didn’t realize you’d replace me so quickly.”
The bite in Tore’s voice raises my hackles. He has no right to be upset. There were no promises between us. “We can still spend time together.”
Tore looks at me as if I’m insane. “You’re out of time, angel.”
Jack makes a sound of aggravation. “We’ve told you. She’s not infected. Sophie, show him.”
I lift my arm to where Tore can see it.
Tore blinks hard. “I thought you said you were bitten by a zombie.”
“I was, but apparently it didn’t give me the virus.”
Tore shakes his head in confusion. “I’ve never heard of that happening.”
“We’ll now you have,” Xander replies. “Why don’t you turn around and leave through that door you just Hulk-smashed through?”
Tore scowls at him through narrowed eyes. “Why don’t you turn around and leave my safe house?”
“Fine. We will.” Jack glares back at Tore. “And Sophie’s coming with us.”
“The hell she is,” Tore hisses.
Enough. I make my own decisions. “No one needs to leave.”
All three men watch me as I push myself to my feet.
“I’ve just gotten a new lease on life and I’m not going to waste it with this male dominance crap. You all have big dicks, okay? Can we move on?” I walk over to the desk, pull out the top drawer and set Logan’s ring inside. Then I slam it closed with enough force that it makes Xander jump.
Jack frowns. “You’re going to have to choose. Us or him.” He points to Tore. “You know how Xander and I feel about you. We’ll protect you with our lives.”
“You can’t protect shit,” growls Tore. “I’m the one who’s kept you all alive.” He looks over at me. “Stay here with me and I’ll protect you.”
Seriously? I laugh. “Boys, the last time I checked, I was the one who just survived a zombie bite. I don’t need protecting, but what I would like is more loving.” I sit down on the edge of the desk. “You all promised me an amazing night and the night’s not over.”
Three pairs of jaws drop.
I swing my legs back and forth enjoying the rush of feminine power. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this.
Tore is the first to compose himself. “If you’re asking me to share you with these idiots, my answer is no.”
I stroke my hand down the length of my naked body the way he’d asked me to do before. “I thought you said nothing should be off-limits between us.”
“D-did I say that?” Tore wets his lips. He tracks my hand with a hungry gaze.
I give Tore a seductive smile. “How about this? We’ll do a test. I’ll touch you there.” I point between his legs. “If you’re hard for me, we do this. If not…”
Jack steps between us and shakes his head. “No. No fucking way.”
I throw his own logic back at him. “Come on, Jack. You said two is better than one. Why can’t three be better than two?”
“You belong to us, Sophie.” He motions between himself and Xander.
I pause my hand inches from my core, and glare at the former football player. “No, I don’t.” For the first time in years, I belong to no one but myself.
Xander slowly nods seeming to catch on. “You’re your own woman. We respect that.” He gives Jack a meaningful look. “But you have to understand that Jack and I love you. We’ll do everything in our power to convince you to be with us.”
“Then start convincing.” I rest one foot on top of the office chair. It’s a brazen move that bares me to their gazes and it’s something the old me would never have dared to do. But I’m not that virginal girl anymore. I’ve discovered how amazing sex is and now I want to make up for lost time.
Xander crosses over to me and brushes away my hand. His fingers replace mine and I let out a gasp. In seconds, he has me seeing stars.
“Ooh,” I moan, falling back over the desk.
Jack walks over to the other side. “You have no idea how convincing we can be.” He leans over the desk and gives me a hot, wet, upside-down kiss. Somehow his tongue thrusts match the tempo of Xander’s fingers.
Desire rushes through me.
Suddenly, Tore is there too. He pinches one of my nipples.
I shudder, loving the pleasure-pain sensation. “Does this mean you’re on board with this, Tore?” I ask against Jack’s mouth.
Tore’s eyes gleam wickedly. “Only if I’m the first to take your ass, angel.”
I gasp. My ass?
“You’ll love it,” Jack promises, nibbling my bottom lip. “Just think, all of us inside you.”
At his words, Xander slides one finger down to my back hole.
The strange sensation heats my blood and sends excitement racing through me. Something new to try.
“We’ll need to use protection,” Tore announces, taking control like he always does. “Do either of you have condoms?” he asks Xander and Jack.
By their crestfallen expressions, I can see that neither of them does. Good thing I can save the day. “Check my ba
ckpack in the bottom desk drawer.”
Xander yanks open the drawer. A moment later, he pulls out the jumbo box of condoms Kevin had thrown at me earlier in the day. He chuckles. “It appears we’re set for a while.”
Good. I flash my men a wicked smile. “Now, don’t just stand there, boys. Give me a night to remember.”
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Last Night in Hell. This story occurs in the same world as the Heaven in Hell series and the Claiming Her Mates series. You can find them (and other action-packed steamy reads) here: https://www.amazon.com/Dia-Cole/e/B06Y6KPXF4/
For an exclusive FREE copy of Lover in Hell go here: https://BookHip.com/XTTBPH
Lover in Hell
Ever since the zombie virus wiped out humanity, Eden spends her days rescuing animals from the undead and her nights avoiding Mike—the sexy alpha male soldier who wants to claim her for his own. He’s too intense, dominating, and overprotective—everything Eden doesn’t want in a man. Even worse, his smoldering gaze weakens her resolve to swear off men forever.
But when a routine supply run goes horribly wrong, the unthinkable happens—Eden becomes infected. Now, trapped for the night with Mike, and with only twenty-four hours left to live, Eden must decide if she wants to die a virgin or experience mind-blowing passion in the arms of a man who would follow her to hell.
Claiming Her Mates: Book One
With everyone bailing on my party, I didn’t think the night could get any worse. Then three scorching hot men storm the club and demand I come with them. Thinking they’re cops, I run only to discover the flu vaccine is turning people into zombies.
Now my survival depends on Mason, Gabriel, and Liam. I should be terrified of their glowing eyes and the way they destroy any threat in our path, but all I can think about is claiming the fierce men as my own. All three of them…
One problem.
My ex has threatened to eviscerate any man who touches me. Too bad the deadly Alpha male isn’t here. He’ll rue the day he broke my heart and ordered his three gorgeous friends to rescue me.
About the Author
Dia wanted to be a writer from the time she could hold a pencil. A lover of science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, and paranormal romance, she writes romantic action-packed stories featuring kick-butt heroines and the alpha male heroes who fall for them. For giveaways and updates on new releases, subscribe to her newsletter (https://bit.ly/2AN8W5k) or follow her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/diacolewrites)
The Storm
Joelle Greene
A sequel, of sorts, to the Sisters of Mercy trilogy.
Chapter One
I never used to like the drive from East to the Southeast Division. Southeast’s old leader had cleared out the stretch of Between that lay between the two divisions, so the drive itself wasn’t bad. It was pretty much a straight shot, and the road wasn’t in terrible shape.
But it always felt faintly like riding to our doom. We’d never gotten along with Southeast even before Leo had taken over leadership of East, and there was always some doubt as to whether or not we’d come back alive.
Now driving among the small, rundown houses and yards that marked the border of Southeast was almost a relief. Southeast hadn’t been scarred by the Uprising like East had. The air didn’t smell like charred earth, and the entire division wasn’t blanketed in an almost palpable tension.
Buildings got taller and closer together as we made our way through the division. The roads were well-maintained, the concrete mostly smooth under the wheels of our bikes. Ray, my travel companion, kept his bike close beside mine. Not that we expected an attack, but after everything had gone down – not just half the metro area being destroyed but losing almost everything – it was comforting to be together.
Apartment buildings gave way to the tall, shining hotels that marked the heart of the division. They rose up at least ten times as tall as any of the buildings in East had, and always made me feel slightly claustrophobic. Still, better than the haze of smoke that hung over the division I called home, hot and oppressive.
We pulled into the parking lot of the grandest hotel, where Southeast’s former leader had lived. Von, leader of not only Southeast but the entire metro area, hadn’t seen fit to change the division's headquarters when he'd taken over.
I stopped my bike and got off. My hands came to my hips as I stared up at the building. “I love Leo, but I’m really surprised Deena and Paris haven’t killed him yet.” Being in another division was the only time I felt safe saying something like that. Leo had a shifter’s sensitive hearing, and he seemed to be everywhere at once.
Ray hooked his arm around my waist and pulled me against him. He didn’t argue.
I could understand it. Not only had Leo lost everything along with the rest of us, but as our leader he’d had to make the choice to destroy it all rather than let MMF and the governor’s forces have it. After building it up and giving everything he could for it, East was a wasteland of ash and debris.
We were starting to rebuild. That took time and credits, which there never seemed to be enough of. Leo had lost people too – we’d lost people – and he was desperate not to lose any more. Still, he hovered like an anxious den mother, and a lot of us were starting to feel a little smothered.
“We might be away for longer than we thought.” Ray’s gray eyes focused on the sky off in the distance. We’d set out early because we’d be on the road all day, but it was still darker than usual for a summer morning. The wind was already starting to stir in my long hair, and the clouds looked awfully dark.
“There’ll be a bed in the back.” I flashed him a grin. “Just as long as your partner doesn’t mind us sharing.”
His arm tightened around my waist, his answering smile carrying a familiar heat. “No partner right now.” Ray liked the idea of a relationship, but he usually didn’t stay in them for very long. We slept together sometimes when he was between partners, and if we were sharing the narrow bed in the back of the ambulance…
“Good to know.” I dropped my head against his shoulder, but straightened after only a second. We really needed to get inside. I slipped away, Ray’s hand falling from my hip.
Grit on the concrete crunched under our feet as we moved across the parking lot. The front entrance was a grand affair, all glass doors and decorative shrubs that looked like a security nightmare. Since our current home was comprised of a cluster of tents around a central building, I didn’t have room to talk.
The lobby bustled with activity, mostly orcs moving around and no doubt just starting their day. Or ending it, for some of them. A stern-looking orc sat behind a desk, and that was where Ray guided me. “Morning,” he greeted pleasantly. “We’re from East. I think you’re expecting us.”
The receptionist’s smile was brief, all the more vicious for his tusks. “Conference Room C. Just down there.” He pointed to one of the wide halls that branched off the lobby.
They trusted us to see ourselves there. No one stepped out of the background to escort us. Not like the last time I’d been in Southeast. It helped ease some of the lingering anxiety.
The heat of Ray’s palm hovered over the small of my back as we turned to head down the hall. We drew some curiosity, but no one was outright hostile. That was a nice change too.
Pushing open the door to the conference room revealed a long table surrounded by padded chairs, but no one waited for us inside. With a glance at Ray, I moved past him to take one of the nearest seats.
He sat beside me, pulling close enough to stretch his arm across the back of my chair. Even if there hadn’t been the possibility of spending some time together that night, it was nice to share physical contact. That was why I liked being around other shifters. A lot of other races got a bit weirded out or read too much into simply wanting to touch.
We sat in a companionable silence, but it wasn’t too long before the door opened again. I’d met Von before, recognized him when he entered. The tall orc
who came in with him was more familiar. His dark green skin didn’t seem to have any new scars since the last time I’d seen him, the silver studs in his ear winking in the light.
They took seats just a couple down from ours, two pairs of red eyes staring at us intently. “You know Grem.” Von gestured to the other orc. “He’ll be going with you.” There was almost a faint air of challenge to him, like he expected us to argue.
It was tempting. Ray and I were shifters. We knew what we were doing, and we could handle this ourselves. We were supposed to be taking a bunch of supplies to one of the fishing camps north of the metro area. They’d reached out, and Von wanted to make a good impression with the neighbors who were one of our food resources. We needed them more than ever, considering the ranches up in Northeast had been completely destroyed.
Maybe I would have argued if I didn’t know Grem. He was one of the orcs who’d come to East during the Uprising, and we’d spent a bit of time together. Having him along wouldn’t be so bad. It could be worse. Especially since I wasn’t sure if Von had come up with this on his own or Leo had asked him for some additional protection.
“You expecting trouble?” Ray asked casually.
“No. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you get trouble when you’re not expecting it.” Von’s lips gave a rueful twist around his tusks.
I exchanged a look with Ray and shrugged. Another body wouldn’t hurt anything. “Fine with me,” I said. “The weather looks like it might get bad, so I hope you don’t have plans for tomorrow morning.” I addressed that to Grem. “We might be stuck there tonight, and there’s not exactly a lot of space in an ambulance to sleep.”
Grem’s eyes moved over both me and Ray, seeming to linger on Ray. We’d been a bit flirty, but that was interesting. “We’ll figure it out,” he returned.
