02

Ethan walked toward me one slow step at a time.

I couldn't make myself look up. Something hard pressed against my forehead.

Then the few working cells left in my brain finally connected.

I was a zombie.

I could bite him.

I opened my mouth and lunged for his chest. Before the apocalypse, that had been my favorite part of him. Under the circumstances, biting it off seemed fair.

His hand snapped around my jaw and forced my face up.

His mouth curved.

“Nora. You understand me, don't you?”

My eyes shifted toward the hard object against my forehead.

It was a stick.

A stupid tree branch.

The bastard had bluffed me with a twig.

Furious, I clawed at him. He caught both my wrists and pinned me against his chest.

With his free hand, he patted my cheek.

“You were hardheaded before,” he murmured near my ear. “Looks like the rest of you finally caught up.”

His gaze dropped.

My shredded shirt no longer covered much.

I looked down too.

Right. Zombie or not, my breasts were still very much present.

I thrashed harder and hissed at him.

“Cursing me out?”

Obviously.

Pervert. Jerk. Traitor.

Unfortunately, all that came out was another rasping growl.

Ethan pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around me. Then he flashed the broad, infuriating smile I remembered too well.

“You're a lot sweeter when you can't talk.”

I tried to bite him again.

He carried me back to his group anyway.

They tied me to a concrete support post inside an abandoned gas station. Ethan even crouched in front of me and carefully clipped my nails down to useless stubs.

I bared my teeth.

He studied them.

“Those might be a problem too.”

I snapped my mouth shut and gave him my best harmless smile.

I had my limits. A toothless zombie would be hideous.

“Still know when to cooperate,” he said.

For a moment, his expression went distant. His eyes looked red.

Probably the dust.

Avery came over and caught the sleeve of his shirt. Her face was soft and worried.

“Ethan, are we really taking her with us? She's a zombie. We're supposed to kill zombies if we want to stay safe.”

Excuse me?

I snapped my teeth at her and growled.

If it hadn't been for me, she never would've met Ethan in the first place.

Avery flinched and pressed closer to him.

Ethan stepped between us. He caught my chin, and the warning in his eyes was unmistakable.

“You're the one depending on us now, Nora. Can't you behave for once?”

I went still.