I woke to the sound of a gun being reloaded.

Startled, I opened my eyes and stared up at an ivory silk canopy.

Where am I?

Ignoring my throbbing head, I sat up. Trying to blink away the dizziness, I looked around the palatial bedroom suite taking in the cream-and-gold sheets of the massive four-poster bed I was lying on. They perfectly matched the expensive-looking rug in the middle of the room. Over that hung a chandelier of all things.

My gaze locked on the French doors that led out to a balcony on the other side of the room. The sheer drapes were tied back revealing the dark silhouette of a mountain against the darkening stormy sky.

Nothing looked remotely familiar.

My breathing turned jagged as I tried to remember how I got there. The last thing I remembered was the Howler.

“Relax, you’re okay,” said a deep voice to my left. “We’re in a gated mansion near the foothills. We’ll hole up here for the night.”

Mike.

I turned my head and found him seated next to the bed on a wingback chair that looked like it belonged in a museum. He was covered in blood, but very much alive. I let out the tense breath I’d been holding.

Wait…how is he alive?

“You were dead. Your neck broken.” My tone was accusatory as I scanned him looking for any sign of injury. There wasn’t one. In fact, there wasn’t a scratch on him.

Did I imagine it?

He set his gun down and looked over at me. “I was playing possum. When the Howler went after you, I grabbed the tire iron and rammed it all the way through his brain. That put him down for good.” His voice softened. “That was a crazy thing you did trying to save me. You should’ve run. Why didn’t you?”

Because I couldn’t imagine a world without you in it.

Deflecting his question, I said, “You were the one that saved my life. Thank you.”

He cocked his head. “That makes seven times by my count.”

“I’ll give you six. You can’t count that convenience store fiasco.”

“Can too.”

Smiling at our familiar argument, I shifted my gaze to the line of handguns on the nightstand. His weapons looked almost obscene laid out on the froufrou antique-looking piece.

We have our guns. We’re both alive and the cat is…

A wave of panic gripped me. “Wait. I left Tango in the car. I have to go back for him.”

Mike gave me an incredulous look. “After what we just went through you’d want to go back for a cat?”

I balled my blood-encrusted fists against the sheets. “I have to.”

Please don’t let the Biters have eaten him.

He shook his head. “Relax. I rescued the damn thing too. I put it in the bathroom.” He nodded at a closed door across from the bed. “I even gave it a can of tuna I found in the kitchen.”

My mouth fell open. “You really did that?”

The back of his neck reddened. “Yeah.”

The man continues to surprise me.

“That was sweet of you.” His kind gesture had me looking at him with new eyes.

He’s thoughtful and gorgeous.

Even the streaks of blood and grease on his face couldn’t detract from his movie-star good looks. If I wasn’t careful, I could be in serious danger of losing my heart to him.

As if reading my mind, he cleared his throat. “Don’t get your hopes up. The cat is still not coming back to the safe house.” He interrupted me before I could argue. “How are you feeling?”

“Surprisingly well.” I rolled my shoulders and took stock of my injuries. My head throbbed, my back ached, and my hand felt strangely numb, but overall I was doing far better than I should under the circumstances.

If not for Mike, I’d be dead.

I felt the blood drain from my face.

I hate to admit it, but my sister is right. My zombie-fighting skills need improvement.

I looked up to find Mike staring at me intently. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

Unable to stop the impulse, I wiped my hand over my forehead. It came away filthy.

No wonder he is looking at me like that. I probably look like a Dumpster-diving hobo zombie.

I self-consciously finger-combed my hair. “How long was I out?”

“A few hours. You whacked your head pretty hard. I figured we were better off finding shelter for the night than trying to get back to the safe house in the dark.”

“What happened to Trish?”

His jaw tightened. “She didn’t stick around. I’m hoping she made it back to the school.”

I hoped so too. “She must be so upset. Losing her brother like that…” My chest grew tight thinking of the pain she must be in.

I don’t know what I’d do if I lost Lee.

As much as we fought, my sister was still the most important person in the world to me.

Mike let out a heavy sigh. “It’s my fault Jared’s dead.”

I reached over and touched his hand. “There was nothing you could’ve done. The Howler was unstoppable. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Remembering the way it shook off the bullets made me tremble.

He grabbed my hand tightly. “It nearly killed you. I can’t risk that happening again.”

A sinkhole opened in the pit of my stomach. “What are you saying?”

He pressed his lips in a firm line, the furrow in his brow answering my question better than words would.

I yanked my hand away. “No. You can’t keep me from going on missions.” My rescue work was too important.

“Don’t look at me like that. You have no idea how much you mean to me.”

I inhaled sharply.

What am I supposed to say to that?

Needing to change the subject, I nodded at the hand radio hanging on his tactical belt. “Please tell me you were able to reach the safe house and let them know we’re okay.”

He shook his head. “We’re still out of range.”

A sickening feeling came over me. “Oh, God. My sister and Reed are going to think I’m dead.”

He shrugged. “It’s unfortunate, but there is nothing we can do about that now. Think about how happy they will be to see you alive tomorrow.”

I let out a hysterical laugh. “You don’t know my sister very well. Lee will be losing her mind. She’ll never let me out of her sight after this…”

“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” Mike said looking at me with a mixture of concern and possessiveness.

I made a choking sound as I realized that between Mike and my sister, I’d probably never leave the safe house again.

Mike stood and walked over to the door across from the balcony. “Well, since we are trapped here for the night, I’m going to do another perimeter sweep. Why don’t you take a shower?”

He can’t be serious.

I smiled at his joke. “Right, and after that I’ll blow-dry my hair.”

He stopped with his hand on the door handle. “Didn’t I mention that this house runs on solar and has well water?” He flicked the switch by the door and the chandelier lights turned on.

“No way!” I scrambled off the bed and ran into the bathroom if you could even call it that. The entire space could’ve fit the classroom I currently slept in. It sported a long white marble countertop cluttered with toiletries and makeup, a large glass shower, and a white leather couch next to a fireplace.

Unable to resist the temptation, I flicked on the bathroom light and opened the door to my right. Inside was a large walk-in closet. There were rows of dresses organized by hue and an entire shelf of high heels in every color under the sun.

Whistling under my breath, I walked to the shoe shelf and picked up a purple suede stiletto. The shoe probably cost more money than I’d made in my entire life. As I set it back down, I noticed the end of the shelf wasn’t flush with the wall.

Curious, I looked closer. There was a dark passageway behind the shelf.

God knows what could be behind there.

Fear skittered down my spine.

“Mike!”

I reached for my gun. It wasn’t in my holster. Cursing myself for going anywhere without it, I raised the stiletto like a club and braced myself for something dead to stumble out.

Nothing did.

I let out a shaky breath. My shouting should’ve attracted any dead things lurking inside.

There’s nothing in there.

I set the shoe down with trembling hands and promised myself I’d never be stupid enough to wander into dark closets again. The world was dangerous enough as it was. The last thing I needed was to go looking for trouble without a weapon.

I wrinkled my nose at the overpowering odor of floral perfume seeping out from the passageway. It reminded me of the flowers at my mother’s and sister’s funeral. Wanting to escape the painful memory of that day, I tried to push the shelf close. It wouldn’t budge in either direction.

Oh well.

I shrugged my shoulders and quickly backtracked to the bathroom.

I was just shutting the closet door when Mike rushed in guns draw. “What it is?”

“False alarm,” I said waving him back. “I’m going to clean up now.”

Mike’s fierce expression melted into masculine interest. “Need any help with that?”

My breath shallowed at the mental image of him bathing me. “No!”

“Well then, I’ll be right outside if you need me.” Mike scanned the bathroom again and walked out, closing the door behind him.

I need you.

Wait. No, I don’t.

I bitch slapped my hormones back into line.

A flickering tail under the couch grabbed my attention. Grateful for the distraction, I walked over and peered underneath.

Tango’s iridescent eyes blinked at me.

Now this is a male I can get close to.

“Hi, kitty boy. How are you doing?”

He let out a pitiful meow and scrambled back nearly to the fireplace.

Well, he clearly doesn’t want to cuddle.

I stood up and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror over the sink.

Damn. I look like road kill.

Rubbing at one of the many bloodstains on my face, I made my way over to the shower. I held my breath as I turned on the faucet. Water sprayed out from a large showerhead. A quick turn of the faucet and the water heated. A shriek of delight escaped my lips. For months all I’d been able to take were sponge baths with the cold rainwater we’d managed to collect at the school.

Entirely focused on the possibility of getting clean for the first time in months, I tore off my blood-spattered clothes and unclasped Sasha’s collar. It was covered in blood and other things I didn’t want to think about. I set it near the sink so I could clean it.

But first me.

I stepped into the shower, savoring the glorious feeling of the hot water hitting my skin.

I’ve died and gone to heaven.

I’d already washed my hair three times and shaved with the bath products sitting on the shower ledge when I noticed a weird smudge on the back of my hand near the scratch Tango had given me. I scrubbed at it.

It didn’t wipe away.

What the…

I held my hand up and looked closer. There were tiny black veins around the scratch.

Oh my God.

Time seemed to stop.

I’ve been infected.