To Love a Shifter: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set (133 page)

          He straightened. “It truly would not be my choice to leave you. But I am also aware that my appearance is causing you discomfort.”

          “Oh, ya think?” He was pacing in front of me, and it meant he was wagging his…thing…in front of me, too.

          “Yes.” He nodded with another frown. “I think so. It is foolish but understandable. This is a strange, strange time.”

          “Says the strange zombie with the strange accent,” I muttered under my breath.

          “What did you say, woman?”

          I smiled brightly. “Don’t mind me. Just talking to myself.”

          “I will come back as soon as I can,” he grunted out.

He might as well have vanished from the spot. He was that fast.

          It was a windy morning and I huddled inside my jacket, shivering with each gust. Restless and trying not to drive myself insane with worry, I took out my pen (nerds like me couldn’t do without one) and twirled it absently between my fingers.

         
A Draugar.
I had read a lot of books in my life, but I had never heard of that term. Was it real? Should I believe Mr. Stinky Captor Turned Rescuer? And goblins? Did the old lady last night really turn into one?

          My mind returned to the zombie-slash-Draugar, one who strangely spoke Old English like he was King Arthur. Wait, no. That wasn’t right. He was more Beowulf than King Arthur, his burr more Arnold Schwarzenegger than Sean Connery.

          “I am back.” And he was, appearing all of a sudden in front of me like a zombie fairy godfather.

          “
Jesus
!” The pen slipped from my fingers. “Don’t scare me like that.”

          “I apologize.” The words came out so easily, which made me feel childish. “I brought you food, woman.”

          “Umm, thanks.” I took the handful of berries and a fresh loaf of bread from him. I squinted and saw the zombie attired in dark shirt and trousers. They didn’t seem loose, but I couldn’t tell if they were a perfect or too-snug fit. “I’m not even going to ask where you got all these from.”

          He shrugged.

          Because I was insane, I felt guiltier for being rude to the zombie who saved me and fed me. I asked awkwardly, “So, what’s your name?” I could do this. We could be interspecies friends. That would be better than a relationship between prey and predator.

          “Varthan.”

          The berries were sweet, the bread delightful, and I started to feel friendlier towards the zombie. Amazing what a full stomach could do. “You told me someone sent you to protect me,” I prompted.

          “The Goddess. She created our kind to protect the greatest treasures of the world from those who wish to use them for foul means.”

          I came this far, swallowing everything he told me. And he did morph from giant zombie to normal
homo sapien –
or as normal as he could be at least
.
I might as well believe the rest. “So what’s the treasure?”

          “You.”

          That started my fit of choking. “You’re kidding me, right?”

          “Your situation is nothing to joke about, woman.”

          “You know what? We’ll get to that in a bit, but first things first. Will you quit calling me
woman
? You know my name. Dazzle’s not that hard to recall so maybe you could, I don’t know,
use
it?”

          “Daz-zle.”

          “You don’t have to say it like it’s bird crap.”

          “I do not think your name is bird cap---”

          “Crap.”

          He ignored that. “---and I also do not mean to cause offense when I call you ‘woman’. It is only because I normally do not address
skat
by their first name. It is disrespectful.”

          “Oh. That’s cool, you respecting me, I mean. Especially since I’m younger than you. But really, Dazzle’s fine. And what does
skat
mean, anyway?”

          “It means ‘treasure’.”

          A snort of laughter escaped me.

“Something amuses you, wo---Dazzle?”

“The idea of me being a treasure is just a bit…” I sighed. “Never mind.”

          He didn’t press the issue, which was a pleasant surprise. Most guys I knew were nosier than my own sex. If not for Varthan here, I’d still think the strong-but-silent type was as real as Bigfoot.

          “We must head to Draugar Isle.”

          “What’s that?”

          “It is where my kind live.”

          “Riiiiiight.” Draugar Isle equaled Zombie Isle equaled an island filled with zombies. And he wanted me to go there? “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Varthan---”

          “That is the only place where you can be truly safe.”

          “Riiiiiight again. But you see, I’ve got a life and…oh my God!” I moaned, remembering what today was. I jumped to my feet. “We need to get back to the city!” Oh God, oh God. Tony, our manager, was going to kill me. “I’ve got a---whoa!” Varthan had grabbed me by the waist and swung me up so quickly I actually felt airsick for a second.

“What is the danger?” he demanded.

          I tapped his shoulder so he’d stop scanning the surroundings like a SWAT on code red. “I’m not in danger, but my
job
is. If we don’t get back to the city, I’m dead. My entire career is dead.”

          He digested that and carefully put me down a few moments later. “Your
job
?”

          “Uhhh…
yeah
?”

          He shook his head. “It is not safe---”

          “Dude, I don’t think---”

          “What is
dude
?”

          I bit back a sigh. “Never mind. Look, Varthan, you’re not getting it. I’m not asking you for permission. I’m going back, with or without you. And I know you’re powerful enough to stop me but I’m warning you. I’m going to kick a whole lot of fuss---”

          “You are making unnecessary trouble, Dazzle.” I could almost picture him scowling.

          A scary thought, so I clarified quickly, “Not intentionally.” I took a deep breath. “Look, I know you mean well. But I really need this job.” I needed it like I needed to breathe since it was the only thing that paid my stepmom’s bills.

“So let’s compromise, okay? We go back to the city, I do my job, and then we leave for Zombie Island.”

          “Draugar Isle.”

          “That’s what I said.” I offered my hand. “Do we have a deal?”

          Varthan shook my hand. “I hope you will not regret this decision, woman,” he said darkly. He lifted me up and made me feel like a stuffed koala bear as he arranged my limbs. He was only satisfied when I had my arms around his neck, legs around his waist, and face on his shoulder facing backwards.

          It was an embarrassing and awkward position to say the least. Combined with the fact that he had come on to me earlier, it was a position I had to protest. “Varthan---”

          “We will travel more quickly and safely this way. If someone attacks from behind, I will be the one hurt and not you.”

          Said like that, I changed my mind about complaining. Get killed by goblins and its minions or get carried by a zombie? What a dilemma. “Thanks,” I mumbled and wasn’t able to say more than that because Varthan was literally moving like the wind.

I closed my eyes. By the time we reached the city, I’d have my eyesight back, be surrounded by my friends, and be just a 911 call away from safety. I should have a plan by then.

It was exactly 12:35pm, according to Varthan, when we got back to the hotel. I could feel people staring at us as he helped me back on my feet. I was a bit wobbly at first, having maintained the same position for hours.

          “I can’t believe I fell asleep.” And despite my incredulity, a yawn escaped me.

          “You were tired,” he said, guiding me past the entrance doors. “It is understandable.”

          “You should be tired, too.”

          “My kind is stronger.”

          I told myself that was more reassuring than frightening. He’s on my side. I had to remember that. I looked around, blinking, and was satisfied by the amount of light that greeted me. Yup, this was just the right amount of brightness I remembered. “You didn’t get lost?”

“Draugar
never
get lost, woman.”

“Okaaaay.” I smiled at how affronted Varthan sounded. I still had a hard time seeing, but I remembered enough of the hotel’s layout to find my way to the elevators. When we stepped in, I could still feel people staring at us. I guess that shouldn’t surprise me. He was a zombie, after all. Sure, Varthan had a fancy European name for it, but still. A zombie is a zombie is a zombie. He probably wasn’t much to look at even in his human shape.

          “This is an odd vehicle,” he remarked.

          I waited till I sensed we were alone inside the elevator before demanding, “You’re not serious, are you?” I laughed. “Of course you’re not serious.” But he was a
zombie.
That was weird enough, so why wouldn’t everything else about him be just as weird? “Are you?”

          “You are speaking things I do not understand again, woman.”

          “It’s an
elevator
. You can’t be seriously telling me you’ve never used an elevator?”

          “It had not been invented in my time. I was born in the 12
^th
century---”

“No way.” So that was why he spoke like my world history professor!

          “I do not understand.”

          “So you’re almost a thousand years old?” I demanded.

          “A thousand?” Varthan was silent. “I suppose so, if that much time has indeed passed. It is no doubt why I am astonished at how different things are.”

          “You don’t look more than twenty-five,” I accused.

          “Draugar do not age.”

          Lucky zombie. I wanted to ask more questions, but we had reached my floor by then. “We’re definitely talking about that later,” I whispered fervently before taking hold of his hand and dragging him with me.

          “Dazzle!” a voice shrieked, making Varthan tense.

          “Relax. It’s my friend. Everyone here’s on our side, so no need to get defensive and go on zombie mode, okay?” More and more, I was feeling back to my normal self, the fear from last night’s events receding.

          “Oh my God, you look awful!” Dana moaned, touching my face tentatively. “Did you get mugged? Oh my God, did you get---”

          “I’m
fine
, Dana. I just had an, umm, accident. It’s a long story, I’ll tell you about it later.”

          “You better tell Tony,” Dana warned, relaxing at my soothing voice. “He’s been freaking out ever since he found out you’ve gone AWOL last night. And who’s the---”

          “Varthan? This is my friend Dana. Dana, meet Varthan.” I waited with bated breath for Dana to freak out.

          She didn’t.

          Maybe, maybe he really didn’t look as bad as last night.

          I looked at Dana’s direction. “Could you keep him company while I get ready for rehearsals?”

          “I can’t.” What a sweetie. She even managed to sound genuinely regretful at the prospect of losing Varthan’s company. “I can’t afford to be late. You know that.”

          “Even better! Take him with you. Have him sit in the corner. I’ll meet up with you in thirty minutes, tops.”

          “Are you sure?”

          “You cannot leave my side, woman!” Varthan intruded, catching on.

          “Relax. I’m safe here and I’ll be just as safe on my way there. I promise. Trust me. Besides, it’s broad daylight and I’ll have company with me. What can they do?”

          “But you are
blind
.”

          “I’m not. Almost. And I won’t be later. I’ve got contacts in my room so I’m going to have a fresh pair of eyes in minutes. I’ll take every precaution.”

          “I do not approve of this decision of yours, woman.”

          “Ooh,” Dana reacted, shamelessly eavesdropping. “Are you two in
that
kind of relationship now?”

          “No,” I snapped, coloring. No offense to Varthan, but did Dana really think I’d fall that easily for someone I just met – human or not human? I had nothing against his zombie-ness or whatever. But I barely knew him and in my books, I had to know beyond a guy’s first name and non-human status before we started dating.

          I focused on Varthan. “Just trust me this once, okay?” I knew it was like I was taking a risk with Dana’s life. There was always a chance he could turn into a carnivorous zombie. But somehow, I trusted him. Not completely, but enough to know that he wouldn’t eye my friend as brunch.

          “I do not like this, woman. I have already made a compromise earlier---”

          “Make this the last compromise you’ll agree to. Please?”

          But Dana was already whisking him away.

          The first thing I did in the privacy of my room was slap on the lenses. Then I screeched when I saw my reflection. My face was like a mosaic of blood and dirt, there were multi-colored bruises on my neck, and no amount of detergent could ever resuscitate my clothes. Bye-bye, favorite jacket. Bye-bye, frilly shirt. Bye-bye, Levis. But thank God my favorite Chucks were still okay.

          I grabbed my phone from the desk and went online to Google Draugar. I hoped nothing sensible would come up, but deep down inside I knew better. And when I saw how even freaking
Wikipedia
had a page on them, I knew I was knocking my head against the wall.

          I opened multiple tabs and skimmed the pages, feeling worse and worse with every tidbit of information I accessed. The word ‘zombie’ crept up more times than I wanted. They also said
Draugar
was a myth. But I knew better, too.

****

         
Varthan had gone
, Dana told me when I reached rehearsals and got through Tony’s twenty-minute ranting. I didn’t say a word in protest, knowing he was more concerned than angry.

          “He says he wants to acalimate or something like that,” Dana explained. She was one of the best girl hip-hop dancers in the world, but she had zero interest in building her vocabulary to adult level.

          “Acclimate,” I corrected absently. If Varthan the Zombie was really almost a thousand years old, I couldn’t blame him for wanting a more up close and personal understanding of the 21
^st
century. I just hoped he was researching for entertainment and not so he could build a zombie army and take over the city.

          “Anyway, he says he’ll meet you backstage. I pulled in some favors and got a pass for him.” She turned to me, eyes wide with admiration. “How did you hook up with someone that hot, Dazzle?”

          I gave her a weird look. “You could drop the act, you know.”

          She tossed her carrot-colored hair over her shoulder. “It’s not an act. I’m loyal to Bryce, of course, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun looking.”

          Oh, yeah, Bryce. That cleared up things for me and I laughed. “Fine. I won’t tell Bryce so you can look your fill.” Bryce was Dana’s long-term boyfriend. He was a breaker like me, hot on the dance floor, shy off it, and a bit on the plain side.

          Dana, on the other hand, was eye-catching whether she was making the moves or not. If she could be attracted to someone like Bryce, maybe a zombie like Varthan had a chance.

          There wasn’t much time to chat. It was the final rehearsals for the last leg of Hailey Vine’s European tour. Everyone wanted to finish things with a bang. But most of all, we wanted to go home. The past six months had been fun, but it would be nice to be back on American soil.

          At 8pm, the concert officially began. I was slated for the second song. I took my time primping, knowing from experience how harsh the audience could be. You could be doing headstands and windmills and they’d still notice if you were wearing the wrong mascara.

          My hair, long, black, and straight, had been twisted into wild curls for tonight’s gig. My makeup made the most of my green eyes and full lips; it also effectively concealed the bruises on my neck, arms, and legs. I wore a black leather brassiere, skimpy boy shorts, and knee-high boots. All I needed was a whip and I could have posed for a porn magazine.

          “Oh my God!” Dana squealed as she ran out of the stage, flushed with excitement. She wore a different costume: a white figure hugging one-piece suit unbuttoned nearly to her waist that showed more than a hint of her red glittery bra.

          “What is it?” I asked, catching hold of her so she would stop jumping around like an Energizer rabbit.

          “Varthan’s in the first row! He’s changed his clothes and---” She pretended to fan herself. “
Hot.
Really hot. He’s drawn almost as much stares as Hailey has, believe me.”

         
Hot. Zombie.
It just didn’t make sense.

          Dana seemed to notice my amazement and she shook her head. “What’s wrong with you? You don’t think he’s hot?”

          “I…guess we have different tastes in guys.” Like, mine made sense and hers...didn’t?

          She sniffed. “I don’t understand why you’re
not
gushing over him.” Her eyes narrowed. “Unless you’ve got a thing with Qui---”

          I hastily covered her mouth, fearful of someone overhearing. “I told you not to talk about
that
,” I hissed. And
that
was six-foot-one, dark-haired, brown-eyed, with a killer smile. His name was Quinn Chase, awarded World’s Best Hip-Hop Male Dancer last year, and my long-time (secret) crush.

          Dana pulled my hand away and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

          I heard my cue and gave her one last warning look. “Remember: no talking about
that.
Don’t even
think
about his name.”