Page 20 of Perfectly Perplexing Zombie

“Standing at the edge of the floor, ensconced in shadow.”

Johnny’s frown deepened. Lucroy’s expression remained a blank mask while Peaches’s was distressed.

Again, it was Johnny who answered. “No one comes to mind, but Wendall’s mentioned a couple of times that he’s gotten the feeling someone’s watching him. He says the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. I thought that might have been you when I saw you back in the washroom talking to him.”

I couldn’t necessarily argue that it wasn’t me, but I certainly had competition in the stalking department.

“I’ll keep my eyes peeled.” Johnny gave a firm nod toward Lucroy before clopping away.

“Is there something more I should know?” Lucroy questioned. “I do not like the idea of anyone on my staff—anyone that I’m responsible for—under threat.”

“I have someone looking into the matter. He should get back to me any day.” I was curious why Hamish hadn’t already contacted me. I’d given him an address, license plate number, and description. It should not take that long to find out more about the mystery human.

“And when you get this information?”

“I will be happy to share anything pertinent.” I could not monitor the situation with Wendall twenty-four seven. Extra eyes and ears were always helpful, especially when those eyes and ears desired the same outcome.

Pushing out of the booth we’d settled in, I offered my gratitude. “I appreciate your advice and will take your suggestions into consideration.” I was doing more than that. My mind was already planning. I needed to contact the Master of Beasts. Ilish would be able to procure what I desired. Scuttlebutts weren’t orphaned often, but it happened enough that a few came into his care each breeding season.

Walking out of Dusk, phone in hand, I pulled up Ilish’s number and hit the send button. He answered on the second ring.

“Hellfire? What can I do for you?”

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spoken with Ilish. A century, maybe two? Regardless, he got right down to business. It was a quality I greatly appreciated.

“I need an orphaned scuttlebutt. One that is mature enough to leave your care. Is there such a creature available?”

A curious pause silenced our connection until Ilish answered, “I’ve got five total. Two are too young. The other three might be possibilities.”

“Excellent. Can I come by and view them?”

“Of course. I’d be happy to rehome one or more.”

“I’ll just be needing the one. Thank you, Ilish.” I hit the end button. One scuttlebutt was more than enough for Wendall. One scuttlebutt was more than enough for anyone.

ChapterNine

Wendall

The nerve of him!Hot water sluiced down my skin. It was a little warmer than I generally found comfortable, but the heat barely registered. I was burning with anger, and the water was nothing compared to that.

Two days later, I still couldn’t get over what Ray had said to me, what he’d expected me to do. I mean, really? Did he just think I would fall to my knees and worship him like the fairy god he evidently thought he was? Did he even know how horrible his pitch was?

Ray’s queen was forcing him to offer his bond to me. I’d done some research since our conversation, which only increased my fury. Not much was known about fairy bonding, but what was known was it was rare, just like Ray said. It was for eternity and only offered to those they loved. Evidently, fairies didn’t feel that deep burning emotion too often, given how little they bonded. I kind of got it. Fairies lived…like, forever or something, and that was a hell of a long time.

Vampires could live that long—maybe, but they were a lot easier to kill than fairies and sometimes just kind of gave up on their second lives. Beloveds were sacred and helped tether a vampire back to the living world. If they were lucky enough to find their beloved, they generally jumped at the chance.

Fairies didn’t think that way. Or maybe the more accurate thing to say was they didn’t feel that way. Fairies were notoriously difficult to read, and since they weren’t big into group sharing… Was it any wonder most of us were left floundering?

Turning off the water, I leaned my head against the wall. I had another gangrenous spot, this one on my thigh. It was small, but it would grow and soon have unwelcome company. Staring down at the damaged skin, my limp cock flaccidly lay near the spot. My anger wasn’t simply directed at Ray. I also had a rather unhealthy dose pointed directly at myself.

I tapped my dick, watching it sway. Nothing. Not a damn thing. That was one thing about having reanimated flesh. My heart didn’t beat. Blood didn’t travel through my veins. Desire did nothing—abso-fucking-lutely nothing at all. No matter how much I might feel attraction, my cock would never respond.

I could still be on the receiving end of sex. I had no idea if I’d enjoy it, and even if I did, there wouldn’t be a lot of evidence to indicate it.

Was that fair to do to someone else? Forget the shitty way Ray went about presenting his bonding offer. Even if I wasn’t totally put off by the whole thing, would it be right for me to accept knowing that I could never properly respond physically?

I didn’t know. I had no idea what Ray expected. From what little he’d said, I got the feeling he didn’t expect a lot. Or maybe nothing at all. And that bothered me more than my limp dick. Maybe. They might have been on equally craptastic footing.

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