Page 16 of Perfectly Perplexing Zombie

“You mean, as like…a mate kind of thing?” My nose scrunched, oddly twitching at the thought. I waited for Ray to politely tell me I was an idiot. He didn’t.

“That is the correct term for weres. Considering you are most likely more familiar with this type of bond, then I will accept it is close enough.”

You could have knocked me over with a sprite. My eyes were so wide they hurt. My mouth hung open, and I figured the sink was the only thing holding me up.Mate with a fairy?My gaze swiftly ran over Ray’s body—from the tips of his polished shoes to the fine points of his ears. Ray was fairy perfection. He was gorgeous in that untouchable fairy way. And here he was, proposing we mate, that somehow sharing this precious bond of his would keep mealive.

It was crazy. Absolutely batshit crazy. His queen actually wanted him to share his bond with me. She…wait. My mouth snapped closed, and my wide eyes dipped until they narrowed.

“Did she order you?” I asked with a croak of disbelief.

“Are you inquiring if Queen Silvidia ordered me to share my bond with you?”

Unable to form the words, I nodded.

“It was more of a request, but I will do as my queen bids. I am at her service.” Ray offered an ever so slight, deferential head tilt that left me stunned and more than a little flustered. Or maybe angry.

Yeah, that was it—angry. And the longer I stood there, the angrier I got. Who in the hell was this fairy and his queen? Did they think this was an offer I’d jump at? Was it even an offer, or was it something I was simply expected to do, something I had no choice in?

Now that I’d thought of that, I couldn’t let the idea rest and blurted, “Do I have to?”

Ray’s expression went completely blank. “Bond?”

“Yes,” I rushed to answer. “Bond. Do I have to bond with you? Do I have a choice?”

Back stiffening, Ray went still, and his words were clipped when he answered, “There are few others with the necessary power and ability to do what is needed to continue your existence.”

God above, Ray thought I just didn’t want to bond withhim. While that was true, I didn’t want tobondwith anyone that wasrequestedto do so. I’d rather die than be bonded for eternity to someone who resented me, and that’s exactly the type of future I saw between perfect fairy Ray and my paltry, zombified human flesh.

Waving a denying hand, I said, “Not just you. I mean any fairy. Is this somehow part of fairy law?” I raised a single eyebrow. “Do those youpropositionhave a choice in the matter, or are we required by some heinously obscure law?”

Ray’s eyes flared with fire, and this time, it took much longer to put out the flames. I thought I caught a glimpse of fire licking along his back, but that dissipated far quicker than the crimson and orange lighting up his gaze.

After snapping his eyelids closed, when Ray opened them again, his pupils were dark, with a calm crimson ring narrowly cupping them.

“No. There is no such law. That would be reprehensible.”

I didn’t think my idea sounded asreprehensibleas Ray did. Fairies were capable of a lot worse if they thought it was to their benefit.

“So,” I started, needing perfect clarification, “I can say no to your…generous offer, and there won’t be any consequences to me or anyone else I know. Correct?”

Ray’s jaw worked as if he were chewing rocks. “That is true.”

I gave a firm nod. “Then, with all due respect, I decline your offer of an eternal bond. If it’s all the same with you and your queen, I think I’ll live out my reanimated time and let Muriel cut the cord.”

Ray’s words were deathly quiet. “You would rather die?”

I shrugged. “I’m already dead. Maybe it’s time my mind caught up with the rest of my body. And yes, just so we’re clear, I would rather die than bond with someone who obviously detests the idea of spending eternity with me. Thank you for the offer, but you can shove it up your perfect fairy ass.”

ChapterEight

Hellfire Rayburn

“He denied you?”

“He did,” I answered with shame and more than a little confusion. Any other human would have sold their soul for what I offered. Wendall Galen had been wholly unimpressed and offended.

Queen Silvidia’s laughter danced through the sky, turning nearby raindrops into shimmering diamonds that gently fell to the ground before dissolving back into their aqueous state. I thought she would be angry or, worse, disappointed in my abilities. Strangely, she appeared to be neither. Amusement was not a possibility I’d foreseen.

“My, my, I’m uncertain if Wendall’s stubborn courage is due to his fairy or human blood. Either is a likely enough candidate.”

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