Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 98961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“You might want to grab two,” Eamon says, pushing his shoulders back when a group of zombies lumber out of the woods. Once they hit the open front yard, they pick up speed, and they’re moving fast. I watch in horror and then blink, shaking myself into action. The warding isn’t going to stop them because zombies aren’t inherently evil. They’re dumb but dangerous, acting on their only impulse to consume the flesh of the living. I head inside for weapons and to check on our daughter.
“Everything okay out there?” Kristy asks. She’s perched on the edge of the couch, holding Juliet.
“Zombies,” I start.
“Again?” Kristy makes a face.
“Yeah, and then there’s this.” I hold out my hand, summoning red hellfire. “I’m going to take a guess that somehow bringing back the people I couldn’t save is another broken seal.”
“Should I take them to the Covenstead?” Eliza asks.
I shake my head. “The zombies are coming from the woods. I’m not sure where all the bodies were buried, but a note should be sent.”
“On it,” Kristy says and stands. I take Juliet from her, cradling my baby against my chest. “It's going to be okay, sweetheart.” I kiss her and give her to Eliza. “I’ll get the ring, just in case.”
“Good idea.” Eliza’s pretty face is strained, and she takes Juliet from me. She starts crying as soon as she’s out of my arms and it pains me to run up the stairs and leave her crying in the living room. It’s better than zombies crashing through the windows and going after her. Gritting my teeth, I run into my room, first stopping at my dresser to get the ring from my jewelry box. I slip it around my pinky finger and rush into my closet.
When I was in my crazy nesting, I polished, sharpened, and reorganized everything. My smaller weapons are in a chest in the back of my closet, and the bigger ones are hanging up on the wall, hidden behind my clothes. I push a bunch of black dresses away and grab two swords, forgetting for a second how heavy they are. I drop them to the ground and open the chest, pulling out the karambit knife my father gave me back around Christmas time.
“Callie!” Kristy screams from downstairs and I spring up when the sound of glass shattering echoes through the house. My spine tingles with nerves and I get a flash of when Paimon and the Horsemen attacked us. Now’s not the time to get hit with a PTSD flashback. Sucking in a breath, I grab the weapons and sprint back down the stairs, emerging into the kitchen. I turn and see Kristy in the family room, holding Juliet to her chest. A zombie launched himself through one of the windows and is stuck on a piece of broken class. Eliza grabs it by the hair, lifting it up and shoving it outside.
“The fuck.” She holds up her hands, disgusted to see dirt under her nails.
“Remember what you said,” I tell her, pulling one of the swords from its sheath. “She’s worth ruining your manicure over.”
I take the ring off my pinky finger and give it to Kristy. “Alona,” I repeat her name just to be sure. “If you need her, call her.”
“I will.” She slips the ring on her finger and cradles Juliet’s head. “I’ll keep her safe.”
“Attic,” Eliza barks. “Now!” I kiss Juliet and watch Kristy disappear up the stairs. Freya shadows behind them, promising to protect Juliet. Heart in my throat, I blink back my emotions and heft up the heavy swords, running to the porch.
Lucas is in the yard, and I get to the porch just in time to watch him tear the head off a zombie. Blood is dotted across his face, and he whirls around, mouth open with his fangs beard.
“Catch!” I shout and use magic to help throw the heavy sword through the air. He catches it with ease and spins around, slicing the head off another zombie. Certain Eamon has bailed by now, I’m surprised to see him wielding the broken piece of my porch, smashing a zombie over the head.
“Hey,” I call to him and pull the other sword from its sheath. Eamon kicks a zombie in the chest, sending it flying back several yards. It crashes into another and they both fall down. They get up, movements jerky but fast.
“What the hell did you get yourselves into?” He takes the sword from me, looking at the dried blood on the blade. It’s my blood, and when I was cleaning weapons, I enchanted a few with my blood just in case we needed it. Good thing I was obsessively wanting to prepare.
“This is normal for us.” I give a shrug and throw out my free hand, sending a ball of pure white light into the chest of a zombie. The energy sizzles through him and he catches on fire, burning from the inside out and collapsing in a pile of smoldering goo. “Now are you going to help or not?”