Page 174 of My Undead Love Life

They began to move slowly, spreading around us until the loose semicircle became the beginning of a circle.

My stomach twisted as a sinking feeling settled deep in my chest. Oxi moved closer to my side. Keith’s rifle stayed pointed toward the ground, but his finger rested near the trigger guard.

Mad’s voice came low enough that only we could hear. “Watch their hands.”

“They look well-fed,” one of the strangers muttered, but he didn’t bother lowering his voice.

“Yeah,” another added. “And well-armed.”

Luck’s easy expression didn’t change. “We’re also deeply unpleasant company.”

One of the women laughed. “I doubt that.”

Oxi’s sword angled slightly toward her. “You’d be surprised.”

Mad’s gaze moved over the group, calculating distances and weapons. “We don’t want trouble,” he said.

The tall man grinned wider. “Neither do we.”

The woman with the knives looked at me. “You the leader?”

“No,” I said.

“Shame.”

Luck glanced at me. “I think you would be an excellent leader.”

“Not helping,” Mad murmured.

“I’m building morale for our girl,” Luck hissed a whisper.

The strangers kept moving. The path was narrow, but there was enough space between the tall man and the woman on his left to pass if they let us.

Mad saw it, too.

“Keep moving,” he whispered.

We advanced carefully. Mad went first, axe loose at his side. Luck followed close enough to cover him. Keith and I moved behind them, with Oxi at my shoulder. The strangers watched us approach, and their gazes tracked our packs and our weapons. We threaded through the narrow space between them.

My pulse thudded in my ears.

As I passed the tall man, his hand snapped around my upper arm. Hard. “Hold up.” He yanked me backward.

My breath hitched as my body jerked with the force. My boots slid in the snow, and my shoulder screamed beneath his grip. My fingers tightened around the katana. But I froze. I had killed hundreds of undead. I had cut through rotting necks, driven my blade through their skulls, and watched infected bodies collapse at my feet without hesitation. This man was alive. I had never killed a living person before.

Keith turned so fast his movement blurred. His rifle came up, barrel aimed directly between the man’s eyes. Rage flooded his face, turning his blue eyes almost black. “Let her go.”

“Don’t fucking touch her!” Oxi spat. His cane sword lifted, the point angled toward the man’s ribs.

Luck pointed his pistol at him, too.

Mad took one slow step toward us, axe hanging at his side in a way that was far more threatening than if he had raised it.

The other survivors lifted their weapons.

The tall man didn’t flinch. Instead, his grip tightened until his fingers dug painfully through my sleeve. He pulled me closer, turning my body partly in front of his, like I was a shield.

His breath washed across my face, and nausea rolled through me. He smelled of sweat, stale food, and something sour. “Now why would I do that?” he asked. “Seems like she’s the interesting one in your group.”