No Mere Zombie: Deathless Book 2 by Chris Fox Read Free Book Online Page A

differently?”
    “Trade secret,” he replied, grinning as he repeated the trick. There.
    He lunged at the darkness, his swipe connecting ever so briefly with flesh. His claws came back tinged with blood, but there was no sign of Bridget.
    “Clever, whatever it is. You can find me now. And here you didn’t want to spar,” she teased from the shadows.
    Furry arms shot from the darkness behind him, wrapping around his midsection as Bridget’s much heavier body bore him to the ground. He struggled briefly, but now that she had a hold of him there was no escape. She was much, much stronger.
    Then she began the worst form of torment, the kind she knew better than anyone how much he dreaded. She tickled him. He thrashed back and forth, struggling to free himself as he wheezed out laugh after laugh.  
    “A-all right,” he panted, going limp. “I yield.”
    The jungle vanished, replaced by the obsidian ring with its bright border. Bridget’s form wavered, shifting back into a very naked woman. Her impossibly soft breasts pressed against his back, her face buried against the fur behind his neck.
    Blair shifted too, rolling onto his back. Bridget snuggled up to him, draping an arm across his chest and nestling her head on his shoulder. It brought him back to countless mornings in bed, long conversations about interesting topics after hours of lovemaking. The longing warred with the pain of betrayal. Part of him recognized this as an invitation to more pain, but he stayed where he was. Her scent was overpowering.
    “I’m sorry, Blair. For everything. I hope you understand that,” she murmured, burying her face against his shoulder. It actually sounded sincere. Maybe it even was. People could change, couldn’t they?  
    “It looks like the ring is already in use, though not for sparring,” Cyntia’s thickly accented voice came from the doorway.  
    “We’ll just have to wait our turn,” Liz replied, tone dry as the Sahara.
    Blair scrambled to his feet, blushing in embarrassment and guilt, though he wasn’t sure why he should. It’s not as if he were dating Liz, though they’d certainly grown close during their mad flight from Peru. Bridget leapt to her feet, snatching her shirt from the ground and covering her chest with it. She refused to meet Liz’s gaze. He was a little ashamed of standing there naked, but he squared his shoulders anyway.
    “We just finished,” Blair offered. Lamely.  
    “I’ll bet you did,” Liz muttered, expression unreadable.
    “Blair learned a new trick,” Bridget said, obviously attempting to change the subject. She glanced down at her nakedness, blushing scarlet. “He can find us even when we’re hiding in the shadows.”
    “Interesting,” Liz said, striding purposely towards the ring. She’d already regained her composure and if she were angry, she certainly didn’t show it. “How do you do it, Blair?”
    “I send out a sort of 'ping.' Like radar,” he explained, exiting the ring and meeting Liz and Cyntia near the edge. He picked up his shirt, but didn't put it on yet. He’d be damned if he was going to act embarrassed, no matter how he felt. Bridget stood a few feet away, still avoiding Liz’s gaze. “I can’t easily invade your minds, but I feel the resistance when I try. If I send out a weak ping in all directions I can sense where you are.”
    “Impressive,” Cyntia said, crossing her arms over a more than ample chest. The gesture seemed deliberate, so Blair studiously avoided looking. He was already in enough trouble, though he wasn’t sure why he should be. “Did you discover this technique, or did your beast reveal it?”
    “It was my idea. The beast seemed rather surprised,” he replied, eyeing the safety of the door. “I’m going to go grab a shower. I’ll see you all at dinner.”
    Bridget started to follow, but Liz touched her arm. “Would you stay, Bridget? I was hoping we could spar.”
    Bridget’s creamy face paled. She shot Blair a worried