Hunter Of The Dead (6 page)

Chapter Eight

Eden had her knife at Alejandro’s throat before she made a decision to move. “You will not kill her.” There had to be another way. A way that didn’t end with this child turning into a flesh-craving undead monster.

“
Querida
,” Alejandro spoke softly, his dark eyes unfathomable. “There is no cure. You know this.”

“We’ll find a way.” Eden spoke through her teeth. “I won’t let you kill her, Alejandro, she’s barely more than a baby.”

He sighed. “Put away the knife. I will not harm her until she has turned.”

Eden didn’t trust him, but she could hardly stand here all night while the girl suffered. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back quickly and sheathed the knife in her boot. “We have to do something. We can’t just watch her die.”

“There might be a way.” Alejandro hesitated. “If we amputate her arm, it may stop the infection from spreading.”

Amputate? They were in the freaking jungle, how the hell were they going to amputate? Eden shuddered, her gaze falling to the girl. Damn it, she didn’t have time to be squirmy. If this would save the child, she had to do it. “Okay.”

“This will not be pleasant.”

“No shit, Sherlock. Get the first aid kit.” She didn’t have to ask if he had one. He did. While Alejandro went to retrieve the supplies, Eden knelt next to the cot. The girl was a mess. She shivered, her exposed skin covered in sweat. The area around the bite was severely swollen, and the infection stained her skin a deep purple. Eden felt sick just looking at it. She couldn’t cut off this girl’s arm, not in a cabin in the jungle with no anesthesia. But there was no other way. Even now she could see the dark red streaks working their way up the girl’s arm. They were nearly to her shoulder. If they reached her heart, the child was dead.

Alejandro set the kit on the bed next to them, flipping the lid open and pulling out a thick rubber band and bandages—lots and lots of bandages. Then he moved to the other side of the cabin and came back with a blanket and a hand ax. The blade gleamed in the growing shadows and Eden’s stomach leapt into her throat. Were they really going through with this? The girl moaned a little, making her decision for her. She smoothed the hair back from the child’s face and switched to Spanish. “It will be okay,
poco se levanto
.” Her stomach lurched again and she really hoped she wasn’t lying.

Alejandro passed her the rubber band and Eden tied off the girl’s arm just below her shoulder. “The infection is spreading quickly. We must do this now.” She didn’t argue when he picked up the ax. “Hold her.”

Eden moved to the other side of the cot, squeezing in next to the bed. She leaned over the girl and braced herself. “Okay.”

Alejandro moved. One moment her arm was there, the next there was only a bloody stump, blood spurting from the open wound. Too much blood. The girl’s eyes flew open and she screamed, fighting Eden’s hold. Alejandro worked quickly, bandaging up the girl’s arm. With one last ear-splitting shriek, the girl went limp, her eyes rolling back in her head.

Eden sat back, her entire body shaking. They’d just cut off a little girl’s arm.
Oh God
. Her stomach twisted, but she fought back the impulse to vomit. There wasn’t time for weakness. She’d have nightmares aplenty when this was over, but right now she had to be strong. By the time she got control of herself, Alejandro had already disposed of the infected arm and was cleaning up the blood splatter on the floor. He met her gaze steadily. “Sit with her,
querida
. I will take care of the rest.”

She sank back against the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. It would have been better if she was doing something, but when the girl woke up, Eden wanted to be there to help her.

Time passed. Alejandro finished the cleanup and pulled up a chair on the other side of the cot. When he gave her a questioning look, she shook her head. She would stay on the floor.

The girl’s breath became choppy, and sweat ran off her skin in rivulets. She thrashed, moaning under her breath. Eden smoothed her hair back again and prayed like crazy. She met Alejandro’s eyes above the jerking body. “I want her to be okay.” It was a token of how insane the situation was that she was looking to him, a known liar, for reassurance and comfort.

“I know.”

There was nothing more to say. A couple times Eden tried to dribble water down the girl’s throat, but got no response. They sat for what felt like forever, watching as the child moved less and less.

All at once, the girl went completely still. Eden reached down and felt her neck for a pulse. Even as she searched, the child’s heartbeat slowed until she couldn’t feel anything. “Shit!” She went up to her knees and moved the girl’s remaining arm out of her way.

CPR was something she’d practiced enough for it to be second nature. She placed her left hand over the girl’s heart, and then her right hand over her left. Before she could even pump once, Alejandro grabbed her shoulders and brought them both to their feet. “It’s over,
querida
. It’s over.”

“No, it’s not. I can save her, I swear I can.” Eden was distantly shocked to feel tears pouring down her cheeks. She never cried and certainly never over a stranger.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew the answer. Children were her weakness, but this one was so much worse.
This
little girl reminded her of the helpless kid she’d once been, how she hadn’t been able to save her mother and had almost become infected herself.

“No,
querida
, you can’t. Not this one.” He let go of Eden’s shoulders and moved towards the kitchen, out of her line of sight.

Eden looked down at the child. This was someone’s baby, someone’s daughter. What kind of world did they live in, that she could be bitten and infected? No, that was a stupid question. The world was a harsh place and bad things happened to innocents all the time. Knowing that didn’t make it easier, not for Eden and not for whomever this child’s mother was. Hell, what was she thinking? The kid’s mom was probably already dead.

Alejandro came to stand beside her, his presence giving her comfort even if she wouldn’t admit it. The child twitched and Eden’s heart skipped a beat. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe the girl hadn’t died. As she watched, the little girl’s eyes opened. Before, they had been a perfect dark brown, but now they were so glazed they looked almost blue.

“No,” Eden whispered.

The girl’s head jerked towards her, drawn by the sound of Eden’s voice, and she moaned. The sound sent ice cascading through Eden’s blood, holding her in place as the child struggled upright and reached for her.

Alejandro grabbed the girl by her upper arms, lifting her off her feet. The child snapped at him like a rabid dog, moaning and grunting as he carried her out of the cottage and kicked the door shut behind him.

They’d cut off that little girl’s arm for no reason.
No reason
.

Eden forced herself into motion. She wiped the tears from her face and walked to the door, her movements jerky and uncoordinated. She opened it in time to meet Alejandro coming back from the jungle.

“It’s done,” she said.

It wasn’t a question, but he nodded once and moved into the cottage, herding her in front of him. Once they were both inside, he shut the door.

Something drove her to speak, even though he was the last person she wanted to confide in. “I had to try, even if it was a lost cause.”

“I know.” He paused. “There is no cure,
querida
.”

Hearing the words took the last of the strength from her body. She sank onto the bed and dropped her head into her hands. Eden didn’t know why this kill—a kill she wasn’t even part of—affected her so much. She’d finished off hundreds of infected over the years and never felt more than mild despair when children were the ones in her scope. What had changed?

A wave of nothingness swamped her, cutting Eden off from her despair and rage.
No
. She couldn’t afford to not feel anything. Crappy emotions were better than apathy. If she didn’t care then she might as well lie down and ask Alejandro to cut her throat.

Alejandro.

Eden’s head came up and she zeroed in on him where he leaned against the wall next to the table. The newly lit flame of a candle played along the sharp contours of his face. It should have made him ghastly, but he only looked more beautiful. He’d always been a bastard like that. Something beyond her emotionless barrier stirred at the sight of him watching her through those dark, hooded eyes. Of course she would be affected by
him
, even now, when nothing else could touch her. He could make her feel again, could break through this wall around her emotions. Better to focus on the distant past rather than what they’d just done. “Why?”

“Why is there no cure?”

“No, asshole. Why did you leave me?” It was a question Eden had obsessed over for more hours than she’d ever admit to. She never would have voiced it, but the numbness protected her. Mostly.

His mouth opened and closed, doing a damn good impression of a fish. “I, ah...
Dios
.” Alejandro rubbed his eyes. “You truly wish to speak of this now?”

“What better time? I mean, I thought we had a good thing going. Then you take off, only to show up a fucking
year
later—conveniently just in time to save my ass. I think I deserve to know why.” Something wet dripped onto Eden’s chest and she ran a hand over her face. She looked down, staring at her tears. They were just salt water from her eyes, biology at its best. But the sight shattered something deep inside her. The wall broke before a tidal wave of emotions, chief among them despair.

Eden fell to her knees, a sob tearing itself from her. Then Alejandro was there, scooping her into his arms and walking to the bed. She wanted to tell him to let her go, that she could barely stand the sight of him, didn’t want him touching her, but she couldn’t get the words past the grief clogging her throat.

He laid her down, and she curled on her side, as far away from him as she could get. Alejandro rubbed her back, stopping when she flinched at his touch. “I am so sorry,
querida
. I never meant to cause you such pain. I—” He broke off, cursing. “There is nothing I can say to make this right,
no
?”

Eden buried her face in her hands and tried to stifle her sobs. How many times had she imagined facing him down and telling him exactly how little she thought of him, how much she didn’t care? And what did she do when she finally had him in her sights? Break down and cry like a baby. Impressive. Very impressive.

Alejandro sighed and his weight disappeared from the other side of the bed. “I will sleep on the cot tonight.”

The thought of him on the cot where the girl had been not an hour ago allowed her to speak where she couldn’t before. “No.” The word came out raspy and nearly incomprehensible.

“No?” His accent gave the question an exotic flavor.

Eden took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to get herself under control. It didn’t work. “You can sleep on the bed.” She hiccupped. “No funny business.”

“Ah,
querida
, I would not presume. Not after everything I put you through.”

There was something wrong with his words, but she couldn’t focus, couldn’t think. Instead, the little girl’s face floated just behind Eden’s eyes. The way those beautiful brown eyes went milky, the way her body jerked into movement after she died. Eden grabbed the flat pillow off the bed and screamed into it, pouring out her frustration and sorrow.

Chapter Nine

Eden didn’t sleep. She knew she should, but she couldn’t turn off the thoughts rushing around in her head, couldn’t ignore how close Alejandro was, despite the fact he never moved from his side of the bed. The single window was shuttered, so she shouldn’t have known the exact moment of dawn, but she felt it. Eden had spent enough nights fighting for her life that she’d become attuned to the approach of the sun. It wasn’t a skill normal people had, but normal people didn’t even know zombies existed, let alone know how to efficiently dispatch them.

She sat up, sliding off the bed, trying not to wake him. It was a lost cause. His eyes flicked open as soon as she straightened. “Going somewhere,
querida
?”

Eden turned away. “Maybe I’m taking a page from your book and running away.” Maybe if she acted like last night’s breakdown didn’t happen, Alejandro wouldn’t bring it up. And the best way to make sure he didn’t bring it up was to keep him on the defensive.

“Ah, but you do not run from the things you fear.” She could almost hear the smile in his voice.

She froze, her back to him. Surely he hadn’t just said he was afraid of her? Eden closed her eyes and counted to ten. It didn’t help. She opened them and walked around the bed to where she’d left her boots the night before.

“Perhaps I spoke too soon.”

“Stop trying to manipulate me.” She sat on the edge of the bed and reached for her boots. “You got your fun last night, the ‘Let’s fuck with Eden’ game. I’m over it.”

She barely finished tying her laces when his arm snagged around her waist and yanked her back onto the bed. Before she had a chance to struggle, he was on top of her, holding her down. Eden fought, throwing her weight first in one direction and then the other, but it was no use. He wedged himself between her legs and pinned her wrists to the bed. Damn it, he’d always been able to get the best of her. It served her right for turning her back on him.

Their position was achingly familiar even after a year. The only difference between now and the last time was the amount of clothes between them. She could still taste the sweat on his skin and feel his hands on her body, driving her insane as he...

“Shall we get this...how do you say—ah, elephant.” He knew the exact word he wanted. He spoke better English than she did. Ass. “Shall we get this elephant out of the room?”

Eden tilted her head to the side—as much as she could—and smirked at him. They were too close, giving the situation a false intimacy despite him holding her down. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He grinned at her, but it was more a challenge than an expression of joy. Alejandro shifted, moving both of her wrists to his left hand. “I think you do.”

His fingers traced down her jaw, sending sparks in their wake. Eden’s eyes dropped to his mouth and she wondered if he’d kiss her. Oh hell. That was exactly the wrong thought.
Damn him for being able to do this even when she was so pissed she could barely see straight. She jerked her gaze back up as she turned her head to the side and bit his wandering fingers.

Alejandro’s breath hissed out, and she tasted his blood on her tongue. “You prove my point,
querida
. You and I, we have unfinished business.”

That they did. Like the way he’d spent hours talking to her almost every night on two years’ worth of assignments, how he’d pretended to listen to her, how he said exactly the right words to make her fall for him. Eden abruptly changed her mind. She didn’t want to talk about their unfinished business at all. “You had a chance to explain last night.”

He raised his eyebrows. “While you were hurting from the loss of the child?” Alejandro paused as if debating whether to continue. “I would like the opportunity to explain.”

She glared. “Let me up.”

“No.”

Eden pushed against him, but she stopped when it sent warmth pulsing through her body. “Seriously. We have shit to do. Let me up.”

“I made a mistake last year.”

Whatever he was going to say next, she sure as hell didn’t want to hear it. Alejandro had already proven his skill at making her trust him. She couldn’t risk him breaking down the pathetic barriers she had left. She barely recovered when he left, had been in a funk for
months
, was still in a funk if she were going to be honest with herself.

Eden head-butted him, using his surprise to slither off the bed. She spun around, hands raised to fend off an attack. But Alejandro sat exactly where she left him, his hand clutching his bloody nose.

“Ah,
querida
, I truly am sorry. You have every right to be angry with me.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” It was stupid to deny she was pissed; she had pulled an asshole move just now. But she couldn’t help acting petty. He was the one who walked away, leaving her emotionally broken in the process. He couldn’t just come back whenever he felt like it and expect her to welcome him back into her life, or bed, with open arms. She had better control of herself. Mostly.

“Of course you don’t.” He shook his head. “I see I will have to win back your trust.”

Alejandro couldn’t have scared her more if he’d said he was going to cut off her head and wear it as a hat. The very idea of trusting him again, of allowing herself to imagine a future between them, made her want to run for the hills. The worst part was Eden wasn’t sure her defenses were good enough to hold him off if he was determined. And he seemed pretty damn determined.

She schooled her face to show nothing—she hoped—and said, “I’m not interested in trusting you. We had our night of fun, but that’s all it was. Fun. I don’t know what you’re doing here, but whatever we had is over now.”

“You can talk until your face turns blue, but you know it was more than that. I should have come for you before this. I would have—”

The rest of his words were lost as she snatched up her gun and
bolo
and ran out the door. She couldn’t stand there and listen to him tell her she mattered to him or whatever he had been about to say. It was easier—marginally—for her to think he’d used her for a night of good times and taken off to avoid the awkward day-after situation. If he had actually cared about her and left...well, that was an entirely different situation. And it wasn’t something she wanted to examine too closely.

Eden paused and settled Bernice over her shoulder. She checked the surrounding area, something she should have done as soon as she left the cottage. It was a testament of how much Alejandro affected her that he was screwing with her survival instincts. She headed east, towards the mouth of the valley. As an afterthought, she slipped her earpiece back in and turned it on.

“Jordan?” Static was her only answer. Eden stopped walking, listening carefully. What the hell was going on? “Jordan, are you there?”

The static cleared briefly. “Where the fuck have you been?”

Shit, she should have checked in before now. “I got distracted. The girl’s dead.” She rubbed her hands over her face. This assignment was a cluster-fuck. She’d never been so off her game before and she needed to get her shit together before she got someone killed, or worse.

“We lost the Humvee. We’re moving to the mouth of the valley now.”

They’d lost the Humvee? How the hell did that happen? Eden almost asked for details but it wasn’t important now. The fact Jordan was alive and needing her was. “Where do you need me?”

“Can you meet us there in twenty minutes?”

Eden brought up the map of the valley in her mind. “Probably not.” Even as a full-out sprint, she wouldn’t cover so much ground. “But I’ll follow, if that’s what you want.”

“Do it. And keep the fucking line open.”

Eden started jogging, going as fast as she dared. Damn it, she didn’t even have her pack or water. And she hadn’t eaten in nearly twenty-four hours. While that wasn’t a deal-breaker—she’d gone longer without food and water before—she really wished she hadn’t run out of the cottage so helter-skelter. One more mistake caused by her stupid attraction to that damn Columbian.

Movement to her right brought her head around and she skidded to a stop, unsheathing her
bolo
. She went still, waiting for whatever it was to come through the trees and into her line of sight.

Alejandro strolled into view as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Eden was tempted to stab him for scaring the crap out of her. He tossed over a bottle of water and she snatched it out of the air with a glare. “Stop making so much noise. You’re going to attract any infected in the area.”

“What is the plan?”

She almost told him to fuck off, but couldn’t force the words past her lips. The team needed all the help they could get, especially if the Humvee was lost. “We head to the mouth of the valley.” Allowing him to come along had nothing to do with her personal feelings for him. Really, it didn’t.

He nodded. “After you,
querida
.”

“Stop calling me that.” His penchant for calling her
querida
was one of the things she found so endearing before. She picked up her pace, trying to convince herself she wasn’t running away. Being hyper-aware of his presence at her back didn’t help in the least. At least he wasn’t trying to talk to her now.

Thirty minutes later, they hit the road and came within sight of the mouth of the valley. There was complete silence. Too much silence.

Eden reached for her earpiece before she remembered it was already on. “Jordan,” she said softly, afraid to speak louder and break the eerie quiet. “We’re here.”

A rumble tore through the air. Eden spun around, her
bolo
out, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. Was it an earthquake?

Alejandro swore and sprinted out onto the road. After another look around, Eden followed him. He stood facing the road out of the valley and she followed his gaze in horror. The cliffs on either side of the road were blowing up.

She frowned. Blowing up?

As if on cue, another explosion rocked the valley and a huge chunk of cliff evaporated. No, that wasn’t right. It didn’t evaporate. Huge pieces of rock fell down into the space between the cliffs. Eden realized what they were doing far too late.

They—whoever
they
were—were blocking the only way out of the valley.