The Town of Last Haven: A Zombie Novel

Part 19

Despite Tanner knowing where Luke had lived, Julia still led him to her home. She walked into the house hand in hand with Luke, a smile on her face as she came into the foyer with a satchel of rabbits--good for cooking.

"I brought a friend," Julia told Natalie, and she smiled to Tanner.

"Welcome to our small and humble abode. Are you a friend of my son's?" Mrs. Wallace asked Tanner, who shook her hand firmly--a good handshake.

"I went to school with your son," he answered--best not tell her that he loathed her youngest son in front of her. That would just be plain rude.

"I thought you were in New York City," said Clarise to Tanner, who nodded, then explained he'd returned. Clarise saw the look Tanner gave to Julia, and it didn't take much to know--for all of them to know that he was deeply, deeply in love with the eldest Brown sister.

"I came back for... reasons." Tanner's cheeks turned red, his blue eyes shifting to Julia. He thought she looked more radiant than ever, felt a reaction to her as she took off her parka to reveal tight clothes beneath. Sweater off, the aura of the house was warm despite the winter evening outside. "I didn't see any zombies, so I'm guessing we're safe for the moment."

"Well, that's good!" Trent piped up. "Did you bring any food, too?" he asked hopefully. "I like rabbits and squirrels, but I'm always hoping one day Julia and Luke will come home with a huge deer for us all to eat." His stomach grumbled quite audibly, and Julia ran a hand through her brother's hair.

"There's my hungry little brother," she said with a smile, then kissed him on the cheek.

"Natalie, would you mind helping me with dinner?" Mrs. Wallace asked Julia's sister, who nodded.

"You cook rabbits really well--may I say so?"

"You may indeed!" said Mrs. Wallace with a grin.

Natalie followed Mrs. Wallace into the kitchen, leaving Clarise trailing by Julia as she walked with Luke and Tanner near her. Trent scurried into the kitchen, then returned for Clarise. He was so protective of his youngest sister--Julia thought that so sweet.

"Care to catch up before dinner?" Julia asked Tanner kindly, who nodded silently. "Alright," Julia said slowly, ushering Tanner into the living room.

"Where's Chief Wallace?" Tanner asked Luke, wondering about his father.

"Gone--I don't know where he is." Luke crossed his arms over his chest with a quick huff. He was less than pleased; he didn't know if his dad was dead and gone or just alive and missing. He replayed the memory in his head of the last time he saw his dad--replayed it often enough for it to be almost a bother.

"Go get your girl," his dad told him. "Protect her," was his command--that's what he intended to do. He'd protect the weak and uphold the good--a great lesson from Game of Thrones, his dad had told him too. Luke had seen a few episodes of Game of Thrones, so he wasn't entirely naïve about the show.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tanner asked curiously, and Luke shook his head no.

"No--no thanks," Luke said almost too quickly. "I don't like thinking about the thousand and one ways my dad could have died." He cleared his throat, then moved closer to Julia. "Hell, I don't even like thinking about how Julia's parents died." His fingers curled with Julia's, and she offered him a small smile of understanding--Julia had lost both her parents in one day... she killed them both without hesitation in the moment, gave them mercy... and Luke's father just went plain missing.

"There's still a chance he's alive, you know," said Julia softly. "We can go search for him tomorrow morning if he doesn't return to us in the night." Julia touched Luke's cheek with a hand. "We'll have our answers one day, won't we?" She seemed almost certain, and Luke was envious of that.

"Wish I was as sure as you were." Luke kissed Julia's soft coral lips; though somewhat dry from winter's kiss, Luke still loved kissing Julia. Tanner tensed, not liking the sight of his rival kissing the girl he loved.

"I'll wait for you in the bedroom... Come up shortly." Julia whispered huskily--so quiet that only Luke could hear her. He nodded once, watching as Julia left them in the living room. "I love you." Julia mouthed the words.

Luke watched as Julia turned her back, then looked to Tanner to see his eyes were fixed on her backside. The football-lover had the extreme desire to pin Tanner to the wall and punch him in the face, but he didn't--and it took every bit of strength and will for Luke not to attack Tanner.

"She's a part of my family," said Luke to Tanner. "Not yours." He reminded him, much to Tanner's dislike on the matter at hand.

"She hasn't chosen you yet." Tanner spat the word.

"She chose me over you. It was her decision."

"Because you pressured her into hooking up with you!" Tanner snarled, but Luke held his ground. The two could hear Clarise and Trent running about with Opal in the kitchen, but they hushed themselves bitterly.

"I didn't do anything Julia didn't want me to do." Luke was strong on that point. Though it was young love, they were meant for each other, Julia and Luke. That would never change in either sets of eyes, Julia's blue orbs or Luke's brown ones.

Julia would choose Luke. Again and again and again, she would choose Luke--Luke alone before other mates, of which she would have only one. And Tanner hated the thought of Julia being bedded by his arch-rival, as it were.

"Tell me, Tanner," Luke said slowly, "what was it--the first thing you noticed about Julia when you two first met?" Luke was genuinely curious.

"Her smile--that sweet, innocent smile." Tanner's hands bunched into fists as he thought of Luke's betrayal and how that smile had been shattered. It had been shattered forever, it seemed from the start, but somehow Luke put that smile back on Julia's pale porcelain face.

How? Tanner wondered that a great deal.