Be Careful What You Wish For: A Zombie Apocalypse
Chapter 379: The Morning After… ish

Chapter 379: The Morning After... ish

The first thing I registered when I woke up was that it was too damn bright. While I enjoyed a nice day just like any other girl, I didn’t enjoy the sun when it was making me get out of bed. I swear, the ray of light sneaking through the window had some type of vendetta against me, shining in my eyes even as I slept.

Clearly, the house thought that I had enough sleep. Otherwise, the blackout curtains wouldn’t be open, and the fucking ray of sunlight forcing me to open my eyes wouldn’t exist. I would like to point out that it was the house’s fault I was like it.

It seemed like it had been weeks, if not longer, since I had a good night’s sleep. I didn’t know what had gotten into its foundation, but I was going to figure it out and put an end to it. I might have created a sentient house, but I could, surly as hell was hot, create one that didn’t kick me out when it was in a tizzy.

Someone was going to die today. It was a given. The house woke me up, and I chose death.

With a groan, I rolled over and buried my face deeper into the pillow, ignoring the way my hair stuck to my cheek and the soft weight of one of the plush blankets tangled around my ankle. I didn’t do mornings. Not before the world ended, not after it, and definitely not today.

I was the Devil. I should be allowed to sleep until 4 p.m. if I wanted.

"Little Bit’s awake," came Luca’s voice, far too cheerful for my liking. I felt the glimmer of his presence spark across the room like a firefly made of static and arrogance. Usually he was a silent presence, not talking all that much, but something must have happened last night to change that.

I kind of missed the quiet version of him.

"Rise and shine, Angel," Dante drawled from somewhere near the bookshelf.

"I rose," I mumbled into the pillow, my head moving like it was possessed to try and get away from that stubborn ray of sun. I swear it moved with me. "I refuse to shine."

A few chuckles answered me, and I peeked through a crack in my lashes. The room was full, just how I liked it.

Tank was sitting cross-legged on the floor by the foot of the bed, a massive claw mark running down one arm that still hadn’t fully healed. Daddy was leaning against the wall, arms folded, looking like sin and execution incarnate.

Ronan had somehow stolen my blanket and was wrapped in it like a human burrito, snoozing in a chair near the window. Luca and Dante were on either side of the bed, lounging like the twin ends of a very dangerous coin.

Desire was perched on the edge of the bed frame like a damn jungle cat, and Beau was combing dried blood out of his hair like it was just another Tuesday.

And Dimitri—Dimitri sat in the darkest corner of the room with a cage in his lap.

Raising an eyebrow, I looked inside the twisted metal and saw a black heart pulsing ever so slightly like it wasn’t sure if it was alive or not.

Blood was still dripping around it, like some sort of pagan offering.

I liked it.

"I was going to wake you sooner," Beau said, not looking up from his hair. "But you looked so peaceful I didn’t want to lose an eye."

"Smart man," I muttered, finally dragging myself upright. My legs hung off the bed, my hair an absolute mess, and the loose strap of my tank top slipping off my shoulder. I didn’t fix it.

Let them look.

"I hate mornings," I announced.

"It’s two in de afternoon," Ronan mumbled from under my blanket. "It’s no longer mornin’."

I waved a hand vaguely in his direction. "Time is fake."

No one argued.

Silence settled in, the kind of silence that felt full. I had no idea what happened last night, and I didn’t know if I wanted to. Whatever the guys faced when the house kicked them out was enough to change them, to make them...stronger, more confident in their own skin.

It was a good look on them, but at the same time, they were different.

And I didn’t know how I felt about that.

I stood, my bare feet touching the wooden floor, and I stared at them. These monsters. My monsters.

Something dark curled in my chest, low and restless. It was the same feeling I had when I signed the contract all those years ago. Like something was demanding that I do something.

Be something.

But what was it?

Right. Burn the world.

That’s what they expected. What everyone expected.

But I didn’t want to.

I didn’t want to be the ruler, the savior, the tyrant, the queen. I didn’t want to fix anyone’s broken life or sort out humanity’s latest mess. I wasn’t made for that.

I didn’t crave power the way the rest of the world seemed to. I didn’t see people as predators or prey. That was their game.

I just wanted to be free, to live without a leash. I wanted to go where I pleased, do what I liked, and never, ever be someone’s tool again.

Was that really such a bad thing?

I turned, catching Daddy’s gaze, where he still leaned silently in the shadows. Even he, the man with all the answers, seemed to be waiting for mine.

I tilted my chin up in challenge. I knew I wasn’t anyone’s idea of the Devil. Hell, I wasn’t even anyone’s idea of an adult. Why was everyone putting this on my shoulders because of something that happened 11,000 years ago?

"I don’t want to solve the world’s problems," I said at last. "I’m not your queen. I’m not your god. I’m not your hope."

I paused, then gave them a crooked smile that was far too sharp to be soft.

"I’m just me," my voice dropped, almost shy at that statement. I didn’t want to live a lie, so I was putting it all on the line now. The guys had changed overnight for me; they needed to understand what that meant.

"Dat’s enough for me," grunted Dimitri. Coming to his feet, he held the metal cage out to me. The heart was moving like some sort of fucked up bird, but I couldn’t take my eyes away from it.

Without a word, he crossed the room and offered it to me.

It was still warm.

I took it.

Of course I did.

"Life’s a bitch, and then you die," I shrugged, pouting at the idea that I had to go out and do what was expected of me. "But before I die, I want food."

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