“Have you approached this zombie horde before?” Jasper asked as he and Ben slowly advanced toward a group of snarling and grotesque creatures who were once normal looking humans. “Or, any zombie horde for that matter?”“Nope,” Ben said as he steadfastly moved forward. “I’m banking on that venom in your veins coming to our aid.”Shocked by this remark and furious with himself for not having the foresight to ask the question before they set out on this fool’s mission, Jasper bellowed, “What?”“Look,” Ben said as he pointed toward the advancing horde. “They’re already slowing down.”“Damn, man,” Jasper hissed. “This is foolhardy.”“Ask if they have a leader,” Ben commanded.“Me?” Jasper grumbled. “Why me?”Ben’s impatience with his mission partner was clear when his chest

Although not all of the members of the zombie horde agreed with his decision, it took only one order from Hank for them to back off and accept both Jasper and Ben. Since he carried the virus in him, they were unsure about Jasper, but there was no guessing that Ben was a warlock and an enemy of the zombies.Although Ben was left in the dark, Jasper was able to understand the telepathic grumbling and suspicious complaining amongst them. They were not only unhappy about allowing a warlock to walk amongst them, but a zombie-vampire-werewolf tri-bred such as they’d never encountered before was downright unsettling.Wanting to understand them more, Jasper ignored their inhospitable and suspicious attitudes while he moved amongst them. After taking a moment here and there to observe their body language, he began to notice subtle shifts in facial expressions that changed with their moods. He noted that some were more mobile than others. When he returned to Hank, he broug

Samuel’s eyes reflected his fury when he entered Lila’s room and found her lying on her bed without a stitch of clothing on.“I can smell the vampire lust on your flesh,” he roared. “Who has been in this room? Why are you naked?”  Sitting on the bed next to her, he placed his hand on her stomach and said, “Your magic is barely detectable.”“I’m tired and I hurt,” she whimpered as she rolled her body so that her back faced him. “Go away.”Yanking her by her shoulder so that she faced him, he snarled, “I am king. You will show me the respect that I deserve.”Feeling disillusioned about ever being rescued from those vile creatures, caution abandoned her. Summoning up courage that she didn’t know was in her, she snipped, “You are not my king. I’ll show you respect when you’ve earned it.”Raising a brow with surprise, his

Whether it was because he’d already been battling the zombism in himself, or he’d simply had a stroke of luck, Jasper wasn’t sure, but when he peered into the microscope at the blood sample he’d treated with the vaccine he’d been able to develop after a mere six hours, he sat back and smiled. He hadn’t killed the virus, but he’d definitely retarded it. He wouldn’t know its full impact until he’d administered the vaccine to an actual zombie.Night had fallen, making the windows act like a mirror as he passed by them. Seeing his reflection, he realized that his research had taken just a bit too long. The cloaking spell had worn off.Wishing that he had a bit of magic in him so that he could communicate with Ben and tell him that he needed help getting away from the lab, he closed his eyes and tried sending a telepathic message on the off chance Ben would be meditating and pick up on it. When five minutes passed with n

Jasper’s jaw dropped with both surprise and joy when Hank approached him with a steady, manageable stride. He’d hoped that the serum he’d injected into the zombie leader would help him be more mobile, but what he saw far exceeded his expectations.Giving himself a mental pat on the back for the strides he was making with his research, he flashed a broad, toothy smile at his friend and said, “You walk almost as good as me.”“It’s a miracle,” Hank said with ease.A loud gasp escaped the scientist as he practically shouted, “You talk as good as me!”Hank smiled, nodded, and said with a joyful tone, “Like I said. It’s a miracle.”Rushing to Hank’s side, Jasper’s voice had an excited urgency as he added, “I need to check your vitals.”  Placing his hand on the zombie leader’s upper arm, he guided him to the nearest chair and said, “Sit h