Ezekiel freaking Daniels! George had almost pissed himself when he heard the name. It was like talking to the goddamned boogeyman. All the horror stories on the news ... even other afflicted were terrified of him. He couldn’t square it with the laid-back dude he’d been hanging out with the last few days.

  Then he remembered how Xeke had thrown him across the road like a toy. He shuddered.

  I tried to choke Ezekiel Daniels! he thought. How am I still alive?

  At least Xeke had himself under control—not like that Ruddy. George had been nervous around the big changeling since he met him but now … holy crap, he killed Richard with his bare hands! I knew he was a stone-cold killer. Those eyes ...

  The last thing George wanted to do was meet with Ruddy alone, but Xeke swore he only wanted to talk.

  A promise from Ezekiel Daniels—the Antichrist himself. Oh, yeah, this is going great. But with Adrian gone, Xeke and his crew were the only game in town. George had never gotten along with any of the other afflicted in town and he needed to stay on Xeke’s good side if he was going to get out of this alive.

  If that means making nice with Ruddy, so be it, he thought. He was meeting with him at the park next to the guest cottage, so at least he could try to run if things went sideways.

  George spotted Clara wandering through the park, looking lost and pitiful. Oh, for fuck’s sake, he thought. What is she doing here?

  There was a time when he’d felt sorry for her, but every time he tried to be nice to her, she made him look like a fool in front of the other afflicted. Not that that kept him from dreaming about her.

  He dropped his eyes as she approached. Great. She’s probably going to make me look like an idiot in front of Ruddy.

  “George,” she purred. “I haven’t seen you since all the excitement. How have you been?”

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  He shrugged and kept his eyes on the ground. “Fine. You?”

  “Good, good. I was hoping to find Ruddy. You haven’t seen him, have you?”

  “Actually, I’m supposed to meet him here in a few minutes.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful! Do you mind if I wait with you?”

  “No … I mean … well, the thing is, we’re going to talk about me going with them when they leave, and I’m not sure if …” He trailed off as her smile faded.

  “I see. I’ll leave you alone then.”

  “Have a nice walk,” George said.

  She stopped and turned back. She was smiling again. “George, do you think you can give me a hand with something before I go? There’s this, uh, thing. It’s too heavy.”

  “Well, I ....”

  “It’ll only take a second.” She took his hand and led him to the gazebo in the center of the park.

  “Here?” He looked around as they walked through the archway. The snow had been swept away after the blizzard, but leaves were already accumulating inside. It was otherwise empty. “Where, uh ...”

  “It’s right here.” She unbuttoned her coat and placed his hand on her breast.

  He took a step back. “Uh … I …”

  Clara ripped her shirt open, tearing the buttons off and exposing herself. “Let’s stop pretending, George. Adrian was old and mean. Whenever you were around, I … I had to be careful. I was afraid he would notice.”

  “Notice … what?” George croaked.

  “How I felt about you.” She pulled him toward her. “I … I’m in love with you, George. I’ve wanted this for so long.”

  “Wha … what?”

  She smiled, and it sent a shiver down his spine. “You know what I want—what you want. I see it in your eyes every time you look at me. Adrian is gone. Why should we wait any longer?”

  “Right here?”

  Tears welled up in her eyes. “Please, don’t reject me.” She took both his hands, pulling him toward her and locking her lips to his. He felt his pants tighten as she unbuckled his belt.

  “But what if someone sees us?”

  “There’s no one here but you and me.” She slid his pants down.

  His head spun. She moaned into his ear, taking him into her soft hands as she moved her hips against him. Her skirt moved up as she wrapped one of her legs around him. There was nothing underneath.

  She pulled off his shirt and pressed herself against his bare skin. He barely noticed the cold. He stepped on the backs of his shoes and kicked them off. His jeans came off next. She shoved him down so they were laying half in, half out of the gazebo.

  “Clara, we should … someone might … ungggghhh ...” She settled onto him and started moving.

  His mind went blank. He was hanging on for dear life. She tore off the rest of her clothes and messed her hair with her hands.

  “Oh!” she screamed. It was so loud he was sure everyone in town could hear it. Every time he thought he was there, she backed off just enough.

  He grabbed her shoulders and let himself go.