Zed careened down the stairs at full speed, making a beeline for the phone he'd forgotten on the kitchen table. He had a dozen texts, most of which were from Eliza. He shook his head fondly. Before answering her and getting stuck in an endless conversation, he called up the mall pizzeria for a delivery. He wasn't ashamed to say that he'd looked it up, disappointed to find out they didn't deliver in Zombietown. Addison had been too out of it to seem to care about the food he ordered. The thought brought a proud smirk to his face. He'd done that to her.
His phone vibrated with yet another text from his best friend. Rolling his eyes, he decided to stay downstairs and wait for the pizza while he answered her; that way he wouldn't disturb Addison's slumber. He was still in a written yet heated exchange with Eliza when a small voice called his name. Zed turned to a sight that made his cock swell.
Addison had stopped in the middle of the staircase, a skittish expression on her features. She was wearing his long sleeve shirt, the one he'd left on her bedroom floor. As she brushed hair away from her face, the hem of the shirt rose, giving in a perfect view of her soft and creamy thighs. Zed zeroed in on the purplish-red marks that marred the otherwise perfect skin. He had done that to her. At the back of his head, his zombie purred with pride.
"You never came back." Addison pouted, making her way down the last steps.
Zed chuckled, somersaulting over the back of the couch to reach her. He wrapped his arms around her, one hand sneaking under his stolen shirt to caress her back as he pulled her in a tender kiss.
Addison shivered; partly because of the cold metal of his Z-band on her bare skin. Mostly, she was taken aback with the kiss. It didn't feel sexual, nor did it feel casual. It was confusing. She broke the kiss, pulling away despite Zed's disappointed groan.
"Nope, you're not getting away with this, mister." She teased him.
"I was going to wait on the pizza."
"Shirtless?" Addison raised an eyebrow.
"Will you believe me if I said I honestly forgot about it?"
She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"And anyway, some thief stole it. I gotta admit though, if that's the view I'm getting, she can steal my clothes all she wants." Zed baited her.
"Stop it." Addison whined, punching him in the arm while the most beautiful shade of pink ran up her neck and cheeks.
"It's true." He spoke softly. "You look good in anything … but in my clothes? You look downright delicious!"
Addison's lips stretched in a little pleased oh.
"Should I be afraid of the big bad zombie eating me?" She said mischievously.
"I believe I just did that, but I'd be happy to go for round two." His voice turned sultry.
Addison blushed even more, and she ducked her head, hiding into Zed's chest as it rumbled with his laugh. That was not what she'd meant, but she could feel her body reacting to his words, the warmth pooling between her legs. She heard Zed inhale sharply. She bit down on her bottom, chancing a quick glance at his face.
Zed knew he was sporting a pained expression, but it wasn't his fault. He could almost taste it in the air when Addison reacted to his words. For all her blushing, he knew she was enjoying them. Just as he was about to kiss her again, the doorbell was pressed, startling both of them. He barely managed not to growl as he let the young woman in his arms go free so he could answer the door.
On the other side was a teenager, not much younger than Zed and clad in a pink uniform. The delivery man's jaw dropped as he took Zed in. The zombie felt self-conscious, but reminded himself that he had nothing to be ashamed of; years of football had seen to that.
"That was fast. How much do I owe you?" He asked nonchalantly.
The teenager stuttered his answer, passing the pizza at the same time as Zed reached for his wallet. He clumsily tried to steady the pie. A giggle came from besides him, even as Addison gathered the box in her arms, saving their meal from an untimely death. The delivery boy's mouth fell open once again; this time he was practically drooling as he looked at Addison up and down, leering.
A gruff noise came out of Zed's throat, frightening the teenager who finally seemed to put one (Addison wearing only a shirt) and two (Zed being shirtless) together and getting a clue. He turned white as a ghost, hand trembling as he took the money Zed was handing him, telling him to keep the change. He quickly thanked them before he scurried to his car.
"Well, that was weird." Addison commented.
"I guess. Come on, let's eat." Zed shrugged.
"Wait! I want to try something."
AZAZAZ
Half an hour later, they were finishing the last of the pizza, comfortably sitting in Addison's bed.
"Eating in bed? That's what you wanted to try?" Zed asked, amused.
"You've met my mom. She has rules about everything, and she knows everything."
Addison stole a slice of pepperoni from his last slice, popping it in her mouth. He would have complained, but she hummed contentedly, and he lost his train of thought.
"We've been in college for almost three years." He pointed out.
"Well, yeah. But there's a difference between my dorm and here."
He nodded and they finished eating in a comfortable silence. His phone buzzed in quick succession again, making him sigh as he cleared the notifications from his lock screen. He turned his attention back to Addison.
She had brought her knees to her chest, feeling all of her shy eight years-old self in his shirt. She tugged a strand of hair behind her ear before she smiled timidly at him.
"It's been doing that a lot… It's okay if you have somewhere else to be."
"Um… It's just Eliza. She's trying to annoy me, really."
"Oh?!"
"There's a mash tonight… And I've never missed one before… I mean not while I was in town." He tried to explain.
"What's a mash?"
Zed broke into a grin.
"Trust me?"
"Always."
"We're going out! We'll probably be out late so you can crash at my place."
"Won't your dad mind?" Addison worried.
"Nah! He really likes you. And you promised Zoey you were coming along to pick out a tree in the morning." He reminded her. "I'm just making sure you're getting enough sleep."
Addison sighed exaggeratedly, making him laugh. Mentally, she was fighting with herself. On the one hand, she never went out with a boy to unknown places; on the other hand, this was Zed and he looked so excited to share whatever a mash was with her.
"I'll pack a bag, then." She agreed. "You're going to tell me what I should wear?"
"We're not staying in Seabrook, that's all I'm telling you … and I'm going to need that shirt back."
Addison pouted.
"I'll give you one to sleep in later. But I'm not going out like this, and neither are you."
Zed kept his tone joking and it seemed to work as Addison chuckled and rolled her eyes, but inside he was deadly serious. He hadn't liked the way that delivery boy had leered at her. Addison shouldn't be leered at. She should be revered.
AZAZAZ
Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in Addison's car; Zed weirdly jumpy and excited about the entire thing. After making sure she wouldn't be going anywhere cold, she'd changed in her dark grey jeans and a purple silky cowl-neck top. She'd fluffed her hair and applied a light touch of makeup quickly. She felt sexy and powerful. And a tad overdressed. Or maybe underdressed? It didn't seem to matter to Zed who'd just captured her lips in an enthusiastic kiss, before promising that if they weren't so late already, they'd definitely be having round two at that exact moment.
Once they drove past the Zombietown barrier, Zed directed her to the old power plant. There were a few beaten up cars scattered over the parking lot, but the place looked deserted. The car parked, Addison turned to Zed and raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow at him.
"Trust me." He chuckled.
And because Addison did, she shook her head fondly and got out of the car. It was well worth the beaming grin that was thrown her way. After making his way to her side of the car, Zed laced his fingers through hers as he led the way.
"What the hell?" Addison wondered as they finally set foot in the building.
Racks upon racks of coats just stood there, obviously left unattended. Zed snorted. He took his coat off, leaving it on an empty hanger before turning to Addison and helping her with hers. He led them to an old-school freight elevator and finally explained.
"Tradition. We used to have a curfew, so we did this underground. Had to run from Z-Patrol whenever they showed up, so we didn't bring a coat. When curfew got lifted, we never bothered moving it upstairs, but there was no more reason for freezing our asses off either. And it's not like anyone is going to steal in Zombietown."
"I still don't know what this is though."
"Welcome to a zombie mash!" Zed smiled as he opened the door.
Music suddenly hit Addison full strength. Her jaw hit the ground as she took in her surroundings. There were zombies milling around, music was being blasted from speakers all around, heavy bass she could feel all the way down to her bones, spotlights were roaming over the dance floor, murals covering the walls.
"Are you serious! Zed!" Addison shrieked excitedly.
Zed's laugh was lost to the noise, but he brought an arm around Addison's shoulders, pulling her closer.
"It used to be our only chance to get loose. Nowadays it's a chance to be ourselves without judgment or expectations."
Addison beamed at him. She couldn't understand the hardships that came with being a zombie, but she could relate to judgments and expectations. She glanced at a mural.
"All of these mean brains, right?"
Zed's heart skipped a beat in his chest.
"Yeah, um… I didn't know you knew zombie tongue."
"Oh, um… I've been looking it up lately."
Addison blushed at her admission. Ever since she'd started falling for Zed, she might have been looking at zombie tongue here and there. Still, she looked up at him with a smile.
"The internet is not really helpful though." She continued. "A lot of translations seems to come back to peanut butter and umbrellas."
Zed laughed loudly, bringing her in a side hug by the arm hung around her shoulders. Addison didn't get to return it because suddenly, there was a girl tugging at Zed's arm while simultaneously punching him in the shoulder. She felt oddly cold now that he had pulled away from her. However, she was determined to wait and not jump to conclusions this time, so Addison took the chance to watch their interaction. Zed caught her eye and playfully rolled his eyes as the girl ranted at him. Noticing she had lost his attention, she stopped in her tracks to stare at Addison.
"You brought Snow White at our zombie mash? A human. Here?"
With the music so loud, there was no way she hadn't meant for Addison to hear. Addison felt her blood boil.
"Sorry, Snow White is the one with the black hair. If anything I'm Elsa, the ice queen." Addison snapped back.
To her surprise, the girl started laughing good-naturedly, making her frown.
"Oh! I like you! Kitty got claws, huh. Sorry, this guy usually has terrible taste in girls. You must be Addison?"
"Yes, I'm Addison. And you are?"
"I'm Eliza. I've been Zed's best friend since before we could walk. I know all the good stories."
Eliza leaned in to say those words when the scent hit her, her nostrils flaring at the assault. She looked over her shoulder at her best friend, sending him a knowing look that promised a talk in his near future. Zed couldn't blush, but he had the decency to look embarrassed. Addison either didn't notice or was nice enough to pretend she didn't because she continued without pausing.
"Zed's told me about you and about your work at school. Zombie's rights. You'll have to tell me about it sometimes."
"I'd like that. I can also tell you about that time when Zed was eight and he decided…"
"Alright, that's enough!" Zed interrupted Eliza with a panicked expression. "Come on Addie, let's dance!"
The two girls chuckled, but Addison took Zed's offered hand without a thought. As soon as their fingers were laced, he was pulling her on the dance floor, ignoring the look Eliza was sending his way.
AZAZAZ
Addison had no idea how long they had been dancing, but she needed to catch her breath and she should probably have something to drink. Always the gentleman, Zed didn't take long to notice and before she knew it, he was pulling her away from the crowd. They rounded off a corner and suddenly the music seemed to fade, not exactly disappearing. A bunch of coolers were propped against a wall, old picnic tables were scattered around the space, ready for the people that came in and out to grab a drink. Zed pointed at an empty table with his chin and Addison smiled, grateful for the opportunity to sit down. Zed didn't follow, walking to the coolers instead. He fished out a water bottle and a beer before looking back at Addison, his eyebrow raised in question. She rolled her eyes and made the universal gimme gesture. Zed laughed, grabbing a second one. He opened the water first, taking a few gulps before handing the rest to Addison, gesturing for her to drink up. By the time she was done, he'd opened both beers, handing her one.
"Cheers." Addison raised her bottle to Zed before taking a long sip. "My mom would freak out if she could see me."
"At a zombie mash?"
"Drinking." She snorted. "Underage drinking. Let's say it does not go with her Seabrook-perfect image."
"Well, I can relieve you of that burden." Zed teased, making a move to grab her beer.
"Don't you dare!" Addison warned, slapping his hand away.
They both dissolved in a fit of giggles, unable to keep a straight face. They talked for a while and Addison couldn't help but compare this to the many parties she had gone with Warner. She had never been this comfortable with him, just talking. It was always about upholding their reputation and making sure they were the perfect Seabrook couple. She never realized how exhausting it was all. And then she met Zed.
Zed lightened up her whole world. He made her feel beautiful, confident, strong and powerful. He made her believe it too. There was nowhere else she'd rather be than sitting on top of this picnic table at a zombie mash with Zed. She started on her second beer, snorting as Zed told her a silly joke.
Addison was laughing again, and all Zed could do was memorize the details of her face from the way her nose wrinkled to the laugh lines at the corner of her eyes. He could clearly see the crow's feet that would grace her skin 20, 30 years from now. She would still be beautiful. Would he be the one making her laugh then?
He pictured it easily; so easily he should have been scared. Addison and him. They wouldn't be teenagers anymore; they might even have teenagers of their own. Karma would probably bite him in the ass and gift them with little hellions, half-human and half-zombie little troublemakers. There was no proof humans and zombies were biologically compatible that way, but he couldn't erase the image from his mind.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed Eliza staring at him and biting at her thumb nail. She pulled a face at him, and he answered with a raise of his eyebrow. She shrugged haphazardly, but he could see the tension in her body. Eliza didn't fret over things. She usually brought whatever was bothering her down. He must have looked worried cause Addison tugged his beer, pulling it from his grip, a serious expression on her face.
"You should go talk to her."
"We are… It's not…" He tried and failed to explain.
"She's your best friend. She looks worried and you look like your brain is going to explode. Go talk to her."
Gratefulness flooded his expression and Addison felt her heart ache with love. She pushed him towards Eliza. As she finished her beer, she couldn't help but marvel at how calm she was. 24 hours ago, she'd basically ran away because she thought Zed liked his ex better. Something had changed today. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered their encounter in her bedroom. Apart from the obvious, he had let go of his control, had let his zombie bleed through. It was big. For both of them she supposed.
"You're Addison, right?" A voice pulled her from her thoughts.
"Yes?"
She blinked at the boy in front of her, close but nowhere near her personal space. He was taller than her—an easy feat—but not as tall as Zed. He was also bigger, wider in the shoulders. He looked kind of familiar.
"I'm Ezra."
"You're on the football team!" Addison grinned; she'd seen in on the field before.
"Yeah. I've never seen you at mashes before."
Addison wondered if she's imagining the flirting look on his face. She downed the rest of her beer, her hands grabbing Zed's and fidgeting with the raised corner of the label.
"First time! I'm here with my boyfriend."
"And he left you all alone? Who in his right mind would leave behind a woman as pretty as you?"
There was no denying the flirty tone in his voice. Addison was about to snap at him when Ezra took a step closer, walking shamelessly in her personal space. As soon as he did, his nose wrinkled in disgust. Immediately, he took a step back, holding his hands in the air.
"Sorry. I didn't know. My bad."
"Huh?"
"I'll see you around, Addison."
She never got to reply because he was gone like the Z-Patrol was on his tail. She frowned, looking over her shoulder to see if maybe Zed had done something, but he was still talking to Eliza, oblivious to what had just happened. Confused, she took a sip from Zed's beer. She was too sober to try and make sense of this. She fished her phone out of her jeans, she might as well talk to Bree while she waited.
AZAZAZ
"What's up E?"
"Really? What's up? That what you're going with?"
"One. Chill out. Two. What the actual hell?"
"Do you think I'm an idiot?" She hissed at him.
"No! But I also have no idea what you're talking about, so you might want to explain." He bit back at her.
Eliza looked at him incredulously. She searched his face for long seconds until she figured it out.
"Holy Z, you really have no idea, do you?"
"Eliza." Zed warned her.
"I've been fielding questions all night, Zed."
"About what?"
"Addison. You've scented her!"
"No, I didn't." Zed denied.
"Dude! I can literally smell you on her. And not in the innocent kind of way. What the fuck did you do? Rubbed it all over her?"
Zed froze, his cheeks turning a shade darker in the exceedingly rare way zombies blushed.
"EWW!" Eliza fake gagged. "I'm sorry I asked. Fuck. I need brain bleach. Eww!"
"I didn't say anything!" He defended himself.
"You didn't need to! My nose is working, thank you very much. This is why I've been fielding questions all night, you asshole!"
"Why the fuck do they need to ask questions if they can smell it?"
Eliza resisted the urge to facepalm.
"Because she's human, you're not actually mated and you're basically stinking it up for everyone else, you dumbass."
"Yes, she is human. Which is why she doesn't understand it. And she doesn't even know I like her."
"Then grow a pair and start talking to her."
"Eeeeee," Zed whined.
"You keep it up and it'll go back to her father's ears. What the fuck do you think the Chief of Z-Patrol would do to you?"
And that was it, wasn't it? That's what had been keeping Eliza on the edge all night. She was worried about him. Zed sighed, maybe Eliza had a point.
"Look, I'll tell her soon, okay. I just… If she's going to hate me… Let me have Christmas okay?" He pleaded, defeated.
Eliza glanced over Zed's shoulder to the girl in question and frowned. She liked the girl alright, but was she worth all the heartbreak Zed was setting himself up? She watched Addison tumble around tipsily on the table, talking to Beatriz.
"Fine. But then you come clean."
"I promise."
"For the record, I think it's a terrible plan. Now go save your girl from your ex."
Zed turned around fast enough to give himself whiplash.
AZAZAZ
It happened two more times. Both times, a guy strode up to her to chat her up. Both times, they got close only to step back like they were burnt. Addison was nursing on her fourth beer–compliments of guy number 3–in the last twenty minutes. She didn't care. She was not interested in any of them, not when there's Zed but she discretely smelled herself. Nope. That's not it.
What is wrong with her?
"Addison?"
Her answer came in the form of a very curvaceous and tall zombie.
"Beatriz! Hi! Zed's talking to Eliza."
Addison knew her tone was bubbly, bubblier than usual. It was weird, she didn't think she had drunk that much.
"I wanted to check on you. Are you okay?"
"Oh yeah!" Beatriz didn't seem to believe her though, so Addison pouted. "I swear."
"How many of those have you had?"
"That's four, but I'm okay. I'm not that much of a lightweight." Addison protested.
"First time drinking zombie beer?" Beatriz guessed, a chuckle escaping her.
"Yep." Addison popped the P.
"You have a lot of admirers tonight."
"I don't care, I'm dating Zed. I think the boys didn't like my perfume though."
The zombie made a weird noise, something between a hum and a snort. Nonetheless, the two girls sat in silence. It was not as uncomfortable as Addison thought it would be. In the end, Addison asked the question burning her lips before she could stop herself.
"You're not her for Zed, are you? Because he's mine and I'm not letting him go."
Beatriz almost fell from the laughter that shook her. Addison frowned, insulted.
"It's not funny."
"Yes, it is! Trust me, Zed and I, we're over. We broke up because he had a thing for this cute blonde cheerleader."
Addison heard the teasing in her voice, but the stabbing pain in her heart overwhelmed her brain. Zed liked someone else?
"And anyway, we can all smell that you're his."
Addison's frown deepened into a scowl. Beatriz wasn't making any sense. Was she making fun of her? A thousand questions were floating in her mind, but they all disappeared when she saw Zed rushing towards her. He looked worried; she couldn't help but think.
"Zed!" She greeted him happily.
She waved at him excitingly, not realizing how close she was from the edge of the table. Her zombie wrapped an arm around her waist to stabilize her and she couldn't help but snuggle into his side. He was the best.
"Everything okay with Eliza?"
"Yeah. She's just a mother hen. You and Beatriz getting along well?"
"Yup." She popped the P again, making herself giggle. "She's keeping the boys away… Not that they seem to like my perfume."
Zed growled softly. Addison wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Don't worry, though. I don't care about them. I already have my zombie."
Zed's zombie purred in his mind. Zed was about to capture Addison's lips once more, but Beatriz cleared her throat. Annoyed, he turned to look at her.
"You should get her to bed. To sleep."
Zed rolled his eyes but helped Addison to her feet; Beatriz was right. She needed water and sleep, or she was going to regret it in the morning.
"Hey Zed!" Beatriz called as they walked away, making him look over his shoulder. "Congrats. I'm happy for you."
He wasn't surprised to hear the sincerity in her tone. He smiled back at her, wordlessly thanking her. She seemed to get it because she waved one last time before she lost herself through the crowd.
AZAZAZ
Tipsy Addison, thankfully, had good balance. As short as she was, she was all muscles from cheerleading and carrying her home would have been no fun. She was, however, way peppier and gigglier which Zed found hilarious. It took longer than it should have but they finally made it to his house. Surprising him once again, Addison managed to quiet down as they climbed the stairs up to his room.
"Just help yourself to any of my shirts for bed."
Smirking slyly at him, Addison stepped up to him to tug at the one he was wearing. He shook his head and rescued his shirt from her hands. She took her words back; he was the meanest. She pouted at him, adding a soft whine for the overall effect.
"Come on, Addie. I need to grab your bag from the car," he tried to reason with her.
Addison looked at him with her big blue eyes, her bottom lip jutting out. Zed sighed. She was going to be the death of him for sure. Arguing with a drunk Addison wouldn't lead anywhere, Zed reasoned. He ignored the voice in his head that told him he would do the same had Addison been stone cold sober. He took off his shirt and handed it to Addison who beamed at him.
Addison took back the take back. Zed really was the best. She caught the soft fabric between her fingers and looked at him. It took her a while to realize he was standing there, shirtless. She blamed the alcohol. Addison traced Zed's torso with her eyes, committing it to her memory. Her breath was taken away again; he was handsome. She almost reached out to allow her fingers to skim over his abs. She shook her head to clear her mind; she had to focus on getting dressed. Undressed?
Zombies' hearts beat slower than humans' hearts, but Zed's almost gave out when Addison started undressing suddenly. She had grabbed his shirt and had been looking at him when in the space of two seconds she had dropped her pants. She stumbled as she tried to remove the skinny jeans off her body, bending at the waist and offering him a perfect view of her bum. She bent over some more, her position allowing him a glimpse of the love bites he'd left on the inside of her thighs. At that very moment, he wanted nothing more than to catch her slim hips in his hands and rut against her until she begged for his touch. Instead, he swallowed with difficulty, pulling a hoodie from the floor and excusing himself to the car before he did something he'd regret.
AZAZAZ
Zed was just coming back inside when the light flickered open in the kitchen. He groaned but he knew there was no avoiding this; better to get through this without Addison or Zoey around.
"Hey dad."
"Sit down, son."
"You know you gave me the Talk a long time ago, right?"
Zed's joke fell flat. Deflating, Zed collapsed in a chair, hunching over. At least, his dad seemed just as uncomfortable as he was.
"I'm sorry if we woke you up." Zed offered.
"I wasn't completely asleep yet. I was waiting to hear you come home." Zevon waved away his concern.
"Daaaad!"
"You'll understand one day."
Zed hmphed but didn't argue.
"I wasn't expecting a guest. It's fine," Zevon assured him before his son could butt in. "I'm more concerned about what I smelled."
"Eliza already read me the riot act." Zed buried his face in his hands. "Called me an idiot for not realizing it myself."
"Not reali—ZED!" Zevon massaged his temples. "This is basic zombie biology! You know better."
"I didn't think about it! We got carried away a little, okay!"
"Please tell me you're using protection. You're too young to be a father."
"We haven't… We don't… Not yet." Zed whined; he knew if he had been human, his face would have been bright red.
"Well, make sure you do." Zevon reminded him.
"Daaad…"
Zevon softened.
"Zed we don't know if zombies and humans are compatible, but mates…"
"I know."
"She's human, son. What will happen if your zombie loses control?"
"I know."
"Does she?"
Zed looked down. Of course she didn't know. How could he possibly tell her? This entire week was nothing more than a sham; a way for her to survive the holidays and a way for him to get his dad off his back. Of course, Zed had drawn the short straw again. He never, not in a million years, thought that Addison would be his mate. He'd known that he could fall in love with this girl he'd been crushing on for months, known he'd regret pretending, but to know he belonged with her, even if she didn't belong with him … that was agonizing.
Zed wished he could tell his dad all about it, wished he could come clean to him. He couldn't. The disappointment in his father's eyes was not something he could face. He wouldn't take it back though if all he ever got of Addison was this holiday season, he was going to cherish it. When it was all over, Zed could say that he'd done something stupid, point out that he'd never deserved someone like her from the start. His scent would fade away from her skin and his people would eventually forget about the zombie who almost took a human as a mate. He knew he wouldn't; knew that Addison wasn't just a possibility, she was it for him. Her scent, her body, her smile; all of Addison was engraved in his memory.
Zevon looked at his son's anguished expression. Misreading the reason behind it, he laid a hand on Zed's arm.
"I know it must be a difficult conversation to have with someone who doesn't know about zombie culture, son. But Addison? That girl looks at you like you've hung the moon. She loves you, Zed; give her a chance to prove it."
Zed felt his throat constrict but nodded, nonetheless. Zevon nodded as well and got up.
"Good night, Zed. Oh and please, no shenanigans when your sister is in the house, please."
Zed managed to crack a smile at that and nodded before waving his father to bed. He stayed at the kitchen table for long minutes before finally getting up. He had left Addison alone long enough.
Zed opened his bedroom door and chuckled at the sight. Addison's jeans were still on the floor where she'd started undressing, but he could also see a stray bra on one side as well as her top at the other end of the room. The girl herself was on his bed, phone in her hand and had obviously dozed off. Zed picked up her things and put them on top of her bag in a neat pile before undressing down to his boxers. He carefully slipped the phone from Addison's grip and plugged him next to his on his nightstand.
He picked Addison up in his arms, softly shushing her back to sleep when she started to wake up. Thanking his zombie strength silently, he pulled down the covers and gently laid her down on the furthest side of the bed. She turned around but finally settled, curled up. Zed turned off the light, before climbing into bed as well. He laid on his side, a few inches away from Addison, with his back to the door; resisting the urge to curl up around her.
"Zed?" She called sleepily.
"I'm here." He reassured in a whisper, tenderly rubbing circles on her shoulder blade.
She hummed happily, her hand catching hold of his own and bringing his arm to wrap around her midsection. Both scooted closer until Addison's back was pressed firmly against Zed's chest. He felt a slight uptick in his heartbeat as she wriggled against him, finally settling with a whispered, perfect. Seconds later, Addison was snuffling in her sleep, her hand covering his Z-Band holding it tight where it rested on her stomach. Zed let the tension ease out from his body, enjoying every point of contact from Addison's bare skin to the familiar fabric of his shirt. He greedily breathed in her scent. Now that he knew what he was looking for, he easily noticed his own scent on her skin, a clear sign of their earlier activities, but also marking her as his potential mate to all.
Having sex with her shouldn't have let such a mark, especially when it had been oral sex. His zombie coming out and Addison accepting it, that was all the intent his biology needed. Having experienced it from the other side, he knew his scent on her would be widely unpleasant to other unmated and of-age zombies. He'd basically hung a big neon sign over the girl telling zombies that Zed Necrodopolis was irrevocably in love with Addison Wells. There were only two ways to undo this: breaking it off with Addison and staying away from her or mating with her.
Since neither of those solution was doable, Zed resigned to ignoring it for the time being. Instead, he let his zombie revel in their mingling scent and its meaning. It didn't take long for Zed to fall asleep that night, more contented than he'd been in years.
I know the time between chapters keeps getting longer and I'm so sorry! In fact, this chapter was supposed to be longer, but I can't seem to get the second part right so I cut it from this chapter. It does mean that I've already written part of chapter 15 though. I'll try to take less time, but I'm behind on grading so it might not be doable.
Hope you folks liked the chapter and that you'll stick with me ! Let me know what you thought in a review and if you can't find the right words, just drop me some emojis !