Page 50 of Slayer Mom
“We will take her once she has risen.”
I looked around and saw Tom, casuallysharpening a knife and leaning against the wall, all ‘sexy butler’ or whatever Gloria saw in him. I just saw weird and chill.
He gave me a sharp nod. He would watch out for Gloria.
“Sure,” I said slowly.
She smiled, flashing fang and then gestured me to walk ahead of her. Good thing I’d gotten dressed this morning after my quick shower and spray.
“How long have you been working for the Grand Master?” I asked.
“Not long, only two fifty-three.”
“In the afternoon?”
“Two hundred fifty-three years.”
I stopped walking until she was three long strides ahead of me, then I hurried to catch up. So the Grand Master was at least two hundred fifty-three years old. It wasn’t the weirdest thing about him. That was definitely his dancing.
“Have you killed a lot of zombies?” That seemed like a safer subject.
“Yes.”
“What do you normally do?”
“I protect what the Master deems precious.”
“You aren’t an assassin?”
“The Grand Master has two assassins. It is a very hard-won title. I have not served long enough to rise in the ranks to such a position.”
“What about the exterminator? Is that hard-won?”
“It is the lowest title the Grand Master can bestow.”
But Duke said that… ah. He was lying. Jerk. “Nice.”
“But that he has bestowed any title to you at all is remarkable. You are a human whom he has bestowed a title. That guarantees his protection from your enemies.”
“It doesn’t seem like the zombie queen is very intimidated by his protection.”
“They have a unique dynamic.”
“They should get married.”
“If they united in purpose, all the humans would be enslaved. He protects your world from her appetite.”
“To protect his own interests and autonomy.”
“Naturally. Still, his side is on the side of your kind.”
“Sure. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, but I don’t have to like him.”
She gave me a slight smile with those fangs. “No, you don’t. It probably makes you a more interesting prey the faster you run.”
“Also more likely to stay alive,” I pointed out.
She grunted and fell silent. The drive to the docks was filled with really good food, a lot of fruit, and vegetables cooked to perfection. It’s like the Grand Master had read all those healthy eating books Hazen had given me.
