Page 58 of My Undead Love Life

“Why?”

“Because what you were doing just now looked impossible.”

Her gaze dipped briefly, but I caught her smile. “She trained me every day. She said if I was going to use something like this, that I had to respect it. I needed to understand that it wasn’t just a long knife I could swing around whenever I got scared.” Her fingers moved over the wrapped grip. The material had been worn smooth in several places by years of use. “She was strict. If my stance was wrong, she corrected it. If I got impatient, she made me start over. If I complained, she made me repeat the same movement until my arms felt like they were going to fall off.”

“I respect her already.”

“You wouldn’t say that after training with her.”

“I’ve worked with fire captains. I can handle strict.”

“Akiko would make them cry.”

I grinned. “Now, I really want to meet her.”

Spencer’s expression softened. “She gave me her spare katana when she decided I was ready. She wields two handguns mostly, but I’ve seen her pick up nearly any weapon and figure it out.”

“She sounds like a good teacher.”

“She’s a good person,” Spencer corrected. “A good survivor.”

There was a distinction in her mind, and I understood it. A good teacher could show someone how to fight, but a good survivor taught them why they should keep fighting to survive.

“I hope I get to thank her someday,” I said.

Spencer tilted her head. “For what?”

“For making sure you could defend yourself.”

Something moved through her expression. Her fingers tightened around the sheath, and her eyes remained on mine for long enough that warmth crept beneath my collar. “I hope you get to meet her, too,” she said softly.

We stood in the mall with only the distant sounds of the horde surrounding us. Their moans seeped through the walls. The sound had become part of the building, as constant as the cold.

Spencer had drifted closer while we talked. She was close enough for me to see each freckle across the bridge of her nose.

Her eyes moved curiously over my face. “What about you? What did you do before all this? I know you said you were a firefighter, but what else?”

I hesitated.

There were a dozen easy answers I could have given her. I could have told her what station I’d worked at or complained about the terrible coffee our captain kept in the break room. I could have mentioned the brothers who’d called me Mad Maddox and made the nickname sound more affectionate than insulting.

Instead, the first face that entered my mind was Ryan’s.

“What else was there?” I shrugged. “I was a firefighter here in this city for most of my life.”

“You must know the area pretty well.”

“Better than most. I spent my free time poring over maps and studying every street, alley, hydrant, service tunnel, and access road I could find.”

“That explains your emergency escape maps.”

“You’ve seen those?”

“Everyone has seen those, Mad. You covered half the back room with them.” She giggled, and it made my heart skip a beat.

“I like knowing our options,” I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck.

“You numbered the options.”