In Death Together

Copyright © 2023 by Shelby Rhodes All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. Shelby Rhodes assert the moral right to be identified as the authors of this work. Shelby Rhodes has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book. First edition. Ebook ASIN: B0B6R553F1 Editing: Emma Luna at Moonlight Author Service Proofreading: Abrianna Denae Cover Design: Shelby Rhodes Bat Illustrations: Jahla D. Brown Formatting: Emma Luna at Moonlight Author Service CONTENTS Author Note Dedication Prologue: A Cry In The Dark 1. Raising The Dead 2. What Am I? 3. Zombie 101 4. Where It All Began 5. Fear And Uncertainty 6. Distrust 7. Hold Your Breath 8. Choices Were Made 9. You’re A What?! 10. My Zombie Bunny 11. The Differences 12. Joy… 13. Mind For A Bite? 14. I Love You 15. Back Again 16. The Power Of Sugar 17. Jack Rabbit 18. Stolen Titles 19. A Chance 20. Matching Is Key 21. The Families 22. The Murder Barn 23. Sanity 24. Different Opinions 25. The Lies 26. Nature 27. A Simple Request 28. Scarlett 29. Horrible News 30. Not The Best Choices 31. Gnomeo And Trolliet 32. Home Again 33. Night Of Passion 34. The Plan 35. The Return Of The Craftiest Cats 36. Glitter Warfare 37. Theo 38. Turney’s Heart 39. The Truth 40. Together And Whole Epilogue: Prepared About Shelby Rhodes Follow Shelby Rhodes Also by Shelby Rhodes You’ve returned... Good! Octavius Evander here, your lovable vampire detective. So, where we ended things last time, everything had gone horribly wrong. What can really be said, besides that change is a fact of life, and unlife. Turney, my love, my heart—unfortunately, he has much change to deal with. No matter, we will all get through it together! Some of us will be getting through it together, much closer than we ever expected, if you know what I mean. But, enough about that. On to the cases! We will have a new one come up. One with love and questionable family relationships, and even a murder! We don’t get to witness the murder, but we can’t always get what we want. Either way, it’s going to be fun. Lastly, I suppose there is also the old case looming over us. The 'pain in the ass' case. Prepare yourselves for pain, blood, betrayal, glitter, and devastation. No hints as to whose…but remember, this is a love story. Stop worrying, you silly humans. It will be fine. This is an M/M paranormal romance book, with a little F/F on the side. There will be blood, violence, gore, mention of SA (no on-page details), and death. Please do not read if you find any of these situations triggering. I’d like to thank Abri, Jahla and Emma for helping keep this release on track! You all worked your butts off to get things done on time. I appreciate each and every one of you. Love you all. Thank you! Turney stared out into the rain. The downpour was so thick he could barely see the headlights in front of him, let alone the road. Busy trying not to hit other cars on the street, he drove right past Cynthia’s yoga studio. “Shit!” Turney cursed, slamming on the brakes as his GPS announced his destination was on the right. Thankfully, no one was behind him. He backed up and parked in an open spot on the street. Blindly reaching for his umbrella, Turney found himself grasping at air. He looked over in disbelief. After warning Octavius, he had forgotten to grab an umbrella for himself. Looking out the window, he grimaced. It was a short jog to the door of the yoga studio, but it was raining so hard he’d be instantly soaked through. Well… fuck. Sighing, Turney grabbed his phone, opened the door, and he was just about to sprint out when he heard a woman scream. He froze at the sound. With the door open, the rain pouring down had started to sprinkle inside. “Help!” the same voice cried out again. The screams were unending now. Fuck! Jumping out, he slammed his door closed and took off into the alleyway beside the studio, following the voice. The rain soaked him through as he ran. Turning the corner, he was met with silence and darkness. Hand shaking in the rain, he turned his phone light on, flashing it around the small dead-end alleyway he found himself in. No one was there… Standing there in the pouring rain, a shiver ran down his spine. The same feelings of fear, of anxiety, began to bubble up as it had at the office. Turney spun around to leave when an unimaginable pain burst from his chest. He coughed once and liquid sprayed from his mouth as he did. A single light above flickered on as his phone slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground. Turney could only stare in horror