Penelope’s secret is no longer hers alone. When the one she trusted most admits he knows she is a zombie, and tells her he wants her to live, their shared secret briefly blooms into trust. But trust is a dangerous luxury in an apocalypse. If he knows… who else does? And when will the blade meant for her finally fall? One wrong glance, one careless breath, and survival becomes a countdown. Worse still is the betrayal. The same person who offered her hope confesses he deliberately harmed her to test the limits of her zombification. In a single instant, the fragile bond she built shatters, leaving her alone in a fortress that would never forgive what she is. Yet survival offers no time to grieve. As the band of villagers seeking refuge within the fortress begin to grow closer to the others, Penelope alone senses the danger beneath their weary smiles. They are not refugees. They are opportunists. The grain is their target, and once they drug the fortress, they will leave everyone to starve. She knows it with chilling certainty. But why does no one else see through them? Why is she the one treated with suspicion, while the true threat is welcomed inside? Determined to protect the fortress, even if she must do so alone, Penelope steels herself for what is coming. Meanwhile, Grand Duke Hardeston’s stern watchfulness and Crown Prince Idorian’s piercing concern tighten around her from opposite sides. If only they would stop worrying about her… and focus on the real danger on hand? A darkly comedic, pulse-racing fantasy about a zombie villainess who survived the apocalypse, only to learn that the real threat was never the zombies outside… it was everything (and everyone) else inside.