Page 148 of Stone Cold Touch

“But he knew...he knew how to get me to stay away.” Anger edged his tone now. “He didn’t threaten me. He threatened you.”

“Oh my God...” I pulled my hands back, pressing them to my lips. Obviously I knew Abbot was so not a friend now, but even then?

“He said that he would...he would take you out to keep you away from me.” At the sound of my sharp inhale, he cursed under his breath. “He meant it, Layla. And I wasn’t willing to risk it. Those things I said to you that night... I didn’t want to say them.”

I stared at his bowed head, mouth working behind my hands, but there were no sounds. There were so many things Roth had said to me since he’d returned—vague statements that didn’t make sense until now.

He lifted his head then, staring up at me. “And I sure as Hell didn’t use you to ease my boredom, Layla. Nor did I want to push you away, but I couldn’t be the reason for you to get hurt. Iwouldn’tbe.”

“Oh, Roth...” I whispered. This... I never expected this to be the reason why Roth had done a one-eighty when it came to how he felt for me.

“I wanted to be with you, but...”

He’d tried to protect me. A hole opened up in my chest, just as shocking as the wound that was now healed in my stomach.

“I’m sorry. It was all for nothing in the end, but I can’t undo it.” He tilted his head to the side as he watched me. “I know this doesn’t change the hurting I put you through. I just wanted you to know the truth and that I...”

I tensed, waiting for him to finish what he was saying and wondering if it would be those words I thought I’d heard him say before I’d slipped away, but he didn’t. He studied me as if he never expected to see me again.

And then something occurred to me and I had to ask. “Was...was Zayne out there when Abbot said these things to you?”

His amber eyes churned a dozen dizzying shades of gold. “Does it matter?”

“Yes,” I whispered. It totally mattered if Zayne knew why Roth had turned away from me, if he had known the truth and hadn’t told me.

He didn’t answer for a long moment and a prickle of apprehension formed at the base of my spine. “It doesn’t change anything, Layla. Not really, because no matter what, he...he would’ve done the same thing if he was in my position.” A begrudging amount of respect filled his gaze. “I know that.”

Too much was spinning around in my head. I sat there for a few moments, absolutely dumbfounded. My brain was fried. Completely.

Roth smiled a little as he rose, taking a hold of my arms. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

I was officially on autopilot as he lifted me. My first step was a fail. My legs were wobbly, like a newborn colt’s.

“I got you,” Roth said, propping me up. “Always.”

Always.The word bounced around inside of me like a Ping-Pong ball. After guiding me to the bathroom, he left to retrieve fresh clothes from the bedroom. It was a nice bathroom—large with a garden tub and separate shower stall. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My eyes were too large in my pale face. Zayne’s claws had left behind faint pink scratches. A bruise the color of a strawberry circled my throat. I peeled the clothes off and got my first look at the wound.

I shuddered.

The patch of skin above my navel was healed, pink and puckered. If I’d been human, I would’ve bled out before Nicolai and Dez had intervened. Hands shaking, I peeled off the dirtied clothes, all of them, and turned on the shower. I stayed under the water until my legs started to tremble, which was only a few minutes.

All of the grime, sweat, blood and things I didn’t want to even think about had washed off. On unsteady legs, I wrapped a towel around me and tried to soak up most of the wetness from my hair. I gave up after a few seconds.

There was a knock. “Are you decent?”

“Yeah.”

Roth came in with a small bundle in his hands. “It’s a pair of my sweats and a thermal.”

“Thanks.”

He glanced over at me and his stare lingered until my ears turned pink. Running a hand through his messy hair, he turned and walked back into the bedroom. “I’ll wait out here. Let me know when you’re ready.”

Exhaling slowly, I changed into his clothes and was immediately enveloped in his scent. Roth returned, helping me limp back to the bed. I was so tired that by the time my head hit the pillow, I knew I wasn’t moving again for a while.

Roth sat beside me and pulled out a phone. “I’m going to order some food. You need to eat.”

I wasn’t hungry, but the offer was nice. I glanced around the spacious bedroom. It was elegantly furnished. “Whose house is this?”

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