Page 65 of Stone Cold Touch

Roth slipped his now-broken blade back into his boot and then stalked across the room. Without saying a word he held his hand out, and I forked over the other blade.

“Why would so many be down here? It has to do with the Lilin, right?”

“Has to be.” A troubled look pinched his features. “Unless the cocoon isn’t actually from a Lilin.”

A dull ache picked up in my temples as I stared up at him. “I thought you were confident it was from a Lilin.”

“I was, but...” He looked at the lockers for a moment and then his brows furrowed. Turning back to me, he frowned as he leaned in. Too close.

I stepped back, putting a space between us.

Roth followed, his lashes lowering for a moment. When he looked up again, his eyes were crystal bright. “Are you hurt?”

“No. Yes.” I glanced down at myself, seeing the tears in my chunky sweater. My stomach didn’t hurt though. “I’m not sure.”

His intense regard strengthened. “Shortie...”

As he reached for me, I stepped back. “I’m fine. Remember? I just killed a Nightcrawler.”

I felt as if he should be more focused on that. I kind of felt like a ninja.

“You need to let me check you over.” He got all grabby hands again, this time managing to wrap his fingers around the hem of my sweater. The material was pulled taut, revealing the three jagged tears.

He let out a harsh curse. “Did it claw you?”

“Hey!” I smacked at his hands, but no more than a second later, he revealed the off-white tank top I’d worn underneath the sweater. It was dotted with red just above my belly button.

“Layla,” he whispered, going for that piece of material next.

“Stop!” I snapped free. “I’ve had enough of you, Gropey McGropers! I’m fine. My stomach doesn’t even hurt. It’s just a scratch.”

Gerald was still plastered against the wall.

Roth’s jaw tightened as he glared at me. “You need to stop acting like a fool. A Nightcrawler’s—”

“None of its venom got on me.”

“But itclawedyou.” He spoke as if I was a five-year-old that didn’t understand logic. “I need to get you back to my place where I can—”

My obnoxiously harsh laugh cut him off. “Of all the nerve! You really think I’m going to fall for that?”

“Layla—”

“Shut up, Roth. Seriously.” I stormed around him and headed for the stairs, stopping long enough to address a petrified-looking Gerald. “I’ll get the Wardens down here as soon as possible.”

Swallowing hard, he exhaled harshly. “I’ll make sure no one else comes down here.”

Praying that I could actually rouse all the Wardens and they could get down here pronto without causing a stir, I hurried up the steps. By the time I reached the last one, my skin felt clammy and I was out of breath. Had to be the adrenaline from the fighting. It couldn’t be my stomach because it didn’t even hurt.

I pushed open the doors and walked across the dank, smelly gymnasium when Bambi started slithering up my leg.

“Layla! Stop right now!”

The authority in his voice, the audacity to issue me an order spun me right around, but when I stopped...the room kept spinning, a kaleidoscope of grays and blacks. “That’s not right.”

“What?” Roth’s face blurred.

The edges of my vision darkened. “Oh crap.”

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