Page 66 of Stone Cold Touch

I was vaguely aware of Roth shooting forward as my legs just stopped working. They folded underneath me and then there was nothing.

17

When I opened myeyes, I was staring at the stony profile of Roth, and he was focused straight ahead, hands white-knuckling the steering wheel. I was curled in the front seat of his Porsche.

I dragged in a breath. My thoughts were murky. “What...?”

He glanced at me and something like concern radiated from his golden gaze. “We’re almost there, shortie.”

“How...?” I swallowed, but my throat felt parched. I remembered what happened but had no idea how I’d ended up in his car. “How did...you get me out of school?”

One side of his lips curved up as he returned his attention to the road. “I’ve got skills.”

There was a good chance the school would call home since I was missing my afternoon classes, and my heart pounded sluggishly. More so because of wherever he could be taking me. I tried to sit up, but all I managed to do was slide further into a ball.

“You’ve got to take me back to school,” I gasped out. “I can’t go to your apartment.”

“Don’t be illogical,” Roth replied evenly. “A Nightcrawler’s claws are infectious, and I really can’t treat you in the middle of the hallway, can I? It’s bad enough that I have to drive. Too risky to take flight during the day.”

“I can call Zayne,” I reasoned, squeezing my eyes shut as my stomach muscles cramped.

He didn’t respond, and I groaned. “I think I’m going to vomit.”

Instead of Roth telling me not to do that in his pretty little Porsche, I heard the engine rev and felt the car push forward.

“We’re almost there,” he said, voice tight.

I didn’t want to go to his apartment, but other than diving out of the car, I wasn’t in the condition to put up much of a fight.

Things were a blur for a little while. Concentrating on not hurling all over myself, I kept my eyes closed. I felt the car stopping and registered the change in light behind my closed lids. I didn’t really follow the whole process of Roth getting me into his apartment building, which was a good thing, because I was sure it involved him carrying me.

“This is familiar,” announced a smooth, cultured voice as a door swung shut behind us and the faint scent of apples teased my nose.

“Shut up, Cayman.”

A deep chuckle irritated me, and I tried not to think about the first time I’d been here, sort of in the same position. “Look, I’m just pointing out that this is becoming a habitual behavior and we should—”

The slamming door jarred me and cut off whatever else Cayman was saying. A second later, I was laid down on a bed—Roth’s bed. I peeled open my eyes and immediately wished I hadn’t.

Seeing the familiar white walls lined with the DVDs and books that had been there before...the piano in the corner...even the macabre paintings that bordered on the disturbing...it was a punch to the chest and didn’t help with the sensitivity of my stomach. My feet dangled an inch off the floor, and I thought of the little vamp kitties who’d been both tattoos and pets. I wondered whether they were back now, hiding under his bed, prepared to sink their little fangs into any exposed skin.

I couldn’t be here.

As Roth backed off, I started to sit up. He shot me a look of warning. “Sit still. The more you move, the more the infection will spread and this won’t be an easy fix.”

My chest rose and fell heavily as I watched him go to the black fridge in his small kitchen. Opening the door, he reached in and pulled out a water bottle that had been stripped of its label. I watched him warily as he approached the bed.

“Holy water.” He shook the bottle slightly. “The demonic equivalent of peroxide.”

“You normally keep holy water in your fridge?”

He stopped in front of me. “You never know when you’ll need it.”

I couldn’t foresee a lot of situations when a demon would be in need of holy water. “Am I supposed to drink it?”

His face contorted in disgust. “You’re part demon, Layla. You drink this and you’ll be spewing vomit like a possessed chick. Since it’s normally used against demons, it can heal an injury inflicted by another demon, depending on the wound and all that good stuff.”

“Then what am I supposed to do with it?”

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