Page 138 of Stone Cold Touch

He shot forward so fast I didn’t even see him move or feel the blow until I crashed through the dollhouse. Wood splintered and broke as I hit the floor.

“Abbot!” Dez shouted, shooting forward. As he moved to get between us, Abbot hit him across the chest with a broad sweep of his arm, knocking him into the wall.

“Stay out of my way,” Abbot warned as he stalked forward. “Geoff. You know what to do.”

I stumbled to my feet, pain firing through my senses as Geoff darted from the room. “It was...an accident.”

“That is my son—my only son!” Abbot roared, shaking the photos on the wall. “I brought you into my home, protected you and this is how you repay me!”

Backing up, I raised my hands as if that could ward him off. “I’m sorry. This wasn’t supposed...to happen.”

Rage spread like blood across his face. “Elijah was right. I should’ve let him put you down the moment we found you.”

The words stung, but I didn’t have time to fully feel their effect. Abbot reached for me and as I lurched to the side, the demon inside me pushed hard against my skin and bone. Like the night of Paimon’s attack, there was no hesitation. The change that came over me was too powerful to fight.

“Stop!” Danika screeched. “Please! She would never hurt Zayne, not on purpose.”

Her protests fell on deaf ears as Abbot advanced on me.

Instinct kicked in. If I stayed in this room, I’d be dead. There was murder in Abbot’s stare and the demon inside me wanted to live. It wanted to fight, to rip through the roomful of Wardens, but it also knew it was outnumbered.

The back of my shirt tore as my wings spread out from behind me. Fangs punched through my gums and my hands lengthened into claws. Someone in the room cursed as I crouched, kicking off the floor. I just missed Abbot’s reach as I landed on the other side of him.

I spared a quick glanced toward Zayne. Nicolai was by his side and I thought—I hoped—I saw his chest rise in a shallow breath, but there wasn’t time. The doorway had never seemed so far away before, so out of reach. My fingers scraped down the door just as my legs went out from underneath me. There wasn’t even a second to brace myself. I went down hard, my head cracking off the doorjamb. Black bursts darkened my vision as I lay there stunned.

Maddox was on me, flipping me over, and I blinked slowly. All I saw were wings the color of the sky before a storm as he hovered over me. Two heavily clawed hands punched the floor on either side of my head. He threw his head back, muscles straining and popping out of his neck as I slammed my knees into his midsection, knocking him back.

I popped up. Wet warmth trickled down my face. Everything spun as I rushed through the bedroom, reaching out and slamming the door shut behind me. Each step felt like a spike being driven through my head. Pain consumed me but instinct drove me to overlook it.

Vaulting over the banister, I propelled myself into the air. My wings unfurled, slowing the decent. I landed with a crash in the foyer, my feet denting the hardwood floors. To my left a Warden blocked the door to the living room, where the soft cries of the toddlers could be heard.

I ran for the door and just as I reached it, Geoff barreled forward. I whipped around, preparing to defend myself. His hand shot out and a small glass jar flew from his hand. I raised my arms, but it was too late. The jar exploded against my chest in a shower of glass and a milky-white substance rained down. The liquid immediately soaked through my torn shirt and jeans, seeping in through the pores in my skin.

Confused, I lifted my head. Geoff stood a few feet from me, breathing heavily. At the top of the stairs, Abbot appeared. I had no idea what the Hell Geoff had just tossed on me, but I didn’t have time to stand around and ask questions.

Turning, I reached for the door, prepared to give my wings a try and take flight, but as my hand came into view, I froze as the marbled skin tone was quickly replaced by lighter, pinker flesh.

My heart skipped a beat as my hands shrank back to their normal, ineffective size. The claws were gone. The fangs retracted and my wings folded into themselves. Twisting back to Geoff in dawning horror, I tried to walk, but my brain wasn’t communicating with the rest of my body.

“Bloodroot?” I whispered, recognizing the substance now.

I thought, and maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I saw remorse flicker across his face. And then there was nothing as my legs buckled out from underneath me. I was out before I hit the floor.

When I opened my eyes again, I was surprised to find that I was still alive. Or maybe I wasn’t. I was surrounded by darkness. Had my eyesight checked out? But as my senses kicked back into gear, my sight adjusted to the shadows.

The first thing I saw were bars.

Bars.

I drew in a shaky breath as my heart rate kicked up. My stomach cramped as I opened my dry mouth, trying to get a deeper breath. A musty, dank scent was heavy in the air, as well as the pungent odor of vomit. Underneath my body was a cool piece of rigid board.

I knew where I was.

Down below the compound, I was in one of the cages used to trap demons. I hadn’t even known if they’d ever been in use before. Demons never really made it close enough to the compound to end up here, but the bars would be impossible to break through. Not that I could try. I couldn’t move. The bloodroot was still kicking around in my system.

A painful, tight spasm rolled through my muscles, making my breath catch. I panted through it as I lay there. There was a steady dripping sound from somewhere behind me. The only sound that let me know that I wasn’t in some kind of black hole.

As I stared into the darkness, I saw Zayne’s pale face and dilated eyes and heard Abbot’s harsh accusation. Had I really seen Zayne’s chest move before I left the room? Was he okay? The fateful kiss and its aftermath replayed over and over again in my head. I didn’t understand. We’d kissed—a lot—before and he’d been fine. What had changed?

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