Page 142 of Stone Cold Touch

The wall of the warehouse shuttered and a second window blew. Shards of glass splintered in every direction. And then Roth wasn’t alone. Cayman landed in a crouch, looking surprisingly human with the exception of his eyes. They glowed like topaz jewels and the pupils were stretched vertically.

And Dez stood beside Cayman. What was he doing with them?

The Wardens immediately shifted, shedding their human facades as their wings unfurled and the skin turned a deep granite.

Abbot snarled as he whirled on Dez. “What have you done?”

“I couldn’t let this happen,” he said, shifting in turn. Horns jutted out from his auburn waves. “This is wrong.”

Maddox gripped the knife. “You’re too late.”

I glanced down to where wet warmth was rapidly spreading. Aw, Hell, this was so, so crappy.

“I’m going to enjoy killing all of you.” A blast of hot wind shot from Roth and blew through the warehouse, pinning Abbot against the wall.

Several of the Wardens moved in, protecting their clan leader. Using the distraction, I summoned every ounce of energy I had in me and forced the muscles in my legs to work. I pushed to my feet.

Donn grabbed for me, but I dipped under his arm, ignoring the pain that lanced through my stomach and zapped between my temples. Taking a deep breath that hurt, I prepared for what would most likely turn out to be an ass-whipping of epic proportions, but everything had seemed to freeze. Even Abbot appeared rooted to the spot he stood in.

Roth stood in his true form now, legs spread wide and shoulders back. I’d forgotten how he looked when he shifted. Fierce. Scary as Hell. His skin was shiny like obsidian and his wings reached farther than any Warden’s, arcing gracefully in the air. His smooth head was thrust back, fingers lengthened into claws.

Again, I was struck by the similarities between demons and Wardens. The only difference was their coloring and the lack of horns on a demon’s head.

Roth smiled in a way I’d never seen him smile. Malice and righteous anger rolled off him in waves. An avenging angel came to mind, one that was ready to do some major ass kicking.

He took a step forward, his eyes starting to glow orange. “Get ready, I’m about to rain down some brimstone and fire on your asses.”

And he did.

A smell of sulfur poured into the warehouse, and then the balls of orange light surrounding Roth’s hands shot up, slamming into the Warden closest to him. The Warden went up in flames, screaming as he tried to stop the fire. Within seconds, it engulfed him. He staggered back against the warehouse. The fire spread.

Cayman intercepted two Wardens as Roth shot forward, slamming his fist straight through the chest of another Warden, pulling out what looked a lot like a heart. Cringing, I saw him toss the organ and whirl on the next, catching a Warden with a brutal jab to the throat.

Roth was a badass, a...scary badass.

A fierce wind kicked up, spreading the flames as a loud crack shook the warehouse. The roof groaned and shuddered, then peeled off as if someone had opened a can of sardines. Clumps of charred rock mowed down two of the Wardens, taking them out of the game.

Good God, was this all Roth?

Roth was cutting a clear path toward me. Intent on that, he didn’t see the Warden coming up behind him. I shot forward, my legs shaking. “Roth!”

He turned as Donn spun toward me. He threw out his arm, catching me around the neck before he tossed me back several feet. I hit the floor with a grunt and lifted my head. The fire was climbing the walls inches from my face. I jerked back, pushing against the floor with my bare feet.

Hands suddenly gripped my shoulders, hauling me to my feet. “I got you,” Dez said. As he turned me around, I saw Donn lying facedown. Dez snapped the chains, releasing the collar around my neck and wrists.

A Warden let out an ear-piercing scream as I met Dez’s gaze. “Th-thank you.”

He nodded. “You cannot go back to the compound. Do you understand?”

I thought that was pretty evident. “You’ll b-be in so much trouble. Jasmine and the twins—”

“Don’t worry about us.” Dez’s eyes narrowed and he launched into the air, landing beside Nicolai. Together they forced the other Wardens back.

Roth was heading straight for me, but there was one Warden between us.

Abbot dropped down in a crouch, and Roth shot up, his wings spreading out. I didn’t know what provoked me, what pushed me forward, but the last bit of energy burst through me.

I threw myself in front of Abbot, coming between him and Roth. Chest heaving and face covered in ash, I raised a shaking hand. “No.”

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