Page 23 of Stone Cold Touch

I winced. “I didn’t think it was, but I don’t understand. The pits are permanent.”

One shoulder rose gracefully. “They are, but I am the Boss’s favorite and I’d done what the Boss had wanted—stopped a Lilin from being created. Or at least we thought I had.”

“So you were let out for good behavior?”

“After a day or two. The Boss wasn’t in a big hurry. No surprise there.”

My heart squeezed. “But the pits had to be...” My voice cracked as I shook my head.

“It wasn’t a vacation, shortie. Imagine your skin being flayed and burned off for a forty-eight hour period.” He shrugged again, as though it was no big deal to be virtually burned alive, and brushed the dark hair off his forehead. “But it could have been worse. Paimon’s dumb ass is still in there.”

Meaning Roth could still be there. Two days had to be Hell, literally, but if he’d been let out that fast... “Where have you been?”

His gaze flicked up to the bare branches. “Around.”

“Around?” The word rang with disbelief.

“Here and there, up and down.” One side of his lips curled up but it lacked sincerity. “Hanging out.”

I stared at him. “Why didn’t you come see me?” That question came out like the anthem of every pissed-off girlfriend out there but the problem with that—I wasn’t his girlfriend.

Roth arched a brow and opened his mouth, but then he didn’t say anything. I reached out to touch him, but he drew back. A muscle flickered along his jaw. The unease and coldness from earlier returned.

“I’ve been so worried,” I said, pulling my hand back to my chest. “I’ve missed you. I’vemournedyou. But I hoped that you were okay. This...” I pulled out the necklace. The cracked stone was a sad statement. “I found this at your apartment, on the roof. You did put it there, didn’t you? After you left the pits. You—”

“I did. So?”

“So?” I whispered, feeling about as empty as an echo. “Why would you do that and then not come see me?”

He said nothing.

Ice trickled into my veins. “Do you know how upset I was? I felt lost without—”

“You were not lost without me,” he cut in, his gaze suddenly fixed on me once more. “You had Zayne.”

“Yes, but that’s not—”

“You had him,” he repeated, drawing in a deep breath. “Why do you think I took his place in that trap? So you could have him.”

Maybe I was slower than normal, but I wasn’t following where this was heading. “I know you did that for me and I can never express how truly grateful I am for it, but I didn’t want to lose you. I never wanted to.” The words kept spilling out in the worst case of verbal diarrhea known to humankind, angels or demons. “I don’t know what we had, but we had something—something that meant a lot to me.”

He stared at me a moment and an array of emotions played over his striking face before he shook his head. “You’ve been through a lot recently. I get that you’re upset, but like I said, you don’t need me.”

Frustration burned like acid in my blood. “Roth, I—”

“Don’t say it.” He held up a hand. “Don’t say it.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say!” Hell, I didn’t know what was going to come out of my mouth.

“I don’t want to know.” Roth thrust his fingers through his hair in a quick, jerky manner. “This is why we needed to talk. I’m back. I’m going to be around because of the Lilin, but that’s the only reason I’m here. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

A part of my brain totally got what he was saying, but my heart was another story. His words didn’t make sense to the stupid muscle. Things didn’t add up. “No. I don’t.”

His lashes lowered as he muttered a curse. “Look, when I was topside before, with you? It was...” He gave a little shake of his head and then seemed to force out the rest. “It was fun, shortie.”

“Fun?” I repeated dumbly.

He nodded stiffly. “And that was all. It was just fun while it was happening.”

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