Page 78 of Stone Cold Touch

Either way, there was a stupid smile plastered across my face as I entered the school. When I’d woken up this morning, all of the issues we were facing appeared to be a bit more manageable, as if all the problems had been dipped in glitter.

I giggled at that, earning a weird look from the girl walking beside me. Oh well. Rounding the corner, I’d passed the still-empty trophy case when a familiar coppery head appeared. Broom handle in one hand, Gerald motioned me over with the other.

Slipping around a cluster of girls, I headed over to him. “Is everything okay?”

He nodded and kept his voice low. “They took care of the problem in the basement of the school. Cleaned it all and even got rid of the muck.”

“Great.” I was relieved to hear that. Zayne had left last night to meet up with the others, but we hadn’t talked about it this morning.

The skin around his eyes crinkled as he glanced around us. “I also wanted to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For not saying anything to the Wardens about me,” he responded, shifting the broom handle to a different hand. “I know you didn’t, because I’m still standing here, and I appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem. I don’t think they’d have a problem with you, but I wouldn’t take that risk.” Maybe I would’ve a few months back, but not now, and that realization killed a bit of my happy buzz.

Gerald’s cherry-hued eyes darted around nervously again. “Are you still planning on visiting the coven in Bethesda?”

“Yes.” We were starting to get some odd looks from the students. And teachers. From where we were, I could see Stacey waiting for me at my locker, standing by a perplexed-looking Sam. Her expression pretty much said it all.

Gerald’s brows creased with worry. “I wish you would reconsider. There has to be another way.”

“Unless you know of a handyLilin for Dummiesbook, I don’t see any other options.” But that would seriously be helpful. “Look, thank you for your concern, but I have to get—”

“You don’t understand.” His hand snaked out and curled around my wrist. The sudden punch of fear in my gut rocked me, and now that I knew it wasn’t coming from me, it was even more unsettling. “You seem like a nice girl, in spite of everything, but sometimes, child, you go asking questions, you don’t like the answers you find.”

Gerald dropped my hand before I could pull away. As he turned, he cast a long look back toward my locker, and then hurried back into the utilities room.

Okay. That was weird, and maybe more than typical witchy weird.

Shaking my head, I pivoted around. Stacey eyed me curiously as I made my way through the throng of students. “Hanging out with janitors now?”

“Holding hands with him?” Sam asked.

“Shut up,” I said. “Both of you.”

Flipping me off, she grinned when I rolled my eyes. “What happened with you yesterday? Please tell me you didn’t run off with Roth.”

Well... “Nah, just went home. Didn’t feel good. You know how that...” I cocked my head, frowning. Something about Sam looked different. Wasn’t his hair, even though the unruly waves appeared to have been brushed for once. Then it hit me. “Where’re your glasses, Sam?”

“He lost them,” Stacey answered as we started down the hall. “Doesn’t he look hot?”

“Sure does.” I grinned. “But are you going to be able to see without them?”

“I’ll be fine.” He stepped easily into the flow of traffic. “But why was that janitor grabbing your hand like that? Kind of creepy.”

“He helped yesterday when I was feeling sick.” The lie came too quickly to my tongue. “He was just shaking my hand.”

The sweet, wild scent announced Roth’s nearness. I glanced over my shoulder. He was coming down the center of the hall, frowning down at the cell phone he carried in his hand. He wasn’t even watching where he was going, but people moved out of the way for him.

Roth looked up, his gaze colliding with mine. There was a faint smudge of blue along his jaw, a sign that a Warden packed a powerful punch. I hastily looked away, cursing under my breath for the twisting motion of guilt. Two seconds later, he was sliding around me. “Good morning, ladies and gent.”

“Hey,” Sam replied with a smile. “I’ve got to get to class. See you all at lunch?”

I watched him turn on his heel and disappear back up the hall. So did Roth. There was a weird twist to his mouth. “Is our little Sam turning into a big boy or something?”

“What?” I asked.

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