White Hot Kiss (31 page)

“I’m so hoping you’re wanting to test out that two-hundred-calorie thing.”

I shot him a bland look. “No, Roth. Good try.”

“Ah, a demon can hope, can’t he?”

“We know where the
Lesser Key
is now.” I tucked my hair back. “God, I can’t believe we didn’t figure that out. Hello! This is good news.”

“I know.” He caught the piece of hair I was messing with and wrapped it around his finger. “But I’m really stuck on the two-hundred-calorie idea.”

I slapped his hand away. “Roth!”

“Fine. Fine.” Roth caught the wild strand of hair again. “Who knew all that useless information Sam has up in his head would actually be...useful.”

“I know.” I laughed. “Now we just need a full moon.”

“We’re in luck. There’s one on Saturday night.”

My lips turned down. “How in the world do you know that off the top of your head?”

Roth tugged me forward. “Demons and full moons go together like peas and carrots.”

I placed my hands on his chest to keep some space between us. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

He grinned. “Want to hear the best thing?”

God only knows what was going to come out of his mouth. My eyes flicked up, meeting his. “What?”

“Hmm?” He pressed forward and I inched away. “Remember what you were trying to convince me of that day at my place?”

My back hit the old cement wall. “About you not being just another Roth?”

Roth dropped my hair only to place the tips of his fingers on my chin. A spark of electricity made its way down to my toes. Tilting my head back, he stared down at me with a mischievous grin. “When I said I wasn’t a real boy?”

“Yes.”

He smirked as he leaned forward. I tried to clamp my legs shut, but his thigh slid between mine. “I think I’m definitely becoming a real boy.”

Oh, sweet Jesus...

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. It sounded so far away. “Roth...”

“What?” He lowered his head, rubbing his nose against mine. His lips hovered just inches from my mouth. Our bodies were flush, hitting at every point that fried my senses. He lowered his head, brushing his lips across my cheekbone, over my earlobe. He nipped, catching the sensitive skin. I gasped, fingers curling into the front of his shirt.

Roth let go and stepped back. “Stop distracting me.”

I gaped. “What? I’m not doing anything. It’s you—”

“You’re just too irresistible.” His grin went up a notch. “But back to the important stuff.”

I was so tempted to hit him. I folded my arms. “Yeah, back to the important stuff.”

“I can go for the Key on Saturday.”

“I’m going with you,” I threw in.

Roth sighed. “I knew you were going to say that, but there’s a little problem with you wanting to do that. How are you going to get out of a Warden stronghold in the middle of the night to do this?”

“I can sneak out.” At his pointed look, I groaned. “Okay. I probably can’t sneak out, but I could try to get them to let me spend the night with Stacey.”

“And they’re really going to allow that?”

“I don’t know.” I readjusted the strap of my bag. “But I want to at least try.”

Roth exhaled loudly. “Okay. Try it. Text me and let me know.” He inclined his head, holding the door open. “Think you can walk to class, or are your knees too weak?”

I narrowed my eyes, brushing past him. “My knees aren’t weak. And you have a big ego.”

“That’s not the only thing that’s bi—”

“Shut up! TMI, Roth, TMI.” I threw up my hand. “I’ll let you know.”

Roth fell back into the throng of students while I made my way to class. I’d lied. My knees were totally weak.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

I made my tenth pass in front of Abbot’s closed-off study. Getting him to agree to let me stay with Stacey on Saturday would take a small miracle. Even though there hadn’t been any demon attacks since the Rack demons, and the Wardens didn’t even know about that, I seriously doubted he was going to allow this.

But I had to try.

Zayne rounded a corner and stopped when he saw me. Back from working out, his gray shirt was damp and clung to his tapered waist. He grinned. “What are you doing, Layla-bug?”

“Waiting for Abbot to get done talking with Nicolai and Geoff.” I glanced at the oak door, willing it to open. When nothing happened, I plopped down on the bottom step. “It’s taking
forever.
”

“How long have they been in there?”

“Since dinner ended.” I scooted over, making room for his massive body. “Your father has been having a lot of closed-door meetings lately.”

Zayne sat down, dropping his elbows on his bent knees. “Yeah.”

“You don’t know anything about it?” I glanced at him.

“No.” He laughed under his breath. “Father’s up to something, but I don’t know what.”

A shiver danced all over me. Hopefully, whatever his father was up to had nothing to do with me.

“You okay?” he asked, nudging my leg with his.

“Peachy.” Smiling, I tugged my hair back from my face and twisted it over my shoulder. “You?”

His brows furrowed. “I’m okay.”

Meeting his eyes for a moment, I nodded and refocused on his father’s door. Ever since Petr’s attack, things had been different between Zayne and me. He seemed to always be watching me, waiting for the inevitable hysterical breakdown...or for me to fall off the wagon and start sucking souls by the truckload. Maybe that wasn’t fair. Zayne was just worried.

“You’re different.”

My stomach knotted at the unexpected comment. “Huh?”

Zayne’s head tilted to the side. “You just seem different...to me.”

The cold knots tightened and it felt like someone had thrown a rope around my chest. “What do you mean?”

“It’s hard to explain.” He laughed again, the sound unsure. “And I can’t put my finger on it.” His hand found the bundle of hair resting on my shoulder. He didn’t tug or wrap his fingers around the strands like he normally would. He threaded his fingers through the hair, feeling it, and I grew very still. “Maybe it’s me.”

Suddenly images of Roth flipped through my head—of the kiss in the park and all those almost kisses that came afterward. Because, besides the secrets I’d been keeping, the only thing different about me was the fact that I’d...I’d been kissed. But it couldn’t be that. There was no way Zayne would know that. It wasn’t like it was written on my forehead.

Oh, dear God, what if he did somehow know? Zayne did seem to know everything.

I shook my head, which caused his hand to drop to my shoulder. “I’m the same lame—”

“You’re not lame.” His hand curved over my shoulder. “You’ve never been lame.”

I grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “Well, actually I’m sort of lame like a—”

“Don’t.” Zayne shook his head back and forth. “I hate when you say things like that. And what I hate more is that you actually believe it.”

I opened my mouth, but my denials withered up like a dead flower. There were so many things that made Zayne different from me. Sometimes it seemed like we were total opposites. Insecurities resurfaced like old friends you didn’t want to see. I wasn’t like Zayne. I could never be like him, no matter how hard I tried. Izzy and Drake could phase at two and here I was, seventeen, and couldn’t do it. I looked away, compiling a mental list of my faults taller than the Eiffel Tower.

Strange thing was, when I was with Roth I didn’t wander down this troubling road.

Zayne muttered something and then his arm slipped around my bent shoulders. Tugging me closer, he tucked me against his side and rested his chin atop my head. I closed my eyes, inhaling the crisp winter-mint scent of him. We stayed like that until I heard heavy steps approaching the closed door.

Pulling away from Zayne, I ignored the sudden draft that crept down my body and stood. Nicolai and Geoff exited first, winking at me as they headed toward the doors under the stairwell that led to the underground levels.

Abbot glanced at his son and me. “I assume one or both of you are waiting for me?”

“Me.” I stepped forward, twisting my fingers behind my back, more nervous than a turkey at Christmas. “I was hoping to ask you for a favor.”

He folded his arms.

“Well, it’s not really a favor at all. More like a request.” Warmth cascaded over my cheeks. There was something about this man that always turned me into a blabbering idiot. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that Zayne listened with interest from his reclined position on the steps. I sighed. “There’s this big exam in bio on Monday.” Lie. “And since there haven’t been any demon attacks lately...” Lie. “I was hoping I could spend the night at Stacey’s house on Saturday to study.”

Lie. Lie. Lie.

Before Abbot could even respond, Zayne swooped in. “There haven’t been any attacks because you haven’t been anywhere for them to get to you.”

Well...

I sent Zayne a shut-up-or-die look. “If Zayne takes me over to her house and drops me off, he can totally scout out the neighborhood—”

“Oh, wait a sec.” Zayne was on his feet in a nanosecond. “Don’t volunteer me in this craziness. There’s no way you’re staying overnight after everything that’s happened.”

I scowled. “I didn’t realize I was asking you for permission.”

His glare matched mine. “You shouldn’t even be suggesting something like this right now.”

Taking a deep breath, I turned back to Abbot. “Please. I really need to study and—”

“I can help you study,” Zayne said, planting his hands on his hips.

“No. You can’t. You aren’t in my class.”

Zayne tilted his head. “But I’ve taken biology, and it was probably a lot harder than what you’re studying in school.”

My position mimicked his. “Well, thank you for the update, but I need to study what the poor public school is teaching me with Stacey.” Giving my best puppy-dog eyes, I was seconds away from begging. “I promise that the moment anything seems shady or suspicious, I’ll call the whole clan. I won’t—”

“Aren’t you at all worried about putting your friend in danger?” Zayne asked, and damn him, I wanted to jump on his back like a monkey. “Layla, be reasonable.”

“How about
you
be reasonable? I can’t stay in the house forever and only go to school! Do you want me to fail?” Yeah, that was kind of low but I was desperate. “Because I’m going to fail if I don’t study.”

“No one wants you to fail,” Abbot said with a sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose, a gesture he did whenever Zayne and I got into petty arguments in front of him, but there was a shrewdness to his gaze. “I don’t think going to your friend’s house on Saturday is that bad an idea.”

“Really?” I squealed at about the same time Zayne shouted, “What?”

Abbot frowned at his son. “Yes. I think it will be okay. You need to be able to study and would probably like some time alone with your friend.” His stare turned pointed. “Especially after everything that has happened.”

Surprise flitted through me. Abbot had been abducted by aliens. This was way too easy, but I knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Thank you,” I said quickly, stopping myself from running up and hugging Abbot.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Shock deepened Zayne’s voice.

“Well, I think it would be a good idea for you to drive her to Stacey’s and pick her up since you’re so vigilant when it comes to Layla.” Abbot flicked a piece of lint off his trousers. “If anything happens, Layla knows to contact us immediately.”

I nodded eagerly, but a huge part of me did feel bad for lying, especially since concern was written all over Zayne’s face as he kicked his shoulders back against the buttercream walls. My only comfort was the fact that I was lying for the greater good. That had to make up for it.

Abbot left us in the hallway, and I turned to make a clean getaway. Zayne caught my arm before I could hit the first step. “I still think this is a really bad move,” he said.

“It’s going to be fine. I promise.”

“I don’t like this.”

“But you’re going to drop me off and pick me up.” I wiggled free. “And you’ll make sure everything is fine.”

Zayne’s eyes narrowed. “You’re up to something.”

My stomach plummeted as I moved up a step. “I wish I was up to something. Alas, my life is not that exciting.”

“Isn’t it?” He took the bottom step and towered over me. “Has Stacey ever really studied for an exam?”

Dammit. All those times I’d told him stories about Stacey and school were coming back to haunt me, but I held my ground. “Well, that’s why I’m studying with her. By helping her, I’m helping myself.”

Zayne snorted. “You’re so full of it.”

“Am not!” I poked him in the chest. “What else would I be doing other than studying with Stacey? Not like I’d be invited to a party.” Playing on Zayne’s sympathy was a really wretched thing to do. “And obviously, I’m not sneaking off to meet a guy.”

“Layla—”

“I’m just going to study with Stacey. That’s all.”

A look of annoyance flashed across his face, like he was already planning on regretting this. “You’re a brat.”

Shooting him a grin, I ran up the stairs to text Roth and let him know Saturday night was a go.

* * *

Stacey was more than okay with me using her to “hang out with Roth,” and I kind of felt bad afterward. Not because I was using her as a decoy, but because she was way too excited about the idea of me going on an overnight “date” with Roth. While it wasn’t a date and I really didn’t plan on it being an overnight thing, the idea of spending the night with Roth made me want to giggle
and
break out in hives. Sometimes I thought Stacey was more excited about the prospect of me having a boyfriend than I was.

When Zayne dropped me off at Stacey’s a little before seven on Saturday night, I watched him do a couple more passes from the living-room window in Stacey’s brownstone. After the fifth one, I rolled my eyes.

“You sure he doesn’t know what you’re doing?” Stacey asked, propping her little brother on her hip. Her mom was out with her boyfriend, date night apparently, which worked out perfectly. “Or is he moonlighting as a stalker?”

“He’s just being overprotective.” And really, really annoying. “But I think he’s done now.”