White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1)(41)
Author: J. Lynn

A surprised gasp caught in my throat.

Perched atop the second bathroom door was a crow—a very large, very black crow. Its yellow beak had to be half the size of my hand.

My school kind of had a sucky security policy since they didn’t have many problems, but I couldn’t imagine a crow that big getting into the building…or how it had been able to open the bathroom door.

“What the…?” I stepped back, hitting the edge of the sink.

The crow cawed loudly, the sound as disturbing as it was fascinating. Launching itself into the air, its black wings spread out as it glided to the space between me and the stall. My eyes widened as the crow hovered before me for a second and then…expanded.

Really, really expanded.

The dark belly elongated and the wings took on armlike shapes. The beak sank in and fingers replaced the sharp-looking talons. Roth? Filled with hope, I stepped forward, ready to rush and embrace him.

I drew up short as the man appeared, dressed in leather pants and a loose, flowing white shirt. Mixed among shoulder-length black hair were feathers.

I blinked slowly. So not Roth.

The man smiled. “My name is Caym. I rule thirty demons, loyal to Hell only.”

“Oh, crap,” I whispered. What in the Hell was up with demons and the girls’ bathroom?

Caym’s opaque eyes fixed on mine. “Do not be afraid. This will only hurt for a few moments.” Then he reached for me.

Reacting on instinct, I threw my arm out, catching him in the throat. The demon made a strangled sound, but I didn’t wait to see if I’d done any real damage. For the millionth time in my life, I cursed my inability to phase as I darted toward the door.

He grabbed a handful of my hair, twisting the strands around his thick fist as he yanked. A scream built in my throat, powerful and sure to draw attention. I opened my mouth, preparing to let it loose when Caym’s hand clamped around my throat, cutting the scream off.

“Don’t fight it,” he cajoled, letting go of my hair. “It’ll be easier that way.”

I clawed at the hand around my throat, sinking my fingernails deep into his skin as Caym lifted me until my feet dangled in the air. I gripped his hands, trying to loosen them as I gagged. No air! I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t get the fingers off my neck.

“Now,” he said, moving his free hand to my forehead. Warnings bells went off. “Just relax and—”

I kicked out wildly, catching the demon in the stomach hard enough to startle him. He let go and I fell backward. My hip crashed into the rim of the sink and the side of my head smacked off the ceramic. A fresh burst of red-hot pain shot through me, knocking what little precious air I had out of my lungs. I hit the dirty tile of the bathroom floor hard. Gasping for air, I rose to my elbow and reached one hand up to the side of my throbbing head in a daze. My hand came back red.

Red? I pushed through the pain and confusion, scrambling under the sink before Caym could grab me again. Wasn’t the best hidey-hole, but it was all I had.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he seethed, kneeling down and grabbing my flailing leg. “Now you’ve pissed me off.”

“You weren’t pissed when you tried to strangle me?” I grabbed on to the metal under the sink.

The bathroom door swung open before Caym could respond to that, and I immediately caught the scent of a familiar sweet musk. My heart tripped over. Hope, along with something far more powerful, rose like a tide.

Roth stood in the doorway, his golden eyes slowly moving from me to the demon. “Caym, I didn’t expect to find you in the girls’ bathroom.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

I almost couldn’t believe that I was seeing him.

“Extreme times call for extreme measures,” Caym replied with an odd smile as he tugged on my leg again and pulled me another inch out from underneath the sink.

I kicked out my free leg, catching him in the knee. Caym let go, stumbled backward and straightened. The anger blew off him in waves of heat.

“That doesn’t look like it’s working,” Roth commented, brows raised.

Caym sighed. “It’s been one of those centuries, brother. I can’t catch a damn break.”

“Roth,” I said, his name coming out a croak. He didn’t take his eyes off the other demon. He was too busy chatting with him. Any hope I had deflated like a balloon.

“I can see that.” His stare lowered and thick lashes fanned his cheeks. A small smile pulled at his lips, and when he spoke, his voice was soft, yet deep and powerful. “You know I can’t let you take her.”

“What?” demanded Caym. “You know what the risk is! She must be dealt with or all of us will die if the Lilin are raised. You can’t stop me.”

Roth shrugged. “But I can.”

His brows furrowed as he stared at him, and then understanding dawned on his face. The air around him started to shimmer, but it was too late. Roth shot forward, and he was just so damn fast. His hands were around the other demon’s neck in a second. He twisted.

The crack was deafening, swallowing Caym’s scream.

A thick black mist exploded, stinging my eyes. And it stank—really stank. I covered my mouth, gagging as the vapors expelled from the demon—or what was left of the demon—blew the window at the back of the bathroom out. Shards of glass clattered off the floor and then the fire alarms went off, ear-piercingly shrill.

The smoke filled the bathroom, turning everything black. Out of the darkness, I felt warm hands touch my cheeks. I jerked back, unable to see past the fire in his eyes.

“It’s all right. It’s me,” Roth said, sliding his hands to my shoulders. “Are you okay?”

I coughed. “I can’t see…anything.”

Roth bent, picking something up off the floor, and then he slid an arm around my waist. “You’re bleeding.”

“I hit my head.”

He lifted me to my feet. “On the sink you were hiding under?”

“Yeah, well, things weren’t going too well in here.” I let him guide me out of the heavy smog and into the hallway. I dragged in a deep breath and soaked up the clean air, but the smoke billowed out into the hall. I was having trouble making sense of the shapes in front of me. “Roth, where have you been? I’ve been so worried.”

“I’ve been around” was all he said.

Kids were rushing out of the classrooms, half-hysterical. I thought I heard someone yell “Bomb!” in the barely controlled chaos.

I felt Roth let go and my hands reached out blindly. “Roth…? I can’t see.”

“I’m here.” Roth wrapped an arm around my waist, half carrying me down the hall.

I stumbled alongside him, dumbfounded by his sudden reappearance and still reeling from my encounter with the demon. The pounding in my head was lessening, but the sting in my eyes made it impossible to see.

His grip tightened. “Hold on. We’re almost outside.”

A burst of bright light caused me to wince as the double doors were opened. Teachers called out, ordering students to cross the street and stay in the park. Chilly air caressed my cheeks and soothed some of the burn.

Roth guided me to the ground. “How are you feeling?”

All around me, I could hear kids coughing, some calling their parents and others crying. I guessed I was faring better than them. “My eyes are burning. How come you can still see?”

“I closed my eyes.”

“Gee,” I muttered, rubbing the palms of my hands against my eyes. “I guess you’re smarter than me.”

“Nah. I just expected it to happen. You didn’t. Just keep blinking,” Roth ordered softly, pulling my hands down and holding my wrists in one hand. “It should clear up in a few minutes if you can keep your fingers out of them for three seconds.”

My eyes still watered something fierce. “Roth…”

“I don’t want to talk about that stuff right now,” he said.

I swallowed hard. “I didn’t betray you. I swear. I had no idea they were going to be there.”

There was a pause. “You’re part Warden. I’d expect no less from you.”

Pressure clamped down on my chest. “I’m also part demon.”

“What? Is that side of you now as important as the Warden side?”

I didn’t answer, because I wasn’t sure.

“Did you tell them my name?” he asked, his voice surprisingly gentle. “I’d at least like a heads-up before I get sucked into a summoning spell.”

“No, I didn’t tell them your name.” Keeping my head lowered to avoid the bright glare of the sun, I drew in a deep breath and willed the hurt to go away. “You’d already know if I did.”

“True.” He shifted so that I could feel him behind me. He still held my wrists, as if he expected that I would immediately start clawing at my eyes. “Too bad you’re missing this. Everyone is freaking out. The police and firemen are inside.”

I wished I could see something. “Does anyone look hurt? Stacey and Sam were in there.”

Roth sighed. “Everyone is fine. I promise you. It was just smoke. It won’t kill anyone. And I also grabbed your book bag from the bathroom. It’s right beside you.”

My vision was starting to clear. Twisting around, I looked at Roth, and instead of seeing a blur, I saw honey-colored eyes and dark lashes. It struck me then. All the times I thought I caught his scent hadn’t been my imagination. “You’ve been here this entire time.”

Roth didn’t answer.

“You’ve just been invisible.” I kept my voice low. “But you’ve been here.”

A funny little smile tipped his lips up, and I started to push the topic, because I wanted him to admit it—I needed him to admit it—but his fingers slid over my cheek. His touch elicited a hundred delicious tingles that started in my belly and spread. Our eyes locked, and I suddenly found it difficult to breathe or even remember what we were talking about.

His gaze flickered away from mine and he sighed. “Here comes the cavalry, a hundred years too late.”

Caught up in Roth, I hadn’t sensed another Warden’s presence until he was right on top of us.

“Let her go,” came Zayne’s voice.

There wasn’t a chance for me to be surprised about Zayne being there, because Roth’s grip tightened. “Or what?” he said. “Are you going to go all stony on me and force me to go demon on your ass? Where does that leave us? I’m sure the Alphas won’t appreciate a showdown in front of a bunch of impressionable youth.”

Zayne growled low in his throat. “I’m willing to risk it.”

“I’m sure you are.”

But Roth let go of my wrists and strong hands gripped my arms, hauling me to my feet. I yelped in surprise and a bit of pain as the fingers dug deep. I caught the scent of winter mint right before Zayne spun me in his arms.

He looked furious and the emotion went up a notch when he got an eyeful of the egg growing on my head.

Roth eyed us from under the shade of the trees, his lips twisted into a smirk as Zayne smoothed my hair back and checked out the knot beneath it. “Her head will be fine,” Roth said. “The arm you nearly twisted off is another story.”

Zayne’s grip relaxed. “Shut up.”

Roth came to his feet fluidly. “I don’t think I like your tone.”

“And I don’t like your face,” Zayne returned.

“My head—my arm is fine. I’m fine.” I wiggled free, ignoring the wave of dizziness. “My eyes still burn a bit, but now I can see.”

Zayne grasped my shoulders. “Why couldn’t you see? What happened?”

“The sulfur,” answered Roth, stepping closer and speaking low. He had no fear of Zayne. None whatsoever, and I didn’t know if I should be proud of him for that or angry. “There was a demon inside the school. And no, not me. He wanted to kill her, so you should be keeping a better eye on her. Then I wouldn’t have to step in.”

Zayne snarled, taking a step toward him.

The half smile on Roth’s face spread as they went toe-to-toe. They were about the same height, but Roth was a few inches taller while Zayne was broader. I glanced around, realizing a few kids were starting to stare.

The amount of testosterone the two were throwing off was ridiculous. I squeezed in between them. “Contrary to popular belief, you two are not the enemies here.”

Roth chuckled. “And he obviously can’t keep you out of trouble.”

There was a good chance Zayne was going to choke slam Roth. “I’m going to enjoy ripping your throat out.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Roth took a step back, his gaze drifting to me. “You need to protect her or wraiths won’t even have a chance to rip your throat out. You get what I’m saying?”

I opened my mouth to tell them both I didn’t need them to protect me, but Roth had pivoted around and disappeared into the throng of students. I stared at the spot where he’d stood until Zayne pulled me against him. I let out a muffled squeak.