Stone Cold Touch. Jennifer L. Armentrout
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Название: Stone Cold Touch
Автор: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Детская проза
isbn: 9781472055163
isbn:
“How could I? You would have thought the worst and I didn’t want to bring that down on you. And it doesn’t matter, because you’re part Warden. You’re inherently—”
A low hum reverberated through the house and steel shields slammed down over the windows, causing Danika and me to jump. Similar thumps sounded as Zayne shot to his feet. I’d never seen the windows do that before, but I knew what it meant.
Zayne whirled as Danika paled. “Demons,” he said, hands curling into fists. “There are demons here. Stay here. Both of you.”
He was already out the bedroom door.
Danika and I exchanged looks and, rising in mutual agreement, we followed him downstairs. What they had told me could wait. For the shields to go down on our home, we had to be under attack.
Two of the clansmen stood guard in front of the sitting room, where I knew Jasmine must’ve been cloistered away with the babies. The front door was open, which caught me off guard. There was steel reinforcement there, too, but for the door to be open, as if there was nothing to fear? The night air seeped in, bringing with it a certain scent.
My pulse kicked up and my mouth dried.
Maddox blocked the entrance and he turned, eyes narrowing on us. “Danika, you need to stay back.”
“What’s going on?” she demanded as her pupils stretched vertically. “There are demons out there. I sense them.”
“We’re well aware. Abbot is with them,” he replied. “So are the men. This is none of your concern.”
Danika stiffened beside me.
I didn’t sense jack, which solved the question about that, but that smell—oh my God, that smell. Tiny hairs rose all over my body as I stumbled forward blindly.
“Layla.” Danika rushed after me. “You shouldn’t go out there.”
Maddox didn’t try to stop me as I dodged around him. The scent grew stronger as I stepped out into the chilly air. Goose bumps raced across my flesh. The sweet and musky aroma invaded my nostrils. My overworked heart kicked into overdrive and too much—too much—emotion rose swiftly through me.
I saw Zayne standing in the driveway and beside him was his father and Geoff and Dez and others, but it was the darker forms beyond them, near the lawn leading to the woods, that drew me closer. My legs shook as I picked up speed and raced down the steps.
Zayne turned halfway, holding up a hand as if he wished to stop or catch me. His jaw was set in a hard, forbidding line. “Layla—”
I didn’t stop. Nothing in this world could’ve made me stop. Exhaustion and pain were forgotten in a rush. Zayne stepped just a few inches to the side, completely facing me.
Then I saw him.
Tears pricked the back of my eyes as my heart stopped in my chest and then sped up. Everything messed up about the past two weeks vanished the moment my eyes locked with that golden-colored gaze.
“Roth,” I whispered.
He was as tall and striking as any prince topside could ever be.
And he looked like he had the first time I’d seen him.
Lazy locks of raven-black hair fell over his forehead, brushing against equally dark, arched brows. His cheekbones were broad and high; eyes slightly tilted at the outer corners were a dazzling blend of gold and amber, giving his face a near inhuman quality. Those lips, with their fuller bottom one, were currently parted. A black T-shirt stretched across a chest that I knew was unbelievably well-defined and a toned stomach—the kind of stomach that put six-packs to shame. His jeans hung low on his hips, held up by a studded belt.
Only thing missing was Bambi and she was currently wigging out on my skin, slithering up and down, but Roth was alive and he was here.
His eyes widened slightly. Might’ve been my imagination, but I swore I could see the glint of the metal bolt in his tongue as he wet his lips. The muscles in his jaw tensed as an unreadable look flickered across his striking face, and I forgot about everyone else. My heart was swelling so big I felt as if I could float right up to the stars.
Someone said something, but it was lost in the pounding of my heart and the blood rushing through me.
Roth took a step toward me as his gaze swung sharply to my right. He stopped, his eyes flashing an intense amber. A hand clamped down on my upper arm, just below the bandage.
My step faltered as I swallowed a cry. Zayne moved forward at the same time Roth did, but Abbot bent his head to mine. “Mind yourself, girl. No matter what he did for us, don’t forget he’s still a demon.”
“Actually, I’m a prince,” Roth corrected him in that deep, rich-as-dark-chocolate voice that sent a wake of shivers down my spine—the voice I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear again. “It’s best you don’t forget that.”
Abbot stiffened and his hand tightened a fraction as I tried to pull free.
“And it would also serve you well to let go of her,” he continued, raising his chin a notch. “So we can start waving our little white flag of friendship without spilling blood.”
“Not that spilling blood would be such a bad thing.” Beside Roth, a demon I recognized as an infernal ruler smiled broadly, displaying straight, white teeth. Cayman was sort of like demon middle management. I had no idea who the third demon was that remained behind the other two.
“And you will do well to remember you’re on my property.” Abbot did release his hold, and I would’ve raced forward, but the look Roth sent me warned me not to.
Confused, I drew in a deep breath and tried to calm my racing heart. I wanted to ignore his look and throw myself at him. Just so I could touch him and make sure he was real and he was okay, but I couldn’t forget where I was. Half my clan was outside and although Roth had sacrificed himself—well, it had appeared that way—for the greater good, no one would be happy if I started climbing all over him like a deranged spider monkey.
But as I stared at him and it really began to sink in that Roth was here and he was okay, I couldn’t understand how this was the first time I was seeing him. Better yet, how had he gotten out of the fiery pits? They were supposedly inescapable.
Or why he was here.
Abbot seemed to rise to a fuller height. “And there will never be a ‘white flag of friendship’ between our kinds.”
Roth placed a hand to his chest. “Ouch, there went all my hopes and dreams of our kinds dancing together under rainbows.”
A vein started to protrude from Abbot’s forehead. He turned to me. “You need to go inside, Layla.”
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