White Hot Kiss

CHAPTER TEN

The impact was deafening.

Metal crunched and gave way in an explosion of white that sent me sideways and then snapped me back. A second before the airbag smacked into my face, I saw a blur of trees rushing toward the front of the car.

God bless Morris, because somehow, even with an airbag in his face, he turned that steering wheel, spinning the vehicle around so the back end instead of the front slammed into the thick trunk of an ancient tree. But the impact was no less brutal, throwing us backward.

When we finally stopped moving, I was sure I was going into cardiac arrest.

“Morris. Morris!” I pushed at the deflating airbag, coughing as white dust plumed. “Are you okay?”

He leaned back, blinking several times as he nodded. White powder caked his cheeks, but other than a trickle of blood under his nose, he looked fine.

Turning my attention to the other car, I unhooked my seat belt with shaky fingers. The entire front of the cab was a mass of twisted, crunched metal. A body-sized hole was in the windshield. Splotches of a dark red substance coated the edges of the broken glass and splattered the hood.

“Oh, God,” I said, letting the seat belt smack back. “I think the other driver was ejected.”

Scrambling for my bag to get my cell, I smacked at the damn airbag. I needed to call for help—something. Even though the cabbie had hit us, he was possessed and totally not responsible for his actions. He was an innocent human being, and I had to do something. Traffic didn’t come down this road often—

A bloodied, mangled face appeared outside the passenger window. I jerked back, swallowing a scream. Nausea rose swiftly. The face—oh, God—the face was a wreck. Pieces of glass were embedded in his cheeks. The flesh was torn. Rivulets of blood coursed down his face like rain. One eye appeared almost gouged out. His lower lip...it was barely hanging on and his head was bent at an unnatural angle. Dude should be dead, or at least in a coma.

But he was still up and walking.

Not good.

He grabbed the handle and pulled, tearing the Yukon door right off its hinges. He flung it aside and then reached in, bloodied hands shooting straight for me.

One of Morris’s arms came around my shoulders as I scrambled out of the seat, but the damn possessed kept coming. Leaning back against Morris, I brought my knees back and slammed both my feet into his ragged shirt, knocking the man back.

The possessed popped back up, determined and single-minded. His hand wrapped around my ankle as I kicked out again, and he yanked, pulling me out of the car. Blood bubbled out of his mouth—out of the freaking hole in his throat.

I screamed and slapped my hands down wildly, wrapping them around the gear shift. For a second, my body went up in the air, half out of the Yukon as the possessed pulled like he was willing to rip me clear in two.

Morris shot forward, yanking the glove box open. There was a flash of shiny, black metal and then an explosion rang through the interior of the car. The possessed jerked and let go. I hit the seat and center console on my side. Dull pain shot through my body. Acrid smoke burned my eyes.

The possessed stood still, eyes glazed over, with a bullet hole dead center in his forehead. Then his head fell back and his mouth opened. An inhuman cry escaped him—a cross between a screaming baby and a dog’s whine.

Red smoke poured out of the gaping mouth, filling the air with its filth and stench. It kept coming until the last tendril snaked out and a cloud of rolling smoke formed. The possessed toppled over, but the cloud continued to expand. Shapes formed inside it. Fingers and hands pressed out, as if something was seeking a way to escape.

The mass suddenly reared back, and a long oval shape formed, almost like a head. It swung toward us, and panic punched a hole through my chest.

This thing just wouldn’t die.

Beyond the mass, the tops of the trees began to shake like Godzilla was about to make an appearance. At this point, anything was possible. Branches waved back and forth, shaking loose the last of the leaves that had been clinging on. They fell like rain, clouding the sky in muted browns and greens.

Something big was coming.

Then, along the edge of the trembling woods crowding the roadway, the fading sun caught and reflected over a thick, shiny onyx tail slithering along the leaf-strewn ground.

My breath caught. Bambi.

The mass pulsated and twisted, but that damn snake was fast. Shooting across the ground, it arced into the air, swallowing the evil essence within a second.

And then there was nothing—no essence or giant snake. The horrible scent of sulfur lingered, but it was no longer potent, and the malicious feeling had vanished. There was just the sound of Morris’s heavy breathing and my pounding heart.

“Did you see that?” I looked up into Morris’s face.

His expression said “see what?” And I wasn’t sure if he had seen Bambi, she’d moved so fast.

“Jesus,” I murmured.

Morris smiled.

It was chaos in the mansion.

From the moment Morris and I explained what had happened, anger and tension seeped into every room in the sprawling house. A possessed human coming after anyone wasn’t good. And the idea of one coming so close to the house had all the Wardens in a tizzy. All except Zayne, because I had no idea where he was.

Even with all the security and the charms blanketing the acres of land the house rested upon, only so much could be done. Because of...well, because of me.

My presence threw off the protective charms. Probably not as much as a full-blooded demon or a possessed would, but the Wardens had to be careful they didn’t accidentally take me out.

I had no idea how my day started off somewhat normal—at least normal for me—and ended with my whole belief system being questioned, sharing my very first kiss with a demon, finding out my mother could possibly be the Lilith and being chased by a possessed human.

How in the world had things gone so wrong?

Nicolai, a Warden in his mid-twenties who had lost his mate and his child last year during childbirth—like so many of them did—stopped by where I stood on his way to dispose of the body and the wreckage of the two cars.

“Are you okay, Layla?” he asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

Though Nicolai rarely smiled anymore and was more reserved than the others, he’d always been kind to me when some of the Wardens, even some in the clan, treated me like I wasn’t worth the dirt on their boots because of my blood.

I was bruised and shaken, and more than a little freaked out, but I nodded. “I’m fine.”

He squeezed my shoulder and headed out, leaving me in a room full of ticked-off Wardens. Tired, I sat down on the couch.

In the center of the six Wardens, Abbot stood in a pure warrior’s stance. Legs spread wide, back rod straight and arms folded. Needless to say, he wasn’t happy. They were speaking in low voices, and Elijah and his son were there, exchanging dark looks that made their way to me every so often. No doubt Elijah and Petr blamed me.

I’d already been debriefed. Not talked to or comforted, but interrogated about the events. It wasn’t a big deal. A possessed human was a crisis. My coping skills weren’t a priority.

After telling Abbot and the clan everything I could remember, from the first inkling of something being off to when I realized the poor driver had been possessed, he turned his attention to the men.

“Canvass the city for Upper Level demon activity,” he ordered, and several heads nodded in agreement. “Detain any demon for questioning. If a demon is possessing humans, then something’s brewing. Even a Fiend might know what’s going down. Make them talk.”

One of the Wardens smirked. Several glances were exchanged, all saying they were looking forward to their night’s work.

An uncomfortable twisty feeling unfurled in the pit of my stomach. Dying would be a more pleasant outcome for a demon. If they were captured for questioning... My insides twisted. There was a warehouse in the city where the Wardens detained demons. I’d never been there, but I’d heard the Wardens talking about what went on there and how they made the demons talk.

I hadn’t told the clan about Bambi, since Morris hadn’t seemed to see her. Guilt chewed my skin raw, but Bambi had come to our aid. There was no telling what that evil essence would’ve done if the snake hadn’t swallowed it.

Tapping my foot, I wrapped my arms around myself and bit down on my lip. Not telling Abbot was wrong. Warden lives could be in danger. Humans could be in danger. But I’d been keeping the whole Roth situation to myself so much that I wasn’t sure even how to begin. And if Abbot knew about him, he’d pull me out of school. And I hated the part of me that was demon, because it was more concerned with what I got and what I would lose than how things affected other people.

But that was the catch. Sometimes the demonic blood won out. I knew it was wrong. Totally understood that, but it meant nothing in the end.

“We knew this would happen eventually,” growled Elijah. “That this day was—”

Abbot shot him a look that said “shut up,” and I wondered what in the Hell the other Warden was talking about. No doubt he was about to blame all of this on my demonic blood.

Closing my eyes, I sucked in a long breath. Immediately, I saw the mangled face of the poor man who had been possessed. As long as I lived, I would never forget what the man looked like. Shuddering, I forced my eyes open, and my gaze searched for one face in particular.

I cleared my throat. “Where’s Zayne?”

Geoff, whom I never really saw moving around the house since he seemed to live in the control room, turned to me. His shoulder-length brown hair was pulled back, revealing broad features. When he smiled, there was a dimple in his chin. But he wasn’t smiling now. “He’s out with Danika and Jasmine. They took the twins to the park with another male.”

The bitter burn of jealousy was quick to rise, and so wrong, but it crept over my skin anyway.

Geoff’s acute eyes missed nothing. “We’ve called them, and they are returning immediately.”

Casting my gaze to the carpet, I could only wonder and cringe at what Geoff caught on his cameras. If anyone knew everything, it was him.

“Layla?” Abbot’s voice drew my attention, and I glanced up to find him standing before me. “You’re positive the possessed said nothing to you?”

I shook my head as I watched the clan leave to find and question demons. Petr stopped briefly, his eyes narrowing on me, and then he was out the door, following his father. Only Geoff remained. He stood by the door, arms crossed. “No. I don’t think it was capable of talking. It had a...” I trailed off, shuddering as I remembered the jagged hole in its throat. “It couldn’t talk.”

He knelt down, his gaze exceptionally sharp. “And this Seeker who pretended to be a Poser, it didn’t say anything?”

My head jerked up. “No. I mean, I think it said ‘gotcha’ but I can’t be sure. Why?”

Abbot looked over at Geoff, who muttered something under his breath.

“What?” I said, clamping my hands together between my knees. “What’s going on?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and stood. “I think it’s time that you stop tagging.”

I started to protest, but Geoff tipped his chin up and spoke over me. “It’s obviously no longer safe for you or the clan, Layla.”

Déjà vu smacked into me, and my heart stuttered. “I didn’t get hurt—neither did Morris, not really. He doesn’t have to pick me up anymore. I can—”

“Within a handful of days, you’ve had a Seeker, a zombie and a possessed come near you. There is no such thing as a coincidence when dealing with demons. One of them almost made it to our compound, Layla.”

An image of Roth popped into my head. “Why...why do you think the demons are coming around me?”

There was a stretch of silence and Abbot said, “It appears they may have discovered your ability.” He paused, looking away. A muscle popped in his jaw. “There can’t be any other reason.”

I couldn’t really place it, and maybe it was just a bad case of paranoia, but I had a hard time believing that was all Abbot knew. There was surely more he wasn’t willing to say.

“It isn’t safe for you right now.” Geoff came closer, stopping beside Abbot. “If the demons have caught on to what you can do, you can’t tag. It’s too dangerous.”

“I know how to defend myself. Zayne taught me.”

Abbot scoffed. “Whatever my son has taught you isn’t enough to face a demon Hell-bent on taking you out, child. You no longer have the element of surprise, which is all you had. And you know that.”

I wanted to argue, but dammit, he had a point. I knew my limits, but it didn’t make any of this suck less. I slumped back against the supple leather of the couch.

“We’re going to find out what’s going on, Layla.” Abbot’s voice softened by a degree. “I know how important it is to you that you help in this war, but right now, I can’t afford to be worried about your safety. Honestly, I should pull you out of school.”

Fear seized me, and I shot to my feet, ready to beg and plead. “Please, Abbot, don’t do that. Everything is okay at school. I’m safe there and—”

“I didn’t say I was going to do it. At least not right now, but I don’t want Morris driving you anymore. One of the clansmen will.”

And that was that. I was deemed pretty much on lockdown unless I was at school or one of the Wardens was with me. Which was sort of ironic considering there was an Upper Level demon in my bio class, but now I knew beyond a doubt that if I shared that little ditty, I would end up homeschooled. Part of me understood the precaution.

I went upstairs, leaving Geoff and Abbot to do more of the hushed-conversation thing. Just as I kicked open my bedroom door, I heard the twins’ excitable squawking coming from the foyer. Turning around, I prepared myself for the sound of bounding footsteps, for Zayne to rush me and check me over for injuries I didn’t have. For him to pull me into one of those mammoth hugs that made everything feel better.

Male voices boomed from downstairs, one of them Zayne’s. Anger deepened his voice, and his father’s matched his. They weren’t arguing, but I heard Danika’s soft tone intruding, and then their voices lowered.

I waited.

There were no footsteps coming up the stairs, and the voices trailed off as they moved farther into the house, most likely underground.

A sigh escaped my lips as I stood there, still waiting for Zayne, but he never came up the stairs. He never came.

The next morning, I got up early like I did every Saturday. Sure, I was still upset over everything with Zayne, but it was Saturday morning. There had to be a reason why he never checked on me last night. Most likely Abbot had him leave the mansion immediately to help the rest of the Wardens.

We had plans—we always had plans on Saturday morning. Even with the possibility that demons were looking for me, I’d be okay because I’d be with Zayne. He was the kind of babysitter I could get behind.

And I wanted to ask Zayne about my mother. I figured I could do so without raising any suspicion and I knew he’d tell me the truth. All my life, Zayne had never lied to me. I trusted him and I knew he’d tell me I had nothing to worry about—that my mother was not the Lilith.

I waited until eight and went to his bedroom door like I always did. By then he’d already be shifting back into his human skin, opening the door any minute. But the door didn’t open at eight. Ten minutes went by. After thirty minutes, I sat down. When the clock chimed nine, I started to feel sick. What if something had happened to him? What if he was hurt or worse?

Unable to wait any longer, I pushed to my feet and raced to the first floor. Abbot wasn’t at rest yet. He was with Elijah and a few other men from the clan. I skidded to a stop in front of his study, out of breath.

Abbot lifted his head, a faint look of amusement crossing his face when he spotted me by the door. “Layla?”

Each of the men turned to look at me. Heat suffused my cheeks as I folded my arms across my chest. “Has Zayne returned?” I couldn’t ask if he’d been hurt. The words wouldn’t form on my lips.

Abbot looked puzzled for only a moment as he stroked his beard. “Oh, today is Saturday, isn’t it?”

I nodded.

“I do believe Zayne may have forgotten,” Nicolai said in his quiet way.

Elijah leaned against the door, yawning loudly. “Zayne is with Danika. She met up with us just before dawn. I heard them mention something about breakfast.”

My gaze darted to Abbot. He looked pleased by the development. Of course, he wanted Zayne to mate with the girl, so he was probably mentally cheering and already picturing bouncing babies, but I couldn’t breathe.

Stepping around the chair, Nicolai’s eyes landed on me. Sympathy shone on his face, and my heart lurched in the worst way. “Do you want to get breakfast? Or coffee?”

Elijah and his men snickered, which Nicolai ignored.

“That won’t be necessary,” Abbot said. “You need your rest, Nicolai, and Layla really shouldn’t be out after what happened last night.”

“I can spare an hour or two for the girl.” Nicolai’s expression sharpened. “It will bring no harm to anyone, and we’ll be fine.”

“How charitable,” Elijah murmured.

Humiliation brought stinging tears to my eyes. Backing away from the study’s entrance, I shook my head. “No. That’s...that’s okay.”

“But—”

I spun around, hurrying away before Nicolai could finish. Zayne had forgotten me. I couldn’t believe it. He never forgot our Saturdays. Maybe he hadn’t. Maybe he’d just replaced me with Danika, a much more suitable companion. I didn’t understand, though. He had never paid this much attention to her before.

But he was now.

I started to head toward the front door, but stopped in the foyer. Sunlight streamed in through the windows. Where could I go? Hang out in the tree house again, like a dweeb? I was stuck in this house.

Back in my bedroom, I changed back into my pajamas and crawled into bed. I didn’t want to cry. It was weak and stupid to shed tears over something like this, but my cheeks ended up feeling damp anyway and my chest ached. I curled onto my side, fisting the ring in my hand until I drifted back to sleep.

A knock on my bedroom door roused me out of sleep hours later. I pried my eyes open to see that the sun was setting outside my bedroom window. I had slept the day away. The knock came again. I pulled the thick down comforter over my head.

The door cracked open. “Layla-bug?”

I hunkered down, hoping he’d just go away.

A few moments later, the bed shifted under Zayne’s weight. He felt around until his hand landed on my head. “Where are you at under these blankets?” He patted the bed a couple of times. “I can’t find you.”

I hated him for joking.

There was a moment of silence. “You’re mad at me.”

I squeezed my eyes shut until I saw white light. “You forgot me.”

Another stretch of silence followed. “I didn’t mean to forget you, Layla. After everything that happened last night with the possessed human, all of us were out late. It just...happened.”

A weird empty feeling opened up in my chest. “In all the years we’ve known each other, you’ve never forgotten me.” A dry lump formed in my throat. “I waited for you, you know? Then, like an idiot, I thought something had happened to you. So I embarrassed myself in front of the whole clan.”

“I heard that Nicolai offered to take you.”

Rehashing that made me feel so much better. “Just go away.”

Zayne seized the edge of the blanket, pulling it from my grasp. I desperately clamored for control of the blanket, but Zayne held it away from me. I gave up, falling onto my back. “You suck.”

“I’m sorry.” He looked exhausted. Faint shadows blossomed under his eyes, his hair was a mess, wavier than normal, and his shirt was rumpled. “Layla, I’m really sorry. I had every intention of coming back here on time. And I wanted to see you—I was worried about you. I just lost track of things.”

“You look terrible,” I said. “I guessed you stayed up longer than normal, huh?”

Zayne’s eyes narrowed. “No longer than I normally would if I’d been with you.”

But he hadn’t been with me. “Why did you tell Danika to keep an eye on me?”

He blinked. “So that’s what this—” he gestured at me “—is all about? You’re mad because I asked her to help you if you needed anything?”

“I’m mad because you left me hanging this morning, and yeah, I’m mad because you told her about my problem.”

“Layla, everyone here knows what you can do. It’s not a secret.”

I sat up, pushing the tangled mess of hair out of my face. “Not everyone knows how much I struggle with it! And you know that. But you told Danika.”

Confusion rippled across Zayne’s features. “I don’t get what the big deal is. It’s not like we were talking bad about you.”

“You don’t know what the big deal is?” I climbed out of the bed, ignoring the covers that spilled to the floor. Everything poured out of me. All the anger, frustration and confusion rushed to the surface. And there was biting grief making its way out, too, because it felt like I was losing him. “Do you know how embarrassing—how humiliating it is for people to think I’m that screwed up? Jesus. Jasmine already thinks I’m going to suck the souls out of her babies and now Danika follows me around in the middle of the night. That is, when she’s not following you around.”

“Jasmine doesn’t think that, Layla.” He twisted at the waist, thrusting his hand through his hair. “You’ve just been so wired lately. I thought it would be a good idea in case...”

I flinched. “In case of what, Zayne?”

“Layla, I didn’t mean anything by that.” He stood, raising his hands helplessly.

For some reason, my gaze fell on an old dollhouse in the corner of my bedroom. After all these years, I’d never had the heart to store it in the attic. Memories of forcing Zayne to play dolls with me seemed so long ago. Why was I holding on to them—on to him—when it was all so very pointless?

“You know, I don’t even think this morning or my asking Danika to help you have anything to do with why you’re acting this way,” Zayne said, his voice laced with frustration.

I frowned, turning back to him. “And why else would I be mad?”

“You’re pissed because Danika is here. You get like this every time she comes to visit, but it’s beyond obvious this time around.”

My mouth dropped open, and the weird icky, empty feeling spread. “You really think that’s it? That’s ridiculous. You made me feel like crap four times, Zayne.”

“Four? What in the Hell are you talking about?”

I raised my hand, ticking them off my fingers. “You threw me under the bus with the whole tagging thing, which you should be happy over, because after last night, I’m not tagging anymore. You told Danika to look after me just in case I go demon on everyone’s ass.” I knew how crazy this all sounded, but I couldn’t stop myself. “You didn’t even check on me last night. And you forgot me this morning to spend time with someone else!”

He crossed the room, stopping in front of me. “I suggested that you stop tagging because it’s dangerous for you, which turned out to be true, now didn’t it? I told Danika to keep an eye on you because I care about you. Strange concept, huh?” His pale eyes snapped fire, latching on to mine and holding them. “I didn’t come see you last night because I figured you were resting and I left immediately to hunt. And I’m sorry about this morning. I’m not replacing you, Layla. It was an honest mistake.”

“But you are replacing me!” Realizing what I had said, I clasped my hands over my mouth and backed off. Even worse were the tears building in my eyes.

His expression softened instantly. He reached for me, but I stepped back. Something akin to pain flickered over his face. “That is not the case.”

I lowered my hands to my sides. “But you’re spending so much time with her. I’ve barely seen you since she’s been here. She’s doing everything I...” I stopped, biting the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. Stupid, stupid girl.

“It’s only been a few days. She’ll be leaving in a couple of weeks.” Zayne dragged his fingers through his hair again. “Please don’t be like this, Layla.”

Our eyes met, and I knew he was waiting for me to tell him it was okay. That I was cool with things now, and I wouldn’t be upset over Danika. I didn’t say anything, though, because I wasn’t okay with it and jealousy and bitterness were like bitter pills exploding in my stomach. This was more than a crush unreturned. He was my friend—the only friend who really knew me—and I was losing him.

Shaking his head, Zayne shrugged. Then he went to my bedroom door, stopping to look at me over his shoulder. “I am sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t make me feel any better,” I said just because I wanted to be a bitch.

A muscle ticked along his jaw. Several seconds passed before he spoke. “You know, you’re constantly griping about everyone treating you like a kid. It’s kind of hard to treat you as a grown woman when you act like this.”

Ouch. He could’ve hit me and it would have hurt less.

For a moment he looked like he regretted saying it, but the expression was lost as he rubbed his hand over his face. He opened the door. “By the way, Father spoke to the Alphas last night.”

My heart faltered in my chest. “The Alphas?”

He gave me a curt nod. “They’re coming here tomorrow.”

Everything else was forgotten in an instant—the whole thing with Lilith, even the sharp ache his words left behind. “Are you meeting with them?”

“No. They only want to speak with Father.”

I nodded slowly. “So I shouldn’t be here?”

“No. You shouldn’t be here.”