Page 114 of White Hot Kiss

He cocked his head to the side. “I knew you were up to something the moment you came home that morning in those clothes. I didn’t know what exactly, but I knew it was only a matter of time before this happened,” he said. “It’s why I let you go to Stacey’s house tonight.”

Dammit. I knew Abbot had caved too easily on that. “If you knew I was planning this, then why did you let it happen?”

“Let it happen?” Abbot’s laugh was harsh. “We got the Lesser Key, and it is safe now. We wanted the demon, too, but we will find him.”

I glanced at Zayne. Standing stoically in the corner, he might try to defend me but he still would not look at me.

“What is his name, Layla?” Abbot asked.

My gaze darted back to him and I swallowed hard. “Why? You don’t believe me. You think he’s out to—”

“He’s a demon! He used you, Layla, like a demon would. Do you not understand? Only a demon and a Warden working together could retrieve the Lesser Key. He needed a Warden and you were all too happy to oblige.” Abbot’s great body shook with the next breath he took. “There was enough blood in you for it to work.”

“I know that,” I ground out. “But he’s—”

“You cannot be this naive, Layla. How do you know he wasn’t working against us? That he wasn’t the demon trying to retrieve the Key? Maybe he needed to know the incantation and he used you to get it.”

I wanted to stop his words, because the moment they hit the air between us, the damage was done. What didn’t help was the fact that I’d never seen this other demon. The only time I’d even seen another Upper Level demon had been that brief glimpse as I waited for Morris to pick me up.

“He used you. It was only a matter of time before he manipulated you into taking a soul and losing your innocence.”

“You don’t know that.” I closed my eyes. “He had...” I shook my head. Roth had had plenty of opportunity to press the issue of sex. Hell, look what had happened right before we’d left to get the Key. Considering how beautiful and amazing I’d felt, I probably would’ve given him the green light to go all the way.

“He had what?” Abbot asked.

“Nothing.” I squared my shoulders. There was power in knowing a demon’s name. With some black candles and bad intentions, one could summon a demon by their name. There was no way I’d risk that. “I’m not telling you his name.”

That went over as expected.

Voices rose. Abbot looked as if he was going to strangle the ever-loving crap out of me. But I held my ground. I would not betray Roth even though it appeared that I was betraying the Wardens.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said, exhausted. It was nearly 4:00 a.m. and there seemed to be no end in sight to any of this. “What does matter is the demon who wants to raise the Lilin. What are we going to do about him?”

“We?” Abbot scoffed. “There is no ‘we’ in any of this. And there is no need for concern. We have the Lesser Key, and while you’re too incredibly naive to believe that you were already with the demon responsible, we know better.”

I stared at him, dumbfounded. “It isn’t him. God! Why won’t any of you listen to me? It’s not him, and the real culprit could already know what’s needed.”

Abbot shook his head as his eyes narrowed. “You will tell me his name. Maybe not tonight, but you will.” Grabbing my wrists, he hauled me out of the chair.

Zayne shot forward, coming to our side. “Father, you are hurting her.”

He was. As his gaze flicked down to his hands, his brows pinched together, and then he released me. He backed away, drawing in a deep breath. “Needless to say, you’re grounded.”

For some reason, I sort of wanted to laugh at that. Good thing I didn’t, because I doubted Abbot would find the humor in the fact that he’d grounded me.

“For life,” he added.

Oh.

Zayne wrapped his hand around my upper arm in a much gentler grip. There’d be bruises on my wrists later. “Take her to her room,” Abbot said, sending me one last dark look. “And pray I don’t change my mind and make use of the cells in the city.”

I shuddered. As angry as Abbot was, I hoped that was just an idle threat.

Handed over to Zayne, I let him lead me out of the room. Out in the hall, I dared a peek at him. Things were not looking good. “Would he really put me in one of the cells?”

He didn’t answer until we were halfway up the burgundy carpeted stairs. “I don’t know.”

Not very reassuring. I slowed my steps. I was tired, but I wasn’t looking forward to being locked in my room until I was ninety. “Zayne—”