Page 85 of White Hot Kiss
He turned his head, a lopsided smile playing across his lips. “You thought they caught me? Me?” He let out a loud laugh. “I’m flattered by your concern, but that’s nothing you’d ever have to worry about.”
I was pretty sure my face was burning, so I focused on the pot leaf someone had carved into the wall behind him. “I wasn’t worried about you, you douchebag.”
“Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that.”
My patience started to fade. “So it’s obvious that the demons are looking for the Key, right?”
Roth got all up in my personal space once more. Why did he always have to get so damn close? And should I be complaining? “Right,” he murmured. His hand curved around my shoulder, and I inhaled deeply. A heartbeat passed between us, and my body tensed. “That’s not the only thing I’ve learned.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “We need to find the Key before anyone else does. And finding an ancient book that’s probably well protected isn’t going to be easy. But I do have a lead.”
“Okay? What’s the lead?”
Reaching out, he caught an escaped strand of hair and twisted it around his finger. The paleness stood out in stark contrast to the darker tone of his skin. “There is a seer nearby.”
I snatched my hair back. “A psychic?”
Roth snorted. “Not a psychic-hotline kind of psychic. A seer who has a one-way connection upstairs and downstairs. If anyone knows who the demon is or where the Key is located, the seer will.”
I was still doubtful. “Seers are protected by the Alphas. How would a demon know where one is located?”
“I said I got a lead. I didn’t say it was easy.” Roth stepped back, shoving his hands into his pockets. I opened my mouth, but he cut me off. “And before you ask, you don’t want to know what I had to go through to get this lead.”
Dammit. I did want to ask. “So where is the seer?”
“Just outside of Manassas,” he answered.
“So not very far at all.” A bubble of nervous excitement rose. “We can go now.”
“Whoa.” Roth held up his hands. “I’m all about you skipping school and committing acts of general mayhem. I am a demon, after all, but ‘we’ are not doing anything.”
“We aren’t?” I couldn’t believe it. “Why?”
The look on his face said he wanted to pat me atop the head. “Because I’m probably not the only demon who has done unspeakable things to gain the location of the seer. It could be dangerous.”
I folded my arms, digging in. “Everything could be potentially dangerous right now. Going to school? A zombie could show up again and try to take me back to its evil leader. A demon could possess a teacher. I could get demon-napped on the way home from school today.”
A frown appeared. “Well, that brings on the warm fuzzies.”
I rolled my eyes. “Look, I’m not going to stand on the sidelines and let everyone else risk their lives for me and do all the hard work while I sit in history class.”
“Well, if you’re against sitting in school, you could always go to my apartment and keep my bed company until I get back.”
There was a good chance I was going to hit him. “This has to do with me—my life. We’re in this together. That means we’re going to the seer together.”
“Layla—”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not taking no for an answer. I’m going with you. So deal with it.”
Roth stared at me, looking sort of stunned. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“What?”
He tapped the tip of my nose. “You’re feisty underneath all that fluff.”
“I’m not sure if I should be offended or not,” I grumbled.