Angel of Darkness (The Fallen 1)

Az’s body jerked, contorted, and flew five feet up in the air, as if he’d been yanked on a puppet string.

“Did you ever think …” Sam’s voice was pitched high to carry to the rising angel. “That Keenan didn’t fall because he was being punished?”

Keenan’s arm was around her, holding her close. She could feel the warmth of his body and the strength of his muscles. Safe.

Az was screaming, struggling, but rising higher and higher.

“Maybe …” Sam yelled to be heard over the howling wind and the sirens. “Just maybe he fell because he was favored.”

Keenan stared up at Az. When he spoke, his voice was grim. “Beware, my friend, this will hurt.”

It looked like Az already was hurting. Was it wrong that that made her happy? No, she figured it wasn’t wrong at all.

“I’ve heard,” Keenan called, still staring up at Az’s rapidly disappearing body, “it’s the fire that makes you scream the loudest.”

Az screamed again, a long, desperate cry that echoed through the streets. He shot upward and his wings flapped uselessly. Then he vanished.

“The fire won’t be all he has to worry about.” Sam turned to them with a shark’s smile. “Once his ass hits earth again, he’s mine.”

“No,” Keenan said, “for all that he’s done, I’ll—”

“Police!” A hard voice barked. “Turn around and put your hands up!”

Dammit. Could they not get a break?

They turned, slowly, and Nicole was all too aware of the carnage around them.

Her gaze met the cop’s. The first responder on the scene, and, oh, no … his face that was familiar to her.

Greg Hatten. The cop who’d come to rescue her six months ago. The cop who now bore deep scars on his throat.

His eyes widened and she knew he recognized her, too. Some nights, you just had bad luck.

He fired the gun without another word. The bullet plowed into her chest. Right into her heart.

“I know what you are!” He screamed. “You won’t hurt me again, vampire!”

Her chest was smoking. Why was her chest smoking?

“Holy water,” Keenan yelled. “Sam, take care of the cops!”

Then Keenan lifted her into his arms, held her tightly, and ran as more bullets blasted around them. One bullet hit her leg and burned like a bitch. Other bullets flew right for Keenan but never broke his skin.

Over the gunfire, she heard the sounds of screams. “Don’t … kill …” It was so hard to speak, but she had to try since they were cops. Scared cops who thought they were fighting monsters.

Because they were.

Her chest hurt. A stake and now a holy water bullet—too much. Nicole’s eyes sagged closed. She wasn’t real sure she’d make it through much more.

The sun hit her when they broke clear of the buildings. Bright, strong rays of sunlight poured on her. The weakness instantly weighed down her limbs, but she held on to Keenan.

She wasn’t letting him go.

She ignored the fire that burned through her heart. “I love you.” She wanted him to know that, always.

His head jerked, and he gazed down at her with wild eyes.

She tried to smile.

His hold tightened. “You’re not dying.”

She didn’t want to die. He might have fallen for her, but she was living for him.

“We have to get the bullet out!” He rounded another corner and sat her down on the ground. Keenan ripped open her shirt and stared at her chest. She didn’t want to look at the wound so she just watched him.

His eyes widened, and then all emotion vanished from his face. Still trying to protect me.

“I know,” she whispered. The stake might have missed, but that cop had great aim.

Keenan shook his head.

“Just get it out,” she told him. “Get it out … before it kills me.”

But she knew, even as she said the words, just how dangerous such an act would be. The knowledge was there in Keenan’s eyes, too. In the daylight, she wouldn’t heal. And if he dug into her heart and the bleeding couldn’t be stopped—she could die while he tried to save her.

Dying by Keenan’s hand would be just what Az had wanted.

Keenan shook his head.

She grabbed his hand. “I trust you.” Nicole wet her lips. “And I love you,” she said again.

His fingers were trembling.

“If you love me, save me.” She knew she was asking a lot, but there was no choice. I’m dying. “Save me.”

He touched her heart.

But then, he’d done that from the beginning. Touched her heart, touched her soul, and marked her as his.

The pain blasted through her. The agony stole her breath and the last sound she made was the whisper of his name.

Then she saw paradise.

The sun set and Nicole’s eyes didn’t open. Keenan sat by the bed and kept his stare trained on her. He’d been there, watching, waiting, all day.

Open your eyes. Look at me.

She still breathed. Her chest rose and fell. Her heart beat.

He glanced down at his hands. The blood was gone now. Finally washed away. He’d held her heart in his hands. Her heart.

His fingers clenched.

“She’ll wake.” Sam’s voice sounded confident.

Keenan didn’t look at him. His gaze was back on Nicole. “I gave her my blood. She should have been up by now.”

“She will be.” Sam’s hand slapped on his shoulder. “Give her time.”

He didn’t want time. He wanted her.

The floor squeaked as Sam turned away.

Keenan reached for Nicole’s fingers. He smoothed his hand over her flesh. “Sam … why did you fall?”

Things were clear to him now, and he wished he’d realized sooner …

Keenan was the favored one. Sam’s words echoed in his head.

He hadn’t even realized how lucky he’d been. Nicole hadn’t been his temptation. She’d been his reward. He’d just needed to be strong enough to fight for her.

“Maybe I became a power-hungry jackass like Az,” Sam said.

Maybe. But “maybe” wasn’t an answer. “The stories … they said you killed nearly a hundred men. Men who shouldn’t have died.” So long ago …

“Those bastards deserved death more than anyone I’ve ever seen.” From the corner of his eye, Keenan saw the ripple of Sam’s shrug. “Falling was a small price to pay in order to get them off this world.” He paused. “Wasn’t it a small price to pay for her?”