Angel of Darkness (The Fallen 1)

“There’s no point in seducing hunters.” She threw this over her shoulder. “You’d screw me, then still kill me.”

Maybe. But … “If you walk away from me now, you will die.”

Those words stopped her. She glanced back. “That’s a threat, huh? What are you gonna do? Jump me? I’m not so easy to take down.”

She would be.

“I’m not the threat right now.” He went closer because her scent drew him in. Lush woman. But … something else. Soft. Light. A wisp of … vanilla?

“You look like a threat to me,” she said, turning slowly to face him.

“In about five minutes, more of Romeo’s friends will be here. I told them to stay away.” Keenan tilted his head and his nostrils flared. “But I don’t guess they listened.”

She licked her lips, a fast flash of pink tongue. “Romeo? Who’s that?”

His jaw tightened. “The first idiot you had ready to donate blood tonight.” And Keenan guessed he counted as idiot number three. “I took down him and his men, but I didn’t kill them.” He hadn’t touched any of them with his hands because he’d been afraid that one touch would shove them all straight to hell.

But that particular power was gone. A very, very good thing.

“You walk away from me,” he continued, “and they’ll have you long before you can make it to that broken-down Chevy.”

“It’s not broken—”

“It is now.” What? Had it not been gentlemanly to tear up her motor? He’d needed to cut off her escape.

Her chin tipped up again. “I can always get another ride.” She whirled and started marching away.

“They want to slice you into pieces.”

She was still walking. He wouldn’t chase her. This time, she’d come to him.

“They know you’re a vampire, Nicole.”

“You don’t have to say it like that!” She snapped but didn’t stop. “It’s not like I can help what I am!”

That gave him pause. Had he said the word with distaste? Hatred? Sure, he’d never been a fan of the undead, but she wasn’t like the others.

When had she changed? Must have been that night. Az had said …

Headlights cut into the lot and Keenan saw her tense. “That’s not them,” he said. “Not yet.”

Her gaze darted toward him as she fired a fast glare over her shoulder. “You just want to take me down, too. You want to kill me just like they do.”

“No.” There were many things he wanted from her, but her death wasn’t his priority right then. “If I’d wanted you dead, trust me, sweet, you would have been in the ground by now.”

And he wouldn’t have needed to crawl out of it.

“Then what do you want?”

Ah, she wasn’t moving away now. He closed in on her and she faced him.

The faintest rays of red light trickled over the sky above her. Dawn. The vampire’s weakest hours were at hand. “If you don’t come with me, they’ll kill you today.”

“What do you want?”

He stared back at her. You. “Does it really matter? I’m offering you protection for the day. I’m offering you life. You just have to step forward …” He raised his hand toward her. “And take it.”

She inched closer. “Nothing is free in this world.”

“Nothing’s free in any world.” Every action led to consequences. Punishment.

“I’m supposed to just take you at your word?” She laughed, a bitter, mocking sound. So unlike the laughter he remembered from her. “Right. The minute my guard lowers, I’ll find a stake in my heart.”

“Then don’t lower your guard.” Seemed simple enough. “But come with me. We don’t have any more time to waste.” His gaze rose to the sky once more. “They know your weakness.” Just as he did.

“I don’t trust you,” she whispered.

“Good.” His hand was still up. “You have five more seconds, and then you can fight them all on your own.” She hadn’t taken more than a few sips of blood from him. She wouldn’t be strong enough to battle her enemies during the daytime. Surely she’d realize that.

But she was backing away. “I know better than to trust a man with such a beautiful face.”

That had him blinking in surprise.

“Especially when I know what lies faces like that hold. The last man who looked like you—handsome and perfect—he taught me about hell.”

His heart slammed into his ribs. “What man?”

But she kept talking and he wasn’t sure she even heard his question. “He got into my head. Took away my choice. Made me …” She swallowed. “I don’t trust anyone now. And surely not someone who looks like you.”

Then she ran from him. Again. Right into the night.

He stood there with his hand still up. He waited a few moments. Just a few, and then—

Keenan heard her scream. He heard the telltale thuds of fists in battle. He heard a man cry out in agony.

If only she had trusted him …

Then the squeal of tires echoed in the dying night and burnt rubber filled his nose. The men had gotten their prize. They’d captured their vamp.

Pity. They should have listened to him. He never lied. Never made idle threats.

Now it was time for them to die.

The jerks had tossed her into the trunk. Like that was going to hold her inside. Maybe if they’d waited until the sun was higher in the sky she’d have been trapped, but not now.

She lifted her knees up and slammed them into the metal above her. The lock popped with a shriek and the trunk flew open.

The car immediately swerved, jerking to the right, then to the left. Nicole sat up and grabbed the back of the car. She knew she’d have to jump for it, and hitting that pavement would hurt. But it wasn’t like it would be the first time she’d had some flesh ripped away.

A bullet zinged by her head. She ducked, seeing too late the pickup truck that was zooming behind her. The pickup—and the man hanging out the passenger’s side with the gun pointed at her.

Where the hell were cops when she needed them?

And, of course, no one else was on the road. Those awake at this hour were still straggling out of the bars, and they sure as hell weren’t on this lonely stretch of road.

On my own. Maybe she should have listened to the hunter.

And maybe he would have just staked her the moment she let down her guard.