Page 123 of Angel Of Darkness

And in order for him to kill…

“That’s right.” Sam’s eyes gleamed. “He just had to feel the killing fury. He needed to want to kill. When Big Mike attacked you...” A soft laugh. “The only thing Keenan wanted was to kill.”

“Good for you.” She glared at the jerk. “You let the tiger out of his cage.”

“No, I let the Fallen loose. Or, rather, you did.”

“Because you set us up!” Everything—was it just a game to him? And why did it matter? “No wonder Keenan didn’t want me close. If he touches me, he’ll kill me.”

That shouldn’t have made her feel relieved. It should have terrified her. Made her shove Sam aside and haul ass for the door. But, no, she was there thinking… Keenan wants me to leave so he can’t hurt me.

Figured. That was her angel. No, her Fallen.

“He won’t kill you.”

She blinked. Sam sounded real sure of that fact.

“Didn’t you hear me?” Sam exhaled on a hard sigh. “I said he kills because when he touches, he wants to give death.” One brow rose. “When he touches you, I bet death is the last thing he’s thinking about.”

Her teeth were burning. “I have to go.”

“To get blood?” He smiled at her. “Why go out? You can dine right here.”

“Keenan wasn’t exactly offering me a drink.”

“I am.”

That shocked her. “You’d trust me? At your throat?” Oh, no, wait, this game she understood. “When I touch you, will you kill me?” Because he was Fallen, just like Keenan. Only maybe he could kill at will. He’d been on the human plane longer, so perhaps he’d gotten total control over all his powers.

He sighed softly. “I promise not to kill if you promise not to bite too hard.”

Her eyes measured him. “Are you hitting on me?” Impossible. No way.

He moved in a blur—didn’t he always?—and grabbed her hand once more. “You’re still living.”

Her heart slammed into her chest.

“Trouble’s coming after us. Those coyotes will be howling at the door soon. If you’re going to listen to Keenan and run out of here—which, by the way, I don’t recommend because they’ll just follow you and hunt you down eventually, so that idea pretty much fucking sucks.”

Uh, yeah, it did.

“Unless you’re leaving tonight,” he said, “you need to get strong, and you need to get strong fast.”

His blood. She inhaled and caught his scent. She could hear the thunder of his blood. So close. Her tongue slipped over the edge of a fang. “Most Other think it’s an insult to get bitten.” Especially the shifters. She’d heard those beasts would rather die than get bit.

“I’m not most Other.” His gaze burned her. “Besides, I know there’s pleasure as well as pain in the bite. That’s a mix I rather like.”

He was offering. She needed the blood. Nicole pushed up onto her toes and pressed her lips against his throat.

If the coyotes were coming—and she didn’t doubt that part of his story—then she wouldn’t have time to find other prey. Not that she’d ever been particularly good at finding prey to begin with.

Her fangs scraped his skin.

“That’s it,” he urged. “Have a taste.”

Her teeth pressed?—

“What the hell are you doing?”

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