Page 26 of Angel Of Darkness

Nicole started creeping away from him. “Look, I really wish you luck on finding your lost key, but I think it’s time for me to leave.” Her back bumped into the door. “Thanks for the, ah, blood, and the bed, but now?—”

His gaze flew to the door behind her.

Then the door shook. Hard. Someone was banging a very powerful fist against that wood.

“I’m not the only one who thinks you’re the key,” he rasped. “You ever wonder why all those demons were after you?”

“I just thought I had really crappy luck.” Even before her change, she’d been dealt one raw hand by fate. If the vampire hadn’t taken me out?—

“Actually, you may be the luckiest woman I’ve ever met.”

Bull.

The door shook again.

“There’s a demon on the other side of that door,” Keenan told her. “He knows you’re here, but he thinks I’m just some human, so that means we’ll both be easy prey.”

She sidled away from the door. “I don’t care much for demons.” Not since that gang had jumped her.

His eyelids flickered.

“But I’m not scared of them,” she continued quickly. “I?—”

The door smashed as wood splintered beneath the force of the intruder’s blow. Nicole jumped back even as the demon shoved his way inside.

He was muscled and tall and had angry, pitch-black eyes. A demon’s real eyes were always black. The iris, the sclera—everything was black. But usually the demons used glamour magic to hide that telling indicator.

Nicole guessed that this particular demon didn’t care that she knew what he was.

“Vamp,” his voice thundered, “I’m tired of chasing—” He broke off. His eyes zeroed in on Keenan. And the demon paled. “You…you’re not...”

Keenan stepped forward. A grim smile curved his lips. “I’m her guardian.”

The demon’s black eyes seemed to double in size. “Bullshit! She’s a vamp, she doesn’t have?—”

“No one touches her, no one hurts her, not without going through me first.”

Oh, wait, that was...Nicole’s breath rushed out. Nice. But she was a vamp with superhuman strength, and she could certainly manage to handle a demon or two.

Even if the jerk in her doorway looked to be close to six foot four and made of bricks. Size didn’t equal strength. Not in this new world she lived in. So she stepped forward, still holding her thin sheet. Her arm brushed Keenan’s because their bodies were so close.

The demon couldn’t seem to tear his gaze off Keenan, and yes, that was fear in the intruder’s eyes.

She slanted a quick glance at her hero. He didn’t look particularly scary to her. Sexy and strong? Double check. Scary? No.

But he was sure making the demon tremble.

“You don’t want me as an enemy,” the demon finally said, but he made no move to approach them. Actually, she was wondering if the creep could move.

“Yes,” Keenan returned flatly, “I do. You and your boss.”

Why did everyone but her seem to know what was happening? Nicole felt like she was missing far too much.

“So go run back to Sam and tell him that she’s off-limits,” Keenan ordered. “There’ll be no more vamp hunting, not unless he wants to lose his demons.”

The demon’s head jerked in a fast nod, but as he stepped back, his gaze darted to Nicole.

Her breath sucked in on a hard gasp. Hate. There was no mistaking the hatred and fury in the demon’s stare.

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