Page 117 of Angel Of Darkness

“Running away?” Sam taunted, voice dark and strong. “Didn’t plan for that, did you, bastards? We’re not as easy to kill as you thought. You want our blood? Then you’ll die for it.”

Nicole crept closer to Keenan. He was still staring down at the woman. The wind lifted the woman’s dark hair and blew it against her golden cheeks. Her eyes were open, staring with horror, and her lips were parted as if to scream.

Keenan’s gaze shifted to his arm. Faint bite marks were already fading from his skin.

“Keenan.” Nicole reached for him, but he pulled away. She took that snub, right in the heart. He’d killed because of her. And now maybe he was finally seeing just what she was.

His jaw clenched. His gaze rose slowly to meet hers. “Are you okay?”

She put her hands behind her back. “Fine.”

Keenan’s head moved in a jerky nod. “Coming back to New Orleans was a mistake.”

She’d tried to tell him that. Coming home again really wasn’t a good idea. No matter what the damn songs out there said.

“You need to get out of here as fast as you can,” Keenan told her, but he wasn’t looking directly at her. Just over her shoulder. “I’ll take care of the coyotes. You just run.”

Nicole shook her head. “No way, I’m not leaving you to fight without me.”

“I want you to go.” His gaze came back to her when he delivered that knife to her heart.

She realized he hadn’t even touched her. Hadn’t hugged her. Hadn’t pulled her against his chest. She wanted him to. Needed him to pull her close.

Instead, he was backing away.

He knows what I am now.

She glanced at the still-unconscious college goth guy. “I didn’t kill him.”

“No, but I sure killed her.”

A beautiful stranger. A woman as still as stone now.

“Who do you think came for her? Which angel?” Sam asked, closing in and crouching next to the naked woman.

The coyotes had left the dead female fast enough. Deserted one of their own.

“There are so many flowers out here.” Sam glanced at the vaults. “We never even would’ve smelled them coming.”

But Nicole had scented an angel earlier. She’d known Az was there.

He’s losing himself in you.

Yet Keenan couldn’t even look at her longer than a few moments now.

“Take Nicole out of here,” Keenan directed before turning his back on them. “Get her to someplace safe and just take Nicole out of here.”

The words hurt. She’d expected them to come eventually, once he realized exactly what she was, but she’d started to hope that maybe things could somehow work out.

That maybe he’d still see me as a woman.

That didn’t seem to be happening. Her spine stiffened. “I’m not leaving you here alone.” The coyotes could come back. Probably would. Or what about the members of that vamp-hunter group that had been after her? Some of those bikers had gotten away. They could try to make a run at her again. Or at him.

“I want you to go.”

Now that was like a slap. She even stumbled back.

“I saved you, Nicole. We’re even now. I stood back before, but this time…” He still wasn’t looking at her. “I saved you.”

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