Page 137 of Angel Of Darkness

Footsteps shuffled to the right. Had to be a human on the street. A shifter wouldn’t make an obvious sound like that. Shifters could retreat and attack in perfect silence.

The game of hide and seek was getting old.

“The coyote is out there,” he told her, “and I’m not letting him get away.” Because if he did, there would just be another attack. Carlos wasn’t going to ever back off. Not until he got what he wanted.

My blood.

Too bad for Carlos. Keenan only planned to bleed for his vamp.

Her gaze drifted over his shoulder and scanned the darkened street. “You mean we’re not letting him get away.”

“Nicole…”

“We’re not,” she said fiercely, and she was so beautiful. Silken skin. Dark hair. Lips that he wanted beneath his mouth. Her gaze blazed into his. “I’m not letting you risk yourself out here. You’re the target. I’m going to be watching your back.”

Because of Az. Az had sent her racing into the darkness. You’ll pay, Az. Soon enough.

“Then let’s get hunting,” Keenan rasped. Before the dawn came and weakened her. He kissed her, one fast kiss, because he wanted to taste her lips again. Then he turned into the night.

They hadn’t gone far, though, before Nicole stopped him. He heard the swift inhale she gave before she murmured, “Blood.”

He stared down at the dark cement and saw the tiny drops. “Maybe the bastard is hurt.”

“No, that’s human blood.” She hurried forward. “There’s more. It’s a trail.”

So the coyote was playing dirty. Carlos was willing to sacrifice a human in order to bring in his prey. Not really surprising.

They followed the trail—light drops at first, then deeper spatters on the ground. Fresh blood. The humans they brushed by had no clue about the blood they stepped in as they stumbled down the street.

Dawn would come soon. Even in New Orleans, the party was slowing down now. Keenan needed to find his prey before Carlos came at him again.

Hunt or be hunted. Only two choices here in this world.

They rounded a corner. Jackson Square waited before them, heavy with dark shadows. Just beyond the Square, the triple steeples of the St. Louis Cathedral pointed high into the moonlit sky.

When Nicole tried to advance, Keenan stopped her. “Sweet, you don’t have to face what’s waiting.”

Not just Carlos, but her past.

She glanced his way, and he was surprised by the hard edge that glinted in her gaze. “Yes, I do.”

Then she was gone. Nicole snaked ahead of him and maneuvered easily through the darkness. She knew this place, knew every turn, and he followed behind her. Staying close, Keenan never let her stray more than a foot away from him.

“The trail goes inside,” she said softly as she stared up at the stark turrets. His gaze followed hers, and he couldn’t help but remember another night. One stained with more blood.

Slowly, Nicole crept forward, her eyes now on the crosses that adorned the top of the cathedral. “Why did he bring his bait here?” she whispered. “He can’t know what happened before.”

No, the bastard shouldn’t know what this place meant to them. Not unless someone had tipped him off.

Her fingers trembled as she reached for the cathedral’s left-side door. She pulled lightly and the air blew from her lips. “It’s not locked tonight.”

He caught her hand. “Don’t go in.” He didn’t know exactly what waited but, hell, with all that blood, it had to be death.

But she shook her head. “I should have gone in long ago.”

Then she went into the cathedral, and he followed instantly, not about to lose her to anything or anyone.

Their feet shuffled over the marble tile. The candlelights and the chandeliers gleamed, though Keenan knew the cathedral should have been shut down at this hour. Images of angels and saints stared back at him. Seeming to weigh him. Judging.

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