Angel of Darkness (12 page)
His laughter cut through her words. “Don’t bother lying to me.”
“I’m not.”
Faint lines appeared around his eyes, then his brows shot up. “You don’t know.”
She snapped her lips closed.
Once more, his fingers brushed down her cheek. “I bet he likes to touch you, doesn’t he?”
Two giggling teenage girls passed them.
“Everything’s so new when you fall. Touch ... it can bring so much pleasure.” To be so bright, those eyes of his were so cold. “Or so much pain.”
“Let go of my hand,” she gritted. A cop was walking down the sidewalk now. The last thing she needed was to get caught between this jerk and a cop.
He didn’t let go. “The emotions hit next. Anger. Hate. Fury.” His gaze dropped to her mouth. “Lust. I bet he knows all about that, thanks to you.”
She jumped back, and was surprised to see that she actually broke his hold. “I don’t mean anything to Keenan. So if you’re trying to get back at him by taking hits at me ...”
“
Stop lying.
”
Stop lying.
”
The real fury in his voice had her heart slamming into her chest.
“He
fell
for you. Of course, he’s damn well linked to you.”
fell
for you. Of course, he’s damn well linked to you.”
He fell—
“And because of that link ...” He sighed. “I’m afraid you’re gonna have to suffer.”
She really didn’t like the sound of that.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he told her.
That was when the punch hit her—not a punch, an electric shock. Her head whipped to the right, and she saw the cop who’d been approaching—and the bastard had a
Taser
out. The volts were hitting her, hard, jolting her body, and the cop was screaming something.
Taser
out. The volts were hitting her, hard, jolting her body, and the cop was screaming something.
If she’d been at full strength, the shock wouldn’t have even slowed her down. She would have laughed at him. Jerked out the electrodes and
laughed.
laughed.
But the sun was out. She was weak. And she went down.
The motel room door was ajar. Keenan frowned as unease slipped over him. This wasn’t right. He didn’t knock. He just pushed the door open with his knuckles.
Empty.
Of course, she’d left him again. Figured. Especially after his big reveal. Not like she’d want to stick around with the man who’d been responsible for her undead transformation.
You just stood there and watched.
Story of his existence.
He turned away from the room. The place smelled of her. His gaze swept the street. The sun was up. She shouldn’t have gone out during the day.
Easy prey.
Maybe he should just walk away. The obsession he had with her ... no way could that be a good thing.
He stalked back toward the motorcycle with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans. He’d bought new clothes. Even gotten some for her. Nicole’s were tucked into the saddlebags of the bike.
He kicked up the stand on the motorcycle. Where would she have gone?
I should have stayed with her.
“Lose something?” A voice drawled.
His hands tightened around the handlebars. Slowly, he glanced up and to the left.
A man stood there. He was tall and dressed all in black. His eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses.
“Maybe it’s not something you’ve lost ...” The guy said, sauntering forward as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Maybe it’s someone.”
“
Sam.
”
Sam.
”
Sammael flashed a crooked grin. “Good to see you haven’t forgotten your old friends.”
Keenan jumped off the bike. “We were never friends.” No one would be dumb enough to be Sam’s friend. Sam’s friends had a way of ending up in hell.
Sam shrugged. “My mistake. I forgot ... you always thought you were better than me. Just like all the others.”
“No.” He readied for an attack because he knew one would be coming. “I just think a random slaughter of the humans wasn’t the best way to go.” That slaughter was why Sammael had fallen so many centuries before. Once, he’d been the strongest, his power ready to rival even Az.
But then Sammael had made the decision to kill those not on the death list. He’d strayed ...
The Fallen laughed. “Just put the pieces together, huh? They threw my ass out because I killed those not on their list—just like you, Keenan.
Just like you.
”
Just like you.
”
“I’m nothing like you.” Sam hadn’t just killed one person, he’d killed dozens. “I was trying to save her, I didn’t—”
The grin faded from Sam’s face. “You broke the rules, same as me.” A muscle jerked in his jaw. “Did they give you a chance to explain or did they just toss you out, too?” Sam stalked closer. “Do you still think you can feel your wings? Do you try to fly, only to remember they fucking
burned them off you?
”
burned them off you?
”
Yes.
Sometimes, he could feel them stretching in the air behind him. A lie. An illusion. “Why are you here?” He wished he could see Sam’s eyes, but all he could see was his own image in those dark glasses.
Sometimes, he could feel them stretching in the air behind him. A lie. An illusion. “Why are you here?” He wished he could see Sam’s eyes, but all he could see was his own image in those dark glasses.
“Maybe I just wanted the chance to talk to another of my kind. It’s not every day that an angel falls.”
No. Some angels didn’t even survive the fall. Their bodies just weren’t ready for the onslaught of pain.
“So you were trying to save ‘her,’ huh?” Sam’s head cocked. “Would that ‘her’ be that sexy little piece with that sweet Southern drawl?”
Keenan lunged forward and grabbed Sam by the front of his shirt. “
Where is she
?”
Where is she
?”
Sam didn’t flinch. “She’s really why you fell? You traded your wings, all your power ... just for a human’s life?”
“
Where is
—”
Where is
—”
“Of course, she’s not really human anymore, is she?” His brows rose. “Was that part of your plan? ’Cause her turning into a vamp must have really pissed off the guys upstairs.”
Keenan shoved him back. Sam slammed into the front of an SUV parked in the motel’s lot. The metal screamed and dented beneath the Fallen’s weight.
Keenan shook his head in disgust. “You don’t know anything. You’re just trying to mess with my head.” Everyone knew about Sam. The angel who’d been meant to fall. They’d all known it was coming long before he told the powers that be to screw off. He’d always had a darkness inside. Not fully good, too many whispers of evil had lurked within Sam.
Sam wasn’t the only angel like that. When you had so much power, the darkness could easily get into your blood.
Keenan understood that pull so much better now.
He turned away from Sam.
“Does she know that you were the angel sent to take her soul?”
Keenan kept walking. He’d get on the bike and—
“No answer. That means you
can’t
answer because you can’t tell a lie.”
can’t
answer because you can’t tell a lie.”
And Sam was in front of him. Just like that, as fast as a blink. “You didn’t have to fall,” Sam said, “in order to get a piece of ass.”
Keenan went for his throat.
But he touched nothing. Sam had already moved. Already shot five feet away.
“Got to be faster than that,” Sam taunted.
Keenan launched forward.
Sam’s fist slammed into his chest, a hit right above his heart, and this time, Keenan stumbled back.
“You’ve got to be faster,” Sam repeated, voice rumbling. “And
stronger.
” Then it was Sam’s turn to spin away. “When you’re ready for some real power, come find me.”
stronger.
” Then it was Sam’s turn to spin away. “When you’re ready for some real power, come find me.”
What?
Sam glanced back over his shoulder. “They never let souls escape. You should know that. You
do
know that. I’m betting that’s why you high-tailed it after your piece of ass once you regained your sanity.”
do
know that. I’m betting that’s why you high-tailed it after your piece of ass once you regained your sanity.”
Sanity.
Keenan’s fingers began to smoke as the fire of his fury burned through him.
“Ah ... got the firepower now, do you? That’s a good step. But you’ll need more than fire to keep your vamp alive.” He gave a little salute. “When you want to play, find me.”
“You fucking asshole, where is—”
“Now is that any way for an angel to talk?”
His back teeth clenched. “I’m not an angel anymore.”
The sunglasses tossed back his stark reflection. “No. You’re not.” Sam pointed at Keenan. “But you’ve still got the power of an angel in there. Just waiting to come out. And you’re gonna be wanting that magic and power back.”
One touch to kill
. His breath heaved out. No, he didn’t want that back. “You didn’t see Nicole.”
. His breath heaved out. No, he didn’t want that back. “You didn’t see Nicole.”
Sam’s shoulders rolled. “I’ll give you a free one this time. Because, well ... you don’t have much time. Or rather, she doesn’t.”
Humans were close by. He could almost feel their eyes. It was all he could do to pull the rage back and control the fire that wanted to shoot from him.
“The last time I saw your lady, she was on the ground. Jerking. Her eyes were rolling back into her head.”
“What did you do to her?” He’d rip Sammael apart and send the Fallen back to hell for keeps this time.
“Not me.” Sam shook his head. “The good guys have her, and since your girl ain’t exactly good ... don’t expect her to survive until sunset.”
What?
But Sam was gone. Vanished. Only his scent remained. Not the light, flowery scent of an angel.
Brimstone. The scent of hell.
She woke up in a cage. Nicole opened her eyes, jumped up, and found herself trapped in a ten-by-twelve-foot jail cell.
Just freaking perfect.
She ran forward and grabbed the bars. “Hello!”
The place seemed deserted. It looked like some kind of holding cell, and she was the only one being held.
Uh oh.
“
Hey!
” She shouted. A cop had to be around someplace. “You can’t do this! You can’t just taze a woman on the street and—”
Hey!
” She shouted. A cop had to be around someplace. “You can’t do this! You can’t just taze a woman on the street and—”
Metal groaned as a door opened. She sucked in a breath and stopped talking. A cop was coming toward her. Not the one who’d Tased her. A woman this time. She looked to be in her early thirties. The cop had short black hair and glaring brown eyes.
“You’re not just any woman, Ms. St. James,” she said, Texas drawling beneath her words. “You’re a wanted felon. A criminal who nearly killed a police officer.”
Nicole’s fingers tightened around the bars. “That was ... I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
The door clanged shut behind the cop. “Of course. You were just hungry, right?”
Nicole stepped away from the bars.
“Hungry, and Officer Greg Hatten looked like the perfect snack.”
“You ... know what I am.”
A slow nod. The woman—her ID read Jennifer Connelly—pulled out her service weapon. “I know what you are, and I know how to kill you.”
She couldn’t break through the bars, not while the sun was still up. The lethargy coursing through her body told her that the sun was most definitely up. “Then why am I still alive? If you want me dead—”
A black brow rose. “You already are dead.”
People just had to throw that up to her. “I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want to be a vamp, I didn’t mean to hurt that cop—”
“Save the sob story.”
Nicole blinked.
“Let me guess ...” the cop continued with a smirk. “If you had it to do all over again, you’d go back to being human, right?”
Not exactly. Being human meant being dead.
But Connelly didn’t give her a chance to answer. She said, “Whatever. Here’s the deal. I’m gonna open your cage. You’re gonna try to get out.”
Yes, that was a good plan. Because staying trapped in there wasn’t an option.
Connelly lifted her gun. “You’re gonna come at me, and I’m gonna shoot you.”
Nicole’s breath whispered out. Not such a good plan.
“And because I’m such a fine shot, you’re gonna bleed to death, right here, where I can watch.” Connelly’s weapon was aimed at Nicole’s heart. “You see, I don’t much care for vamps. The dead should be in the ground, not on the streets, feeding.”
“You don’t think someone else is going to notice when you shoot me? They’ll wonder what the hell happened in here!”
“You attacked a cop.” Connelly gave a careless shrug of her shoulders. “No one here will give a shit what happens to you.” She approached the bars. Her eyes narrowed on Nicole. “I thought you’d be out a little longer.”
“And I thought cops were supposed to
help
people.” This sucked. Seriously sucked. Her fangs were burning, pushing out thanks to the adrenaline rush that pumped through her. Her claws were growing and if that cop came closer, she’d give Connelly a scratch the cop wouldn’t soon forget.
help
people.” This sucked. Seriously sucked. Her fangs were burning, pushing out thanks to the adrenaline rush that pumped through her. Her claws were growing and if that cop came closer, she’d give Connelly a scratch the cop wouldn’t soon forget.
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