Azrael laughed and hoped the sound didn’t show how weak he was becoming. “The sun’s up.” Stating the obvious, but perhaps Keenan hadn’t realized the full significance of what was happening overhead. “And your vamp is starting to look awful pale.”
The sun wouldn’t burn a vampire. That was just a mortal misconception. The sun simply made a vampire weak. Human level.
As Az expected, Keenan immediately stepped in front of the vampire as if to shield her.
This time, though, Azrael could see—and understand—the emotion glittering in Keenan’s eyes. “You truly do love her.”
Emotions. He’d never tasted them until he burned. Sam . . . he knew his brother had never been like the other angels. Angels weren’t supposed to feel. They were just supposed to serve. But he’d seen the flash of rage too many times in Sam’s eyes. He’d known the fall was coming, long before Sam slaughtered those men.
My fault. I should have stopped him.
The Fall had initially washed away Az’s memories, but every day, he recalled more of his past. When he thought of Sam, the guilt gnawed in his chest.
“You’ll never hurt her,” Keenan yelled at him.
Az’s blood stained the ground. “I don’t want to hurt her.”
True enough. He didn’t, not anymore. But Keenan wouldn’t be forgetting just what Az had tried to do to the vampire before. There would be no forgetting—or forgiving—from Keenan.
Keenan blinked, then his eyes narrowed as he studied Az.
Once, he and Keenan had been . . . not friends, but—almost. As close as angels could get to friendship. Then Azrael had tried to kill Keenan’s vampire—the little female currently glaring so fiercely at him as she peered over her lover’s shoulder.
A mistake. He just hadn’t understood how Keenan felt, not then.
Even now, he didn’t fully comprehend, but he could still recognize love when he saw it staring back at him.
“I thought returning to heaven was best for you.” Az admitted his arrogance. He hadn’t seen that arrogance, not while he’d been in heaven, but it had been there, just beneath the surface. When had the emotions begun to slip past his guard? Like a poison, they’d worked under his skin, but, again, he hadn’t realized, not until the fire burned his flesh. “I thought I knew how to save you.”
“You thought wrong.”
The vampire wasn’t speaking. He could see the lines of strain on her face. Still new to the undead world, she wouldn’t have adapted so well to her daytime weakness.
Her weakness would be Keenan’s.
“So I did.” Azrael turned away. His battle was not with Keenan or the vampire.
Sammael. A true brother of his blood. When he’d fallen and woken in that cemetery, a witch had found him. She’d tended his wounds, fed him, and told him that hell would come calling.
One brother would die.
He hadn’t even known who he was then. She had. “Hello, Death. I saw you fall.” Her hands had clasped a darkened mirror.
He hadn’t trusted the witch, with good reason. She’d been the one to turn him over to Rogziel.
I’ll find you again.
He’d be sure that hell called on her one day soon, too.
Az stepped forward and found his path blocked by Keenan. “You’re not going anyplace.”
He didn’t want to hurt Keenan. “I’ve got a millennium on you. You don’t want to get in my way.” Blood loss or not, he could still take Keenan out. He didn’t have to play by angel rules any longer. He could fight as dirty as he wanted. He was leaving. Even if he had to go through Keenan in order to get away. “Rogziel is hunting Fallen.” He probably had Sammael right then. “I’m stopping him.” I’m the only one who can kill Sammael. Rogziel didn’t get to end his brother’s life.
“You’re so full of shit.”
Az blinked at the vulgarity. Keenan had truly fallen far.
“You think I believe a word you’re saying? You just want to find Sammael and attack him.”
It was a bit more complicated than that . . . and he wasn’t explaining his plans to the Fallen and his vamp. “Sorry, Keenan, but I have to go.” And he blasted out a path with his power. Not at Keenan. A blaze of fire that charged toward the vampire.
Nicole screamed, and the sound cut into Azrael. Keenan lunged to her aid, jumping in front of her to protect her body from the flames.
Clearing Azrael’s path. He let the fire circle them, but didn’t let it touch Nicole’s skin. After all, he didn’t want to hurt the vampire. Not anymore.