The sun set and Nicole’s eyes didn’t open. Keenan sat by the bed and kept his stare trained on her. He’d been there, watching, waiting, all day.
Open your eyes. Look at me.
She still breathed. Her chest rose and fell. Her heart beat.
He glanced down at his hands. The blood was gone now. Finally washed away. He’d held her heart in his hands. Her heart.
His fingers clenched.
“She’ll wake.” Sam’s voice sounded confident.
Keenan didn’t look at him. His gaze was back on Nicole. “I gave her my blood. She should have been up by now.”
“She will be.” Sam’s hand slapped on his shoulder. “Give her time.”
He didn’t want time. He wanted her.
The floor squeaked as Sam turned away.
Keenan reached for Nicole’s fingers. He smoothed his hand over her flesh. “Sam … why did you fall?”
Things were clear to him now, and he wished he’d realized sooner …
Keenan was the favored one. Sam’s words echoed in his head.
He hadn’t even realized how lucky he’d been. Nicole hadn’t been his temptation. She’d been his reward. He’d just needed to be strong enough to fight for her.
“Maybe I became a power-hungry jackass like Az,” Sam said.
Maybe. But “maybe” wasn’t an answer. “The stories … they said you killed nearly a hundred men. Men who shouldn’t have died.” So long ago …
“Those bastards deserved death more than anyone I’ve ever seen.” From the corner of his eye, Keenan saw the ripple of Sam’s shrug. “Falling was a small price to pay in order to get them off this world.” He paused. “Wasn’t it a small price to pay for her?”
Yes. For her, he’d burn again.
“I thought so.” He sighed. “Now I think you’re finally understanding this game.” The floor squeaked as Sam left.
Silence reigned and the minutes ticked by. The darkness grew heavier. And then …
Nicole’s lashes began to flutter. He forgot Sam and leaned forward, holding her hand tighter. “Nicole?”
Her lips curled into a smile even before her eyes fully opened. “I was dreaming about you,” she whispered and blinked slowly.
His heart raced in his chest and he kissed her, a quick, hard kiss. “You scared me.”
She shook her head and her hair brushed over the pillow. “I wasn’t leaving you.” So simple and sure.
His gaze searched hers. “If you had, I would’ve just followed you.” The angels wouldn’t have been able to keep him away from her.
“I know.” Her grin widened a bit.
He brushed back her hair and knew that he had to tell her everything now. “I … didn’t realize what was happening. Why I watched you so much …”
Her eyes didn’t judge. Didn’t question.
“I should have stopped the vampire sooner.” That would haunt him. “I should have—”
“We can’t go back, and I don’t want to.”
She pushed up so that her face was only inches from his. “I meant what I said before. I love you, Keenan.”
She was … everything to him.
“Az was right,” she said, and the words had his head jerking in immediate denial. “I’ve killed. I’ll probably kill again. And I’ll always need blood.”
She’d always have him to give that blood.
“I’m not perfect—”
To him, she was. Fangs, claws and sinful lips—perfect.
“But I want to be with you. I just want … you.”
He swallowed. “I’ve seen everything this world has to offer.” Good and bad. Nightmares, battlefields, and miracles. “And you’re the only thing in my existence that has ever made me feel.” That should be a warning to her, but she was looking at him with soft eyes.
She didn’t understand the danger.
He forced his hands to lift from her. “You’re all that matters to me here, Nicole. Your life, your happiness—I’ll do anything to protect you.” He’d killed for her before and would do it again because he knew those times would come. The world wasn’t an easy place. Too many hated vampires. Too many hunted.
No one will take her.
“Don’t mistake me for a normal man,” he warned her. “I’m not human, the feelings I have—” Lust, need, jealousy. “Sometimes they can make me very dangerous.”
“You’re not dangerous to me.”