Nicole didn’t look at the vamp. She kept her eyes on Keenan as she inched her way down the alley. With every slow move, her hands pressed against the wall.
“You gonna run?” The vamp taunted. “Oh, damn, I love it when they run.”
Yes, he did. Most vampires did. They liked the thrill of the hunt.
“Why don’t you help me?” She yelled at Keenan, and the wind took the words, making them into a whisper as they left the alley.
That was the way of Pirate’s Alley. Sometimes, no one could ever hear the screams.
The vampire seemed to finally realize his prey wasn’t focused on him. The vamp spun around, turning so that he nearly brushed against Keenan. “What the f**k?” The guy demanded. “Bitch, no one’s—”
Nicole’s footsteps pounded down the alley. Smart. Keenan almost smiled. Had she ever even seen him? Or had her words all been a trick to escape?
The vampire laughed, then he lunged after her. Four steps and the parasite leapt at her, tackling Nicole to the ground, and keeping her trapped in the alley. Glass shattered when she fell—a beer bottle that had been tossed aside. She crashed into it and the bottle smashed beneath her weight.
“You’re gonna beg for death,” the vamp promised her.
Perhaps. Keenan slowly stalked toward them. He lifted his hand, aware of the growing cold in the air. The stories about death’s cold touch were true. Nicole’s time was at hand.
“Please, God, no!” Nicole cried.
God had other plans. That was why an angel of death had been sent to collect her.
The vamp’s hands were at her throat. His claws dug into her skin. The scent of decay and cigarettes swirled in the air around Keenan.
“Flowers,” Nicole whispered. “I smell …”
Him. Angels often carried a floral scent. Humans caught a trace of that scent all the time, but never realized they weren’t alone.
The vamp sank his teeth into Nicole’s throat again. She didn’t even have the voice to scream now. Tears leaked from her eyes.
Keenan knelt beside her. The first time he’d seen her, he’d thought …
Beautiful.
Now, covered in garbage and blood, still fighting a vampire, still struggling to live …
Beautiful.
It was time. His hand lifted toward her and hovered over her tangled hair. His fingers were so close to touching her. Just an inch, maybe two, separated them. But …
He hesitated.
Why couldn’t someone else have come into the alley this night? A cop? A college kid? Someone to help her.
And not someone who was just supposed to watch her suffer.
A fire burned in his gut. She didn’t deserve this brutal end to her human life. From what he’d seen, Nicole had been good. She’d tried to help others. His jaw ached and he realized he’d been clenching his teeth.
His gaze drifted to the vampire. It would be so easy to stop him and take one more monster from the world.
Forbidden. The order burned into his mind. He wasn’t supposed to interfere. That wasn’t the way. Wasn’t allowed. He was to collect his charge and move on. Those were the rules.
He’d take Nicole St. James this night, and someone else would wait on him tomorrow. There were always more humans. More souls. More death.
Her hands fell limply to her sides as the vampire drank from her, and her head turned toward Keenan.
There was gold buried in her eyes. He’d thought her eyes were solid emerald, but now he could see the gold glinting in her eyes. Angels had strong vision—in darkness or light—but he’d never noticed that gold before.
Her eyes locked right on him. She was so close to passing. He had no doubt that she saw him then.
“Don’t worry,” he told her. The vampire wouldn’t hear him. No one but Nicole would hear his voice. “The pain is already ending for you.” His hand still reached for her. He’d wanted to touch her before. To see if her skin was as soft as it looked. But he knew just how dangerous such a touch would be—to both of them.
Keenan well understand what happened to those of his kind when they did not obey their orders.
Despite popular belief, angels were not the favored ones. They did not have choices like the humans. Angels had only duty.
“I don’t …” Her words were barely a whisper. Had the vamp already savaged her neck too much for speech? “D-don’t … want to … die …”
The vamp gulped down her blood, growling as he drank.
“Don’t … let me …” Her lashes began to fall. The fingers of her right hand began to curl inward, and her wrist brushed against the jagged glass. “Die …”
There was so much desperation in her voice, but he’d heard desperation before. Heard fear. Heard lies. Promises.
But he’d never heard them from her.
Keenan didn’t touch her. His hand eased back as he hesitated.
Hesitated.
He’d taken a thousand souls. No, far more. But her …
Why her? Why tonight? She’s barely lived.The vamp should be the one to go, not—
Nicole let out a guttural groan. Keenan blinked and his wings rustled behind him. No, he had a job to do. He would do it—
Nicole grabbed a thick shard of broken glass and wrenched it up. She shoved it into the vampire’s neck and caught him right in the jugular. His blood spilled over her as the vamp jerked back, howling in pain and fury.
Her throat was a mess, ripped flesh, blood—so much blood. Hers. The vamp’s. Nicole grabbed another chunk of glass and swung again with a slice to the vampire’s neck.
Fighting.
She was fighting desperately for every second of life that she had left. And he was supposed to just stop her? Supposed to take her away when she struggled so hard to live?
You’ve done it before. Do it again.
So many humans. So little life. So much death.
“Bitch! I’ll cut you open—”
The vamp would. In that instant, Keenan could see everything the vamp had planned for Nicole. Her death would be ten times more brutal now. The future had already altered for her. Because I hesitated.
“I’ll rip your heart out—”
Yes, in the end, he’d do that, too.
She’d die with her eyes open, with fear and blood choking her.
“I’ll shred that pretty face—”
Her coffin would be closed.
The fire twisting in Keenan’s gut burned hotter, brighter with every slow second that passed. Why her? She’d … soothed him before. When he’d heard her voice, it had seemed to flow through him. And when she’d laughed …