Angel of Darkness (The Fallen #1)(51)

Someone punched her in the chest. No, it just felt like that. The thought of Keenan dying ... it hurt. No. “He’s not dying for me,” she said. She wouldn’t let him.

“He fell for you.” Sam shrugged his broad shoulders. “Dying’s the next step.”

“Sam.” Keenan’s voice snapped out, and the room seemed to tremble.

No, the room did tremble, and a smile curved Sam’s lips. “Getting some of your bite back, are you? Not being a demon-wannabe anymore?”

What?

Pieces of mirror crunched beneath Sam’s boots. He stopped pacing right in front of Keenan. Her gaze darted between them. Same height, same build. One dark, one light. Power seemed to crackle in the air around them.

“What would you do ... for her?” Sam wanted to know. “To save her, would you fall again?”

Keenan’s eyes cut to her.

Oh, damn. He really did it. He fell ... for me.

She swallowed the lump that was trying to choke her. He’d fallen for the woman she’d been before her change. When he found out about all that she’d done since becoming a vampire ...

Tell him.

If he found out, he’d turn away and she wouldn’t have to worry about him risking his life for her.

“I’m not letting her die,” Keenan said flatly. “She lived before, that means she should get a new shot. Az—the bastard’s making this personal.”

Now that had her eyes snapping up to his face. She caught the flex of his strong jaw.

“Ah ...” Sam sighed. “You don’t buy that her name’s on that big, magical list of death, huh? You think Az is trying to make an example of you? Trying to show all the other angels that if they f*ck up, they won’t get rewarded—no falling and pleasure for them—just another nightmare?”

“You tell me.” Fury vibrated in Keenan’s voice. “You’ve known him a lot longer than me.”

“True.” Sam’s smile faded. “I know him well enough to say he’d do anything to keep his good little soldiers in line.” His stare, black now and so cold, flickered to Nicole. “Killing you wouldn’t give him a moment’s hesitation.”

Great. Nice to be so special—or rather, so insignificant. “Can we fight him?” She asked.

“You can’t. You’re just a vamp. You don’t have the power.”

Again with the making-her-feel-great talk.

“But you ...” Sam nodded as he focused on Keenan. “If you got your powers back, there’d be no stopping you.”

“My powers are gone.”

“Really? Then how’d you throw fire the other night?”

“How did you know—”

Sam laughed. “There’s little in this world I don’t know about. Pay people enough, and they’ll tell you anything. A vamp, Connor, came running to tell me about your visit to the blood room.”

Connor. He’d always been willing to trade almost anything—even a life—for money.

“Tell me, Fallen,” Sam continued, “If your powers are gone, then how’d you make the room shake just a moment ago? And how ...” His voice dropped, became taunting, “did you see your sweet vamp’s death ... if your powers weren’t coming back?”

Her teeth were burning, her claws pushing out. Sam was a threat to her, and her body responded instinctively. He was playing some kind of game with them; she felt like everything was a game, and she wanted it to stop.

Keenan’s gaze flew to her. “You mean all the powers will be coming back?”

Sam laughed. “Bit of a bitch, isn’t it? You can save her, but the cost will be hell.”

“What are you talking about?” Nicole demanded, sick of being in the dark. “If we can stop this Az, tell me how.”

“Fury’s the key.” Sam flashed his teeth in a grin that chilled. “You got to let the rage take you, and then you can take him.”

“Why don’t you just take him out?” Nicole snapped as she grabbed Sam’s arm and jerked him toward her.

An electric shot flew through her fingertips. Not pain, not yet. But ...

“Interesting,” Sam said as he looked down at her hand. “Very, very interesting.”

Keenan swore and pulled her away from Sam.

But Sam’s stare had locked on her now. “Maybe you’re not so insignificant after all.”

Well, wasn’t that grand.

Sam’s tongue swiped over his bottom lip. “I’ll help you, for a price.”

“I thought you just said I could take him out—” Keenan snarled.

“I said you could, not that you would.” Sam rocked back on his heels. “There’s a difference you know.”

“And just what’s your price?” Nicole asked him.

His eyes glinted. “For fighting an angel bent on vengeance? Because it is vengeance. Your name’s not on any list. Az just wants to take you out to prove that no one screws with his guard.”

“You’re sure?” Keenan’s fingers squeezed hers, the grip just shy of actual pain. “He said—”

“He can twist the truth as well as any of our kind.” Sam crossed his arms over his chest. “Az isn’t the lily-white angel he wants to be. He’s been tempted, he’s broken the rules, and now, he thinks he is the power when it comes to death.”