After all, death only needed one touch.
“Please, Sam, get me out of here.” Fear had her voice shaking. “I’ll tell you everything.” She eased back and tilted her head up as she gazed at him. “Just take me to your place.
Get me out of here.
”
Not what he wanted. The thirst for blood and vengeance was too strong then, but he didn’t know what kind of attack to expect. The sooner he got her secured, the sooner he’d have his fun. Sam nodded and felt the tightening in his shoulder. The wound was already closing. The attacker would have to do much better next time. He wasn’t easy prey.
“Come on.” Sam kept her hand in his as he pulled her to the edge of the alley. He was careful to keep his body positioned in front of hers. If another attack came, he’d be ready.
“How did you move so fast?” Her quiet question whispered out after a pause. “You were so far away . . .”
Speed was only one of his many gifts. “I’m not your average demon.” He opened the door of his black Jag and waited for her to crawl inside.
“No,” her soft voice answered him, “you’re not.”
Sam slammed the door as his gaze swept the street. Down the road and to the left, a black van waited in the shadows.
He stared at that van; then he grinned.
Come and get me, bastards.
He almost crooked his finger in invitation.
Because he wasn’t a dumbass demon, and he could smell a fucking setup a mile away. Even when the setup was wrapped in the scent of jasmine and wore a pretty smile.
Not that easy to get to me.
He climbed in the car and gunned the engine.
Time for the real games to begin.
With a flick of his fingers, he locked the door and sealed Seline inside with him.
“He took the bait,” Alex Graham said as he yanked the ski mask off his face. “The blind fool fell for her just like all the others have done.”
So it would seem.
Rogziel eased back in the seat and watched the Jag’s red taillights disappear around the corner. The growl of the engine echoed down the street. He had waited so long for this moment, and now, finally, Sammael’s punishment was at hand.
It only seemed fitting that a demon would be the one to send the Fallen to hell.
Sammael had always had a weakness for women and for sin. By the time Seline was done with him, there’d be nothing left of his old friend.
Good.
Ready to burn again, Sam?
Because the fire was sure ready for him. Those flames had been waiting, and it was time for Sammael to face his punishment.
Hell.
C
HAPTER
T
WO
S
eline knew where Sam lived. She’d staked out his place shortly after arriving in New Orleans. So when he drove right past the exit leading to the Quarter, her palms began to sweat.
“You never told me the guy’s name.” Sam’s voice was quiet, but held an edge that had her tensing in the leather seat.
“J-John Moorecroft.” She thought the stutter in her voice was a good addition. Because a woman who’d nearly been stabbed would be stuttering and trembling, right?
He glanced her way. “John Moorecroft is in prison. His drug ring was busted up six months ago, and the guy is rotting in a cell because he took out a cop during the bust.”
All true, and all facts that had made the New Orleans news. Yet there were details that hadn’t made the papers . . . “He might be in jail, but he’s still got plenty of power.” She licked her lips. “He took out a hit on me from his jail cell. Even inside, he still has men ready to jump for him.” For the right price. “You don’t cross him and get away clean.”
They were on the interstate now, and he was driving too fast. Everything passed her in a blur.
“I don’t know any other names,” she admitted, keeping her voice low. “I don’t know who came after me tonight. Probably just some guy looking to cash in on the bounty that’s on my head. I-I just want it all to end.” Her breath expelled in a rush. “How do you think the cops knew to make that bust? I was the one who tipped them off.”
“So you killed John’s friend, and turned him in?” He gave a low whistle. “Now he’s jonesing for your death.”
Not like it was the first time. “I was . . . working at a bar.” The cover always worked. It was easy enough for her to get hired at places like that and to work the owners and staff. “I met a guy, his name was Philip Drew. Philip was—”
Insane.
The madness had pushed to the surface so easily when he drank. She cleared her throat. “He and John grew up together. They were friends.”
The city lurked behind them now, a glittering trail of hazy lights reflected in the water. She swiped her hand along the door handle. “Where are we going?”
He glanced her way, and a faint smile curved his lips. “Don’t worry. I’m just taking you someplace safe.”
She tried a weak smile in return because his words should have been reassuring.
They weren’t.
His gaze returned to the road before them. “Do you trust me, Seline?”
No.
Not even for an instant.
“I mean, you came to me, a man you don’t really know and you asked me to kill for you.”
She swallowed to ease the dryness in her throat. “I asked for your help.”
“Because I’m such a fucking helper.”
Not exactly. “Because I didn’t have anyone else to turn to.”
Sam pulled off the interstate, and the car began to rush down the twisting, snaking highway that led into the swamps. There was no light here. Just darkness and predators waiting.
Uneasiness skated down her spine. The plan had worked just as she’d planned, but . . .
Something’s wrong.
His low laughter filled the car. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”
No, she didn’t, and that was why she was trying to play the game so carefully.
They were off the main highway now. The car bumped along a thin dirt road. The headlights cut a path through the black night.
Finally, finally, a light appeared up ahead. The hunched trees parted and a graveled drive waited. “I’m going to run a check on everything you told me,” Sam said. The Jag braked in front of a faded antebellum home. Weathered, but still strong against the swamp. And what the hell was that place doing out there, with its lights shining? It looked creepy. Like something out of a horror movie. Being what she was, Seline should love horror movies.
She couldn’t stand them. There were enough monsters in her real life. She didn’t want to sit and watch them terrorize people in a movie theater.
“Run the check,” she said, her voice too soft.
He killed the engine, and she immediately became aware of the chirping of what sounded like a hundred insects. She knew gators and snakes waited in the shadows. Those were the predators she
didn’t
fear, well, not as much as the
Others
that could wait in the night.
Sam turned his head toward her. She could only see darkness when she looked at his eyes. “If I find out you’re lying to me, if this is all some kind of setup . . .”
She didn’t flinch. “I need your help. There’s a death warrant on me.”
His fingers trailed up her arm. “I’m not a good enemy to have.”
Neither am I.
She tried not to shiver at his touch, but his fingers were slightly rough, and she liked that hint of danger and strength. She had a dark side, too, one that he seemed to arouse too easily. “I don’t want you for an enemy. I only want to get my life back.”
“If you’re telling the truth, I’ll give you that life”—he paused—“for a price.”
Because everything had a price. She’d never gotten anything for free in this world. Even her birth had been at the price of her mother’s life. “What do you want?” she asked. “Sex?” Taking her would be his mistake. Sex would simply give her power and give him a fast trip to hell.
“Eventually.” His fingers were still on her arm, and the interior of the car seemed small and tight. The scent of leather and man permeated the air. “But for now, I’ll start with a simple trade.”
Nothing was ever simple. She had to bite back “Am I the one who looks like an idiot now?” Seline wanted out of that car. He seemed too big and strong, and right then, he had her at a serious disadvantage. Her power was low, and she needed a serious recharge—a recharge she planned to get from him at the earliest opportunity. “When I first asked for help, you—you said no.”
His head inclined.
“You were going to let me die.” Heartless bastard. Or he would have been, if her story had been true. Since she hadn’t actually been in danger of an immediate death . . .
“I’m not here to save the fucking world.”
Very true. “But you saved me in the alley.”
“Did I?” he murmured. “Guess that is how it appears.”
This wasn’t going the way she’d planned
at all
. Usually, her plans worked so well. He should have taken her back to his place—that nice apartment in the Quarter—where they would’ve been under surveillance, and she should have been well on her way to seducing him.
Not. Good.
“I’ll get rid of this problem for you, Seline, but when the time comes, I’ll need you to do a favor for me.”
Offering a deal—wasn’t that the way the devil worked?
“What kind of favor?” Not that she’d ever have to hold up her end of the bargain, but . . .
“Does it matter?”
She reached for the door handle.
Locked.
“It does. I’m not trading in one psycho for another.”
He laughed, and her head whipped around at the deep, dark rumble. Wonderful. Even his laugh was sexy. The job got worse every minute.
“I know you’re not what you pretend to be,” Sam said as he leaned toward her. “You’re not a stripper, even though you came into Temptation to dance for me.”
For me.
She’d danced twice.
Twice.
There’d been no choice. She’d worked at Temptation for two weeks as a waitress, and the guy hadn’t even glanced her way. She’d needed his attention, and the stage had been her only option at the time.
Seline hadn’t realized what a bonus she’d get from the stage. She’d known just how to shield her body and to tempt, a rather inborn trait for a demon like her. But when the crowd had focused all of their energy on her . . .
Power.
The rush of energy she’d stolen had been incredible.
And she’d finally caught her mark’s attention. Talk about a two-for-one hit.
But Seline hadn’t gone back on the stage. Not because she was modest. Modesty was something she’d long ago sacrificed. She hadn’t gone back on that wooden stage with the bright lights because she was afraid that she’d steal too much energy from the humans. If she did that, then Sam might start suspecting the truth about her.
“Does it really matter what I am?” she asked him, her fingers still on the door handle.
There was a soft snick of sound as he released the lock. “Everything matters.”
She hurried out of the car. Yeah, fine. She jumped and nearly fell. So what? Only a sprinkling of stars lit the dark sky so maybe he hadn’t seen that less-than-graceful exit.
“The black van didn’t follow us.”
Crap.
“Wh-what van? Someone was following us? Why didn’t you say—”
He slammed his car door shut and shook his head. “You really have to do better than that.” Then he started walking toward the house. Gravel crunched beneath his feet. Seline stood there a moment and figured there was no option other than giving chase.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. “What van?”
He moved in a blur, just like he’d done in the alley. Rushing too fast for her to see the full motions of his body. One instant, they stood a few feet from the car, and in the next second, he had her on the steps of the house, with her back pressed against the wall and his fingers holding tight to her arms. “The black van that was watching us, sweetheart. The one I know you saw, too. Now if you want to keep lying to me . . .”
His breath blew against her cheek.
“You’re really gonna piss me off.”
She shoved back against him. He didn’t move, and she’d even used a bit of her enhanced strength. Fine, if he wanted to play rough, she’d show him rough soon enough. “I’m not trying to piss you off,” she gritted out as she kept her chin up. “I’m trying to stay alive. I came to you for help, but you told me to get my ass out of your bar and to take care of myself.”
The moonlight showed her his slow blink.
“I got out of Sunrise, and I was jumped in the alley.” She pushed against him again. This time, he eased back a bit. “You’re the one who came charging out of the club. You didn’t have to save me.”
“No, I didn’t.”
If she hadn’t already been hired to kill the guy, she really would have thought about doing it for free right then.
Jerk.
“Then why did you?”
He shrugged.
Shrugged.
Time for some payback. “It’s been a really long night for me.” Seline let her voice tremble. “Please, I just want to go inside and get some sleep.” Dawn would come within a few hours.
Perhaps only one of them would make it to see that sun come up.
His hands dropped. “Go to the top of the stairs. You can take the first room to the left.”
“Is this your place?” The surprise in her words was real. No one had scoped out this location. Big mistake on their part. Someone on the team had been sloppy.
“It belongs to a friend.”
He had friends? Doubtful.
“He owed me, and this place was part of the payment.”
Sam turned away and opened the door. “Get inside, Seline. My men will check your story tonight, and if I find out that you’re lying, if you’re trying to set me up . . .”
“Does that happen a lot?” Seline asked as she brushed by him. “Are people always lying to you?”
“Yes.”
Her chin lifted as more lights flooded on inside the house. “Then that’s sad. You should be able to trust someone in this world. I mean, don’t you even have any family that—”
Oh, yeah. Wrong thing to say.
She glanced back and saw his face harden as he slammed the door shut behind them. “Get upstairs.”
Wow. That was a barely human growl.
“You know, you really should work on
trying
to be polite. Try asking instead of snapping at people all the time. Charm can work, honestly it can.” She shook her head and headed for the stairs.
“Seline. ”
She didn’t stop. Her hand curled around the smooth wood of the banister.
“My brother wants me dead.” His rumbling voice followed her. “And the feeling is more than mutual.”
Okay, now that made her stop. Seline darted a fast glance back at him, frowning.
“It’s a race,” he muttered. “We’ll see who gets shoved into the ground first.”