The fire closed in.
Keenan lifted his right hand. He’d conjured fire before, so that meant that he should be able to control the flames. He’d already tried, over and over, but so far, no luck.
“Keenan!”
Now the flames seemed to be calling his name. Taunting him to walk through that hot kiss once more.
“Keenan! This way!”
No, that wasn’t the fire calling. Nicole. She was inside. Surrounded by that burning hell when she should be safe, outside, protected.
No.
He wasn’t aware he’d shouted the word, not until he heard the echo of his voice.
Then the flames before him, the fire that separated him from Nicole, began to flicker.
The fire would destroy her. Boil the skin off her flesh.
“No!” The building shook and the fire between them sputtered out in a blink. The rage stirred in his gut, and he ran to Nicole.
She grabbed his hand and he barely felt the pain, such was the pleasure of her touch.
But she was coughing and tears streaked from her eyes. “We’ve … got to … get out …”
So much fire still burned. The blaze was deliberate, he knew it. Someone had set this trap.
His fist slammed into the wall. The bricks cracked. They didn’t break, not like when Sam had—
The bricks exploded and thick chunks flew out into the air. And Sam was there. He shoved his way inside and reached for the woman Keenan carried. “Give her to me!”
For an instant, Keenan wondered if Sam would throw the woman back into the fire. She barely seemed to breathe and blood matted her hair.
But Sam pulled her close and tucked her head against his chest. “Weak human …”
All humans were weak. It was just how they’d been designed.
Sam spun away with the woman, and Keenan grabbed Nicole. “You shouldn’t have …”
The flames snapped and snarled around them.
“ … come after me!”
Her fingers locked with his. “Later! Let’s get—”
The ceiling collapsed with a shriek of boards and metal. Nicole slammed into him and pushed Keenan through that broken wall. She tumbled out right after him.
The whoosh of fire filled his ears, then he hit the concrete. The flesh scraped from his arms and hands. He rolled and caught Nicole when she landed on top of him. Ash stained her right cheek and her eyes were wide and dark. Her breath eased out on a sigh. The fire still raged behind her.
He kissed her. Keenan grabbed the back of her head, tangled his fingers in the thickness of her hair, and crashed his mouth down onto hers.
Too close. That fire had been too close to her.
Death comes.
The scent of flowers fought with the ash, choking him.
Death comes.
His tongue drove into her mouth. Her ni**les pushed against his chest.
Not right now, you don’t! You’re not taking her.
He wouldn’t let Az win. He hadn’t fallen just to lose her. He’d do whatever it took to face off against his ex-boss.
Even slipping into the dark.
“Get ’em out of there!” A voice thundered, and then hands were grabbing at him, her, and yanking them apart. Keenan growled, ready to rip and tear and—
And he was staring at a firefighter. A young female with red cheeks who glared at him through a clear face mask.
“Get ’em to the EMTs!” She yelled, and her men pulled them clear of the building.
EMTs. He glanced down and saw the blisters on his flesh. The fire had tasted him.
His gaze darted to Nicole. No sign of any fire injuries, but she looked even paler than normal.
They loaded Nicole into the back of the ambulance. An EMT shoved an oxygen mask over her face.
Then they turned to him. A heavyset guy and a petite blonde cut off his shirt, and he saw the blonde wince at his wounds.
He could barely feel them now.
He glanced back at Nicole and saw that her fangs were peeking out. A sure sign of her desperate thirst.
“Oh my God.” The loud exclamation came from the blonde at his side. His gaze whipped back to her. He found her staring at him, her eyes saucer-like in her elfin face.
The guy stared at him, too, only his face was quickly bleaching of color. “What the hell?”
Keenan felt the tightening of his skin. One quick look down showed him that the wounds were healing. They were shrinking and disappearing right before his eyes—their eyes.
“I don’t need that!” Nicole snapped. “I don’t—Keenan! Oh, crap!” She’d gotten a look at his chest. She lunged up and grabbed his arm. “Let’s go!”