You can’t leave me.

“I don’t think Seline realizes just what she can do.”

Keenan’s words made Sam pause and glance back.

The Fallen stood in the small doorway, with his vampire right at his side. Figured. Nicole always liked to watch her man’s back.

“She said the hound smelled her.”

Sam waited, his whole body tensed to attack. No, to hunt.

“Rogziel summoned the beast, but maybe Rogziel wasn’t that particular hound’s master. Maybe your girl was its true master, and the hound recognized her scent.” Keenan shrugged, but his intent gaze belied the casual gesture. “That would explain why the beast didn’t try to make a meal of her.”

It sure as shit would. If Seline truly hadn’t known . . . I have so screwed this up.

Sam jumped onto the bike and revved the engine.

“Better be careful,” Keenan called out to him. “Once a hound gets its master’s scent, there’s no severing that tie. It’ll track her and destroy anything or anyone who tries to hurt her.”

Sam spared a glance for the claw marks that still hadn’t completely faded on his arm. “I won’t hurt her.”

“Yes, you will.” Nicole’s quiet voice was certain. “Maybe you should just let her go.”

Not an option. The motorcycle roared forward, and he chased after those disappearing taillights.

Getting a ride had been easy. Too easy. She’d stumbled outside, walked right into the street—and nearly been run over by a Jeep.

Luckily, the driver had stopped in an instant. Then the tall, dark guy with the quick grin had offered her a ride.

His eyes had offered more.

She’d taken the ride. As for the rest . . . even though her power was burning low, she couldn’t stand the idea of actually touching anyone right then.

No, there was only one man she wanted. He was an undeserving jerk, and he’d seriously screwed her for others.

“Just drop me off at the nearest bar,” she told Javier. Javier Martinez. He spoke perfect English and had a light, rolling Spanish accent. The guy really seemed to fill the interior of the vehicle. She had the impression of raw power and energy and . . . something more. A wild scent clung to him, one that made her a little uneasy.

“Why?” He tossed her another smile. “You won’t find anything at a cantina that I can’t give to you, cariño.”

Right. But in a bar, she could just soak up the sexual energy in the air without actually having to touch anyone.

She needed a boost, but she’d be damned if she would seduce in order to get it. The daughter of an angel . . . forced to seduce and tempt in order to survive. Her whole life had been nothing but a sick punishment.

And Captain Horny over there, driving the busted-up Jeep, might think he’d just found a grand old time in her, but he couldn’t be more wrong. “Trust me,” she muttered, rolling her shoulder to relieve the ache. “You can’t handle me.”

He spun the Jeep to the left and killed the ignition. She instantly became aware of the thick silence outside . . . and she noticed there were no lights around. No houses. Nothing. Civilization had vanished in an instant.

Her night truly just couldn’t get any better.

Claws burst from Javier’s fingertips. “Trust me,” he growled right back at her. “I’m not going to have a problem.” His canines were stretching, sharpening up, even as his cheeks seemed to hollow out.

Oh, perfect. She’d hitchhiked with a shifter. “Coyote?” she guessed because she’d heard the stories about the coyotes running wild in Mexico. Not pack, not anymore. All free, all fighting for survival of the fittest, and all vicious.

His grin widened. Not a friendly grin anymore, not even close. “I’ll be real careful . . .” He leaned forward and his claws slid down her arms. “Not to cut you, too much.”

Wasn’t that gentlemanly of him? Seline took a deep breath and fought to control her racing heartbeat. She might not like what she was, but she still knew how to use her strength to protect herself.

Instead of trying to push away from him, she let her body relax as she leaned forward. “Do you know what I am?” she whispered, and used the last of her sensual energy to entice him to her.

She saw his eyes widen. He licked his lips and inhaled deeply. “You smell like f**king sin.”

Because that’s what she was. Seline didn’t flinch. “I enjoy men like you,” she whispered, and let her fingers rise to his chest. She kept her eyes open and on his—the better to hypnotize. That’s what her kind did, kind of like a cobra with its prey. You lock stares and you don’t let go—not until you strike. His heart thundered beneath her hand. “Men who are strong and dangerous.”