Her head snapped to the left. Keenan was crouched next to Max, and the angel had a knife in his hand. Where had Keenan gotten that? And he’d just sliced the vamp.

“It’s blood loss, right?” Keenan asked in that same quiet, calm voice he’d used when he told her that she was bleeding. A really creepy voice. “That’ll kill a vamp every time.” He lifted the knife to Max’s throat. “You could bleed to death slowly … or else I could just take your head.” The blade cut Max’s skin.

“No!”

Nicole didn’t move. “Keenan …”

“You never answered my question, Max.”

The shouts from outside grew louder. More vamps were creeping toward the door. She glanced down at the weapon she still held. How many more bullets were in the gun? How many vamps could she hold back?

“Tell me what you’ve got that will take out a level-ten demon.”

That was what Keenan still wanted to know? Her gaze whipped back up. “Tell him,” she snapped, her heart racing. Oh, they needed to get out of there. Fast.

Another vamp tried to come through the doorway. Nicole fired. Missed him.

Laughter teased her ears.

“You’re just …” Connor rasped. “Makin’ ’em … hungrier…” His red hand pressed to his chest once more. He offered his twisted grin. “Missed my … heart.”

Because she’d planned to. Once, he’d helped her to push away the misery and hate that had nearly consumed her. “I owed you.” Was there a price for pleasure? “I don’t anymore. You come at me or at Keenan and I’ll—” What? Could she really kill him?

Connor’s gaze held hers. “You never had the killer instinct, did you?”

“What will take out the demons?” Keenan demanded.

“N … nothin’ …”

The blade dug deeper. More blood flowed. Nicole’s hand was sweating around the gun. “Weapons like this …” She lifted her gun. “They aren’t supposed to work against the stronger demons.”

“Nothin’ made by man …” This came from Connor. His eyes had slipped closed. He’d lost a lot of blood, but she knew he’d gulp more down at the first opportunity. The man loved his blood.

He was right, though. The stories said that no weapons made by man could kill those all-powerful level tens.

If one came after you, then you were pretty much screwed.

But why would a level ten want her?

You’re the key.

To a very broken lock.

“If you can’t help me,” Keenan gritted, “then you’re no good to me.” Blood poured down the bright edge of the knife.

What was he doing? He shouldn’t kill. He was an—

“Angel!” Max’s choked gasp froze them all.

Keenan leaned in close. “What about angels?”

“Angel’s … Dust …”

The knife lifted a bit. The blood still flowed.

“Heard …” Max licked his lips. “Heard talk there was a voodoo priestess in LA—she mixed angel’s blood with some herbs—m-made the Dust.” He was talking fast now. “It’s poison to demons. Even the badasses …”

“You don’t have any of that Dust here?” Keenan wanted to know.

“No.” A rough laugh. “Takes a lot of their blood … to make it … And I ain’t seen no f**kin’ angels to kill.”

The knife trembled over Max’s throat. She knew just how badly Keenan wanted to do some killing of his own then.

She hurried to him and brushed her left hand over his arm. “We need to get out of here.”

Keenan nodded and rose, his body stone hard.

Nicole looked at the door. Vamps stood there. Smiling, waiting. They’d have to fight their way out. Pity she wasn’t a very good fighter.

“You shouldn’t turn on your kind,” the blond woman in front of the pack said, her teeth stained red. “Not very loyal.”

Nicole forced a shrug. “Guess I’m just not the loyal type—”

Fire exploded. A red-hot ball of flames flew right at the blonde and the other waiting vamps. They screamed and ran, fighting each other in their fury to escape from the fire.

A fire that had come from nowhere.

No, not nowhere. Keenan’s hand was up and his fingers pointed right at the fire. Wisps of smoke surrounded his hand. The smoke curled over him and seemed to hold him tight.

Because the fire had come from him.