It had burned away everything.
“Start again with me,” he said. I can do this right. “You have the memories, but this time, I swear, I can make things better.”
Her smile widened as she shook her head.
“Please,” he whispered, when he’d never begged anyone or anything.
“I don’t want to start over.”
They left the ash and blood and smoldering fire behind. Rhett and Keith and Cassie came after them, pulling out Vaughn’s body.
There was no sign of Dante.
Ryder took Sabine outside, where she could breathe the fresh air. Hear the sights and smell the scents of the city she loved so much.
He didn’t know if she was back to being a full phoenix or if part of her remained a vampire. And, really, he didn’t care what she was. He loved her. That was all that mattered.
“What do you want?” he asked her.
Her lips stretched into a smile. “I want to be with you.”
She probably deserved better. No, she damn well deserved better, but he’d kill any man or supernatural who ever tried to take her from him.
So Sabine was pretty much stuck with him.
If she wanted to leave me, could I let her go?
It was a dark thought, and one he didn’t want to examine too deeply. He needed her so much. Too much? Maybe he wasn’t what she—
Sabine’s soft laughter stopped him. “You just faced me and my fire, so why worry now? Don’t you realize, vampire, you’re all that I want? The only man who can get through the flames and get to me?” She pulled his head down toward her. “I want to go where you go. I want to be with you.”
And the only place he wanted to go? Wherever the hell she was.
If she wanted to stay in New Orleans, he’d make the city safe for her. If she wanted to f**king fly to Paris, he’d buy her a jet. He’d do anything for her. Risk anything.
Give anything.
His forehead pressed against hers. “Don’t ever die on me again.” Because he’d wanted to cut out his own heart when her eyes had gone blank.
“If I do,” she whispered, “I’ll come back. I swear, I’ll never leave you.”
He believed her. After all, his Sabine had never lied. She’d also never said . . .
“I love you, Ryder.”
He kissed her.
Then heard the disgruntled, “Hell,” that came from Rhett. “Looks like I’ll have a vamp brother-in-law.”
Yes, he would.
Ryder ignored the human. Rhett had managed to shake off his compulsion, just as Ryder suspected he might do. He’d come back to the city, ready to face any enemies.
Ryder could respect him. But even though he had that respect, he wasn’t about to stop kissing Sabine. Because she was all that mattered.
Fire. Blood. Fury.
Life. Death.
Lust.
Love.
She’d given him the world, and he’d spend the rest of his days laying the whole damn world at her feet.
EPILOGUE
Cassie paced down the narrow corridor. The fluorescent lights barely flickered over her head. She’d made the serum from the phoenix’s tears, and the primal cure had actually worked.
The tears from the phoenix were amazing. She’d been able to inject Vaughn Adams, and, while he hadn’t become human again, he’d managed to leash the beast that had been created within him. He could function once more. Could control his ravenous hunger.
He didn’t have a mouthful of fangs. Actually, he only had two fangs now. Just like any other vampire. His knife-like claws had vanished. His eyes showed sanity, not the delirium of the beast.
And there was enough serum left that she could possibly treat five other primals. If any others were still out there.
The tears had been just what she needed. But a phoenix couldn’t exactly cry on demand. It seemed that only a life-or-death situation could bring forth the tears of a phoenix. The phoenix had to care, had to love.
And had to break before the tears would fall.
Ryder wasn’t about to let his phoenix break again, so Cassie knew there would be no more tears from Sabine. But Sabine had done more than any other before her. She’d shed tears to save Ryder, and the female phoenix must have also cried to save Cassie’s life.
Because Cassie knew that she’d been about to die. She’d felt the cold touch of death sweeping over her. But she’d recovered. Cheated death. All because of a phoenix’s tears.
Thank you, Sabine.
The floor creaked behind her.
Cassie froze.
She should be alone on this level of her lab. She’d been working with a wolf shifter—one who’d been the unfortunate prisoner of Richard Wyatt—but she was making headway with him. He was housed downstairs, but that creak . . .
It came from steps behind me.
Slowly, she turned around. In the shadows at the end of the hall, she could just make out the tall, dark form of a man.
And she could see his eyes. Glowing, burning with flames.
Her heart slammed into her chest.
Those eyes had haunted her memories. Her nightmares.
“Hello, Cassandra,” his deep, rumbling voice seemed to pour over her, “I’ve missed you.”
Then Dante stepped forward, and Cassandra was pretty sure that her world stopped.
He couldn’t have cried for her. Dante didn’t care about anyone. Not anything.
He couldn’t have.
He was coming for her. Stalking slowly out of the shadows. Cassie didn’t know if she should scream or reach for him.
“Cassie?”
Another voice. Coming from the opposite end of the hall. Cassie whirled around and saw Ryder striding toward her. He’d just come up the stairs. A frown pulled down the handsome lines of his face.
Ryder . . . right . . . he’d said that he would stop by to check on the serum’s progress and on the status of the werewolf. Somehow, Ryder knew the wolf. Seemed to actually want to help him, too.
He’s making amends, just like me.
Ryder glanced over Cassie’s shoulder, then he looked back at her. “Is everything all right?”
What? Of course, things weren’t all right. A phoenix was stalking her, he was—
She looked behind her. The hallway was empty. There weren’t even any shadows there. Just a too-bright fluorescent light.
Cassie shivered.
What was happening to her?
He touched her arm, and she flinched. “S-sorry . . .” A phoenix is haunting me. Wherever I go, I feel like he’s with me. She forced her shoulders to straighten. Cassie cleared her throat. “I need to tell Sabine how much I appreciate all that she’s done.”