Once Bitten, Twice Burned (Phoenix Fire 2)

“W-was?” Her lips trembled. Grief flashed in her eyes.

He offered her a cold smile. “Guess you didn’t watch that part on the security footage, huh? Go upstairs. See him for yourself.”

She turned and fled. Still moving too damn fast.

But he didn’t care about her. He only cared about Sabine. He looked back at her. Im-fucking-possible, because he’d never seen a vamp heal so quickly, but her wounds had already closed. Her cheeks were pink.

The third time had been the charm. She was locked with him now. Tied—body, blood, and soul.

He wasn’t ever going to let her go. He didn’t think that he could. Ryder’s need for her had grown too strong.

As he stared at her, Sabine’s eyelashes flickered.

“Look at me, love,” he whispered as he leaned over her. “Let me make sure you’re still with me.”

Her mouth pulled away from his wrist. He didn’t even glance at the wound. Her lashes lifted, and her dark eyes stared back at him.

No fire was in that gaze.

Just a darkness that seemed to see into his soul. The dark had never looked so warm or beautiful.

“Ryder?” She whispered his name. “What—where are we?” Then her eyes widened as she jerked upright. Her hand flew to her stomach. “He—he gutted me!”

Ryder wrapped his arms around her. Pulled her close to his chest. “You’re safe.”

But she shook against him. “I know this place . . . they used to experiment on me here.”

Fuck that. He lifted her into his arms. “We’re getting the hell out of here. No one is ever going to experiment on you again. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” A vow.

Her hands curled around his neck. “I feel . . . strange.”

Because her body was transitioning. He’d heard of a few shifters being transformed over the years. Once they’d become vampires, they’d never been able to call up their beasts again.

Some said vampirism was a virus. An infection that spread with the exchange of blood. Humans were easily infected. Other paranormals just weren’t as susceptible to the virus.

“You’ve lost a lot of blood,” he told her, not wanting to explain what he’d done. Not then. “But you’ll be okay.”

Her head rested over his heart. “The fire was coming for me, but you stopped it.”

His hold on her tightened.

“Thank you.”

After all that had happened, the last thing she needed to do was thank him. When she realized that she was a vamp, Ryder knew she wouldn’t exactly be thrilled.

Not when Sabine just wanted her human life back. How many times had she told him that she just wanted to go home?

He didn’t speak as he carried her from the room. There was a thick blood trail in the hall. As if someone’s bleeding body had been dragged away. There was also no sign of Vivian.

Growls and shouts could still be heard coming from the building. Smoke drifted in the air, and the crackle of flames grew louder.

Maybe the other phoenix had decided to burn this place to the ground. It seemed a fitting retribution.

Ryder held tight to Sabine and made his way from the wreckage and the hell. No one stopped him. No guards appeared with their guns. The guards who hadn’t died had all run by now. And the paranormals left knew better than to f**k with him. Especially when he had his mate in his arms.

She is mine. To him, the truth was undeniable. Always.

Now, he just had to make Sabine realize that she needed him, too.

The vampire came at her, with his deadly claws and his too-sharp teeth. Vivian screamed, but there was no one to help her. No one to care.

When he opened his mouth and gave a guttural cry, she saw the vamp’s teeth—every tooth was razor-sharp. Not just his canines. Every. Single. One.

She kicked and she punched, but he just held her with hands that bruised and knife-like claws that cut.

Vivian knew what he was. He was one of the freaks. One of the “bad experiments” that should never have seen the light of day. Wyatt had told her that most of the primal vampires had died in a recent fire, but this one—

“We wanted to help you!” she yelled. Not we, but Wyatt. He had wanted to help them . . .

The primal vampire’s teeth sank into her throat.

The pain made her body jerk and shudder. She was going to die. She knew it. Her body could only survive for so long. She wasn’t a vampire. Not a shifter. She just—

The vampire fell away from her, choking.

Vivian’s hand went to her throat. Her blood trickled down her neck.

The vampire’s face had twisted. He had his hands on his stomach, and he was the one screaming then. In agony.

Her breath rushed out. It had worked. Wyatt had told her . . . he’d said his blood was poison to the primal vampires. He’d said—

She lifted her hand. Stared at the bright red blood on her fingertips. I’m poison, too.

Wyatt had never appreciated the power that he possessed. She’d watched him. Seen so much.

He didn’t die from gunshot wounds. Could move so quickly. Was so strong.

She’d found the records on his experiments. She hadn’t been able to duplicate them perfectly, but she’d come pretty close with her own formula.

A tightness filled her chest. The gunshot wound was finally closing.

Vivian stared at the drops of blood on her fingers. It looked like she had gotten closer to that duplication than she’d realized.

She laughed then because she was going to survive. The vampires couldn’t hurt her. With her new power, no one could hurt—

The primal vampire grabbed her and wrapped his hands around her throat. Vivian struggled to suck in air. She couldn’t breathe, she—

The vampire burned in front of her. Firing up instantly, then turning to ash. The ash drifted over her as she screamed.

Then she realized that death was before her.

The Immortal. She’d never been allowed to get close to him, no one had, because the man had been deemed so dangerous, but she’d seen his picture before.

He stood before her, just a foot away. His eyes burned with flames. His skin was burnished a deep gold. His hair was pitch-black. He watched her. He smiled. He lifted his hand to her—

“No!” Vivian yelled.

“Why?” He seemed curious. “You enjoyed giving death to others.”

She shook her head, frantic. She tried to back away, but the wall was behind her. “Y-you shouldn’t be out!” They’d had him locked up so tight. No escape.

He shrugged. His gaze fell to her chest. No, to her healing gunshot wound. “And you should be dead. Been experimenting on yourself, hmm?” He lifted a brow. His hand was still between them. “I guess you’ll only have yourself to blame for what’s coming.”