Once Bitten, Twice Burned

And Sabine’s flames were growing. She’d kill all the humans there, if he didn’t stop her.

Ryder straightened his shoulders. Took a step toward the flames. They wouldn’t burn him. They hadn’t before.

But even if the flames did burn, wasn’t she worth the pain? Wasn’t she worth everything?

The flames licked around his feet. Rose over his legs. Burned his clothing.

Didn’t touch his skin.

“Sabine.”

Her head whipped toward him. He saw the fire in her eyes. Fire, but no recognition.

“Pull it back, Sabine, before you hurt the humans.”

She smiled.

The flames grew higher.

She was so f**king beautiful—and the deadliest thing he’d ever seen in his very long life.

“You don’t want to hurt them,” he said, closing in on her. Her flames were orange and gold. Big. Bright. “You don’t want—”

She lifted her hands and held them, palms out, toward him. “Stay back.”

No. “Do you know me?”

Sabine shook her head.

“I know you,” he whispered as he kept advancing. “This isn’t what you want. You don’t want to kill.”

But her smile said otherwise. “I like the fire. I want to burn. Destroy.”

She turned her head. Keith was struggling to open the cage. Fumbling with keys. Sabine frowned and sent fire racing toward the cage. Vaughn screamed when the fire licked over his arm.

“I only know the flames,” she whispered. Her voice was husky. Deeper than before. Flowing with power. Darkness. In her eyes, he saw rage and pain and fear.

And he remembered another time. The first time she’d burned before him. “I thought you’d died then, too,” he said.

Malcolm rose to his feet. A gaping hole filled his chest. He’d dug the bullet out of his heart. Now Malcolm was coming for him again.

“One of us is dying, brother!” Malcolm swore as he charged at Ryder. “One of us is—”

Sabine put her hand on Malcolm’s chest. He howled in pain and . . . he burned.

Quickly, too quickly. He fell to the ground, tried to roll to put out the fire, but the flames wouldn’t die.

Instead, he died. In mere moments.

Then there was only . . . ash left.

There’d be no returning from that.

Sabine lifted her hand and asked Ryder, “Are you ready to die, too?”

He shook his head. “You can’t kill me.” Malcolm was truly dead now. Rest in peace, brother. Finally. Maybe there would finally be some peace for him on the other side.

Or maybe there would only be more fire.

“I can kill anyone.” She had flames at her fingertips. “I can burn you, from the inside out.”

“Pull it back,” he told her, keeping his voice calm with every ounce of his strength.

For an instant, her expression flickered.

Did she remember? Another time, another place, but he’d spoken those exact words to her before.

The fire died above her hand. She touched her temple. Rubbed it. “Destroy. Burn. It’s what the fire whispers to me.”

He had to get Sabine to ignore that insidious whisper. He had to make her remember. So he told her the same thing he’d told her the first time she’d risen for him. Ryder lifted his hand to her and said, “I thought you were dead.”

Her lips moved. She looked scared, lost. “I was.” Then she shook her head. “Who are you?”

“Ryder.” And he closed the last of the space between them.

She raised her hands again, as if to ward him off, but the fire didn’t burn from her palms. Not now. “Stay away from me!” Sabine shouted.

“Never,” he whispered.

Sabine slammed her palms against her head. “Hurts . . . burn . . .” Her eyes locked on his. “What is happening to me?”

She’d asked him that before. When she’d burned in his cell and returned to him. Now he just told her, “You’re coming back to me.”

Flames were on the ceiling. All around them.

He didn’t risk a glance at the humans. But from the corner of his eye, he saw Dante running from the room. With . . . Cassie cradled in his arms?

But Vaughn and Keith would still be trapped. Sabine’s fire was raging out of control. If he didn’t stop it, how many would die? How many humans were in the building? Would the fire spread to the rest of the block?

To the whole city?

Her power was limitless, he saw that now. Everyone else needed to fear her.

But he . . . he just loved her. Ryder reached for her hands. “Sabine.”