Once Bitten, Twice Burned

He’d nearly ripped down the mountain trying to find her.

As it was, he yanked back his captive and kicked in the “private” door. The door flew off its hinges.

“What the—” a man’s snarling voice began. The blond. The guy had a cracked baseball bat gripped in his hand. He came up swinging.

Ryder caught the bat in his right hand. “You need a better weapon.” He shattered the wood.

Then heard the faintest click behind him. A safety, being released. Yes, he knew the sound.

“You shouldn’t have turned your back on me,” his ex-captive said. “Man, you’re gonna pay for that one.”

“Vaughn!” Sabine’s frantic cry. “Don’t shoot him!”

Huh. It sounded like she cared.

“I’m not shooting him, yet.” Now the guy’s voice was cocky. “Douglas, patch up the door before anyone sees what the hell we’re doing.”

The redhead ran forward and used his body to shove the door back into semi-place.

Ryder ignored the redhead. He only focused on the one person who mattered in the room.

“Stop it,” the blond snarled as he took a protective step in front of Sabine. “Stop looking at my sister like you want to f**kin’ eat her.”

It was too fitting. Ryder smiled and knew that his fangs would flash.

It was the wrong move, of course, because the trigger-happy human with the gun shot him.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Ryder didn’t flinch when the bullet tore into his chest. The bullet hurt like a bitch, but after his time at Genesis, he’d rather gotten used to pain.

“You missed my heart,” Ryder muttered. Then he lunged for the shooter. His hand wrapped around the guy’s throat. One snap. Just one. And he’d have a dead human.

“Let him go, Ryder!”

He’d missed the way Sabine said his name. Okay, not the way she screamed it—the way she just had—but the way she whispered it. Sighed it.

He kept his hold on the human. “Others heard the shot.” Even the drunks in the bar wouldn’t be oblivious to a gunshot. His gaze swept to the redhead. “Make sure no one else comes in this room, or I’ll tear off your friend’s head.”

The guy’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he nodded and made his way out of the room. Then he put the door back in place behind him.

“Now . . .” Ryder sighed as he felt the blood soak his shirt. “I’m going to need some blood.” He glanced over at Sabine. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. So beautiful that he ached just looking at her.

Mine.

“Do you want to volunteer, love?” Ryder asked her softly as his gaze dipped to the elegant column of her throat. “Or shall I take a bite out of your friend?”

“You’re not supposed to attack humans!” This came from the guy in the back, a thin, wiry fellow with a curly mop of black hair. “You’re supposed to drink fr-from bags or get volunteers—”

“I’ll volunteer, Louis,” Sabine said, cutting through the man’s words. Her gaze was on Ryder. “But you have to promise me that you won’t hurt any of my friends.”

She had too many male friends. They were annoying.

The blond was still doing guard duty near her, but Ryder now knew that, yes, that was the brother. A brother with a whole lot of fury boiling beneath his surface. Good thing the guy wasn’t a phoenix. With that much rage, he would have set the whole place on fire.

“Ryder?” Sabine pushed.

He shrugged and released the human. “I’m not here for them.” He knew she would understand. I’m here for you. He let his nails sharpen to claws, and he shoved those claws into his chest.

“Oh, the hell, no,” her brother barked. “You don’t do that kind of crazy shit in my bar!”

Uh, yeah, he just had done that. He tossed the bullet he’d retrieved onto the floor. He wiped the blood on his jeans and offered Sabine his hand.

There were streaks of blood on his fingers. Fitting. Until he died—an event that might never occur—he’d always have blood on his hands.

Sabine crept closer to him. Her scent reached him. Wrapped around him. He dropped his hand before his blood could touch her. She stared up at him. “I thought you’d let me go.” Her words were quiet. A little lost.

Never. “And I thought that Genesis had gotten you again. You . . . scared me, Sabine.” He knew just how valuable she had been to the group. Despite the stories that the media was circulating, Ryder didn’t buy that Genesis was dead. Not by a long shot.