Once Bitten, Twice Burned

The primal vampire’s attention shifted to Sabine. He licked his lips. “Want . . . you . . .”

Oh, the hell he did.

They want . . . what you want.

The primal vampire ran for Sabine. Before he could grab her, Ryder slammed into the SOB. “She’s taken.” He drove his fist into the guy’s gut and let his own claws swipe and tear.

The vampire just laughed. His fangs came at Ryder’s throat.

I’m not on the menu.

Ryder slammed his head into the guy’s nose. Bones snapped. Blood gushed.

“Vaughn?” Sabine’s voice. She sounded scared. Ryder glanced over at her. She was on the ground, right next to the human. He was shuddering. Convulsing. She put her hands on his chest, obviously trying to hold him down. Her head snapped up and her frantic gaze found him. “Ryder, I think he’s dying!”

The night couldn’t get any f**king worse.

He focused on the vamp. Then he heard the rumble of tires. The shrill screech of brakes. Footsteps pounded toward them.

Vaughn’s backup.

So it could get worse.

“I can’t stop the blood!” Sabine cried. “It’s too much. He’s dying!”

No, he wouldn’t die. Ryder kept his body between Sabine and the freak who wouldn’t take his eyes off her.

Those teeth . . . humans should have known better than to play God. When you f**ked with nature, nature f**ked back.

The guy in front of him was one giant f**k-up.

“Give her . . . to me.” The primal vampire’s words were a growl. Not normal speech. Too rough. Too gritted. As if speaking were hard for him.

Had Ryder’s blood done this? Or had the primals become this way thanks to the first experiments that Genesis had run on them? Were they already screwed to hell and back, and my blood just made things worse for them? Wyatt had said that three primals received Ryder and Sabine’s blood. Three.

“Give her . . .” the primal vamp growled again.

“Not going to happen.” Ryder sucked in a deep breath as he prepared for the next attack. There were three main ways to kill a vampire. First up . . . fire. No fire here. Second . . . a stake to the heart. No wood. Well, he might be able to rip off part of the fence on the west side of the house, but if he did that, he’d have to leave Sabine. The freak might grab her while Ryder rushed for the weapon. Then the guy would drink from her. No. Not happening.

So that just left him with option number three.

Beheading.

Could he take the vamp’s head, before the guy took his?

Time to find out.

The humans were coming closer. Racing toward them.

Ryder flexed his fingers. His claws were out. This wouldn’t be the first time he’d taken another vampire’s head. Not the first, not the last.

But this guy wasn’t like the others.

The primal vampire stalked toward them. “Taking . . . her.”

No, ass**le, I’m taking your head.

With a growl of his own, Ryder attacked.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Vaughn was choking on his own blood. Sabine stared down at him, terrified. His eyes were wild. So scared and desperate.

And she remembered sitting on the couch with him and Rhett. Watching scary movies. Eating popcorn.

Swimming in the lake.

Laughing while they roasted marshmallows.

How in the hell had things come to be this way?

“You’re going to be okay,” she told him, pressing her fingers against his neck. His blood soaked her hand. The blood wouldn’t stop gushing out. “Hang on, Vaughn, okay? Just hang on.”

They shouldn’t be enemies. They should just be people. Friends.

And her friend was dying right in front of her.

“Four . . . two . . .”

She leaned toward him. “What is it? I can’t understand.”

“One . . . nine . . .”

He was telling her numbers? She shook her head. “Save your strength, okay?” Sabine glanced over her shoulder. Ryder and the other vampire—what was wrong with him? Why did he look that way?—were running toward each other. Both had their claws up. They were yelling and they hit in a thud of bodies. Fists pounded. Claws flew.

The other vampire was going for Ryder’s neck. His claws cut into Ryder’s skin.

“No!” Sabine screamed.

Ryder lunged up, his claws slicing back at his attacker.

Her mouth hung open in shock, and then she had to look away.

Ryder had . . . he’d . . . just taken the vampire’s head off.

Her eyes squeezed shut. That sound, that slush that she’d heard right before the vampire’s head toppled back . . .