Cynthia Eden - Once Bitten, Twice Burned

Ryder’s gaze jumped to Sabine. She’d hidden the stake behind her back.

The tears of a phoenix.

“I made my army,” Malcolm said, as he looked up to smirk at Ryder. “One victim at a time. I controlled the humans. Even from inside my prison at Genesis, I sent the humans out to find vampires who would aid me.”

Vamps who would be willing to turn on me. Ryder stared back at his brother and didn’t allow any emotion to show on his face.

“When my army was strong enough, when I knew Genesis had you, ” Malcolm continued, “I escaped.”

By acting like a victim. By using Cassie.

He hadn’t realized his brother was such a damn good actor.

“I’ve been wanting to taste you for a while,” Malcolm muttered as his mouth lowered near Cassie’s throat once more. “There were always too many cameras on us. Too many watching you so closely.”

Ryder saw Cassie’s eyes. The fear faded and gave way to . . . satisfaction? But when Cassie spoke, her voice trembled. “Don’t,” she said. “Please.”

Maybe his brother wasn’t the only good actor in the room.

Malcolm sank his fangs into her throat.

Sabine screamed and ran forward, with her stake clutched tightly in her hands. “Leave her alone! No more! No more! ”

But Ryder grabbed Sabine around the waist and hauled her back. He held her against his chest.

She didn’t need to save Cassie. Malcolm was already shoving the doctor away and trying to spit out her blood.

His claws retracted. His mouthful of fangs vanished.

“Surprise, surprise,” Cassie said, her voice sad. “I’m not what you thought, either, bastard.”

Malcolm stared at her with horror blazing in his eyes. Blood dripped from his chin.

And then he fell to the floor, his body frozen, apparently stone-cold dead.

Ryder’s hands were like steel bands around Sabine’s stomach. Her neck ached and fury clawed at her gut.

And Malcolm was dead?

“You’re like Richard Wyatt.” Ryder’s voice came out, low and deadly, from behind her.

Cassie gave them a sad smile, even as her gaze dipped back to Malcolm’s still figure. “No, Richard’s blood contained a diluted poison. Mine is much more potent, as you can see.”

Poison? In the woman’s blood? What the hell was going on there?

Sabine tried to pull free. Ryder just held her tighter.

“I made sure that Malcolm never got my blood while we were in Genesis.” Now Cassie’s voice sounded sad. “Because I thought I could help him. I knew if he tasted so much as a sip . . .”

“He’d be dead,” Ryder finished.

She nodded slowly and said, “I wanted to save him. Genesis had already hurt so many, killed them.” Her chin lifted. “I’m truly trying to make amends.”

Yeah, well, good luck with that. Sabine stilled in Ryder’s arms. “Some things can never be fixed.”

Cassie’s stare turned to Sabine. The woman’s eyes were green. A familiar green. The same shade as Richard Wyatt’s eyes. “No,” Cassie sighed out the word. “They can’t.”

Ryder slowly eased his hold on Sabine.

“I was created as a weapon,” Cassie told them, turning her back on Malcolm. “A way to stop the vamps. With the right serums, human blood can become toxic to vampires. Just one sip, and it’s a real killer drink.”

Sabine put her hand on Ryder’s chest and shoved him back. She didn’t want the guy anywhere near Cassie’s blood.

Wait, come to think of it . . . I don’t want to be near her blood, either. So Sabine backed up a few steps, too.

She just wanted to get the hell away from Cassie. Only, if the woman was a walking vampire death kit, could they just let Cassie leave that place?

“My . . . boy . . .” The broken sob had Sabine glancing over at Keith. He was on his feet and looking about ten years older. Malcolm’s hold on the guy was gone, and now Keith was blinking and staring at Vaughn’s snarling figure in horror. “We can’t . . . fix him?”

“Not without phoenix blood,” Cassie said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

There was another phoenix in town. Sabine compressed her lips, knowing that if she mentioned Dante, he’d be hunted. But if she didn’t tell Cassie and Keith about Dante, then Vaughn’s life would be over.

What loyalty did she owe to Dante? He’d tried to kill her before. Multiple times.

So she could easily offer him up here. Right?

The scent of smoke teased her nose.

“Why the hell not?” Ryder muttered as his body tensed. “Everyone else is here. Figures he’d join the party, too.”

Then the door burst in. Sabine realized that she wouldn’t have to reveal Dante’s presence in the city. The phoenix had just stalked inside. Fire burned in his eyes. He stared at them all with fury. And flames burned above his hand.

He lifted his hand and aimed the flames right at Cassie. “You.”

The flames tore from his fingers and flew toward her.

Cassie screamed and lifted her hands.

Sabine moved before she realized what she was doing. She jumped in front of Cassie and the flames hit her in the chest.

“No!” Ryder yelled.

Sabine fell to the floor and rolled. Her clothes were smoking, but—but the fire hadn’t injured her.

Cassie was there, trying to slap at the flames on Sabine’s body. She gasped and glanced up at Sabine. “No burns.” A shocked whisper.

So the fire hadn’t burned her. Big deal. “You’re welcome,” Sabine mumbled as she jerked her head to the right to find Dante and Ryder fighting it out. Flames and claws and fury.

“He wasn’t aiming at either of you,” the low voice whispered from behind Sabine and Cassie. “I think that fire was meant for me.”

Even as fear pulsed through her veins, Sabine spun around.

And she felt a sharp, hard thrust in her chest.

Sabine looked into Malcolm’s eyes. Eyes that were very much aware, and then her gaze fell to the chunk of wood that had been shoved into her chest.

Blood pumped out of her.

“No!” Cassie yelled.

Malcolm swiped out with his claws and sliced right across Cassie’s throat. Her yell choked off. Blood sprayed. In the next instant, Cassie was tossed across the room.

“Told you all,” Malcolm growled, “it takes more to kill me.”

Sabine’s fingers were fumbling with the stake. Attempting to wrench it out of her. But . . . her fingers felt numb. Uncoordinated. She couldn’t seem to grab hold of the wood. And she was falling, slumping, hitting the hard floor.

She tried to keep her eyes open. They wanted to sag. She wanted to sleep.

No, not sleep.

Die.

“Sabine?”

Ryder was there. Crouching over her. Ignoring the threat right behind him. Didn’t he see Malcolm? He couldn’t turn his back on that bastard. Malcolm was evil. Twisted.

Unstoppable?

“You’re going to be all right,” Ryder said.

She hadn’t realized he was such a liar.

He pulled out the stake. The fast removal hurt, and she moaned.

And more blood gushed from her.

Ryder put his bleeding wrist over her mouth. Tried to give her his blood.

But she couldn’t take it. She was too cold. Her body . . . She couldn’t even drink.

It was just like before. Her body had shut down, and she was trapped, screaming on the inside but making no sound for anyone else to hear.

Just like before . . . the first time she’d met Ryder. She’d lost her blood and been so cold, just like this.

Malcolm drove his claws into Ryder’s back. Ryder didn’t let her go. He had to let her go. He had to fight his brother.