They hauled ass getting her out the door. Wyatt was on her heels, more guards rushing behind him.
And the redhead who’d taken Ryder’s blood—
She managed to turn her head and lock her gaze on him.
The redhead didn’t make it out.
The metal door closed on his scream.
Lethargy pulled at Sabine’s body, but she forced her eyes to stay open. They’d just hit her with one tranq this time, surely she could fight this.
Her head sagged forward. Or not. Dammit.
She hated to be so weak.
The guards began to haul her away.
“No!” Wyatt suddenly snapped. “She needs to see this.”
She tried to slap at them, but her hands just fluttered in the air like useless birds. Then she was in another room, one with dim lights and lots of computers and machines.
“Look at him,” Wyatt ordered as he took hold of her chin and forced her head back up.
Sabine blinked and stared straight ahead. At Ryder. She was looking through the two-way mirror.
Ryder was in his cell, and the redheaded man was in front of him. Ryder had one hand on the man’s throat. It looked like the redhead was begging.
“See what he is?” Wyatt demanded, his fingers pressing hard into her chin. “Do you see why he can’t be free?”
Ryder’s eyes narrowed. Uh-oh. Could he hear them? It sure looked like he had. Wyatt hadn’t even been speaking into the microphone, but Sabine was certain Ryder had heard the scientist’s words. Enhanced vamp hearing. Very enhanced.
“Open the cell door!” Ryder roared. “Or you can watch as I rip his throat open.”
The guards holding her shifted nervously.
Wyatt stepped away from her and bent over the small microphone. “You can’t be set free,” Wyatt said, voice snapping. “You’re far too dangerous. By keeping you here, we keep the humans in the world safe.”
Ryder sank his teeth into the redhead’s throat. The guy screamed and tried to fight, but he was no match for Ryder.
“We-we can’t just let him die,” the guard to her right muttered. He was sweating. She could almost smell his fear.
“That’s Jim Thomas—he’s got a wife,” another guard muttered. “A baby coming.”
Wyatt stared straight through the glass. With a supreme effort, Sabine managed to keep her gaze open and on Ryder.
Ryder’s head lifted. Blood dripped from his mouth. “Next time, it won’t be just a bite. I’ll rip his whole throat open.”
She knew his threat was real. So did the guards.
“That vampire’s too dangerous,” one said, the sweaty one on her right. “He needs to be put down.”
Wyatt’s head jerked toward them. “That would be a waste, Donaldson.”
“He’s killed our men!” Donaldson fired back as his fingers dug into Sabine’s arm. “He’s about to kill Jim! He can’t be controlled.”
“Of course he can.” Wyatt sounded annoyed, as if he were talking to a small child. His mouth was still close to the microphone as he said, “Just take out your gun and put it to her head.”
Nausea rolled through Sabine. The guard hesitated.
“Do you want to watch Jim Thomas die?” Wyatt pushed.
The guard lifted his gun. The barrel pressed into Sabine’s temple.
“Good,” Wyatt murmured. His gaze darted back to the observation window.
Ryder had frozen. He knew exactly what was happening in that observation room.
“If you don’t let the doctor go, then Donaldson will put a bullet into Sabine’s brain.”
Ryder’s claws—he had claws bursting from his fingertips—dug into the doctor’s throat. “So what? You shoot her, she burns, then she comes back.”
Wyatt actually smiled at that response. “Yes, but we both know the death hurts, don’t we? Do you want her to suffer, vampire?”
Ryder didn’t speak.
If Sabine had been able to do so, she would have shouted, I don’t want to suffer!
“Perhaps you do.” From Wyatt. Considering. “Perhaps you enjoy her pain.” Wyatt waved his hand toward Donaldson. “Go ahead, shoot her.”
Donaldson hesitated. Sabine tried to fight the nausea and the lethargy and the heart-numbing fear. “D-don’t,” she managed to gasp. “I have . . . family . . . too.”
Donaldson’s blue gaze cut to the glass. To Ryder.
“Do it!” Wyatt barked.
Donaldson looked back at her. “You aren’t human.” He said the words as if he were trying to convince himself. His finger began to squeeze the trigger.
Jim Thomas flew into the two-way glass. Ryder had tossed the doctor straight at them.
“Take the gun fucking away from her head,” Ryder snarled.