Once Bitten, Twice Burned(39)

One, two, three, four, five.

Ryder yanked his hand back.

No burns. No blisters. No marks at all. In disbelief, he stared at his unmarred fingers.

Sabine. Just what had his lovely phoenix done to him?



When the flames finally died away, she found herself strapped to a hard, metal table. No, not strapped. She twisted her head. The bindings holding her down were made of metal, too.

Her body was naked.

She felt both hot, a churning from inside of her, and ice-cold, a chill that came from outside of her body. Goose bumps covered her arms.

Static crackled. The sound made her head ache. Her gaze flew up—far, far up. At least twenty feet above her head, she saw a big, bright light.

Just that light.

“The fire lasted much longer that time, Sabine,” a cool, calm voice told her. “You must be getting stronger.”

Sabine? Who the hell was Sabine?

“Rest for a while. There have been some . . . developments.” The voice seemed to echo in the room. “We may even have a job for you soon.”

Why had they restrained her? “Where am I?”

A sigh slipped into the room. Not her sigh. A sigh that came from the voice. She’s female, just like me.

“You always have the same questions, Sabine.” Now there was a hint of annoyance in the voice. Impatience. “Rest.” An order. “The next test will be different.”

A test?

“We’ll find out if you truly are getting stronger with each rising. The fittest will survive.”

The fittest what?

But the static crackled again. Then . . . silence.

“H-hello?” she cried out.

No answer.

She twisted beneath her bonds. Pulled and yanked. Her left wrist cut open when the metal tore into it.

The scent of blood teased her nose.

He likes the blood.

She stilled.

And remembered.

I am Sabine. She thought of the cold woman’s voice. Of hell and pain.

I am Sabine.

She stared up at the light. Remembered screams and death. A nightmare that wouldn’t end. And that voice . . . that cold voice.

You will die. A promise.

Because her beast was out of the cage, and there would be no going back.



Time passed. The bonds holding her eventually were removed—the woman’s voice told her that they were programmed to release once her body reached a certain core temperature.

Food was brought to her. Pushed through a narrow opening at the bottom of her door. She ate. Barely tasted the bland meal.

She paced her room. Walked the small confines again and again. They’d given her clothes, jeans and a T-shirt and even tennis shoes. Maybe they were trying to make her feel normal now.

Only she wasn’t normal.

The man’s image would whisper through her thoughts every now and then, but she never let her expression alter.

They thought her memories were gone.

You thought wrong.

Because when she’d come back after her last death, her memories had returned completely.

She heard footsteps approaching her cell. After her deaths, her senses had sharpened, too. She could catch the faintest of smells and hear the softest of whispers.

You don’t know what I’ll do to you.

She didn’t let her smile break free. Sabine stilled and waited.

The door opened. Sabine didn’t rush for the door. She didn’t do anything. They thought they’d trained her. Broken her.

They were wrong.

A woman walked inside. A woman with sleek red hair that was twisted up on her head. She wore a lab coat, carried a clipboard, looked perfect and pretty.

But she was rotten inside. Sabine could smell that, too.

Guards flanked the woman, and, big surprise, they had guns trained on Sabine.

“I-it’s time for a test.” The woman’s voice trembled. It had never trembled before.

Sabine lifted a brow. Are you afraid to be in here with me? You should be.

The woman—she smelled of antiseptic, blood, and fear—locked her gaze on Sabine. “I can give you freedom.”

Her words were not what Sabine had expected.

“There’s a monster out there. A dangerous, vicious beast. He has to be stopped.”

Sabine was already looking at a dangerous, vicious beast. Just one that wore the skin of a human.

“He’s like you,” the lady told her. Then her jaw dropped as she seemed to realize what she’d said.

’Cause, yes, calling me a dangerous, vicious beast will make me want to help you.

“Why aren’t you talking?” the woman demanded. She seemed unnerved by Sabine’s stare. Good. The redhead’s brows shot up. “Can you talk?”

“Yes.” She just didn’t want to waste words on the bitch.

The redhead sighed, as if in relief. “Our facility has been breached.”

Was that why the lady was sweating?

He’s coming for me. The thought had Sabine’s heart squeezing. Ryder had given her a promise. Freedom was close. Close enough to taste.