Once Bitten, Twice Burned(88)

“Ryder is obsessed with her.” Obviously. The vamp could barely keep his fangs off her. “That buys us time.”

A faint smile curved Julia’s full lips. “Yes, it does. I’ll get all the others, and we’ll do it—we’ll kill him.” Her face didn’t look so soft or so sweet as she said, “Let’s see how he likes it when all of his power is ripped away. When he becomes just like the rest of us.”





CHAPTER SIXTEEN




They’d made it to the couch. Lost the rest of their clothes. Her body was so sated that she never wanted to move, and Sabine could admit, she rather enjoyed the way Ryder’s arms felt around her.

“What’s going to happen?” Sabine asked him because she couldn’t help herself. “Is there any way out for us?”

Frowning, he raised his head to look down at her. His fingers skimmed up her arm. “We’re going to kill our enemies.” Said with perfect certainty. “Make them beg for death. Then we’re going to walk away.”

Her lips had curled into a smile at first, then she realized he was dead serious. “Uh, I haven’t exactly ever made anyone beg for death.” Her smile dipped down. “Genesis . . . that lady there tried to turn me into a weapon, but I couldn’t even carry out one job. The werewolf . . .” Her fingers rose to her stomach. The wounds were gone, but the memory would always be there to terrify her. “He just ripped me open.”

Ryder shifted their positions, moving so that she lay beneath him on the couch. Then he slid down, pushing between her legs. His mouth lowered over her stomach, and he pressed a light kiss to the skin there. “You scared the hell out of me then.”

She stared at his bent head. To be so fierce, he had his tender moments. She’d never felt more cherished in her whole life than she did in that moment.

She could feel his arousal, but he wasn’t pushing her. He was just . . . kissing a wound that wasn’t there. And his kisses were making it all better, well, almost all better.

“I would have just burned,” she said, and her fingers brushed through his hair. “Even if your blood hadn’t turned me, I would have come back.”

His head lifted. “You were terrified. You didn’t want to die.” His jaw locked. “So I didn’t let you.”

His words sent a whisper of cold blowing around her heart. “You can’t always stop death.”

“I can try.”

She swallowed. Trying and succeeding were two very different things. “What happened to the werewolf?” She hadn’t cared to ask before. Sabine had just been glad to get away from the beast.

“Why? Do you want me to kill him for you?” Said so simply.

Sabine couldn’t speak.

“He wasn’t always like that,” Ryder said. His fingers brushed lightly over her stomach. “Wyatt experimented on him, too. Pushed his beast into taking over. I’m not even sure that any part of the man is left within him now.”

“Is he loose?” she asked, as her heartbeat kicked up and she finally found words.

Ryder nodded. “Him . . . and dozens of other monsters that Wyatt played God with in his labs.”

Other monsters . . . like the primal vampires.

“Do you want me to kill him?” Ryder asked again. “Because I can hunt him. I can—”

Sabine put her fingers to his lips. Part of her wanted to kill the wolf herself. A very, very big part. But another part of her had recognized the animal in him. An animal that had been in such horrible pain. She’d looked into his eyes. Seen rage and hate and fear. He hadn’t been trying to kill her. She’d been in his way. But . . .

“We deal with the immediate threats,” Sabine said, because they had to create a plan. “Then we’ll start dealing with Wyatt’s mess.” Someone would have to clean up after him.

Why not them?

Clearing her throat, she said, “W-we can’t hide here forever.” Our enemies will find us sooner or later.

He blinked at her. “I’m not hiding. I hide from no one.”

Now she did smile. “Of course you don’t. We came here because—”

“Because you needed to remember your life. Who you are on the inside hasn’t changed.”

Her smile faded.

“You’re still the girl who fished with her father. Still the girl who jumped from the pier. The girl in all those pictures that line the walls.” His gaze searched hers. “And you’re also the woman that I fucked so well here all morning.”

Okay, now that sent a ripple of surprise through her.

“You’re not some monster. You’re still you. And, Sabine, that’s—” He broke off as his head jerked up. Then his gaze flew to the door.