Once Bitten, Twice Burned (Phoenix Fire #2)(55)
Author: Cynthia Eden

“Then who?”

He smiled at her. “Let’s find out, love.” He pulled her close. Pressed a quick kiss to her lips. He wanted to take and taste more, but he only allowed himself that little sample of her. “Do me a favor,” he said, voice rasping. “Wait one minute, then scream for me.”

Her brow furrowed. “What?”

“Scream. Loud. As loudly as you can.” He had no doubt that Sabine could be very loud.

Then he slipped away. Finding a perfect vantage point to watch his prey was easy. Vampires weren’t just fast.

He leapt into the air and easily landed on the side of the roof.

They could do things that humans thought were impossible.

He crouched on his perch. Watched. Waited.

Sabine screamed. The woman had some pretty fantastic lungs.

He saw a shadow jerk away from the darkness on the left side of the property. The shadow stumbled forward, racing toward Sabine and her scream.

Do you think she’s weak now? Afraid? That it’s your perfect time to attack?

Think again.

Ryder leapt down and crashed right into the fool who was running for Sabine. They hit the ground, tumbling, and when their bodies stopped rolling, Ryder had his claws at the throat of Vaughn Adams. Ryder could easily see the human in the dark. Not the army buddy he’d sought, but the son. He figured one human was as good as the other.

Vaughn tried to yank up his gun. Ryder broke the man’s hand. This time, Vaughn was the one to scream.

Sabine rushed toward them. “Where’s Rhett?”

Ryder yanked the human to his feet. Vaughn was groaning and trying to cradle his right hand. So weak. So human.

“Where is my brother?” Sabine demanded. She was fierce. Eyes glaring. Hands clenched into fists. Fury clear to read on her face.

Maybe the human couldn’t see all of her rage. He probably could see very little in the dark.

His disadvantage.

Ryder swiped out and let his claws rip open the human’s side. The scent of blood filled the air.

“Stop!” Vaughn screamed. “I don’t know what the hell is happening—stop!”

“He’s lying,” Ryder said, not about to buy the man’s BS. “He was tracking us, hunting us. He started following us the minute we left your father’s house.”

Vaughn stopped his moaning and groaning. His shoulders straightened. His chin lifted. “Damn right, I did. And I called for backup.” He bared his teeth. Really? Was that supposed to be intimidating? A human’s teeth? “You’re surrounded, vampire. There’s no getting away for you this time.”

Ryder tilted his head to the right. Listened. Heard nothing. “Try again.” Now, he bared his teeth. “Or I’ll just end this game and rip open your throat.”

“Ryder.” Sabine’s snapping voice. “Get him to tell us where Rhett is, then you can have your bite.” She grabbed a fistful of Vaughn’s shirt. “Or maybe I’ll have one.” She sounded deadly.

Sexy.

He liked it when she showed her kick-ass side. That side was starting to peek out, more and more.

But Vaughn shook his head. “You won’t get a chance, they’re coming—”

Ryder tensed when he heard a growl. A low, animalistic sound. Not the growl of a werewolf, that was rougher, deeper. This sound . . .

He stepped away from the human and scanned the darkness. This sound was different. This sound had every muscle in his body tensing.

Then he was attacked.

Sabine screamed when a blurry form ran at Ryder. The attacker hit him, cutting Ryder’s stomach open with a slash of his claws. The attacker moved fast, far too damn fast, and punched with a killing force.

Luckily, Ryder wasn’t so easy to kill.

He slashed back with his own claws. Tossed the jerk into the air.

“What the hell?” Vaughn’s shocked voice. A voice that shattered into a terrified, pain-filled scream.

Because someone had just taken a bite out of the guy.

A vampire was guzzling the guy’s throat, a vamp with dark, matted hair and bloodstained clothes.

That human is my prey. Back the hell off.

Ryder grabbed the vamp and yanked him back. “You don’t know who you’re screwing with—” Ryder began, more than ready to teach the guy about the vamp hierarchy in this world.

But then he got a look at the vampire’s face. At the parch-white skin. The sunken, black eyes. And . . . the fangs.

Not just sharpened canines, like vampires were supposed to have. All of this guy’s teeth narrowed down to razor-sharp points. And the claws that had cut into Ryder before? He got a good look at them now. Those claws were like long, black knives. Not a vampire’s normal claws.

Primal. The word whispered through his mind. Wyatt had warned him, but getting the warning and actually seeing the primal were two way different things.

The vampire was tall, too thin, but there was a hell of a lot of strength in his body. Too much.

What all had Wyatt told him? Wyatt had tried to cure the primal with Ryder’s blood, but that hadn’t worked and—

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.