Once Bitten, Twice Burned (Phoenix Fire #2)(67)
Author: Cynthia Eden

“I have to keep you safe.” There was no other choice for her.

Ryder grabbed her brother. Easily held him while Rhett thrashed. “Are you sure?” Ryder demanded.

“Sabine!” her brother snarled.

“Yes,” she said, staring into her brother’s eyes, “I am.”

And she turned away while Ryder took her brother’s blood.

Keith Adams pounded his fist against the front door of Bran’s Castle. He hated coming to this place, but his options were slim and f**king none.

The door opened.

A man stood before him. Tall. Bored-looking.

“Where’s Ryder?” Keith demanded. He didn’t have much time.

“Not here.”

Great. “He told me to come. I have information for him.”

“Do you now?” Still no real interest on the guy’s face.

Keith frowned at him. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Ryder’s friend. Name’s Grayson.” Grayson opened the door, indicating that Keith should come inside.

Why? Because he looked stupid?

“I’ve got five men with guns pointing dead-on at this place right now,” Keith snapped. “You make a move at me, vamp, and you’ll find wooden bullets in your heart.”

Now the guy didn’t look quite so bored.

“I need to talk to Ryder.” He needed the guy now. “I can help him, if he’ll help me.”

“And how can a human help a vampire?” the one called Grayson wanted to know. “Unless, of course, you’re going to bleed for him.”

“I know where Sabine’s brother is, okay? Tell him . . . I know. I can take him to the warehouse. I can get the dogs off Sabine and Rhett, but Ryder’s gonna have to do something for me.”

“Sabine,” the guy whispered her name. “Doesn’t she just come up a lot in conversation?”

“Ryder has to meet me. He and Sabine. Tell them to come to Forty-Nine Chartres. We can work out a deal.”

“Doubtful.” Grayson sounded dismissive. “Ryder doesn’t exactly deal with humans. Unless he’s eating them.”

“Tell him,” Keith snarled. He should be handling this better. He just couldn’t. Not with his son . . . Keith cleared his throat. “Tell him. Tell him to come at midnight. We can make this nightmare go away.”

“What if he doesn’t want to make it go away?”

“He will.” Then he played his trump card. Actually, the only card he had left, especially since he was bullshitting about Rhett. He had no idea where that guy was. Hopefully, the hell away from New Orleans. “And tell Ryder that Malcolm sends his regards.”

The vamp frowned at him. “What?”

“Malcolm.” He’d already been out in the open long enough. He didn’t trust the vamps not to attack. The primals were out there on the streets of New Orleans, two according to his intel, but if those two had already bit and infected other humans . . .

We have to stop this.

Ryder was his only hope.

Keith turned away. “The guns are gonna stay on you until I’m clear.” Not his first ball game with the undead.

But the coming battle might just prove to be his last.

“I’m going back to the bar,” Ryder said. He glanced at Sabine’s brother. The guy was pale, but not fighting.

Why would he fight now?

Sabine lightly touched Rhett’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

She kept apologizing to the guy.

Ryder shook his head. “Rhett, I want you to take your car and get out of New Orleans.” The link was effortless. Humans were so easy to control.

Rhett rose to his feet. His gaze drifted to Sabine.

“Go to Memphis,” Ryder instructed. He could just think the instructions and Rhett would obey, but he said them out loud so Sabine would know all of the plans. “Find a club called The Blue Jay. Tell the bartender that I sent you.” Rhett would fit right in there, and Jay would make sure the guy was safe, until Ryder sent for him again.

Rhett nodded. “I can . . . feel you.” He rubbed his temples. Almost clawed at them.

Stop.

Rhett’s hands dropped. “In my head. You’re . . . in my head.” His eyes were wide with horror, but he made no move to attack Ryder.

You want to fight me. You can’t. So you just need to walk out that door. Get in your car. Drive to Memphis.

Slowly, very, very slowly, Rhett started to walk. But then his gaze drifted to Sabine. Guilt was written all over her face.

Tell her you love her.

Ryder didn’t even know why he sent the command, but Rhett’s voice rasped, “I love you.”

Sabine’s eyes squeezed shut, as if she couldn’t bear to look at her brother. “I love you, too, and I swear, I’ll make this up to you. I swear.”

Rhett lifted his hands. Pushed hard against his temples once more. “In . . . my . . . head.”

Stop.

“Hurts,” Rhett whispered, sounding lost.

Sabine opened her eyes, frowning at him. “What hurts?”

Perhaps this human wasn’t as weak as he’d originally thought. Walk away, now. Ryder focused harder and actually got the guy to move. One foot. Another.

A few more steps, then Rhett opened the door.

Don’t look back.

Rhett’s body trembled. The human had one strong will. Stronger than any Ryder had encountered before. “Keep her . . . safe,” Rhett rasped. “Or I’ll . . . stake you.”

You can try. Ryder gave another hard mental push, and Rhett left the cabin.

Sabine stared after him. She didn’t speak until she heard the car crank up. Then drive away.

“Thank you.”

She shouldn’t really thank him. Once Rhett got far enough away, the guy might just be able to fight that compulsion.

And come back.

So they didn’t have time to waste. “We need to get to the bar.”

She nodded.

He crossed to her. Caught her shoulders in his hands. “I’m going to have to kill today.”

Her breath whispered out. “Keith—”

Perhaps, but first he had a few other priorities. “I can’t let my enemies go any longer.” The longer he waited, the more dangerous they became. When you were betrayed, you had to strike back. A fast and brutal strike. “If I don’t go after them, they’ll come for me. And for you.” Because needing her so much was a weakness that others would try to use against him. “Wyatt and his scientists used you against me in Genesis. No one else can do that. Ever.”