Once Bitten, Twice Burned (Phoenix Fire #2)(7)
Author: Cynthia Eden

“Just as you begged Ryder to let you live. But he didn’t, did he? He just took your blood and left you to die.”

The fury had drained from her. Only fear remained. “Why are you doing this?”

He reached out to touch her face, but hesitated. Don’t want to get burned, do you?

But Ryder hadn’t gotten burned when he touched her. He’d held her, kissed her. He hadn’t been afraid of her fire.

“You can help to change the world.”

“Let me go.”

“You can save lives. Make miracles. And really, is death too much to ask from you?”

He turned away before she could tell the crazy bastard that, yeah, death was too much to ask.

“It’s not like you won’t just come back when you die.”

His words were tossed back at her. She couldn’t see him anymore. The straps pressed her against the table and the drugs held her still.

“You’re weaker than the other one,” he said. “That isn’t a bad thing, don’t worry. I know how to make you stronger. All you need are a few more deaths.”

In. Sane.

“We’ll start soon, don’t worry. But I need to check on the vampire. See what your blood has done to him.”

Ryder had drunk from her? The bastard in the lab coat had said . . . Did he kill me?

No, that was crazy. She wasn’t dead.

Or was she?

Because this place, with its stark white ceiling, with the men who shot at her, and with the vampire who killed in front of her . . . this place sure seemed like hell.

They dragged out the bodies while he was still weak. They moved fast because they were smart. Even as the last body was hauled out of his cell, Ryder was already pushing to his feet as his body fought the poison in his veins.

The SP tranq. How he hated that bitch. Damn Wyatt for every creating the drug that could knock even the most powerful of supernaturals on their asses. The SP tranq was tailored for Ryder and his brethren, guaranteed to temporarily immobilize even the strongest monsters out there.

And it was only the supernaturals that Wyatt cared about. This lab, the cells, they were all designed to hold supernatural beings so that Wyatt could experiment on them.

Ryder now knew exactly why Sabine had been brought to his cell. Wyatt had wanted to gauge Ryder’s reaction to her, and Sabine—well, she was just another one of Wyatt’s experiments. A victim, one who didn’t even seem to realize just what she’d been.

Not until she’d died.

Sabine Acadia.

After drinking Sabine’s blood, the guards’ blood had tasted like stale bread in his mouth. She’d been life. Warmth. Spice and wine.

He stalked toward the two-way mirror. Drove his fist into the surface. “Where is she?”

He’d promised Sabine that he’d find her. He would. He’d leave Genesis, but he’d be sure to take her with him.

Then they’d both burn this hellhole to the ground. Sabine would be so good at that burning.

“I know you’re there,” he snarled at his reflection, and he did know that Wyatt was watching him. Ryder had tried to play it cool and not let the scientist realize just how enhanced his senses truly were, but screw that ruse.

He could smell the bastard in that other room.

“Where’d you take her?” His fist pounded into the mirror once more.

The intercom crackled. “Why do you care, vampire?”

He knew the question came because he wasn’t supposed to care about anyone or anything. As a rule, he didn’t care—that was the reason Wyatt hadn’t been able to break him.

Don’t. Care.

“You know what Sabine is, don’t you?” Wyatt asked him.

Yes, he knew. She shouldn’t have existed. She should have only been a myth.

But vampires were supposed to just be myths, too. And here the f**k I am. “I know you’re playing with fire. So when your ass gets burned, you’ll only have yourself to blame.”

Silence. The kind that said he’d pissed off Wyatt. That was the kind of silence he liked, but then Wyatt said, “That was her first death. Her first rising. I don’t believe Sabine had any idea just what she was.”

Hell, after that fire, she hadn’t even realized who she was Standing there, her body naked, sexy and perfect, but her eyes looking so lost and confused.

He’d wanted to protect her. Protecting wasn’t his bit. Killing was.

I’m the reason she died. Wyatt had tossed her to him like a fresh piece of meat before a starving dog. “You knew what would happen when I tasted her blood.”

“Ummm . . .” He heard the scribble of a pen as it scratched over paper. Wyatt, taking his notes. Always recording and analyzing every word and deed.

The human doctor who was supposed to take genetics to the next level. Supposed to create the perfect soldier—hell, those had been Wyatt’s exact words to him. With the power of the beasts here, we can create a military force that will be unstoppable .

Wyatt sure liked to play with fire. Watch that, ass**le, or you’ll get burned to ash.

Even before he’d been captured by Wyatt and his goons, Ryder had made it his mission to learn as much as possible about Genesis, and the man at the helm of the organization. The newspapers had been full of glowing stories about genius scientist Dr. Richard Wyatt and his plans to use Genesis as a research facility that would aid the U.S. government.

Ryder had looked past those flashy stories—stories designed to fool humans and lull them into thinking that everything was okay, that they still lived in a safe world.

A world in which the supernaturals could be used and controlled.

Yes, he’d looked deeper, and he’d discovered that paranormals were being abducted and forced into Genesis. Once inside Genesis, they didn’t get out.

I will, though. I’ll break free. Did the government realize how far Wyatt was going, in the name of his so-called research? Ryder bet they did, and the human suits just didn’t care.

In his experience, supernaturals were highly expendable to humans.

Silence filled the room, then Wyatt finally said, “Vampires don’t just drink blood, they drink power.”

Ryder cursed. Like he needed a lesson on what his kind did. If Wyatt ever realized just who Ryder was . . .

I’ll never get out of here.

Not an option for him.

“I knew Sabine would have plenty of power for you.”

Enough power to drive him crazy from the rush. He’d never tasted anything quite like her. Probably never would again.

“Her fire didn’t burn you.”