“We wanted to help you!” she yelled. Not we, but Wyatt. He had wanted to help them . . .
The primal vampire’s teeth sank into her throat.
The pain made her body jerk and shudder. She was going to die. She knew it. Her body could only survive for so long. She wasn’t a vampire. Not a shifter. She just—
The vampire fell away from her, choking.
Vivian’s hand went to her throat. Her blood trickled down her neck.
The vampire’s face had twisted. He had his hands on his stomach, and he was the one screaming then. In agony.
Her breath rushed out. It had worked. Wyatt had told her . . . he’d said his blood was poison to the primal vampires. He’d said—
She lifted her hand. Stared at the bright red blood on her fingertips. I’m poison, too.
Wyatt had never appreciated the power that he possessed. She’d watched him. Seen so much.
He didn’t die from gunshot wounds. Could move so quickly. Was so strong.
She’d found the records on his experiments. She hadn’t been able to duplicate them perfectly, but she’d come pretty close with her own formula.
A tightness filled her chest. The gunshot wound was finally closing.
Vivian stared at the drops of blood on her fingers. It looked like she had gotten closer to that duplication than she’d realized.
She laughed then because she was going to survive. The vampires couldn’t hurt her. With her new power, no one could hurt—
The primal vampire grabbed her and wrapped his hands around her throat. Vivian struggled to suck in air. She couldn’t breathe, she—
The vampire burned in front of her. Firing up instantly, then turning to ash. The ash drifted over her as she screamed.
Then she realized that death was before her.
The Immortal. She’d never been allowed to get close to him, no one had, because the man had been deemed so dangerous, but she’d seen his picture before.
He stood before her, just a foot away. His eyes burned with flames. His skin was burnished a deep gold. His hair was pitch-black. He watched her. He smiled. He lifted his hand to her—
“No!” Vivian yelled.
“Why?” He seemed curious. “You enjoyed giving death to others.”
She shook her head, frantic. She tried to back away, but the wall was behind her. “Y-you shouldn’t be out!” They’d had him locked up so tight. No escape.
He shrugged. His gaze fell to her chest. No, to her healing gunshot wound. “And you should be dead. Been experimenting on yourself, hmm?” He lifted a brow. His hand was still between them. “I guess you’ll only have yourself to blame for what’s coming.”
“Don’t touch me!”
He glanced at his raised hand. “Are you sure? I don’t think you’re going to like what happens next. Death will be easier.”
“I don’t want to die!” Why was her stomach suddenly cramping? Her teeth burning?
His head cocked. “I think you got the formula . . . wrong.”
Her breath seemed cold in her lungs.
“Your blood was poison, but you weren’t immune to their bite. That part—you made the mistake there.”
How did he even know this?
“You’re becoming like them.”
Hunger clawed at her. Ripped her in two. Her gaze fell to his throat as a red haze seemed to cloud her vision. She could hear his heartbeat. The rush of his blood.
Blood. Her mouth had become bone-dry.
“The change is faster than I thought it would be.”
Feed.
She lunged for him.
And never even felt the fire that took her life away.
Ryder braked the pickup truck in front of a small wooden cabin. A stream trickled nearby, the faint sound of the water teasing Sabine’s ears.
“Where are we?” she asked.
Ryder glanced at her. “Somewhere safe, for now.”
She wanted to believe that, but “safe” wasn’t exactly a concept she understood anymore. Compounding her fear, she felt so weak.
She climbed from the truck and put up her hand to block the bright rays of the sun. So bright. Too bright? Probably just seemed that way because she hadn’t seen the sun in such a long time. The folks at Genesis hadn’t exactly been keen on letting the test subjects out for morning strolls.
That’s over now. I’m free.
Ryder took her arm. “Come on, let’s get you inside so you can rest.”
She nodded. But resting wasn’t what she felt like doing then. She was tired, yes, achingly so, but at the same time, just the touch of his hand against her arm had sent a shaft of desire pulsing through Sabine’s body.
What was up with that? After everything that had happened, the last thing she should be thinking about was sex. Yet it was the main thing that pushed into her mind.
Need.
Want.
Ryder opened the cabin door. It was darker inside, but the sun’s rays spilled through the windows and let her see the small space easily. A small space that was filled with a very big bed. One that looked like heaven. Her gaze darted around. A couch. A TV.
A bathroom. Sweet heaven on earth—a bathroom.
“Are you hungry?” Ryder asked her, his voice quiet as he shut the door behind them.
Sabine shook her head but part of her was hungry. Just not for food. She glanced over at him. Licked her lips.
Her heartbeat kicked up. And her nipples tightened.
What. The. Hell. This kind of reaction couldn’t be normal. She’d heard of an adrenaline after-burn before, but after-lust?
“I-I think I need a shower,” she said. A very cold one. She’d just broken out of hell, and the first thing she wanted to do? Jump the bones of her vampire rescuer. That had to be screwed up.
Screwed. Her eyelids slammed closed. Okay, she was obviously undergoing some kind of breakdown because now she was thinking . . .
I want to screw him. Not make love. She wasn’t in the mood for soft and gentle lovemaking. She wanted rough and wild. She wanted to rake her nails down his back. Wanted to feel the pounding rhythm of—
“Sabine?”
Her cheeks were burning. No, she was burning, from the inside out. She kept her eyes closed because she was afraid that he’d see the fire in her stare. “Something’s wrong with me.” Her voice was hushed as she whispered this raw confession.
Her clothes were irritating her body. She wanted them gone. Wanted only his flesh against her.
This wasn’t natural. Sure, she liked sex as much as the next girl. But right then, hell, she felt like she was in heat.
Heat. Great. Fantastic. That was probably normal for a phoenix, right? Another fun side effect that she could deal with?
She heard the tread of his footsteps then felt the light brush of his fingers over her cheek. “You’re sure you aren’t hungry?”
Why did he keep harping on that? “Not for food,” was her whisper.
Crap, she hadn’t just meant to say that.
His fingers slid under her chin. “I can give you whatever you need.”
The man needed to be careful what he offered. They’d been away from Genesis for just a few hours, and she was about to rip his clothes off.
“I think—I think you might want to get away from me.” She curled her fingers down, making fists. The better not to grab him and hold tight.
“That’s the last thing I want to do.” Then Ryder made a very, very fatal mistake.
He put his lips on her.
Ignite.
Fire seemed to explode within her. With a gasp, she gave in to that heat. Her hands flew up and wrapped around him. Her mouth opened wide beneath his.