After a moment, Grayson said, “If you’re smart, you won’t talk about that again, not here.”
But Julia shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what’s said or not said. He’s going to push with his power. He’s going to scan us all. Then he’ll know.”
Ryder would know that they’d been in on the plan to kill his ass? That they’d helped to set him up?
“He won’t know if we take him out first.” And wasn’t that supposed to be the goal, anyway? To stop the vamp king before he stopped them? “Call the others,” Grayson ordered her. “Set up a meet. Ryder’s distracted by his lady, so we have time to move, now.”
Her lashes flickered. “His lady?” she repeated. “I’d wondered if he—”
“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.
She strained, trying to use her new, enhanced senses. Yes, she could hear a car’s engine, but the sound was faint, still far away.
Ryder was on his feet in an instant. He yanked up his jeans. Sabine scrambled for her clothes. The last thing she felt like doing was facing an enemy naked.
She hopped as she put on her jeans and snatched the shirt over her head. Ryder wasn’t waiting for the enemy to come in. He’d already run out the front door.
Typical. Her vamp always attacked first, then asked his questions later. Provided, of course, that his enemies were still breathing and could answer any questions.
The engine had come closer. A few moments later, a car door slammed. She caught a raised voice, a male who asked, “What are you—”
Her blood froze. She knew that voice.
Sabine raced outside. The two men had stilled, facing off against each other.
Ryder and . . . Rhett?
She didn’t realize she’d whispered her brother’s name, but then she was running as fast as she could and throwing her arms around him. He staggered back when her body collided with his, but then his arms wrapped around her. She smelled blood and ash, and she was afraid for him and so happy and she was laughing as she held him.
Not dead. Not dead. Not dead. The litany repeated over and over in her head.
“It’s okay,” Rhett told her. “Sabe, you’re squeezing the life out of me. I swear, I’m all right.”
But she didn’t want to let him go.
She also didn’t want to hurt him.
So she eased back, just a little bit. “How are you here?”
His face was pale and tired. “I tried to figure out a safe place you’d go.”
Where’s your safe place?
She glanced back at Ryder.
He gave her a little nod.
Her breath heaved out. Ryder had known. She swallowed. He’d known that her brother might break free of whatever prison held him. And he’d wanted to take her to a place where Rhett would be able to find her.
He’d found her.
She squeezed him again.
“Don’t break my ribs!” Rhett gasped out.
Whoops. “Sorry,” she mumbled. She’d have to be more careful with that vamp strength.
“We should move this inside,” Ryder said, his voice mild. “There’s always the chance that he was followed.”