Once Bitten, Twice Burned

by Cynthia Eden

  “If you’re killing me, do it,” Rhett snarled. The guy’s hold was burning into his skin. “I’m not going to let you use me against Sabine.” The way Vaughn had wanted to use him.

  “Of course, you will.” He said it as if there had never been any doubt. “You’re just human.” The guy shrugged. “What else are you gonna do?”

  Kill your ass. He was just close enough to do the job. Cocky supernatural. Thinking humans weren’t a threat. “I didn’t know if Vaughn would be coming for me, or if it would be someone else.”

  Blisters were on his skin. Blisters and blood and he was tired of being a punching bag.

  Rhett said, “But even if a vampire had come through that door, I wasn’t gonna go down without a fight.”

  That stupid smirk was getting on his nerves.

  “Why fight?” the man asked. “The result will be the same. You’ll lose.”

  “No.” But Rhett stopped fighting. For the moment. Let him think I’m weak. “You will.” Then he brought up his left hand—with the broken chair leg that he’d kept hidden—and he stabbed that chunk of wood right into the pyro’s chest.

  The guy’s eyes widened with surprise.

  “Guess you didn’t see that coming,” Rhett said as he twisted the chunk of wood.

  The SOB’s hand fell away. His body sagged to the floor.

  “Stop underestimating humans,” Rhett bit out. He turned away. Rushed through the door.

  The crackle of flames grew louder behind him. Rhett didn’t bother trying to pull the man’s body from the fire. Even a vamp couldn’t rise with a stake in his heart.

  The fire kept spreading.

  Rhett rushed away from the flames.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Dawn had come. The light spilled through the thin curtains at the cabin. Sabine knew Ryder wanted something from her, she could see it in his eyes.

  She just didn’t know what he needed.

  Would she kill her brother? No. She wouldn’t. Not Rhett. Never him. But it wasn’t going to come down to that. “I trust Rhett.”

  “The way you trusted your father?”

  He was pushing her. If he kept that up, she’d push back.

  “Betrayal hurts, it’s a wound that doesn’t heal, not with any kind of time.”

  She wouldn’t step away from him. Right then, Sabine wanted to be close to her vampire. “How many times have you been betrayed?”

  “Too many to count.”

  Brutal.

  “But I made sure to always pay back those who betrayed me.”

  Yes, she was rather sure his payback was a biting bitch. She kept her hands on his shoulders as she eased back down until her feet were flat on the floor. Don’t kiss him again. Not yet. When she kissed him, she just thought of sex. She needed to ask him more questions. This was her chance to actually unravel the mystery that was Ryder.

  She wasn’t giving up this chance. Even if she did want to strip him naked.

  He looked good naked.

  Sabine cleared her throat. “How did you wind up in Genesis?” He knew how she’d been tossed into that cage. What about him?

  “Another betrayal.” He inclined his head toward her. “Some vampires sent me right into a trap. One I stupidly didn’t see.”

  “Have you gotten your payback?”

  His gaze seemed to see past her. “A human owned the motel they sent me to. They said . . . said there was one of our kind there who needed my help. I went, but the human just sprung the trap. You see, he sold paranormals to Genesis. He sold me. Probably dozens more, too.”

  “What did you do to him?”

  “I sent him to hell.”

  She should have been afraid of him. Any sane woman would have been scared.

  She wasn’t afraid. Maybe she wasn’t sane, either. “Do you know who the others are that betrayed you?”

  “Two vampires are already dead, but there were more.”

  The puzzle pieces slipped into place for her. “When we went into that bar, Bran—”

  “I wanted word to spread that I was free. Those who worked against me . . . now they’ll know that I’m back. Soon I’ll be hunting them.”

  “Or they’ll be hunting you.” Would they just sit back and wait for death to come? Not likely. They’d fight. Try to attack first.

  He simply stared back at her. “Let them come. There isn’t another vampire on this earth who is stronger than me.”

  She had a flash of the vampire who’d attacked Vaughn. Her heartbeat kicked up. “What about that freak who came after us before? The one who bit Vaughn?”

  “I can handle the primals.”

  Primals?

  “They’re . . . after you.” His words were halting.

  Surprise barely flickered in her. Because, sure, whatever, of course they would be. Was there anyone who wasn’t after her? “Why?” Sabine asked. But she really wanted to know . . . why can’t they all just leave me alone?

  “Wyatt made them. At least two others that I know about. I can’t control them, but I can kick their asses.”

  Her heart kept beating too fast. “Made them how?”

  “He used my blood. He injected it into test subjects that he’d been experimenting on for years. The blood amped up their power. Made them into something else.”

  Something right out of a nightmare.

  “But why do they want me?” Maybe she would be better off not knowing this part, but sticking her head into the sand wasn’t exactly an option that she wanted to take.

  “Because I do.” Gravel-rough. “With my blood, somehow, they got my cravings. I think Wyatt linked you and me. Made me want you. Made me—”

  “Crave?” His word. But wasn’t that just the way she felt? Like she craved his touch? His body? The wild pleasure he could give her?

  She’d worried that the emotions she felt were too intense around Ryder. Were the feelings she had the result of some experiment? Was she not even controlling herself any longer?

  “I’ve never wanted anyone this way before,” he said. His pupils spread, pushing darkness across his eyes. “So badly that I’d do just about anything in order to have you.”

  “J-just about?”

  “You know all of me.”

  She could taste him.

  Could feel him.

  Her breasts ached. Her sex . . .

  “If you want to run from me, that might be wise.”

  She tried to control her breathing. Tried not to look like she was panting.

  Ryder shook his head. “But the truth is that even if you ran, I’d follow you.”

  Because he craved her? Because Wyatt might have drugged him? Her?

  “I don’t even care why I’m this way.” His hands finally came up. Curled around her hips. Brought her against the—wow, yeah, that was some serious arousal there. “I just want you. I need you, and to hell with the reason why.”

  Okay. Her mouth opened for his. His tongue pushed past her lips even as her fingers sank into his hair. Their bodies brushed, the need spiked higher, and Sabine realized that, right then, she didn’t care why she wanted him so much.

  She simply needed him.

  His hands went to the snap of her jeans. She heard a pop, then the hiss as her zipper was lowered. His hand pushed inside her jeans. Eased past her underwear. His fingers brushed over her sex.

  She stiffened, then tried to widen her stance. Sabine wanted to feel more of him.

  “Already wet,” Ryder whispered against her mouth, “and you feel so damn good when you squeeze around me.” His tongue tasted her. “So. Damn. Good.” His fingers thrust inside of her.

  She pushed against his hand, wanting a harder touch. Arousal had her blood pumping faster in her veins. Her nipples were tight points, and she wanted his mouth on them. Wanted the wild rush of pleasure that he gave to her.

  He gives the pleasure.

  Her hands slid to his shoulders.

  The last time they’d been naked, he’d given her so much pleasure that she’
d gone a little crazy.

  His fingers pushed into her. She gasped into his mouth.

  In another few minutes, he’d have worked her to orgasm. Just with the skillful roll and thrust of his fingers. The man knew how to touch.

  She knew how to kiss. She’d always been good with her mouth.

  Her tongue slid lightly over his. Teasing now, when she wanted to sink into him. Hold back. Give to him. Sabine knew it was time for a fair exchange between them.

  Time to blow his mind.

  No, maybe it was just time to blow him.

  She caught his lower lip between her teeth. Bit lightly. Sucked the small wound.

  His hand pushed harder between her legs. Two fingers were in her now. Stretching, thrusting.

  She lowered her hand and wrapped her fingers around his wrist, stilling him.

  Then she bit his lip again. Because she could. A harder nip.

  They both needed the rush of pleasure. Life was hell. The devil was chasing them. Maybe they couldn’t trust anyone else, but they had each other.

  “I want you.” She breathed the words and knew the desire she felt had to be reflected in her gaze.

  His gaze promised so much pleasure. He tried to pull his hand free.

  Sabine shook her head.

  He frowned.

  Then she pushed his hand away from her. Slowly and ah—she couldn’t quite hold back that little moan of pleasure when his fingers brushed over her clit.

  His lips parted.

  She swallowed and kept lifting his hand. Then she pressed her hand against the wall, right beside his. “Lift the other one,” she told him.

  Raising a brow, he lifted his other hand and pressed it back against the wall.

  “Stay just like that,” she told him.

  “Why?” Not moving. Obeying, for now.

  “Because when you touch me, I lose control, and I need that control.” Her hands went to his jeans. Unsnapped. Lowered the zipper. “For now,” Sabine added.

  His teeth had sharpened. He wanted to bite her.

  She wanted his bite.

  But she wanted to taste him, more.

  She lowered his jeans. Ryder kicked them—and his boots—away. His kept his hands up on the wall.

  Good.

  His cock pushed toward her, rising from the dark thatch of hair at the top of his powerful thighs. His cock was long, wide, the head already glistening with moisture. Her hand curled around the thick length, and she stroked him, from root to tip. Slowly. Slowly.

  Then . . .

  Harder.

  Faster.

  “Sabine.” His voice was deeper. She liked that. Her head was leaning forward as she caressed him and—

  His teeth nipped her throat.

  A pulse of pleasure shot straight from the small bite right to her core. She trembled. Her sex clenched. “Not . . . yet.” Her head tilted back. She stared into his face, was stunned by the stark need she saw there. No one had ever looked at her that way before.

  Because of some drug? Because of an experiment? No, she wouldn’t let that be the reason. Ryder would want her, Ryder did want her because of the way they made each other feel.

  Keeping her eyes on him, Sabine slowly lowered to her knees. She kept her hand wrapped around his cock, and, with their gazes locked, she put her mouth against the head of his arousal.

  A shudder worked through his body. “Sabine.”

  Her lips opened over him. Her tongue snaked out, tasting the moisture on his tip. Her fingers curled around the base of his cock, the perfect position to let her maintain control, then she began to lick him. Again and again. Tasting his flesh, then parting her lips and taking him inside her mouth.

  His cheeks hollowed. His whole expression altered. Lust. Animal need.

  His hands jerked away from the wall. Locked around her shoulders.

  She kept tasting him. Her head moved up and down. Sabine sucked his flesh, took him in deeper, and let her tongue swirl over him.

  He grew even bigger in her mouth. His hips were thrusting, driving his cock harder against her, but she tightened her grip around him. Didn’t take him all the way inside of her mouth. Instead Sabine just tasted and teased and tormented.

  “Need. More.” His growl was one of the sexiest things she’d ever heard.

  As a reward, she gave him a little more.

  His hands tightened on her. “Fucking . . . good.”

  It was about to get better.

  She sucked him, harder. Took a little more of that heavy shaft—

  And he pushed her away. Sabine blinked. “What—”

  He yanked her jeans off her. Shredded her underwear. Spun her around and lifted her against the wall. Before she could even say his name, Ryder was plunging into her.

  Then she could only sigh his name. Could only lock her legs around his hips and shove her body back against his as hard as she could.

  This wasn’t some tame need. Wasn’t something made in a lab. This was lust. Raw. As wild as it could be. Desperate.

  Her nails bit into his shoulders. She could feel her canines stretching, sharpening, as the telltale ache filled her mouth. Being like this . . . with him . . . it made her want to bite. She wanted his blood because she wanted him. Wanted him in her. Wanted him to be a part of her.

  She sank her teeth into his neck. He pumped harder. Her back shoved against the wall. His blood was on her tongue, and the taste was strangely sweet, but rich. Like decadent chocolate.

  Pleasure hit her, not a crest or a spike but a shattering explosion that wrecked her. Her mouth lifted from his throat, and she tried to suck in some desperately needed air, but all she could do was pant and shudder because the pleasure had left her too weak.

  Pleasure unlike anything she’d ever known. The kind of pleasure, well, that people just might kill for.

  And Ryder was with her. She felt the hard jerks of his hips. His hands tightened even more around her as he emptied into her core. When his head lifted, she saw the blindness in his gaze. Pleasure.

  Then his mouth was on hers. Stroking. Licking. Kissing.

  Her heartbeat struggled to calm down. She kept touching him, because she didn’t want to ever stop.

  Her legs were still tight around his hips. She should probably try to stand. Probably, but she wasn’t.

  “You only bite me,” he began, his words growling out, “when we fuck.”

  She felt a blush stain her cheeks. “Guess that’s when you bring out the animal in me.”

  His gaze searched hers. “You always seem to bring out my darkness.”

  He was thickening within her once more. She tightened her inner muscles around him. “Is that all I bring out?”

  “No.”

  She’d hoped to get a smile from him, but his face seemed even tenser than before.

  “You make me very, very dangerous.” He withdrew his cock, then pushed back into her. Her already too-sensitive flesh loved that push. “Because you make me need you too much.”

  Was it possible to need someone too much?

  “I warned you,” he said, pushing into her again, and the rush of pleasure started to pulse through her once more, “but it’s already too late.”

  She licked her lips. Wanted to lick him. “Too late for what?”

  “To get away.”

  Did she look like she was running?

  Another withdraw, then a hard thrust of his flesh into hers. “You’re mine now,” Ryder said, “and I won’t let you go.”

  The words were fierce and possessive. Before she could speak, he was kissing her again. The rhythm of his thrusts grew faster. The passion flared again, and Sabine forgot about warnings.

  She only thought of pleasure.

  The bar emptied out at dawn, the way it always did. If it was a normal bar, maybe the patrons would linger. There was always some kind of party in New Orleans.

  But Bran’s Castle wasn’t normal, and even though their flesh didn’t burn in the sunlight—total Hollywood BS—vampires didn
’t exactly love hopping around in the daylight.

  They hunted better at night.

  Grayson Hughes stalked around the empty interior. He’d expected Ryder to return by dawn, but Ryder always loved doing the unexpected.

  Tricky SOB.

  “What happens now?” The soft, feminine voice came from behind him.

  Ah, so he wasn’t quite alone.

  He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Julia, the sexy little bartender, was edging away from the stockroom. Stockroom, blood freezer, whatever you wanted to call it.

  He raised a brow at her. He’d wondered when this conversation would happen.

  “I mean . . . I thought this place was yours.” She smoothed her hands over the front of her jeans. Julia was new to the vamp life. She’d only been changed a little over a year ago. “But the dark Ryder comes in and just takes over.”

  The Dark Ryder. Dark Rider. Yes, that had been the name he’d gotten centuries ago. When he rode into towns and fought vampires, then left, covered in blood.

  Ryder was the vampire judge, jury, and executioner. If you crossed a line, he came for you.

  And, of course, he was the one who drew the lines to begin with. The vamp with all the power.

  Because he’d been created first.

  “What happens?” Grayson repeated as he turned to fully face her. He knew exactly how to play this game. Over all the long years, he’d gotten so good at playing roles. “What happens is that we keep our mouths shut and our minds as sealed as possible.”

  Julia’s eyes widened. “What if he finds out about what we’ve done?”

  What did she think would happen? Ryder would try to kill them, obviously. So he just stared back at her. She swallowed and glanced away.

  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.”