During his observations, Wyatt had quickly realized that Ryder had not appeared to have any weaknesses. Certainly not any attachments. He killed guards who made the foolish mistake of coming to him. He drained them with a brutal efficiency. He never showed remorse or guilt.

Wyatt had begun to think the fellow might be a sociopath, in addition to having the curse of being a bloodsucker.

Then Sabine had entered Ryder’s cell, and he’d seen the dangerous intensity ignite in Ryder’s gaze.

Ryder had fed from her, but, when she’d been near death, the vampire had seemed to . . .

Break.

Wyatt tapped the glass in front of him. The two figures appeared frozen. The tip of the stake pushed hard into Ryder’s chest. The vampire had one hand on Sabine’s thigh while his other hand locked around Sabine’s fist—the fist that gripped the stake.

“Drink up,” Wyatt murmured. Ryder had to drink. The more blood that he took from her, the greater his weakness—and possibly his strength—would become.

It was a catch-22, but it was for the good of science.

As for Sabine, she’d begin her own transformation soon enough.

Ryder probably thought the big plan was for Sabine and the vamp to f**k. To breed.

Wyatt wasn’t interested in creating a new life. He wanted transformation, not birth.

When Sabine took in Ryder’s blood, how soon would she transform? Was it even possible to make a phoenix into a vampire?

I’ll find out. His fingers pressed the button for the intercom. “Time to drink, Ryder.”

The vamp’s shoulders stiffened, but the hand on Sabine’s thigh rose, and a few seconds later, Ryder brushed back Sabine’s hair and bared her throat.

CHAPTER FOUR

“Wait.” Fear churned in Sabine’s stomach as she stared into Ryder’s eyes. When a vamp was about to sink his teeth into a girl’s throat, he shouldn’t look so . . .

Reassuring. And, um, sexy.

Especially when said girl had a stake pressed to his heart. Why the heck had he given her the stake? Her fingers trembled around it. After what he’d done, maybe she should drive it into his chest but . . .

I need him. The truth was there. Desperate. He was her only hope in this nightmare. The vampire scared her, but the man named Richard Wyatt? He terrified her. He liked to hurt her.

Ryder had said that he’d help her. The vampire was the only one that she could trust.

Provided he didn’t drain her dry. Her fingers tightened around the stake. “Aren’t vampires supposed to have some power to control the minds of their victims? Can’t you just make me forget what you did before? Make me—” Sabine broke off, unable to say the last.

He finished for her. “Make you want my bite.” The words were deep and dark.

She almost shuddered. The last thing she wanted right then was to feel his teeth sinking into her throat. She hadn’t been lying about those nightmares. He’d been starring in her dreams all week. Not those lab coat–wearing jailers and their constant needles. Ryder.

Fangs. Fury.

Only after he bit her in her nightmares, sometimes, he did . . . more. Things that didn’t scare her, but turned her on. She swallowed.

“Would you want me to take your will away?”

She realized he hadn’t actually answered her question. Could he do it? Could he take the memory away?

But with all the crazy crap that was going on already, did she want to add mind control to her list?

No, thank you.

“It took me three days to remember who I was.” She licked her lips. His gaze dropped to her mouth. Lingered. His gaze seemed to heat. “So no, don’t take the memory away.” It had just been desperation talking. “I don’t want anyone to ever mess with my mind again.” Because she was convinced that Wyatt had done something to her. He’d made her forget.

Hadn’t he?

Ryder’s hand seemed heavy against her throat, and his thumb was stroking her skin. A small, circular caress.

“You don’t seem as—as wild as before,” she blurted. It was true and reassuring.

His gaze rose back to meet hers. “I drank from four guards when they took you away. Before you, it had been months since I fed.”

The twisting in her stomach got worse. “If you try to take too much from me, I will kill you.” Fair warning. She remembered his unbreakable hold. The terror that had clawed through her.

“To stop me, just drive the stake into my heart.”

The rough edge of the wood rubbed against her fingers.

His head began to lower toward her neck.