“He’s a monster that can’t be controlled. The orders came from above.”

She heard the smug pleasure in Jon’s voice. He’d hated Dante since the moment he realized . . .

I love him.

“What can’t be controlled must be killed,” Jon told her. He jerked his head to the left, and, at that signal, two men in white began to advance toward Dante’s prone body.

“Don’t do this! He hasn’t even started to burn yet!” Cassie cried out.

“He will soon enough.”

She still wasn’t fighting him. If she didn’t fight, he might lower his guard and loosen his hold. The instant that hold loosened, she’d escape.

“I thought you wanted him alive. He’s the most powerful of his kind! You need his DNA—”

“I don’t need him at all. He’s a threat that will be eliminated.”

The men were close to Dante. Too close.

And . . . she could smell smoke. Could see the faint tendrils rising from his body in the bright light.

When he burned, they’d attack. There might be no more risings. No more Dante.

“Nothing is stronger than his fire.” She hoped that was true. Prayed it was. But in the government’s secret labs, anything could be created—and had been.

A suit to resist a phoenix’s fire?

No, please, no.

“We’re about to find out.” Jon still held her.

“They’ll die!”

He didn’t respond. Did he care if those two men in white died?

No, he didn’t. She’d seen beneath his mask too late. He wasn’t concerned with collateral damage. He never had been.

But . . . but his hands weren’t holding her as tight anymore. His attention was totally focused on his two men as they closed in on their prey. One man had his gun just inches from Dante’s head.

“Wait for the flames!” Jon yelled. “If you attack too soon, it won’t do anything. He can only be destroyed when he’s actually rising! The regeneration isn’t complete then!”

“That gun had better be phoenix fireproof, too,” Cassie snapped. “Because if it isn’t, your boys are going to die!”

The fire began to burn along Dante’s body. Sweeping up, flaming higher and higher.

“Go to hell, shifter.” Jon’s rough snarl had nausea tightening her stomach.

But his grip on her eased even more as he moved a bit to the side in order to better watch the show.

Your mistake.

She drove back with her elbow. Slammed it into his stomach and jumped forward. “Dante!”

The man with the gun was leaning closer to him.

Jon tried to grab her. Not happening. A burst of speed and a wild lunge shot her forward, slamming her body into the man in white—the jerk who thought he’d shoot her phoenix.

They hit the ground. Rolled. When she looked up, that gun was pointed right between her eyes.

“Stand down!” Jon yelled. “Stand—”

The whoosh of fire cut through his words. She felt the heat lance her skin, and she glanced up in time to see flames rolling toward her.

The other man who’d approached Dante—the second man in the fireproof suit—was rolling on the ground. His suit was burning.

So much for being fireproof.

“Nothing is strong enough to resist a phoenix’s burn,” she said as she glared back at the man with the gun. “Instead of pointing that thing at me, you should be saying thanks. ’Cause I just saved your ass from the flames.”

The guy’s buddy was screaming. His teammates immediately started spraying a thick, heavy extinguisher fluid on him.

And Dante kept burning.

The man with the gun hadn’t lowered his weapon. He also hadn’t said thanks.

“We have to get her out of here.” Jon’s voice. He was no longer sounding so smug. He shoved the gun away and hauled Cassie back to her feet. “I’m getting her out in the chopper. Load up in the vehicles and clear out.”

His hand was bruising her as he yanked her behind him. Her gaze flew around the area. The man who’d burned—he was out of his suit, looking unharmed, but shaken.

Another few moments, and he wouldn’t have been so lucky.

“Dante!” She shouted his name as her gaze focused on the fire that surrounded him. She couldn’t even see him over the flames. The fire was so high. Raging. Consuming.

She dug in her heels, fighting to stay back. She couldn’t get on that helicopter with Jon. He’d make her disappear, just as Genesis had made so many others disappear over the years.