Chapter 108: Chapter 108
“No, that’s all, unfortunately,” David answered, crossing his arms and leaning his shoulder against the wall.
“You have to be careful,” Jennifer said sternly, her eyes moving from Ryder to Elena, who seemed more worried by the second. “Don’t look at me like that, darling. Everything will be fine, okay? David and I have prepared something for you—a gift.” She nodded at her soulmate, who vanished and reappeared in a blink, holding a sleek black box in his hand. He gave it to Elena.
“What is it?” she wondered and lifted the lid. What she discovered made her freeze.
“It’s a weapon specifically designed to repel vampires. Always carry it when you leave your home,” Jennifer said while Elena inspected the silver dagger. It was thin and light. “Promise me.”
“I will. Thank you, Jennifer.”
“Good, and now stop worrying, this is just a precaution. You got enough vampires around you to protect you.”
“That’s right,” Ryder said and grabbed her hand to underline his words. He flashed her a grin and squeezed her hand gently. “Let’s talk to Edgar when we’re home.”
She nodded and returned his smile.
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A day later, Edgar’s clan received the expected visit from a small council delegation. They requested to speak to the entire clan—every single member—everyone gathered in the spacious living room where Edgar offered their three visitors a glass of blood, but they declined respectfully. Introductions weren’t necessary since they were familiar with each other due to previous visits in the past.
However, Elena stuck out to them like a sore thumb when she entered the living room with Ryder by her side. The council members unabashedly stared at her, astonished by her presence. “A human? Why would you allow a…” one of them began, but interrupted himself when her scent reached his nose. “She’s your soulmate, Ryder?”
“Indeed, she is. I finally found her a few months ago,” he answered. “She isn’t human, though; she’s a witch.”
Her heartbeat jumped for a second—why had he blurted out her secret? She panicked, but he squeezed her hand reassuringly and eased her worry with a calming smile. If Ryder deemed it safe to tell them, then she had no reason to be scared—he was the very last person on this earth who would expose her to danger. Elena wasn’t sure what to make of the three strangers yet, but neither their behavior nor that of her clan led her to think they were dangerous.
“Oh? That’s an unusual match. Congratulations to both of you. Don’t forget to invite me to your wedding,” one of the strangers remarked cheerfully when he didn’t see any rings on the couple’s fingers. He was different from the other two council members because he sported ripped jeans and an oversized shirt instead of a suit. The ear piercings and white hair were also not what she had expected of a council member.
“What, did you think we are old, boring dudes with sticks up our asses?” he laughed when he caught Elena’s stare, hitting his thigh. “Do we have that kind of reputation? You’ve never seen council members before, have you?”
She shook her head and cracked a smile at his friendly attitude. It was easy to warm up to him. “No, I haven’t. My name is Elena, nice to meet you.”
“I’m Harry, the pleasure is mine,” he replied and slung his arm over the sofa’s backrest. This vampire completely shattered Elena’s expectations—she had to remind herself not to gawk at him.
“Let’s finish the introductions and then move on to the important part,” the man to Harry spoke up. He had black hair, and his posture was somewhat rigid. The same could be said for his expression—his features were tense with concern. “My name is Declan, and this is Colin.” He nodded at the vampire next to him, whose hair was bleached blond, similar to Harry’s.
Elena smiled at them before she and Ryder took a seat on one of the sofas. He sat close to her and wrapped his arm around her back, allowing her to lean into him since he had a feeling that the upcoming conversation would upset her.
“What brings you here today?” Edgar finally asked and leaned his elbows on his thighs, gracing the three visitors with a serious look.
“Sadly, we have bad news for you. There have been several violations of our laws within the state of New York. It concerns one of the most important bans in our society—the murder and subsequent turning of humans,” Declan elaborated. “This is very serious. Not only America’s council, but nearly every other council across the world strictly condemns this crime. We can’t afford to draw too much attention from humans; it would cause trouble in the long run. Coexisting is easier when they’re unaware of us.”
“Just to make one thing clear: we’re not here because we suspect you of anything, but we’re counting on your help to find the vampire or the responsible clan. You have done the council a great service in other cases as well, and we hope it will be no different this time,” Harry said.
Edgar and Helen exchanged a glance before he answered, “You can count on us. Resolving the issue as soon as possible is in our best interest. I want my clan members to be safe.” His gaze briefly fell on Elena and returned to Harry.
“Of course,” Colin replied. “Please keep a close eye on your territory—we asked the other clans residing in New York to do the same. If you encounter a turned human, take care of them and report the incident to us. Also, if you find any useful evidence, please contact us.”
“Good, we will be vigilant from now on. Do you have any suspects, anything that could be helpful to us?” Ryder asked, eager to find out more. He was agitated by the subject, his foot constantly drumming on the ground. Red had consumed the blue of his eyes.
Declan observed him for a moment, understanding shining in his gaze. It wasn’t hard to guess why he was concerned. “The vampire prefers to strike at random times and places. We haven’t been able to find a correlation between them—it’s maddening. See for yourself.” The vampire revealed a folded piece of paper. It contained a map of New York with several markings. Edgar took it and inspected it with narrowed eyes, Avocado and Chump curiously looking over his shoulder.