Chapter 111: Chapter 111

“It still makes no sense. Vampires heal fast on their own. They belong to the most resilient beings in existence; they wouldn’t need healing magic. I would expect them to search for destructive dark magic instead, as Aeri did,” he closed his eyes and groaned. “I can’t stand the thought of someone taking you from me; it drives me insane. You belong with me.”

“Ryder… even if he manages to find me, I will fight. I’m no longer the defenseless witch I used to be, and if he tries to separate us, then he will get hell for it. I will drown him in wolfsbane if I have to,” she whispered, and Ryder was surprised at how soft she sounded despite the clear determination he read in her expression. He knew she could make a vampire’s life hell with her newly-acquired magical skills. She had learned how to manifest wolfsbane from thin air—quite impressive and terrifying for a vampire to think about. He knew how nasty that plant was.

“Kick his ass if you see him, but leave a piece of him for me. I want to get my hands on him, too,” he murmured roughly, his hand brushing over her stomach. “And don’t forget to bring my parents’ gift wherever you go.”

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Ryder safely drove her to work that day and insisted on staying nearby, but she convinced him she would be fine as long as she stayed at her shop—she had put up protective charms everywhere that masked the scent of her magic. Thus, no supernatural being except for other witches would be able to tell that she wasn’t human.

“Are you really sure you don’t want me to stay?” He ran his hand through his ebony hair for what seemed to be the hundredth time and shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

“I’m positive. This place is safe, and even if something were to happen, I got you on speed dial.”

A deep sigh. “Buttercup…”

“I don’t want you to worry, Ryder. You could drop by during lunch break, then we could head to one of the restaurants in the area?” she smiled, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.

“Deal. I’ll be back by noon.”

“Okay, see you then,” she answered and kissed his cheek. He nodded and finally left the shop.

Elena turned and walked back to the counter, where a grinning Venus already awaited her. The human employee was over the moon after what she had witnessed. “Your boyfriend is so thoughtful and concerned about you. He must be worried because of the murders, hm?”

“Yes, they’ve been on his mind constantly. The police still don’t have any leads,” Elena answered, knowing that the council was working hard on concealing the perpetrator’s supernatural identity. If anyone were to find and stop the murderer, it would be the council.

“Hopefully nothing else happens… but we should be careful. Avoid going out alone when it’s dark.”

“Don’t worry, Ryder is already breathing down my neck during daylight; he would stick to me like glue at night,” Elena joked. “Not that it bothers me.”

“You’re so in love, it’s adorable,” Venus giggled.

She had just rearranged the flower pots that were on sale when a customer walked in, and their conversation was interrupted. It was an old lady with her grandson—they were looking for flowers for her husband’s birthday. Elena listened to her wishes and gave advice, showing them an assortment of flowers that would fit the occasion. The old lady let her grandson decide, and when she paid for a colorful pot of flowers, Elena snuck a glimmer of magic into the roots of the plants, assuring they would bloom for a particularly long time.

“Thank you for visiting,” Elena smiled and waved at the young boy when they left the shop.

Not long after, more customers filled the shop, as was usually the case around this time of day. Venus and Elena had their hands full and made sure everyone got what they wanted and were satisfied with their purchase. It was no secret that flowers purchased from Elena’s shop tended to bloom for a long time. Even if you forgot to water them, they didn’t wilt. She had built herself a good reputation, and her customer base kept growing. Maybe she would soon need to hire more employees. It was certainly an option she needed to consider for the future.

When it was time for her lunch break, Ryder visited just as promised, and they had lunch at a restaurant close by. She convinced him to try Buffalo Wings spicy chicken wings, and he found them so delicious that he ate the whole portion by himself. Vampires had a peculiar sense of taste—Elena had gawked at him when he had stuffed his mouth with the spicy food, and a few other people at tables nearby as well.

Her lunch break was over too fast. She always lost track of time in his company, so they hurried back to her shop and arrived just in time for Venus’s lunch break. Ryder promised to be back when Elena was done with work and left her alone.

With her soulmate gone and Venus taking her break, Elena had an opportunity to fertilize her plants with magic and practice some spells. She usually did this when nobody was in the shop. However, she wouldn’t be alone for long. Soon, the bell above the door rang, and someone stepped into the cozy shop, looking around curiously and admiring the abundance of flowers.

Elena glanced up, her eyes widening. “Kelsey and Snake? What are you doing here?”

“Stopping by to see what you’re up to,” Snake grinned and came to stand at the counter, resting his hips against it.

“Did Ryder tell you to come?” she asked suspiciously.

“No, but we met him on the way here. I think he was relieved to see us,” Kelsey explained. “We just wanted to check in on you and see if everything’s alright.”

“I’m okay, what about you, though? Aren’t you normally at work today?”

Snake was the proud owner of a dance studio and offered classes for children and adults at different times of the day. Kelsey, on the other hand, had turned his passion for cooking into his job and owned a traditional American restaurant with Thorny. All of them had hired employees, but were quite busy regardless.

“No, it’s my day off,” Kelsey explained.

“Today it’s James’s turn to teach the kids. They love him, so I doubt they’ll miss me,” Snake chuckled and shrugged.