Chapter 112: Chapter 112

“You said he’s a vampire too, right?” she asked.

“Yeah, he belongs to a small clan that also resides in New York. Maybe you could accompany me to the studio one day, then you could meet him. We’re good friends.”

“Sure, why not?”

“Ryder will get jealous if he hears about this,” Kelsey remarked ominously and prompted Snake to break out in laughter. Elena merely smiled.

“James’s popular with the ladies, and we all know what a possessive idiot Ryder is,” Snake cackled. “It would be funny to annoy him a bit…”

“Do you really want to piss him off, Snake?” Kelsey’s grin made his eyes twinkle in amusement. The vampire’s eyes darted from Snake to Elena, then moved on to observe the yellow roses behind Elena.

“Hey, who said you could annoy my soulmate? Leave him be,” Elena giggled. “There’s no doubt he would get jealous… even though there’s no need.”

“Yeah, of course, his buttercup would never leave him,” Snake teased and smirked triumphantly when her cheeks flushed.

“Don’t call me that.”

Kelsey and Snakeg exchanged a glance and grinned at each other.

\---

The car ride home was quiet. Elena propped up her head on her hand and got lost in her thoughts as the scenery rushed by. Ryder didn’t speak, but his presence was comforting, and the soft magic of their bond gently unfolded around them. Her green eyes absentmindedly observed his elegant hands on the steering wheel, the long dark blue shirt he wore, and the piercing in his lips. She didn’t realize she was staring at him since it was too easy to be distracted by his good looks. It was like he demanded attention just by sitting there, not even doing anything. Maybe this was part of their bond… or maybe it was her feelings for him that drew her gaze to him no matter what.

“What are you thinking of, sweet pea?”

He continued to gaze at the street, but somehow must have noticed her eyes on him. Judging by the little smirk he wore, he also knew her thoughts had been occupied by him alone.

“I bet you already know.”

“Do I?”

“I’m thinking of my soulmate.”

“What an honor, little flower.”

His blue eyes gleamed, prompting her to smile. “What did you do all day while I was at work, Ryder?”

The reluctant pause that separated her question from his answer made her ears perk up. “I called Harry and asked if the council has any updates on the issue with the turned humans, but he told me no. Then I stayed in New York and investigated the matter myself. I didn’t encounter any of these monsters… The perpetrator might have changed their approach.”

She frowned deeply. “What if this vampire is connected to the one who killed my parents? This ruthless behavior seems very familiar to me.”

“It’s possible. I thought so too, but we can’t be sure unless we find them. I wish they were more careless and left a trail. This vampire knows what they’re doing… I’m afraid they might be playing a sick game with us.” The sky blue of his eyes was overtaken by brilliant red. The change of emotion was also discernible in his tone—his voice sounded hard and irritated.

Unease seeped into her body and prompted her to hug herself. “If they are, then we’re prepared to act. Every clan in New York is aware of the problem. They must be looking into it, too.”

“The council has notified everyone,” Ryder nodded.

She recalled her conversation with Snake and Kelsey earlier today. “That means James’s clan also.”

“Where did you hear that name?” he interrupted.

“Huh? From Snake, of course. He stopped by my shop, and we talked for a while. He also invited me to his dance studio so that I could meet his friend. Maybe I could ask him if he and his clan got any leads.”

“So that’s how it is,” Ryder sighed.

“Why are you so grumpy all of a sudden?” she snorted, lips twitching.

He mumbled something under his breath until he said, “I don’t like sharing you with other vampires. If it’s our own clan members, it’s fine, but…”

“Seems like Snake was right,” Elena giggled. He got jealous so fast. “Do you have a problem with James?”

“No, no, he’s fine… but you’re my soulmate and—”

“So you’re jealous?” She couldn’t stop giggling when his facial expression turned sour. “You know I only have eyes for you. I mean, it’s kind of cute that you’re jealous, but there’s no need whatsoever.”

His sour scowl eased, and he breathed out. “I’m not jealous.”

“You’re not,” she nodded with slight sarcasm. “You could tag along when I meet up with Snake and James.”

“I will.”

“Great. Then it’s decided.” She looked forward to it. Meeting someone from a different clan could be interesting, especially since it was a friend of Snake’s. It meant he had to be a good person since Snake chose his friends carefully.

As they drove, Ryder kept sneaking glances in her direction, believing she wouldn’t notice, but she did. And she also wasn’t unaware of the rising tension in the car. The atmosphere was thick like syrup, and the silence aggravated it. She bit her lip, briefly met his gaze, and caught specks of red in his iris. Her breath hitched in her throat. His yearning was unmistakable—but he somehow still held himself back. Elena decided to challenge his self-control since it usually worked in her favor—she knew what she needed to say to crack his shell in seconds.

“You look like you want a piece of me,” she murmured in his ear and let her fingers follow the line of his arm, fingertips teasingly caressing him like a soft breeze. His hands nearly crushed the steering wheel, so tightly did he hold it. The plastic cracked suspiciously under his abnormal strength.

“Elena,” he groaned, voice breaking just like his self-control, “What are you doing now?”