Chapter 113: Chapter 113

“Seducing my vampire,” she whispered and smiled in that innocent way of hers that wasn’t so innocent after all. She leaned in and left a kiss on his neck—this was her undoing. He breathed in, breathed out. Her scent was prevalent. The car stopped at the side of the road, in a dark corner where nobody would see them. He turned off the engine and gave her his undivided attention, drowning her in the red oceans that were his eyes.

“Listen, if you don’t stop, I’ll take you right here in this car, do you understand?”

She didn’t answer, opened her seat belt, and he. Then her hands were already undoing the top buttons of his dark blue shirt, revealing his collar bones and the sensual image of a camellia on his chest.

“Buttercup,” he growled warningly, caught her hands, and pressed his lips on hers. He cornered her with her back facing the door, hungrily tasting her lips and drawing blood with his fang. She moaned at the sensation. Her gaze was hazy when she looked at him—and one glance into the depths of his scarlet eyes was enough to know she would get what she wanted, and maybe more.

Louis was not a patient man. He didn’t like to be kept waiting—and Jacob should be aware of this, considering how long they had known each other.

“Don’t you think this is getting ridiculous? How long will you let her fool you? You used to be our best witch hunter. Have you lost your edge?” Louis said, aggravating Jacob’s anger. It sizzled underneath his calm surface, never breaking through. The vampire was not about to lose his composure in front of the clan’s leader, even though he was tempted to let out a spark of his rage.

Seeing the reddish glow in Jacob’s eyes, Louis smirked, knowing he had hit a sore spot. “When will you find her? Can’t you give me a finite answer?”

Jacob masked his anger by adjusting the cuff of his sleeve. “Soon. I will find her soon. It has been five years since I last saw her, and with every day that passes, I’m getting closer. She cannot elude me for much longer.”

Louis raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with his soulmate, Angelina, who smiled in delight. “What are you trying to say, Jacob?” she prodded.

“The green witch has to be in New York.”

“Oh? Are you sure? Last time, you…”

“There is no doubt,” Jacob countered. For just a moment, his rotten anger shone through. This damned witch had made him look like a fool all these years—but ultimately, his prey never escaped him. Jacob was the clan’s best hunter for a reason.

“If only her element weren’t so rare, we could have looked for a different witch. It’s unfortunate,” Angelina said and brushed a lock of her short brown hair behind her ear, revealing her dangling golden earring. “You shouldn’t have killed her parents; we could have used them to perform the spell.”

“They deserved it,” Jacob insisted and raised his chin. “Anyone who dares to oppose me will meet an untimely end.”

“Anyone but her,” Louis said and threw him a sharp stare. “If you kill her too, our plan is fucked. Bring her to us and do it quickly.”

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“This is it?” Elena closed the car door and looked up at a tall building amidst the concrete jungle of New York. It had huge glass windows that reflected the sunlight, and its entrance was framed with modern metal structures. They occupied the last available parking spot in front of it.

“Yes,” Snake confirmed when he joined her and Ryder, who had insisted on tagging along. “My studio is on the 16th floor. We’ll take the lift.”

“Please, I would die if I had to climb up so many steps.”

Snake laughed and told her and Ryder to follow him. Together, they entered the building, which housed several other businesses on the remaining floors—it was certainly not a place where she would expect to find a dancing studio. After crossing the lobby, they took the lift and reached their destination.

The glass doors at the end of a hallway were unlocked, and the faint sounds of music could be heard when the group passed them. Another door, this one wider, led to a spacious room with a high, black-painted ceiling. Sunlight fell in through a large window front, which gave a wonderful view over adjacent buildings and a small park. The wall opposite the windows was covered in mirrors. Black speakers decorated the corner of the room. Elena had never seen a place like this except on TV.

“You’re early,” an unfamiliar voice asked, and only then did she realize that they weren’t alone. A vampire stood next to the boxes and turned down the music before he approached them. His hair was bleached blond, and his eye color resembled Ryder’s. She mirrored his friendly smile, assuming this was James.

“You’re early too,” Snake grinned and introduced them. “This is Elena, and this is James, one of my friends.”

“And a dance teacher at his studio,” James added. “Nice to meet you, Elena. Snake told me his clan got a new member recently, so I was curious.”

He was friendly, and had she not felt his aura, she would have never guessed he was a vampire. “Yes, I joined shortly after I met Ryder. We’re soulmates.”

James’s smile was blinding, an amused glimmer brightening his eyes. “I know. Snake told me, and I can smell it.”

“Oh… right, I always forget,” Elena laughed and shook her head. “You also belong to one of New York’s clans, don’t you?”

His smile faded like dew in the morning sun. “Yes. You must be asking because of what happened recently. The council has contacted my clan as well.”

“Do you know anything about the vampire on the loose?” Ryder asked—he was quite tense, as always when this topic came up, and stood behind Elena with his arm draped around her waist.

“You must be worried,” James mumbled, eyes briefly narrowing before he frowned. “Paul has looked into it after Harry asked us for help, but he hasn’t made much progress except for an encounter with a turned human… The incident occurred after dark near the Tower in the park. The… creature caught the scent of some tourists and was about to attack them, but Paul interfered. Then he reported it to the council. Unfortunately, it was impossible to find out when and where the human was turned and who did it.”

“It shouldn’t be so hard to find one damn vampire,” Ryder scowled. “I hate to admit it, but this person knows what they’re doing.”