Chapter 119: Chapter 119

Ryder reached a busy street where Elena’s scent disappeared without a trace—she must have entered a car right where he stood. “Fuck.” he hissed and looked up and down the street. People stared at him, hurrying past him. The cars’ fumes burned in his sensitive nose as if to taunt him. Too fucking slow. His soulmate was gone.

Ryder's mind was blazing as he thought of a way to get to her. She had left no trace; it was as if she had vanished into thin air. How the hell should he ever find her at this rate?. Nobody had seen—he paused, and his eyes widened a fraction. Then he was running, searching for one particular person. Her scent was easy to miss since it wasn’t as pleasant as Elena’s, but he was a natural at hunting people down, so it merely took him two minutes.

The human woman had collapsed in a heap on the sidewalk, half-hidden behind a parked car. Her shoes were soaked from the rain, and her make-up ran over her cheeks, mixing with her tears. Pitiful hiccups, a sniffle. She clutched Elena’s dagger in her shaking hands. The human was too occupied with herself to hear Ryder’s approaching footsteps, although the sound of his heavy boots was loud. He stopped right in front of her, staring down at the only witness, the only clue he had. And finally, she raised her head. The horror he read in her gaze confirmed his suspicion—she had seen something… and it must have been gruesome, too much for an ignorant human to handle.

“You’re… Ryder? Your eyes.” She hyperventilated and looked like she was about to vomit. “They’re just like his.”

“What?”

She pressed her hand on her mouth. “He a-and that thing had red eyes too… Are you a monster just like them?”

“Get up, we need to talk,” Ryder demanded. When she didn’t react fast enough, he clicked his tongue, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her up. “Listen, I know this is a lot to take in. You don’t know what’s happening, and you just experienced something terrible, but you have to get yourself together. Elena’s fate depends on it.”

The woman’s glossy eyes became impossibly wide. “Can you help her?”

His fang dug into his lower lip. “I hope I can, but I need your help. You have to tell me what happened. I need to know exactly what you witnessed.”

She leaned against the brick wall behind her and rubbed her teary eyes. “Elena and I were delivering an order in the neighborhood, and on the way back, this thing appeared. It attacked us, and she stopped it somehow? I’m not sure what she did, but it suddenly turned to dust. That’s when a man with red eyes appeared. He seemed to know Elena…”

A string of curses left his mouth along with a guttural growl that prompted Venus to freeze. She took a deep breath, wondering who the hell her boss really was and why she was acquainted with such weird and dangerous people.

“Elena told me to run, so I did. When I heard her scream from afar, I got worried and returned to see if I could help, but she was gone. They were both gone. I don’t know where he took her.”

“Did you hear his name?”

“No, but I know what he looks like,” she whispered, full of fear. “Black hair, a dark gray coat… and a very narrow chin. I could… recognize him if I ever saw him again.”

“I see,” Ryder muttered, scowling since this didn’t help much. Regardless, he would notify the council and his clan. They had to find Elena before it was too late—she was in mortal danger. Ryder was sure that the murderer of her parents was behind this. Since the vampire had recognized Elena, this was the only explanation that made sense to him. Ryder was furious. It took all of his strength to hold himself back; otherwise, he might have punched a hole through the wall next to the human.

“Give me her dagger,” he demanded and held out his hand. She hesitated, but the impatience in his tone made her change her mind. He took the dagger, carefully avoiding the blade and only touching its hilt. The pungent stench of wolfsbane and vampire blood hung in the air. His soulmate must have hurt the bastard—good.

“What is he? A-And what are you?” the human stuttered.

Ryder figured he might as well tell her the truth—it was too late for damage control anyway. “We’re vampires.”

She nodded as if she had expected as much. “What are you going to do now? Will you find her?”

“I won’t rest until I do.”

Ryder didn’t have time to waste, so he took his leave. This human was not in any danger; she would survive—Elena, on the other hand… What awaited her with the murderer of her parents? He didn’t dare to think about it since it was too horrific. However, Ryder already knew what he would do to the bastard if he ever got his hands on him, and it wouldn’t be pretty. Anyone who dared to hurt his soulmate would face his rage. Ryder wouldn’t let him get away with this.

Beneath all the anger that originated from his instinct to protect his partner, he was worried. Ryder had a sinking feeling in his stomach, fearing that he wouldn’t reach her in time. What if the vampire hurt her so badly that the damage would be irreversible? Even though she had overcome her fear of vampires thanks to Ryder’s help, facing the murderer of her family all alone had to be dreadful. Ryder wasn’t there to comfort or protect her, and he despised himself for it. He should have been her shield.

Due to his superior speed, he reached his home within minutes and rushed inside, calling everyone’s names. His sudden and hasty arrival alarmed the rest of the clan, even more so when they didn’t sense Elena anywhere, even though she should have been home already.