Chapter 125: Chapter 125

“You don’t seem very happy about my present. Why is that?” Louis asked. It was obvious he didn’t expect an answer, deriving sadistic pleasure from taunting his captives.

His words didn’t register in Elena’s mind. She was focused on Jacob’s hand on her neck and the increasingly bloodthirsty look on his face. He bared his fangs, his mouth closing in on her jugular. His breath touched her skin, prompting her to shiver with disgust.

“I need to punish you for what you did to me,” he growled, and before she could say anything, sharp pain exploded in her neck.

A strangled scream escaped her. She instinctively fought his grip, but the pain was intense—he was incredibly violent, just like last time. In a desperate act to defend herself, she drew magic into her fingertips and stung him with the essence of wolfsbane. However, it didn’t have the desired effect and only made him angrier. His fangs sank deeper into her skin.

The act of his biting her neck brought back memories of the night her parents had died, and she was forced into a state of shock. Her vision turned black, she panicked, gasped, and struggled to get air into her lungs. Tears welled up in her eyes. She was scared it would never end—but Jacob’s fangs left her flesh much sooner than expected. He spat her blood on the ground and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his coat. The vampire let go of her and stared at her with disgust.

“Your blood no longer tastes sweet; it doesn’t have a taste at all,” he grumbled. “Your soulmate ruined you, what a fucking waste.”

Elena pressed her hand on the wound he had left, hatefully glaring at him through her tears. She wished she were strong enough to kill him—because that was the only way to stop him. At least her soulmate bond had saved her from becoming an involuntary blood donor to this bastard. Ryder wasn’t even here, but he still managed to protect her.

“Jacob, that’s enough. You cannot risk killing her by accident—she might be the very last green witch, and you know what her death would mean for us.” Louis’s voice was deeper than before, warning his subordinate, who grimaced and turned away from Elena. She let out a breath—encounters with this man were intense and disturbed her. It wasn’t fair that he was still alive when her parents weren’t.

Jacob passed the other witches and wizards, not bothering to acknowledge their presence. In his mind, they were simply a means to an end, much like a tool. He hardly cared that they were living beings, had hopes and dreams that were all shattered because of the vampires’ greed.

Louis and Jacob left the underground prison and locked the heavy doors behind themselves. A loud bang announced their departure, and finally, the tension in the small prison eased a bit.

“Is he dead?” Alan asked fearfully and followed Alex as he kneeled next to the wizard on the ground.

“No,” Alex muttered and narrowed his eyes. “His injuries are concerning…”

“I will heal him,” Elena said, voice firm and determined. She made her way toward the newcomer and sat next to Alex, who observed the painful bite mark on her neck.

“You should take care of yourself first. You’re bleeding too much,” he reminded her.

She frowned, torn between his advice and the wish to save this poor wizard. Alan watched the situation from behind Alex’s back, gathering his courage. He had neglected his magic for so long that using it another time was daunting.

“Um, I can try to help him,” he whispered.

“Are you sure, Jae?” Alex’s eyes were wide but hopeful, and he made space for his friend so that he could sit next to the unconscious wizard.

“Yes,” Alan answered, and this time he sounded more confident.

Elena took this as her cue to heal her own injury, holding her palm over her neck and drawing the essence of her magic toward it. She repaired the broken skin and stopped the bleeding, reducing the pain in the process. However, since she didn’t want to use all of her magic reserves on herself, she stopped when the wound had scabbed.

In the meantime, Alan had begun to heal the wizard, but his progress was slow since he lacked experience and his magic had weakened over time. So Elena decided to assist him, holding her palms over the wizard’s body and drawing out the soothing power of her magic. It resonated with Alan, growing stronger and more effective in the process. Elena had never seen anything like this and watched in fascination as their combined powers mended the wizard’s wounds. Soon enough, only a few dark marks and the dried blood on his clothes were left.

“Will he be okay?” Wendy asked and looked over Elena’s shoulder.

“He looks much better. I suppose he will be fine,” Alex said. “Look, his eyes are opening.”

The wizard blinked, revealing a pair of bright green eyes. His hair was dark brown and disheveled, clothes were ruined after his confrontation with the vampires. It was clear he had fought for his life, and sadly, he had lost just like all of them. When he realized that he was surrounded by five strangers, he shot up and tensed, a harsh gust of wind forcing the group back and away from him.

“Who the hell are you?” he shouted.

“Calm down, we’re not your enemies,” Alex said and held up his hands. “There’s no reason to fight us—we hate the vampires just as much as you.”

“Where… did they take me?”

“Why don’t we talk in the kitchen? Come and join us,” Elena suggested, and they gathered in the kitchen, sitting down at the table. They explained the situation to their newest addition, introducing themselves. The more the wizard learned about his unwanted predicament, the more desperate he felt until eventually, he slumped in his chair and buried his face in his hands. He, too, was younger than Elena, and his magical power had yet to reach its full potential.

“This is worse than I thought. If only… if only they never found me,” he muttered.