Chapter 134: Chapter 134

“Damn it, what is this?” he screamed, panicking and neglecting his defense—which ended up being his last mistake. Ryder chose to end it then and there, executing a perfect attack that broke the vampire’s neck. It happened so fast that Elena didn’t even notice what Ryder had done until his opponent staggered and fell to the ground. He didn’t get up anymore.

However, the fight was far from over—too many enemies were still alive and causing problems. Alan was hiding behind Thorny and Kelsey, healing an injured Helen. Edgar wasn’t far from his soulmate, expression strained with worry for her. Elena's eyes widened as she wondered what had happened to Helen. She was about to mention it to Ryder when someone appeared in front of her, cutting her off from him. It was Jacob, and he looked ready to kill.

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One time too many, Elena gazed into the bloodred orbs of none other than Jacob, the person who had taken her parents from her, the person she hated the most. His actions had been the catalyst for the misfortune that had befallen her in the past years. If he hadn’t killed her family, she could have lived safely with her parents and grown up like any other student at her high school.

She could have attended university and made new friends. Instead, she had been forced to flee from her only home and hide from a murderous vampire, eventually encountering Steph, who had taken advantage of her unfortunate situation. She had stayed with him for a long time without realizing how toxic their relationship had been, but thanks to her soulmate, her life had taken a turn for the better. Elena treasured the new life she had built for herself in the past six months. She adored her shop, her new clan, whom she considered her family, and of course, Ryder. Jacob would not ruin everything again. The vampire had gone too far—Elena would put an end to his evil actions. Today would be the last time they met. She would only stop fighting once one of them was dead.

Elena didn’t have time to cast a spell before Jacob lunged at her. He was fast, so fast that his body blurred, and she was powerless against his speed and agility. In a blink, he had pushed her down and was on top of her, nearly crushing her shoulders in his merciless grasp. A strangled scream tore from her throat. With wide eyes, she took in Jacob’s twisted grin. He looked deranged. Burning hatred had overtaken all other emotions, and she was convinced he was ready to kill her, regardless of Louis’s orders.

“You won’t get away from me this time, little witch,” he snarled at her, leaning in. His nose almost touched hers, the proximity revolting her. “It’s over. My prey never survives.”

His fingers dug deeply into her flesh, drawing blood. She squirmed under him, releasing a spark of angry green magic. Not even three seconds had passed since he had attacked her, and yet she was already overwhelmed by him. Gritting her teeth, she spat in his face.

The vampire’s expression changed—and then he was suddenly ripped away from her by a massive force. The weight above her disappeared, and the pain in her shoulders eased. She grimaced and carefully pushed herself up, trying to see what was happening. The young witch was in the middle of a chaotic fight, vampires clashing all around her and spells flying past her—she panicked and searched the crowd for a sign of her soulmate. Ryder must have attacked Jacob, but where did they disappear to?

Her head snapped around when she heard Ryder’s voice yelling a curse. There he was, not far from her, fighting Jacob as she had suspected. She forced her body to get up, observing their blurry motions with bated breath. Ryder was strong, but Jacob was his equal. The witch hunter attacked viciously, punching her soulmate and slashing a silver blade across his chest. Blood was drawn, soaked up by the gray shirt Ryder wore under his leather jacket.

He groaned and scoffed at the weapon. “Are you too much of a coward to fight me without a weapon? Think you would lose against me?” he mocked.

“Shut up. It doesn’t matter if I use a weapon or not; in the end, I will kill you and your soulmate.”

The vampires disappeared in a blur and reappeared a few meters closer to Elena, kicking and punching each other. Ryder was cautious because of the knife and didn’t attack as aggressively as Jacob—unfortunately, the weapon gave his opponent an advantage.

It was obvious Ryder couldn’t win the fight if he stayed on the defense—it was time to cast a spell to even the odds. Elena mumbled a few words and reached out her hand, sending a wave of magic at Jacob. She targeted the hand that held the knife, causing wolfsbane to sprout from his wrist and palm. Its poison burned his skin, making it bleed within seconds. Surprised, Jacob let go of the knife, clutching his injury while he dodged Ryder’s relentless attacks. He performed a roundhouse kick, hurling Jacob backward straight into a window. The glass broke at the impact, shards flying in all directions and raining down on him.

Ryder approached him slowly, throwing Elena a pleased grin over his shoulder. “Hey, that was a great idea.”

“Be careful, Ryder, you’re injured. Should I heal you?” she answered as she picked up the weapon. Its hilt was covered in poisonous vines, but they didn’t hurt her. No vampire would be able to hold the weapon without severely burning themselves.

“I’m afraid there’s no time,” he replied, his eyes returning to Jacob when he slowly got up, brushing glass shards off his clothes. He staggered and glared at Ryder and Elena.

“Don’t get cocky, witch. Just because you managed to surprise me with your cheap trick doesn’t mean you will win.”

He disappeared in a blur, shooting off so suddenly and so fast that not even Ryder could stop him. She heard his shocked scream, but couldn’t react in time. Jacob reached her in a fraction of a second, laying his hands on her neck and squeezing. She grabbed his wrists, her survival instincts kicking in. The silver knife in her hand was plunged into his arm—but the vampire didn’t even flinch. His ultimate goal was to end her life, and a blade would hardly stop him.