Chapter 135: Chapter 135

Ryder appeared behind him, struggling to rip him away from her. His desperation allowed him to unleash hell—but Jacob didn’t budge, not even when one of his ribs broke because of Ryder’s attacks. He was hyper-focused on his prey and nothing else.

Elena stared right into Jacob’s cruel eyes as he strangled her—obviously, he wanted her death to be slow and drawn out. The dark pleasure she found in his expression made her sick to her stomach. Fear gathered in her chest when she realized that Ryder might not be able to save her this time. Although her panic made it difficult to concentrate on her magic, she was able to give life to more poisonous plants. Again, they sprouted from his hands, engulfing his fingers.

He howled in pain and frustration, letting go of her neck to rip the plants away. Seeing an opportunity, Ryder shoved himself between her and Jacob. He balanced his weight on one leg and raised the other, executing a perfect hapkido kick. His boot collided with Jacob’s chest, fast like lightning. Bones cracked, and the vampire was pushed back, landing hard on the ground.

Ryder didn’t wait to see if he would get up. Instead, he kneeled next to Elena’s heaving body on the ground, his hand on her back, offering comfort. She wheezed, tears gathering in her eyes.

“Breathe, Elena. Focus on breathing,” he muttered. “Fuck, that bastard is stronger than I thought.” His voice was laden with pain and anger; he was furious at Jacob and frustrated with himself for being too slow to protect his soulmate. Honestly, Ryder wasn’t sure how to defeat Jacob—they were equally strong, and without a good plan, it would be next to impossible to dominate him in a fight. All Ryder wanted was to stop him fast and without exposing Elena to more danger.

“I’m okay,” she gasped. “Give me a second, I have an idea.”

The key to defeating Jacob was her magic. It was the one thing he had no control over, the one thing a vampire was powerless against. She would combine Ryder’s and her strengths—his agility and her magic would surely be enough to kill Jacob. Elena opened her palm and concentrated a soft flow of magic on her hand. Instead of a plant, she created a sturdy piece of wood, shaped like a stake. It had a sharp, spiky end dripping with the essence of wolfsbane—it was a deadly weapon against a vampire.

“Use this,” she whispered to Ryder. “One side is poisoned. The other is safe to touch.”

He scrunched his nose when the pungent stench of wolfsbane engulfed him, but didn’t hesitate to take the weapon. Using a stake was an old-fashioned way to kill a vampire, but it was effective.

“Thank you,” he uttered. His stormy gaze scanned over her one last time before he got up. She had sustained bruises, and the smell of spilled blood lingered on her, but the determination in her eyes was unbroken. Ryder clutched the stake in his hand, his knuckles turning white. He would put her gift to good use and avenge her parents.

“You think that piece of wood will be enough to defeat me? Nothing this witch does will ever amount to anything. She’ll meet her parents in hell when I’m done with her,” Jacob taunted, raising his brow. He had recovered from Ryder’s attack and was back on his feet.

However, his mocking tone fell on deaf ears. Ryder did not answer. His cold stare followed each of Jacob’s movements as he paced back and forth like a caged lion, curling his burnt palms to hide the injuries Elena had inflicted on him. The broken skin took a long time to heal since his body had absorbed too much of the poison. It began to weaken him, sapping his strength and robbing him of his superior reflexes. The more time passed, the more it would affect him—and while Ryder would have loved to see the bastard suffer for a while longer, ending the fight quickly was more important. He wanted to be with Elena and help treat her injuries, not waste time with Jacob…

Adrenaline coursed through Ryder’s veins. He bent his legs, tensed his muscles, and attacked. Ryder’s resolve was unwavering, and he executed each punch and each kick with effectiveness, forcing Jacob to dodge and evade as Ryder waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.

It came sooner than expected. Ryder’s fist struck Jacob’s chin and caused him to stumble backward—he neglected his defense. Like a snake sinking its teeth into its prey, Ryder plunged the stake into Jacob’s chest. There was barely any resistance—Jacob screeched in pain and tried to pull the stake out, but Ryder only pushed it deeper, piercing his heart. Blood gushed over his hands.

“Fuck… this isn’t over,” Jacob hissed, grimacing in pain and scowling at Ryder.

“Whether you like it or not, you won’t come out of this alive,” Ryder countered. The only reason Jacob was still standing on his feet was Ryder’s hands on the stake. When the poison on the weapon began to consume the vampire’s body and his skin color faded to a deadly gray, Ryder let go of the stake. Jacob fell. His heart ceased to beat, and a pool of blood rapidly spread around his body—he was dead.

Elena couldn’t believe her eyes. For ten endless seconds, she watched him without moving at all. His lifeless body looked so unlike the person he had been, similar to a fragile doll. She took several breaths. Tears gathered in her eyes. This was it. She was finally free of this man. He would never hunt her down again. She wouldn’t have to hide from him anymore.

Rubbing her glossy eyes, she got up and approached Ryder, who heard her staggering steps. He raised his head, gaze softening once it landed on her. Opening his arms, he let her lean into him and held her protectively.

“He’s dead, but this isn’t over yet. Don’t leave my side, buttercup,” he reminded her, his serious tone matching his expression.