Chapter 15: Chapter 15

“Stop,” she gasped. She clenched her hand into a fist and hit Ryder’s chest before he could do anything. “I don’t want you to drink my blood.”

A rare sense of desperation flared in his eyes. The red in his iris was dark with hunger—he lusted after her blood. It had to be his most potent desire as of this moment—and if he gave in to it, he would bleed her dry. Was this where he showed her his true face? Had he been playing a game with her this whole time?

Elena didn’t want to be bitten. It was the root of her fear, the one thing that she loathed more than anything. Thankfully, Ryder was still in control of himself. He let her go like he had burnt himself, moving away from her to give her space. He took a deep breath to compose himself, running his hand through his ebony hair.

“I respect your wish, Elena,” he muttered. A bitter frown settled on his face. “Maybe we aren’t meant to be. I’m sorry I scared you.”

Her blood rushed in her ears. She felt like she might throw up—this was all too much for her. The haunting pictures of that night tormented her and pulled her back into the state of fear that she had broken out of for a short while. She retreated into her shell, shutting him out. The simple action of his kissing her neck had shaken her completely.

“I can’t handle this,” she said, voice bursting with anxiety.

“Then I won’t bother you anymore,” he uttered defeatedly.

It was hard to believe they had reached a moment where Ryder was willing to give up on her. He had pursued her for an entire week, finding her every day without fail, bringing her flowers, and trying hard to talk to her even though she had been too afraid to be nice to him most of the time. His efforts were remarkable—he had done all that without ever forcing her to give him her blood. And even now, he didn’t give in to his vampiric nature. His gleaming ruby eyes were proof that he was extremely thirsty.

Elena came to realize something crucial. Her blood had never been what he had been after. It must have been her acceptance he had sought, but her fear still blazed brightly and couldn’t be quelled. It was a paralyzing sensation that held her hostage, stole her breath, and made her heart pound like rolling thunder. She wished she could shake it off.

“There is no future for us both. It’s senseless to stay together when all I do is make you suffer,” he said. His forlorn eyes were dulled by sadness. “This is the last time we meet. I will leave you alone from now on. Even though we didn’t spend much time together, I’m glad I got to meet my soulmate. I hope you will lead a happy life, Elena.”

Somehow, what he said gave her an ominous feeling. Her intuition told her something was wrong, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was, and her panic made her thoughts frantic and disorganized.

“Ryder, wait. That’s not what I…”

But he had already left so fast her eyes couldn’t follow.

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The windows of Steph’s flat were lit up when she returned home. Not a good sign. He was back early—that was a disaster. Her stomach prickled with nervousness. She quickly removed her silver hairpin and put it in her purse in a useless attempt to make her appearance more casual. If he saw her like this, wearing her favorite green dress, it would be obvious that she had been on a date.

She entered the house, her pumps creating a hollow sound on the marble ground as she walked. The elevator took her to the floor where she lived with Steph, and as she punched in the code for the front door, her pulse raced. This was not how she had planned for this night to end. Her hand was ice cold when she reached for the doorknob and entered the flat. She shut the door as quietly as she could and removed her shoes before she tiptoed towards the bedroom.

However, when she rounded the corner, she caught Steph’s eye. He looked up from his phone and scowled at her, sitting on a chair in the kitchen.

“There you are. You’ve made me wait,” he ground out.

“I’m sorry,” she said and plastered an artificial smile on her lips as she walked closer. “Do you want me to make dinner?” She acted as normally as she could, but her fingers shook. Her nerves were already at their limit, and she couldn’t handle an angry Steph right now.

“No, I already ate. Hurry and clean that mess up!” he barked, pointing at shattered glass and a puddle of water on the tiles. Her beautiful camellias were strewn over the floor, ripped apart. She didn’t sense any life from within them—they were dead.

A strangled gasp left her throat, and her composure broke. “Why did you do that?” she yelled. “They meant so much to me!”

“Do I look like I give a shit about your flowers?” Steph asked and got up. She stiffened. “Where were you all evening, huh? And why are you dressed up like that? You look awful.”

“I met with my friends. We… we went to a restaurant together,” she whispered, ignoring his insult.

“Stop lying. You were on a date with another man, admit it,” he said. “You’re a disloyal little slut, and you’re lucky I even bother with you.”

He stopped right in front of her, grabbing a lock of her hair. “You’re worthless. This guy you met up with must have been blind,” he taunted and lowered his voice until it sounded like a threatening snarl. “If this happens again, you’ll regret it.”

He sneered at her and walked past her, pushing her aside with his shoulder. The door to the bedroom slammed shut, and she was left alone in the kitchen, staring into space. Her knees quivered and eventually gave out. She picked up the dead flowers one by one and cradled them to her chest. The tiles and the glass shards blurred and became unrecognizable. Salty streaks of water marked her cheeks as she cried silently. Now she truly had nothing left of Ryder, and it hurt more than she could have ever imagined.

“This is all my fault,” she whispered and pressed her hand on her mouth, muffling her sobs.