Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Ryder realized something was wrong when her body went limp in his arms. He removed his lips from her neck, licking over the mark he had left and cleaning off the blood from her skin. The sweet taste of her blood lingered in his mouth, and he knew he was dangerously close to getting addicted.

With his burning thirst gone, he was able to focus. His thoughts no longer revolved around holding himself back. Now, they circled a whole different topic—her health. Her eyes had closed, and she had lost consciousness. The beats of her heart had slowed, and her body was colder than before. He frowned worriedly and brushed a strand of her hair away from her forehead.

“Elena?” he asked, shifting her body in his arms so that he could carry her. He lifted her carefully and brought her to his bed, where he laid her down gently like he was handling a glass figure.

For a short moment, he had lost all control of his actions, and the bite marks he had left on her were deeper than they should have been. He frowned and quickly fetched a gauze pad, which he put on the injury to keep it protected so it would heal properly. Then, he covered her body with a blanket, ensuring that she was comfortable. His fingers touched her cheek and moved a few strands of hair out of the way. Ryder assumed that she would sleep for a while until her body had regained its strength. When she woke up, she would have to eat and drink to compensate for the blood loss.

Until then, he would remain at her side.

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By the time her consciousness returned, the sky had turned dark, and the stars were visible. Elena scrunched her nose, feeling an oddly numb sensation at her neck. It wasn’t painful, but uncomfortable and foreign. As the fog in her mind dispersed, she blinked and opened her eyes, seeing a dimly lit, vaguely familiar room. The bed beneath her was soft like a cloud, so comfortable she didn’t want to move an inch. She was exhausted even though she had been sleeping for hours.

“Are you awake?” a familiar voice asked. She searched for its owner and found him when he turned on the lamps. Warm light flooded the room and allowed her to see Ryder standing near the door. He approached her, and Elena was relieved that his complexion had changed compared to earlier. His skin tone looked healthy and no longer deadly pale. A lively glimmer shone in his blue eyes. The red was gone, and she assumed that his thirst was gone as well. It was hard to read his expression, but once he spoke, his worry was clearly audible.

“How are you, Elena?” he asked and came to stand at her bedside. He studied her patiently, and Elena got the sense he was waiting for her fear to make an appearance, but that did not happen. She was much too relieved to waste a thought about being scared—it was comforting that he felt better and that his life no longer rested on a knife’s edge.

“I’m fine,” she answered, clearing her throat because she sounded hoarse.

“I will get you something to drink,” he said and walked to the coffee table where he had prepared a bottle with water and a glass.

Elena struggled to sit up, leaning her back against the headboard. He handed her the glass with sparkling water, and she gulped it down. Her throat had been parched as if she had been running through a desert for hours. She took a deep breath as she handed him the glass back. He put it on the nightstand.

“Are you okay now?” she asked, just to be sure, and prompted him to frown.

“I should be asking you that,” he sighed. “I’m sorry, Elena. It must have been a terrible experience for you. I didn’t want to force you into a situation like that. I wanted you to have a choice.”

Her hand wandered to her neck. She felt a gauze pad where the bite mark should be. A hint of confusion contorted her features. “I did have a choice. I came here of my own free will. Nobody forced me to do anything,” she answered. Her eyelids were heavy. Had she tried to get up, she would have landed on her nose. In her state, it would be best to sleep, but she was too agitated, had too many questions she needed to ask.

His crystal-clear eyes widened in shock upon hearing her words. “I thought Edgar dragged you here.”

“No, he didn’t. I was worried about you, and that’s why I came,” she answered truthfully.

“You were worried about me?” he echoed in disbelief.

“I had a feeling that something was off, but I had no way to contact you. It’s only thanks to Edgar that I reached you in time,” she said, frowning. “Why didn’t you tell me you would die without my blood? Something so important shouldn’t be left unsaid.”

Ryder sat on the edge of the bed and turned his body towards her. His gaze lingered on her neck, and a shadow crossed his face. He sighed and raked his fingers through his black hair.

“I thought you knew,” he muttered. “I was sure that a witch would know. So when you said you didn’t want me to drink your blood, I thought you didn’t care I would die.”

Elena’s breath hitched in her throat, and suddenly, her eyes started to burn. She began to realize just what he had gone through—and she wished she could turn back time.

“I do care,” she burst out, voice cracking a little. She grabbed his hand and held it tightly. “I would be devastated if you died, Ryder. It was a mistake to push you away that evening… if only I had known. I’m so sorry. You must have been in so much pain.”

“Don’t cry,” he murmured, catching a tear with his thumb. He cupped her cheek with his slender hand, gently rubbing circles on her skin. “It’s not your fault. Everything is fine now.”

“But…”

“What you should do now is calm down and rest. Your body isn’t used to losing so much blood at once,” he said, sounding a little guilty. “I owe my life to you.”

She held on to his hand, enjoying the slight tingling she felt from their shared bond. Its warm magic filled her and completed her. Sitting next to him like this wasn’t frightening or unpleasant anymore. She knew that she didn’t have to fear him. Even when he had drunk her blood, the expected agony hadn’t reached her. He was the complete opposite of the vampire who had attacked her—in every aspect.

“It wasn’t as painful as I expected. Why didn’t it hurt more? Last time, it was different.”

“I tried to be as gentle as I could,” he said, narrowing his eyes. They flashed red. “I assume that the other vampire was careless and didn’t numb the bite. We do it to lessen the pain.”

“I see,” she whispered. “Thank you.”