Chapter 21: Chapter 21

“I have to go home,” she sighed, lowering her head. “It’s time.”

“Let me drive you home,” Ryder answered. His jaw clenched, and his nose wrinkled as an expression of mild disgust settled on his face. He loathed the thought of delivering her straight to her boyfriend’s door, but he couldn’t keep her here against her will either.

“It’s better if I take you, just in case you get dizzy again,” he added after a pause. His eyes were steely and unyielding—when her health was involved, he didn’t take risks.

“Thank you. Can we leave right away?” she asked.

“Fine,” was his brief answer.

She nodded and collected her purse and jacket. Since she had already put on her own clothes this morning, she was ready to leave within a minute. He accompanied her, and as they walked through the mansion, he sensed her fear returning. Her eyes flitted from door to door, always expecting another vampire to appear, but Ryder knew they wouldn’t show themselves. He had asked them not to since he didn’t want to overwhelm her.

“Calm down,” he murmured and slipped his hand in hers, squeezing it lightly. Her wide eyes fell on him for a moment, embarrassment flickering over her face.

“I’m trying.”

“It’s okay to be afraid… but you don’t have to be. Everyone in this house is happy I found my soulmate,” he explained quietly. “And nobody would hurt you.”

They left the house through the front door and walked to his black car. It was parked near a line of bushes that separated the driveway from the rest of the spacious garden. She sat in the passenger seat, and he took the driver’s seat next to her. Once he turned on the engine, they left the property behind in no time. He rounded a few corners and followed the street for a while, getting closer to the heart of New York.

For a while, the sound of the car was all they heard—until she broke the silence. “Ryder, I’ve been wondering about something,” she began hesitantly, her cheeks dusted pink.

“What is it?” he asked and took his eyes off the road for a moment to glance at her.

“What do I taste like?”

“Huh?” His eyes widened in surprise. At first, he wasn’t sure if his ears were playing tricks on him.

“I mean, what does my blood taste like?” she asked again, his reaction flustering her.

His fang dug into his bottom lip as he pondered it. He kept his eyes fixed on the street, but she didn’t miss the lustful red that sparked within them. “It tastes… intoxicatingly sweet,” he drawled. “Your scent is very tempting, too. Can’t get enough of it.”

“Oh, really?” she mumbled, blushing harder. “Is that good or bad?”

An amused laugh escaped him. “It was meant to be a compliment.”

“Thank you?” she answered, unsurely, adding to his amusement. “I was curious because I don’t know that much about vampires.”

“And I’m willing to answer all your questions.”

“Then, can you tell me how often you need to… um… drink my blood?”

“At least once every seven days. That’s the minimum I can live with. If it makes you uncomfortable, I could try to wait longer.”

“No,” she insisted. “I can do this.”

“You’re still a little uneasy, aren’t you? It’s reasonable after what you’ve been through, Elena, you don’t have to hide it.”

“How do you always know these things?” she sighed, crossing her arms. “Can’t I keep anything from you?”

“Your heartbeat is very telling, and my intuition rarely fails me,” he smirked. “And there is also the fact that you’re my soulmate…”

“You love reminding me of that,” she whispered. The corners of her mouth twitched.

“Indeed, I do,” he remarked smugly.

They reached her apartment building faster than she liked. As it came into view, the unwanted feeling of dread grew in her stomach. Ryder stopped the car in front of the house.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Rest well today,” Ryder said, reaching over to her and planting a daring kiss on her cheek. Elena’s flush was well visible to his sharp eyes despite her trying to hide it, prompting him to smirk.

“See you,” she said and ducked out of the car, closing its door.

He stared at her back, breathing in her lingering scent. His hands tightened around the steering wheel, nearly crushing it. He wanted to go after her; he wanted to bring her back to his home, where she belonged.

Abruptly, he jerked his head in the other direction, his teeth digging into his bottom lip. Bloodred eyes stared into space. He loathed the man who waited for her in that building. Ryder despised him for stealing his soulmate. Before his rage made him do something he would later regret, he floored the gas pedal and sped away.

---

Elena unlocked the front door with jittery hands. She couldn’t focus because her anxiety drowned out any rational thoughts she might have had. And as she had feared, he was already awaiting her. Steph cornered her in the hallway, trapping her with her back against the door. His arms were as tense as a drawn bowstring, and his eyes pierced her.

“Where the fuck have you been all night?” he growled menacingly.

“I… I stayed with Willow. We were out drinking and…"

Steph wasn’t having it. “You were gone for an entire night without explanation, you didn’t answer your phone, and you ignored me. Do you think I would believe your ridiculous lies?”

She swallowed and inched back—but the door behind her stopped her. His blue eyes analyzed her, and they soon found something that was out of place, covering a part of her neck. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was a gauze pad. Steph ripped it off without warning, causing her to cry out in alarm. His eyes narrowed at the purple bite mark on her neck.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he exploded. “You spent the night with a vampire? What kind of twisted joke is this?”