Chapter 25: Chapter 25

“Really,” he answered. “You took my breath away when I first saw you, and now you still do, buttercup.”

A faint blush dusted her cheeks after hearing his compliments. She was too damn adorable. The reddish shade in his irises faded and made way for the frosty blue that was their original color.

“What now?” she asked, leaning her head against his chest. “What should I do now? I lost everything I have in a single day.”

“First of all, you need to stop worrying. You haven’t fully recovered after I drank your blood, so it’s important to give your body some rest,” he answered. “I will take care of your shop and prepare a room where you can stay. The one next to mine is empty; you may move in as soon as it’s ready.”

“But there are many vampires in this house,” she mumbled uneasily. As far as she knew, the entire clan lived here.

“Yes, but they rarely enter the part of the building where I live. Each of us has our own space since we value our privacy,” he explained. “You don’t have to worry about them. They won’t do anything to you. This is the safest place where you can be.”

Elena wasn’t convinced and decided not to wander the building on her own, just in case one of them would spot her.

“Are you still not hungry or thirsty?” he asked, and when she shook her head, he added, “Okay, if you say so. But remember, you need sustenance to recover.” His strict and firm voice reminded her that he cared about her well-being, maybe more than she cared about it herself.

“I will leave now and prepare everything for you,” he said and brushed her hair gently before loosening his embrace. Elena shifted and made space for him so he could get up. Ryder didn’t miss the unease that crawled over her face at the idea of being alone in a house filled with vampires.

“Don’t be scared, little flower. The others won’t hurt you, trust me. And I will be back before you know it. Until then, please rest.”

“Come back soon,” she said, earning a reassuring smile.

“I will.”

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When he was gone, Elena needed to distract herself from her unease and from the deep hole that had been ripped in her chest after losing her flowers. So she began to roam around in his room, looking at picture frames and shelves, eager to discover more about her soulmate. Ryder didn’t keep many things in his room—it was furnished modernly with dark gray and blue tones and lacked unnecessary decoration. Everything she saw had a purpose.

From the music books stacked on the shelves to the expensive-looking clock on the wall, or the computer he kept on a desk in the corner. His room was quite large, even offering enough space for the grand piano he had told her about. It was a majestic musical instrument, and when she passed it, her fingers experimentally pressed a few keys. Sadly, she didn’t remember much of her piano lessons; otherwise, she might have played a song.

Elena sat down on a low bench in front of a window. She peered outside at the garden, realizing that it was fairly big. The property must have cost a fortune… She assumed that Edgar was its legal owner since he was the leader of the clan. She would have to get used to living here—it was certainly different from all the places where she had stayed before. Her former homes had never been luxurious, and she had been fine with that. This house made her feel intimidated with its daunting size and the many vampires who lurked inside…

A knock at the door ripped her out of the spiral of negative thoughts. Elena winced, hugging her legs and pressing her back against the wall. An aura of danger loomed behind the door—it belonged to a vampire. Her heart rate spiked. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, her first impulse when facing a vampire. She had to remind herself that her situation was different now; she wasn’t supposed to run away from this place. Ryder had assured her that she would be safe, and she needed to trust his words.

Still, she shivered in apprehension.

“May I come in?” a bell-like female voice called.

Elena composed herself, brushed her hair out of her face, and sat up straighter. “Yes,” she replied, sounding nowhere near as cheerful as the other woman. When the door opened, a tall vampire entered. She wore her brown hair in a high ponytail, sporting an elegant dark blue dress.

“Hello, Elena. I wanted to welcome you and introduce myself to you. I hope you don’t mind. Ryder said you aren’t feeling well, so I was worried,” she explained, and only now did Elena realize she was carrying a tray in her hands. It held two cups and a steaming teapot.

“Um, that’s thoughtful of you, thank you.” Elena was unsure what to make of her, but since she didn’t appear threatening in the slightest, Elena reluctantly decided to approach her.

“My name is Helen. I’m Edgar’s soulmate,” Helen said and placed the tray on the coffee table across the room. She poured tea into both cups. Elena took this as an invitation, walking to the sofa and sitting next to the vampire, at some distance.

“I thought you might be thirsty, so I made jasmine tea. If you are hungry too, you only need to say it,” Helen continued, taking one of the cups and holding it in her hands. She sat with her legs crossed and her back straight, looking serious and a bit intimidating, but only until she began smiling.

“Thank you, I’m not hungry,” Elena answered, since she doubted she could keep anything down. “Has Ryder returned yet?”

“No. He is busy with something, but he will be back later,” Helen said, smiling mysteriously. A mirthful spark shone in her eyes, almost like she was amused about something. “Ryder mentioned you would be moving in with us soon. I think it’s great you two have decided to live together.”

Elena had no clue how much Helen knew about Ryder and her situation. It wasn’t like she moved in with a bunch of vampires because she really wanted to—she had no other choice due to Steph’s threat and unexpectedly losing her home.

“I’m grateful for his help,” Elena ended up saying, sticking with the truth. “But I don’t want to be a burden.”

“Why would you be a burden? You are a part of our clan now,” Helen smiled. “Unless you don’t want to be.”

“I’m not a vampire, so I don’t fit in,”  Elena said, drawing her lower lip between her teeth. She would be the odd one out if she agreed to join…

“It doesn’t matter,” Helen countered. “Since you are Ryder’s soulmate, we are more than happy to accept you. He was ecstatic after he found you. When he returned home that evening, he was talking like a waterfall.