Chapter 28: Chapter 28

She woke up with a sharp scream. Elena hyperventilated, thinking she was suffocating. Her hands flew to her neck, touching it, making sure nobody was holding on to it anymore. The door of her room was ripped open suddenly, and a piercing pair of red eyes stared at her. She flinched violently—and calmed when she realized who it was.

“What’s wrong?” Ryder asked urgently, checking every corner of the room with his vigilant gaze. He couldn’t see or smell any intruders, and once he was sure they were alone, he relaxed.

“Did you have a nightmare?” he asked and sat on the edge of her bed, looking her over. His soulmate seemed shaken, wiping her wet eyes with the back of her hand.

“Yes,” she managed to say.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked and cupped her hand with his after seeing it shaking with dread. Elena composed herself since she didn’t want to cry in front of him, brushing her hair behind her ear and gazing at him with shiny green eyes.

“I dreamed about the vampire who killed my parents. He found me,” she whispered. “And then he suddenly turned into Steph…”

Ryder could only guess what this Steph had done to her to make her so apprehensive and anxious whenever she thought of him. Destroying her flower shop was one thing, but the marks Ryder had discovered on her neck showed that other things had occurred as well. Ryder was very tempted to visit this man. He usually wasn’t one to take revenge, but when his soul’s other half was involved, the idea sounded appealing… After all, Ryder had to make sure it wouldn’t happen again, and the only way of doing that was getting rid of the bastard.

“You don’t have to worry about Steph as long as you’re here,” Ryder murmured, inching closer to her. He wasn’t sure how she would react to his presence, and he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, so he moved slowly.

However, Elena didn’t mind at all. She bridged the distance between them when she wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. The soothing and warm magic of their soulmate bond enveloped them, blossoming like a flower in spring. She let out a breath and inhaled his pleasant scent. Ryder himself was stunned by her reaction, yet didn’t hesitate to hold her and wrap his arms around her petite frame.

“Even when I’m not around, the other clan members would notice if an intruder was on the property, and they wouldn’t ignore that,” he added after a moment of silence.

“I fear the vampire and his clan are still looking for me,” she whispered apprehensively. “I had a few close encounters with them in the past five years. Thankfully, I managed to evade them, but it proves they still want me. I’m worried they will cause harm to you and the others when they find out I’m here.”

She lowered her head in guilt. “I’m so sorry, I don’t want to drag you into this.”

“Elena, none of this is your fault,” he replied calmly. “You don’t know anything about the clan? Their location or perhaps the name of a member?”

She shook her head. “No. Maybe my parents would have known more, but they didn’t want to worry me and hardly told me anything about our pursuers.”

“I see,” Ryder uttered. “Remember one thing. You have nothing to be concerned about. As a member of our clan, you are under our protection, and should this other clan decide to bother you again, they will make all of us their enemies.” Red flickered through his darkening eyes.

“Besides, I would rather die than let this filthy murderer touch you another time,” he muttered before his tone softened. He soothingly caressed her back, studying her with a thoughtful expression. It was still nighttime, and she needed to rest—he had to make sure she went back to sleep soon.

“Do you think you can sleep some more? It’s only four in the morning.”

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “Sorry for disturbing you.”

“I don’t mind staying with you, my flower.” His lips brushed over her hairline as he nuzzled his face into the softness of her black tresses.

“So you won’t leave?”

“No,” he mumbled. “Move over, then I will join you.”

She flushed, her heart skipping a beat. Why did his voice sound so… alluring all of a sudden? Why were his eyes shimmering red? Elena made space for him, lying down and resting her head on her pillow as she watched him confusedly. He couldn’t be thirsty again, so why did it happen regardless?

Ryder lay next to her, on top of the cover. He rolled on his side to gaze at her. “Close your eyes, buttercup,” he whispered, and she did as he said.

She stuck out her hand from underneath the cover and reached out to him in the darkness. Realizing what she wanted, he took her hand and held it, intertwining her fingers with his. The proximity of her soulmate calmed her, so she soon became sleepy.

“Goodnight,” she heard him say, but she was too tired to answer. His touch held her fear of another nightmare at bay. Unaware of the reddish eyes that watched over her, she fell into a deep slumber.

---

When Ryder checked in on her the following morning after breakfast, he found Elena sitting alone in her room. She looked a little lost as she kneeled on the bed with her nose stuck in a spellbook. It was obvious she avoided the other clan members. Since he had brought her breakfast to her bedroom earlier and since her bathroom was next door, she didn’t have a reason to wander through the mansion.

Ryder studied her for a while, not liking her pale complexion. His eyes darted over the flowers nearby, noting that they had closed their blossoms, looking gloomy—if that was even possible for a plant. He assumed Elena’s sadness somehow affected them. She still had to come to terms with everything that happened to her and to her beloved flower shop. He couldn’t stand seeing her in distress, so he figured he had to do something to cheer her up.

“I want to show you the garden today,” Ryder said, hoping for a positive reaction.

“I’m not interested,” she uttered, thinking of the countless other vampires on the property. She wasn’t keen on meeting them.

“Flowers need sunlight to bloom,” he said and winked. “Let’s go outside, buttercup.”

“But what if…”

“Aren’t you curious about the plants that grow here? Our garden is very big.”