Chapter 30: Chapter 30

“You know, I’ve been searching for you for a very long time. For decades, to be exact,” Ryder explained, earning an attentive glance from her. “When I couldn’t find you, I sought out a witch for help. She was a psychic. It was hard to find a witch who was willing to aid a vampire, but she did, and I was grateful for that. I asked her if she could locate my soulmate because I was getting desperate after so many years without a single hint. I was scared my soulmate had already died, but it turned out you simply weren’t born yet, Elena. So all the witch did was tell me that I needed to be patient, that we would eventually find each other.”

“She was right,” Elena smiled. “You must have been very patient to wait for so long.”

“I was a little worried, to be honest. But since most of the other clan members haven’t found their soulmates yet, I at least wasn’t alone with my problem.”

“Are they also searching?”

Ryder shook his head. “Not really, no. They believe that they will meet their other half when the time is right.”

“Soulmates are very important to you vampires,” she whispered. They passed a wrought iron gate that a rose bush had claimed for itself, clinging to the metal as it grew towards the sky.

Now they had reached their destination, and Elena was in heaven. The abundance of flowers in this part of the garden was well hidden from the other side of the buildings, and even from the window of her room, she hadn’t been able to see it clearly. A neat gravel path led through the flowerbeds, branching in several directions. Each area of the garden housed different sorts of plants, one more colorful than the next. They were split into sections by tall bushes. The farther they walked, the more hidden spots Elena discovered.

Ryder watched her awe-filled expression and noted that the hydrangeas close by all began to bloom once she approached them. Their light pink and blue pastel hues reminded him of cotton candy.

“It’s a very beautiful place,” she said and twirled in a circle. “Who is responsible for this? Who maintains the garden?”

Ryder cocked his head, listening for something before he nodded. “He is here, actually. I can introduce you to him.”

“A vampire?” she whispered, and when he nodded again, she felt a little colder. Nonetheless, she let Ryder lead the way, and they passed another row of bushes. There, in the shadows of the plants, a man kneeled on the ground amidst the roses. He looked up when he noticed them. His aura was so peaceful, she hadn’t noticed his presence before Ryder pointed it out to her.

“Oh, hello,” the man said, pushing his black-rimmed glasses up his nose. Why a vampire needed glasses was beyond her, so she assumed he wore them as an accessory. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his hands were covered in earthy stains.

“You must be Elena,” he assumed correctly.

“Yes, that’s me,” she answered. While the presence of an unfamiliar vampire caused her to feel uncomfortable, this man piqued her curiosity since he seemed to be experienced in gardening. If he were the only person responsible for the pretty garden, that was very impressive.

“I’m Kelsey,” he said, giving a somewhat shy smile. “Is Ryder showing you the property?”

“You could say that,” Ryder shrugged. “What are you doing?”

“I’m planting pink roses because they will match well with the red ones over there when they are blooming,” Kelsey explained, wiping the sweat off his brow. He glanced at the red roses and did a double-take, not believing his eyes. “What the hell, they weren’t blooming a second ago.”

“Sorry,” Elena mumbled and cleared her throat. “It happens sometimes.”

“What happens?” Kelsey asked with wide eyes.

“My magic resonates with plants,” she explained. “Among other things, it makes flowers bloom.”

“Oh, right, you’re a witch. You should visit the garden often and make everything grow quickly,” he joked, smiling warmly. His adoration for the plants was undeniable. He cared well for them, and he knew what he was doing. Even the flowers liked him, spreading their jovial aura around her like a blanket. It felt pleasant, like a refreshing shower on a hot summer day.

“If that’s okay,” she smiled, throwing Ryder and him a glance.

“Why wouldn’t it be? You can go anywhere you want,” Ryder said. “This is your home now, and it has lots of interesting places you haven’t seen yet.”

“Maybe I will. I like the garden,” she answered, and as her gaze began to wander, she spotted a small cultivation area near the wall that surrounded the property. “Are you growing vegetables too?” she asked curiously.

“Yes. They taste better than the ones you get at the supermarket, and I like to use them when I’m cooking,” Kelsey said.

“He’s the owner of a restaurant, but he’s pretending to be a farmer in his free time,” Ryder snickered, earning a death glare from Kelsey, whose features suddenly didn’t look so soft anymore. The change was surprising, but Elena found it amusing since she saw Ryder’s reaction. He looked smug about having riled the other vampire up and grinned mischievously.

“Loudmouth,” Kelsey grumbled and sighed, gazing at Elena. “I was hoping he would become less rowdy and have better manners after he finds his soulmate, but look at him. Still the same idiot as always.”

“Hey, don’t make me look bad in front of her,” Ryder fired back.

“I’m sure Elena has already noticed these things herself,” Kelsey deadpanned, prompting her to giggle. She pressed her hand on her mouth and tried to compose herself, but she just couldn’t. Her laughter spilled from her mouth like a waterfall, and the two vampires stared at her in confusion.

“See, she finds you ridiculous,” Kelsey grinned, but Ryder was too busy staring at her to say anything in return. He had never seen or heard her laughing like this, so freely and happily.

“No, I don’t,” she managed to say between her laughter and slowly calmed down. “You’re surprisingly funny.”

“Did you think vampires are serious all the time?” Kelsey asked, amusedly. “We don’t sleep in coffins, by the way.”

“I know that.”

“Oh, sure. Sure you do,” Kelsey said and threw Ryder a very ambiguous glance, who smirked in response.

“I already showed her my bed,” he commented.