Chapter 32: Chapter 32
“You’re good at this,” he remarked after taking the first bite.
“I have a lot of experience,” she shrugged. Since Steph had refused to lift a finger to cook, it had always been her job. No matter how tired she had been after work, he hadn’t helped her. When she was too exhausted to make anything, he had complained until she eventually got to work. Therefore, she could get used to Ryder’s help when preparing food.
“I still haven’t shown you the entire house… We could do that later or tomorrow. You haven’t seen all the exciting parts yet. The living room, for example. It’s pretty big, and one side is entirely bookshelves. You like reading, don’t you?” Ryder continued, shoving a strawberry into his mouth.
“Yes, what kind of books do you have?”
“Oh, I’m not sure… I don’t touch them since I don’t like reading,” he answered. “But you would probably find something interesting somewhere among them.”
They emptied their plates in no time since the pancakes were delicious. Elena hoped they could cook together again soon. It was more fun this way.
“By the way, what do you want to do tomorrow?” Ryder asked. “We could visit one of the malls nearby. You probably don’t want to borrow Helen’s clothes all the time.”
Elena frowned and glanced at her empty plate. She had something on her mind, something she longed to do, but she had a hunch that he would not like it… “Buying new clothes sounds like a good idea, but I also want to return to my shop soon. I’m missing it, and I bet my regulars are already wondering what’s going on. It has never been closed out of the blue.”
“Not now, Elena. It’s not safe,” Ryder said. His tone shifted, darkening with warning. “I can’t let you go there.”
She frowned. “But I refuse to give in to Steph,” she stated firmly, piercing him with her determined gaze. “I won’t let him ruin everything—if I give up on my shop, I will do exactly what he wants, and I’m past that. He’s not allowed to dictate my life anymore.”
“Believe me, he won’t,” Ryder answered, crossing his arms. His eyes turned red with fury and unadulterated hatred. “He needs to pay for every single thing he did to you. When I’m done with him, you can reopen your shop without worrying.”
“What do you mean by that?” she asked reluctantly.
“Exactly what it sounds like. I will kill him.”
His harsh words were followed by silence. The unwelcome but very familiar feeling of apprehension crawled into her body. “Why? Violence doesn’t solve anything!” she burst out, hating that he would resort to the same sinister ways of the vampire who murdered her parents.
“And that is where you are wrong. You can’t be so naïve as to think he will leave you alone. What he did to your shop is proof that he’s fucking obsessed,” he countered, raising his voice and tensing his shoulders. The growing shadows in his red eyes were intimidating, and Elena had to fight in order not to back down. A lump formed in her throat.
“Please don’t kill him, Ryder.”
“Are you defending him?” he growled, showing his fangs.
“No. I just don’t want you to become like him, do you understand?” she replied agitatedly, raking her hand through her hair. Her green eyes were suspiciously glossy, and she didn’t know how much longer she could hold her feelings in. “Please don’t become like the vampire who killed my parents. I couldn’t bear it.”
“Your parents were innocent, Steph is not.”
“So you would end his life because he made a few mistakes?” she muttered. Her voice cracked. “That’s cruel.”
“He hurt my soulmate! That is more than a simple mistake! Why can’t you see that?” Ryder snapped. “I only want you to be safe and happy. The sooner this is over, the sooner you can go back to your shop.”
“Murder would never make me happy, no matter what its purpose is.”
He opened his mouth to spit a retort, but closed it once the first salty tears rolled down her cheeks. He bit his lower lip so hard his fangs drew blood.
“Elena, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Please calm down. I respect your wish,” he sighed. “I only want the best for you.”
“Do you really?” she whispered. “Then listen instead of ignoring me. All I want is to visit my shop. It’s not too much to ask for, in my opinion.”
“Why don’t we compromise? When we head into town tomorrow, we will spend time at your shop,” he suggested. “Then you can take care of everything you want to do.”
“That already sounds much better,” she answered and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
He exhaled. “Good. I don’t want to argue with you.” The red in his eyes faded away as he reached out over the table and took her hand, squeezing it gently.
“Me neither,” she said, furrowing her brows. “My shop is very important to me, you know? It’s something I built up on my own, and I don’t want to lose it.”
“You won’t lose it. I just want you to take a step back until the danger has passed without a doubt,” he said. “View it as a little break—when it’s over, you can continue doing what you love with no interruptions.”
“Okay,” she agreed, and her expression brightened. “But don’t complain when our garden is bursting with flowers in a few weeks.”
“I guess Kelsey is not the only one who would love seeing that,” he replied and sent her an encouraging smile. “Go all out, buttercup.”
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Her shop did not look as Elena remembered it. It didn’t retain its inviting appearance without the colorful flowers behind its windows. The inside was dark, the blinds shut, and a closed sign hung at the door. She heaved a sigh as she unlocked the door and stepped inside, turning on the lights.
Empty shelves and an equally empty counter greeted her. Everything had been cleaned up and was spotless—all that was missing were her flowers and some vases that had been smashed. She stopped in the middle of the room, her eyes skirting from a picture on the wall to the tables near the windows where she used to display some of her creations.
“Thank you for your hard work,” she said and threw a glance over her shoulder at Ryder, who had followed and remained behind her. “You cleaned everything. It looks as good as new.”
“It’s no big deal. I’m glad I could help.”