Chapter 35: Chapter 35
“I ended her misery. She is in a better place now,” he answered and nodded to the pile of ashes. “It’s cruel of vampires to turn humans into these mindless creatures. A regular human could never become a vampire. Pureblooded vampires are aware of it, but not all care.”
She didn’t know whether she should be horrified or relieved, so she felt a mix of both. Her hand searched his, and when she found it, she held it firmly.
“We should go home,” Ryder grumbled. “I assume the responsible vampire was just passing by. No turned human has appeared in this area of New York in a long time, but I should tell Edgar later, just to be safe. This is right at the border of our territory… and we don’t condone such actions.”
“Do other clans live in the vicinity too?” she asked while they moved on.
“Yes, of course, but they never turn humans,” he explained. “Vampires without soulmates often use blood bags to consume blood. It’s the easiest and fastest way to quench your thirst, and there won’t be any complications.”
“Hm, that’s true. No witnesses either,” Elena muttered. They crossed an intersection, slowly getting closer to the parking lot. The city was illuminated by streetlamps since the sun had set.
“You don’t know how to properly defend yourself against a vampire,” Ryder suddenly remarked. “Maybe I should show you.”
“Well, I know about certain plants that are toxic to vampires, but that’s it.”
“If you wanted to harm a vampire, you would need a bit more than that. Piercing our hearts would do the trick, as it does for any other being. But to do it, you would need a very sturdy and sharp weapon, a knife, for example, or even a bullet. Fireworks, too,” he said. Ryder nonchalantly listing all the things that might kill him was too macabre for her. She cringed.
“Preventing an encounter with a thirsty vampire would be best,” he concluded. “But as long as you’re with me, you will be fine.”
He couldn’t deny how much he regretted not meeting her earlier. Ryder could have prevented many things from happening to her. Perhaps he could have even saved her family from dying. It was a miracle she had gotten away from the vampire who had attacked them—that could have ended much worse.
“My protective charms couldn’t have saved me from this woman,” Elena whispered and shuddered as she remembered her grotesque teeth and the sheer greed in her gaze. She had wanted to rip Elena apart. “If you hadn’t been there, I would have…” She couldn’t even say it.
“I will protect you,” he uttered with a frown, his reddish eyes staring into space. “I’ve got a lot to make up for, and this is the least I can do for you, buttercup.”
“What do you mean?” she asked confusedly. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“If we had met five years earlier, I could have saved your family. Your parents would be alive today.”
She sighed and gazed down at the gray asphalt. “Don’t think like that, Ryder. It’s not your fault. I’m grateful for what you’ve done for me,” she explained, hoping to change his mind. “I got a chance to overcome my fear, and you also helped me get away from Steph. It means a lot to me.”
At the mention of her ex, Ryder’s expression visibly darkened. “He doesn’t deserve you at all,” he growled. His hold on her hand tightened ever so slightly. “But you are with me now, and I won’t let him interfere anymore.”
---
When they reached their home and entered the house, they promptly heard a voice. “Hey, Ryder,” someone called from upstairs, surprising them. Elena winced when the vampire appeared right in front of them, having moved so fast she hadn’t seen him arrive. A gust of wind hit her face.
“I haven’t seen you in days. What the hell, why are you so busy…” the tall, red-haired vampire talked like a flowing waterfall, but once his eyes fell on Elena, he cut himself off. “Ah, that’s right, how could I forget? You’ve got a girlfriend now.”
Elena blushed bright red and opened her mouth to deny it, but she was so flustered, she didn’t get a word out. Ryder, on the other hand, smirked at his friend and hit his biceps.
“About time you met her, you idiot. Where the fuck have you been hiding?”
She was about to combust—why did he just go with it? They weren’t a couple, and they hadn’t even shared a proper kiss yet. Ryder was ridiculously confident; it seemed like he was sure they would end up together anyway.
“I visited Brooklyn with Avocado and Snake,” the red-haired man explained, arching his eyebrow. “Didn’t I tell you about that? Oh, whatever. You probably got other things on your mind.”
“That’s Chump, by the way,” Ryder told her upon noticing her confused expression. “He’s living here too. A floor above us, actually.”
“Are you guys close friends?” she asked curiously.
“If being close means saving his ass from a group of hunters, then yes,” Ryder smirked.
Elena frowned at his easy-going attitude since she was torn when it came to hunters. They shouldn’t be underestimated. Elena herself had never met a hunter before, but she knew that most of them were human. They made up for their inferior strength by using various deadly weapons that could easily overpower a supernatural being.
“Don’t bring that up again. It wasn’t my fault, I didn’t notice the wolfsbane in the wine,” Chump growled, his pride hurt. He didn’t like Ryder’s arrogant grin.
“You should have smelled it,” his friend fired back.
“They played dirty,” Chump sighed, scratching his neck. “Besides, I already paid you back when I defended you that other time. You would have been dead without me.”
“Excuse me, but what kind of dangerous things are you involved in?” she asked with wide eyes.
“Nothing serious. Just a little fight here and there. Sometimes it’s hunters, other times vampires who are foolish enough to attack our clan. We don’t like it when someone crosses into our territory,” Chump said nonchalantly, insinuating that he didn’t mind butting heads now and then. He seemed to have a hot-headed personality.