Chapter 39: Chapter 39

“Damn it,” she mumbled and looked up to find Helen on her feet.

“Do you need a Band-Aid?” she asked.

“Yes, that would be great.”

Elena was stunned at Helen’s indifference and didn’t spot even a hint of red in her eyes. She was unbothered by the spilled blood. Since she had already found her soulmate, Elena’s blood was nothing special—it wouldn’t sate her anyway.

Nevertheless, it was dangerously tempting to other people in the house. Its sweet smell hung in the air, reaching into the foyer. The clan’s youngest vampire, unfortunately, passed the kitchen at this very moment, noticing the irresistible scent of fresh blood. He inhaled, his fangs growing and eyes flashing red.

Helen’s head snapped to the doorway, staring at the vampire who had just appeared out of nowhere. Elena had never seen him before, but his height, coupled with the searing thirst for her blood that was written all over his face, prompted her to shrink back. She pushed her body against the counter, fear growing within her.

“Avocado,” Helen snapped sharply. “Stay where you are.” It was an order, but the other vampire hardly cared. His ruby eyes were nailed to Elena, a low growl rumbling in his throat. Anyone could see he was not in his right mind, a slave to his thirst. It was hard to tell what his next move would be. Bloodthirsty vampires were unpredictable.

A crushing sense of déjà-vu crept over Elena. Suddenly, she stood in the living room of her old home—facing the red eyes of her attacker, seeing the body of her mother lying behind him on the ground. She couldn’t escape the greedy stare of the vampire and was paralyzed in absolute terror. Her eyes watered. All color drained from her face.

Helen snarled warningly once Avocado took another step towards Elena. The tension in the kitchen was incredibly thick—and the female vampire began to fear that she might not be able to stop him on her own. His state was concerning. He was completely overtaken by his vampiric instincts. No rational thought remained on his mind.

When the situation was about to escalate in the worst way, someone appeared behind him in a flash, dragging him back with an arm around his neck. Avocado growled, losing sight of his prey, only to be faced with the contorted features of another vampire.

Ryder’s lips drew back in an enraged snarl. His scarlet eyes glared daggers at Avocado. Caution crossed the younger vampire’s face, but his thirst was stronger. Ryder knew what Avocado’s objective was—and he couldn’t allow it. Without hesitation, he pounced on Avocado, using his full weight to bring him down. Ryder’s knee pushed into Avocado’s chest, unwavering like a block of concrete. The taller vampire snarled and hissed angrily, but he was pinned to the floor and couldn’t get away.

“Give up,” Ryder said, tone low and warning.

“I… can’t,” Avocado uttered and continued to struggle. “Need her blood.”

“You are not allowed to touch her, do you understand? She is mine.” Ryder’s dark eyes drilled holes into him, and his rough voice was deadly, holding a clear threat.

“What’s wrong?” Edgar asked. He had heard the commotion and arrived at the same time as Chump. Their gazes swept through the kitchen, briefly lingering on Helen, who hugged a shaking Elena and moved on to Ryder and Avocado on the ground. The smell of blood hung in the air, making it easy to figure out what had occurred.

“Elena, are you hurt?” Chump asked, furrowing his brows. His eyes were red, but he had better self-control than Avocado and didn’t take a step towards her. It seemed like she couldn’t hear him, so Helen answered in her stead.

“It’s nothing bad, just a cut,” she whispered. “Get Avocado out of here and pick up some blood bags for him.”

They did as she said, helping Ryder and dragging Avocado out of the kitchen. He fought them, but their grip was as strong as iron, and he couldn’t escape them. They disappeared down the hallway, but Avocado’s loud shouts and curses were audible for a while.

“Damn it, that idiot,” Ryder hissed quietly and finally turned to the two women who were left in the kitchen. His jaw clenched. Helen met his gaze and let go of Elena, making space for him.

“Thank you,” he mumbled to her. Helen nodded and left the room, intending to go after Edgar and Chump.

Now Ryder was faced with the difficult task of calming her down. He saw the unbridled fear in her eyes and the faraway look that accompanied it. She was somewhere in the past, reliving a memory that tormented her. He swore he could feel her fear in his own chest, making his heart flutter in trepidation and his pulse race.

A frown grew on his face as he carefully embraced his soulmate. Once he touched her and set off the magic sparks of their bond, her trembling ceased. A pleasant warmth spread through her body like the sun’s rays on a spring day. Along with his soothing hug, it brought her back to reality and chased the dark memories away. She leaned her head on his chest and closed her eyes, heaving a sigh. His hand threaded through her hair, moving up and down in a ceaseless motion.

“You’re safe,” he whispered raucously, breathing in her sweet scent. “Take deep breaths, buttercup.”

She didn’t speak. The sound of his voice aided her in fighting the anxiety that had welled up in her. His hand moved from the small of her back to her injured hand, which she cradled to her chest. He gently pried it away from her and studied the cut on her finger. The alluring smell of her blood was all around him. He couldn’t possibly ignore it, so he guided her hand to his lips and licked the blood off her finger, savoring its sweetness. She didn’t push him away and watched with wide eyes as he placed a kiss on her fingertip.

“You have to be more careful when handling a knife,” he chided.

“Why did Avocado… look at me like that?” she asked, shuddering. “Like he was about to devour me. It was only a drop of blood, a very small amount, yet it seemed like he lost all control.”

Ryder’s expression hardened. “It’s because of your blood’s smell. Its sweetness is tempting to a vampire without a soulmate. Your blood type is rare, so that only adds to it. Moreover, Avocado is the youngest in this house. He isn’t as good at restraining himself. That idiot probably didn’t drink enough blood before returning home.”

“But that means it could happen again,” she said, nervously fiddling with her sleeve.

Ryder held in a curse—he wanted to scream at Avocado for his stupid mistake. What if the progress he had made with her was lost because of him? “Avocado made a mistake. He wasn’t prepared to encounter you here since he spent the last week in Brooklyn,” Ryder explained. “It was an accident.”