Chapter 48: Chapter 48

“That’s a clear sign he did not leave voluntarily,” Clitus suspected. “Besides, what soulmate would leave their other half behind like this? It makes no sense, and it’s very unusual for him.”

A quiet melody interrupted their conversation. Elena glanced at her phone screen with newfound hope, expecting the new text to be from Ryder, but the name that appeared was not the one she expected. It was a text from Steph. Anxiously, she unlocked her phone and tapped the screen, opening the text, its content making her nauseous with fear and anger.

Are you looking for your soulmate?

She inhaled sharply and stared at the letters, believing she had misread the last word. How did Steph know she had a soulmate? Nobody had told him! It was a huge red flag—undoubtedly, he was responsible for Ryder’s disappearance.

Complete panic took hold of her. Her trembling fingers struggled to type a message, and eventually, she gave up on it, dialing Steph’s number while the vampires watched her with confusion. She let it ring for an eternity, but he didn’t pick up, not having any intention to reveal more.

That bastard wanted to rile her up and he had succeeded. Elena didn’t know what to do—her pulse raced and sweat gathered on her forehead. What if Ryder were dead? What if Steph had done something to him? Elena’s phone slipped from her hands and landed on the floor with a dull thud. She stared into space, swallowing her shock.

“I can’t lose you, too,” she mumbled to herself. “Not you.”

“Elena?” Helen asked. “What’s wrong?”

“I know what happened to Ryder,” Elena said. She composed herself with difficulty, her eyes darting from vampire to vampire. “He is in grave danger. We have to find him quickly. I received a message from my ex, Steph. He did something to Ryder, I know it.”

As soon as the words had left her, Chump came home and crossed the foyer, meeting them in the living room. He found the other clan members in visible distress, struggling to uphold their calm façades.

“Can you show me what he wrote?” Edgar asked and she handed him her phone. His brows furrowed as his eyes scanned over the text. “He has something to do with Ryder’s disappearance. There is no doubt. Where can we find this Steph?”

Edgar’s voice sounded gentle and patient as he spoke to her, though it was obvious his thoughts regarding Steph were nothing of the sort. She had a hunch that Steph would no longer be in his flat at this point, but they needed to go after every lead they had.

“The chance is slim, but he could be in his flat. I will show you where he lives,” she answered. “Steph is a wizard specializing in ice magic. He is very strong, but I doubt he could hurt an entire group of pureblood vampires. Still, I want you to be careful.”

She brought up a GPS app on her phone and showed them the location of her former home. “This is it.”

“Thank you. This could be the lead we need to find Ryder,” Chump said and immediately walked towards the door. “What are you guys waiting for? Let’s go.”

Elena got up, about to join him, but Helen’s hand caught her wrist and held her back. “Wait,” she said.

“Why?” Elena asked with raised eyebrows. “We have to hurry! Ryder is in danger!” It was the only thing on her mind—she had to reunite with him, she had to find him. Nothing else mattered.

“It’s too risky to bring you along. Ryder would kill us. We can’t endanger you,” Kelsey chimed in. His emotionless face didn’t reveal what he was thinking. “Stay here, please.”

“Kelsey has a point. You should stay back as long as we don’t know how many people we’re up against. Normally, Ryder is more than capable of defending himself—it’s suspicious he disappeared without a word. I fear there might be hunters involved,” Edgar said. His words were followed by an eerie quiet that befell the room. The vampires’ eyes hardened. “We will do all in our power to find Ryder. You can depend on us.”

She lowered her head and sighed. Here it was—the glaring difference between her and the vampires. They had many advantages and were physically stronger than her as well. It annoyed her that she was left out. She despised the thought of sitting around at home while her soulmate was in danger.

And she loathed Steph. More than ever before.

“Fine, I will stay back, but please find him fast,” Elena urged.

“One of us should stay with you,” Edgar said after a moment. “Just to be on the safest side.”

“I’ll stay with Elena, alright?” Helen offered. “And you go after Ryder and Steph!”

The vampires left without further discussion. Nobody wanted to waste time. Every second counted. Elena hugged her legs and stared at her phone screen, hoping it would light up with a message… from Ryder, or even Steph. She needed to know what was going on.

It probably wouldn’t help, but she sent Ryder a few texts and even rang his number, but the endless beeping she received only aggravated her worry. He didn’t react, so his phone likely wasn’t within range. Or maybe he was not alive anymore?

No, it couldn’t be. As his soulmate, she would sense if he was gone. The delicate and warm magic connecting her to him thrummed in her chest. It was like a second heartbeat, assuring he was somewhere out there—alive. As long as it existed, her hope would continue to shine.

She was convinced the other clan members would find him. Vampires were masters at hunting people down, as she had learned the hard way. They could track down scents like no other supernatural being. Not even werewolves had such a reliable sense of smell. If anyone could find Ryder, it was the other clan members. They were as worried about him as Elena herself.

Eventually, she became so tired that she fell asleep right on the spot. Her body slumped on the sofa. Helen frowned at the sight and draped a blanket over her before she carefully slipped a pillow under Elena’s head.

She sat on the sofa next to her friend, worriedly glancing at the clock hanging above the television. It was three am already, and she hadn’t heard any news—a bad sign.

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Cold had seeped into his body. He never knew it was possible for a vampire to feel cold, but now he did. His circumstances brought him to his knees, the poison weakening him significantly. His body trembled, teeth clacking from the icy air in which he was surrounded. It was pitch-black in the tiny room he was confined to, and since his night vision had lost its strength, he was as blind as a human. The paralyzing weakness taking hold of him was a grave reminder. He wouldn’t make it much longer.