Chapter 56: Chapter 56

“Tell me,” Ryder began, cracking his knuckles. “Why did you hurt her?”

“It’s Elena’s own fault,” Steph countered. “It’s all her fault. She brought it upon herself.”

“How?” Ryder snarled. “How the fuck does that make any sense?”

“Well, think about it. She was the one who betrayed me first. She cheated on me with a vampire; she let you drink her blood like the slut she is. Not to forget, she disobeyed me constantly. If she had been smart and stayed docile and loyal to me, we all could have been happy.”

“She despises you, do you know that?”

“Wrong,” Steph smirked. “She fears me, and that’s why she stayed around for so long. She was too afraid to leave. I would have found her easily, and she knew. It’s a shame you didn’t see her reactions when I threatened her. She had constant nightmares, too.” He let out a condescending laugh, amused by the boiling rage in Ryder’s eyes. The bleeding red of his iris had never been deadlier.

The last piece of Ryder’s sanity cracked. His vision went red. The cruel vampire within him roared, demanded bloody revenge. He saw no reason to hold himself back. This filthy wizard had injured his soulmate physically and mentally. He needed to be punished. He needed to pay with his life. Fury raged through Ryder’s mind and choked every last rational thought that was left in him.

He drew back his clenched fist and landed a powerful punch to Steph’s face. Ryder didn’t feel anything other than sinister glee when he heard the cracking of jawbones and felt blood tainting his knuckles. Steph’s blood smelled rotten. He was pure filth.

Scrunching his nose, the vampire threw him a contemptuous smirk. He couldn’t help but love the sight of this bastard’s bloody and broken face. However, the monster within him was far from done. It was not satisfied yet.

Chump and Edgar watched the scene wordlessly. They let go of Steph’s limp body. He fell to the ground with a groan, attempting to use his magic but failing. “Fuck you,” he spat. “Fuck you and that bitch. I should have killed her.”

“If you hate her so much, why did you take her in?” Ryder snarled. “It doesn’t make any fucking sense.”

“Because I knew she would be easy to manipulate. She was on the run, all alone, and had nobody to depend on, not even her own family. People like her are susceptible.”

Ryder’s lips drew back in a threatening snarl. He grabbed the wizard by his neck. Lifting him didn’t require any effort. Cold fingers dug into his neck, preventing him from breathing. Steph’s hands clawed at Ryder’s arm. He cursed and screamed at him, but the vampire’s hand did not budge.

“You will never touch her again,” Ryder muttered in such a dangerously low voice that Steph couldn’t help but shudder. “Filth like you is not allowed to be anywhere near her.”

Ryder pushed his body against the window behind him. The force he used made the glass crack.

“I wonder how many of your bones we could break if you fell from this height,” Ryder murmured, voice tinged with morbid curiosity and bloodcurdling excitement. Chump smirked in agreement, while Edgar merely watched without a reaction.

“Just kill me already,” Steph wheezed, dizzy from lack of air.

“You don’t deserve mercy,” Ryder countered. “I will break every single one of your bones and leave your neck for last.” And with that, he rammed his body into the glass, shattering it.

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Elena heard Ryder’s footsteps as he returned home. The door next to her bedroom creaked when he opened and closed it. She sat on her bed, hugging her knees and peering at the light underneath the door. Should she go after him and ask what happened? It was very late, midnight to be exact, and he had been gone for hours. Despite Kelsey’s and Snake’s efforts to distract her, she had ended up worrying about her soulmate.

All she knew so far was that Ryder had gone looking for Steph. The thought of her ex evoked the ugly sensation of loathing deep within her. It had faded during the last weeks when they had been separated, but the kidnapping orchestrated by him had brought it back. She didn’t want this vile man to have any power over her or Ryder.

Elena didn’t realize her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, but someone else did. A knock at her door startled her. She gripped the bedsheets, burying her fingers in their softness.

“Yes?” she called. The door opened, revealing her soulmate. Ryder had changed his clothes, sporting casual sweatpants and a shirt. Since his hair was damp, he either had taken a shower or walked through the pouring rain outside. The alluring blue of his irises was a relief to see.

“You’re back,” she commented with a hint of a smile on her face. He nodded wordlessly and approached the bed, sitting down on its edge without taking his gaze away from her. She leaned her back against the pillows, waiting for him to speak, hoping for an explanation about his disappearance this evening.

“It’s very late, you should be sleeping,” he chided her. “You have yet to recover from the blood loss.”

“I know, but I couldn’t sleep as long as you were gone,” she sighed, frowning at him. “Where have you been, Ryder?”

His gaze left hers and darted to the window. The curtains were half-closed, letting some moonlight fall into her bedroom. He swallowed, gathering his thoughts before he answered her most pressing question. “I paid a visit to Steph,” he muttered, expression growing stony and harsh.

She grabbed his arm. “So you found him?”

“Yes, I did,” Ryder said icily. “Edgar, Chump, and I ambushed him. All clan members agreed that he needs to be taken care of. He was a menace.”

“Wait, did you… actually kill him?” she breathed. Her grip slackened as she slowly let go of him. A flash of red lit up his eyes. Their gazes met.

“Steph is dead. He won’t bother you anymore,” he confirmed.

Her breath hitched. She froze in realization, staring into space as a plethora of thoughts raced through her mind. It was hard to fathom that Steph was gone forever. She struggled to comprehend it, and she struggled to make sense of her conflicting feelings. She felt lighter than before, much lighter. Why was it so liberating? Was she a bad person for feeling relief in this situation? Someone had died, and she was relieved.

“Are you upset with me?” Ryder asked, misreading her stunned expression. “Did you want him to live?”

“I… no.” She stumbled over her own words. “Knowing he is gone is liberating… I guess this is for the best.” Who knew how many other people he would have tormented after her? She didn’t want anybody else to go through the same sick shit she had experienced.