Stuck with my Vampire Mate

29 - Game for him, war for another!

I sat near Helena, who was still wrapped in her soft blankets, the room dimly lit with the faint glow of the evening sun filtering through the curtains. She listened quietly as I recounted the entire incident with Cole. As I spoke, I deliberately left out the details of the nightmare, choosing to focus on the good parts instead. I couldn't bring myself to tell her about the haunting dreams and Asmodeus. I knew she'd just worry even more than she already did, and I really didn't want that. She had enough on her plate.

After I finished speaking, there was a long moment of silence. Helena simply stared at me, processing everything I had shared. She then slowly lowered her blanket and slid out of bed, her eyes soft and kind, before pulling me into a tight, reassuring embrace.

"I am so happy for you and Cole."

"Me too..." I murmured quietly, my voice soft.

There was a comforting silence between us, but, of course, it didn't last long.

"She chose Cole over Ryan?"

The words sliced through the air, and both Helena and I jolted, startled by the voice. We turned in unison, and there he was, James, standing in the doorway with that infuriating, amused smile stretched across his face.

"What are you doing here, James?" I asked, my irritation obvious in my voice.

"Last time I checked, it was my house," he replied nonchalantly, his eyes glinting with that all-too-familiar smugness.

"So your cocky nature is back."

I thought back to how serious James had seemed before they all left. He had, for a brief moment, actually shown some actual emotions, like he might be more than the senseless guy he always appeared to be. But now, it was all gone.

"What to say... it's in my blood?" His voice was dripping with arrogance.

I didn't bother to respond to his smugness. Why should I? Arguing with him would only be a waste of time. James thrived on the attention and the reactions. He didn't deserve mine.

After about half an hour, we all gathered in the living room. The atmosphere was heavy, and I could feel the tension crackling between Sid and Helena. It was subtle, but undeniable. Their eyes barely met, and when they did, it was like a silent standoff, neither willing to acknowledge the strain. Thankfully, no one brought it up, not even James, who usually enjoyed stirring the pot. For once, he stayed quiet.

Adrian cleared his throat and stood up, trying to bring the meeting back on track. "Well, we've managed to track down some of Ignacia's whereabouts. Fortunately, we know she's in the forest, but it's proving difficult to reach her. The area's pretty isolated, and the terrain's rough."

Before anyone could ask more questions or make sense of the information, Cole let out a loud yawn, stretching his arms and looking utterly uninterested.

"Tell us something we don't know," Cole muttered.

Cole had a point there, though his delivery could have used a little more tact. We all already knew Ignacia was in the forest. That much had been confirmed by a few of Ryan's informants, and it was exactly why we were gathered here, hoping to figure out how to track her down. And the difficulty of finding her? Well, that was no surprise either. The forest was vast, and Ignacia was elusive. Who didn't already know that?

"Do you know that Ignacia is being chased by Asmodeus and she's hiding here?"

Ryan spoke up, his voice calm and unbothered, as though he hadn't just dropped a bombshell.

"She's being chased?" Sid asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. He'd been out for a walk instead of going with the group earlier, so it was clear he hadn't been clued in on the full scope of the situation.