Chapter 29 - Thirsting His Woman

Chapter 29 - Thirsting His Woman
Six days ago...
O’Malley Residence

“So she’s protected by a mage...” Cord muttered to himself when he sensed the mage’s power in the residual heat it emitted when Amanda disappeared. He scrunched up his nose then, disgusted of the word. He had a distaste for such beings in the past and that hadn’t changed one bit in the present. He hated them as much as he hated the witches.

Mages — they tend to be cynical and arrogant. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. They hold too many secrets for their personal gain. They protect witches from vampires in an act of good faith, but in truth, they only do it for the many advantages they could get from the witches. Cord had killed a dozen of them over the centuries and one thing remained the same — their blood taste bitter and unpalatable. Not his interest at all.

With a scoff, he turned towards a group of pictures nestled on a shelf. It showed Amanda on her teens and when she was in college. He stared at one with her in a race suit, leaning against the hood of an F1. She had a proud grin on her face and her eyes spoke of depth.

“What an interesting woman you are indeed,” he said, touching the picture with reverence.

A knock on Amanda’s bedroom door wasn’t even heard yet but Cord knew already someone was behind it. He could hear the woman’s steady heartbeat with his heightened hearing.

“Miss Cait? Are you alright? I think I saw shadows enter your balcony,” she voiced out with concern.

Cord grinned at the midnight snack Fate had given. He’ll have to make do with the house staff if he can’t drink from the owner herself.

He waltzed to the door and confidently opened it with a wicked grin. At the sight of the maid, he immediately used his beguiling ability for her to stay silent and coax her inside the room. The maid, under his mind control, did enter like a soulless mannequin. In there, Cord’s fangs elongated once again, ready to bite her neck.

Luckily, Calvin swooshed in just in time before he could extract blood from her.

“Cord! What happened?” He entered the bedroom from the balcony door and stared at Cord’s naked back with wide eyes. He was followed seconds later by Pamela, Charlie and Mera with furrowed brows. “We came back when we felt the mage’s powers. Where is—”

Pamela quickly interrupted him by touching his arm.

“Calvin, look,” she said warily and stared at the scene before them. Her advice was not to look at the maid in a trance, but to look at Cord and the obvious change he was showing.

The four of them immediately stiffened.

“You’re interrupting my midnight snack, cousin,” Cord slowly turned around and looked at them, his eyes glowing red. The maid was released from his spell and fell right away onto the floor, unconscious.

“Master Cord.” All four knelt on one knee in haste. Their eyes were cast down, their heads bowed low, and not a single one of them dared to meet his gaze.

“Mera. Pamela. Charlie. Calvin. Hmmm, this is a surprise,” he slowly moved towards them with his eyes trained on their lowered heads. “Let me guess, you’re here as escorts.”

“Under your orders, Master Cord,” Calvin explained. He could feel the change of Cord’s aura. It was darker and deadlier than before. The kind that wouldn’t think twice killing him should he crack up a joke. It was the same as in the past.

“I’m still wrapping my head around what has been currently happening,” he moved towards Pamela and Mera and then continued, “but I’m sure someone could help make the process a lot faster.”

His shadows slithered under Pamela’s fingers and knees, putting her in a tense moment right on the spot.

“Pamela, stand. Show me what I need to see. Show me about that witch,” Cord ordered.

Pamela shakily stood up and pulled her black gloves off.

“I can only show you what you already know, Master Cord,” she reasoned, a little confused of his order. With him turning back to his dark self, had he really forgotten all about Amanda?

Cord reached for her elbow and squeezed it tight.

“Do it. Now,” he said.

Pamela, knowing him, tried her hardest not to shiver. She extended her arm towards his face and then touched his forehead, flooding all memories of Amanda and him as per her point-of-view.

While the process was ongoing, Mera looked at Calvin with determination. One glance alone and Calvin knew. They needed to do something to incapacitate their Master who was not in good control of his self.

Cautiously, the doctor approached the two who was still in a trance. She pulled out a cloth organizer from her sling bag and from it she took out one pre-filled syringe containing a bluish yellow fluid. She stood behind Cord and with a final wary look at Calvin, she injected the needle directly into his carotid.

A painful groan escaped from Cord then, followed by his hand slapping the syringe away. With closed eyes, he double over, gnashing his teeth, and then he lost his balance, quickly falling to the floor.

“Mera!” Pamela cried out once she realized what had happened. She looked at Cord with real fear and stepped back. “Shit, you know he’s going to be pissed when he wakes up right?”

“I know,” Mera sighed, “but I have to do it. Otherwise, we’ll be dealing with a boat-load of corpses like in the past. You know how insatiable he is with blood.”

“Amanda wouldn’t be happy if he starts with her family,” Calvin stepped in and pointed out. He watched as their Master slowly lost consciousness, his eyes closing and his breathing turning even.

“My thoughts exactly,” Mera affirmed. She picked up the empty syringe from the floor and knotted her brows. “Ugh, great, I should have brought more of these,” she stated, slipping the syringe back into the cloth organizer. “One injection only incapacitates him for a day and a half. I only brought three.”

“Then let’s make the five days count,” Calvin announced. He looked at the three ladies with him with renewed will. “Let’s find Amanda before he wakes up. As per Cord—well, his sane side that is—our hidden enemy could be conniving with the mage. We could take down that enemy then.”

Patricia, Mera and Charlie nodded.

“In addition, Amanda and the external factor that is connected with Cord’s seizures are similar,” Mera informed, “So, if we find her, we find the source to Cord’s problems. We could fix him then.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Pamela nodded. She wore her black gloves again and walked towards Calvin.

“I’m in,” Charlie chimed in. “I’m going to ask Lady Amanda’s friend, Noman, if he knows anything about the mage’s house.”

“Go. That’s a good idea,” Mera stated and then she glanced at Pamela and said, “Go to Mr. O’Malley’s room. Inject as many alibi stories into his mind as possible. He can’t notice Amanda and Cord’s absence.”

Pamela confirmed with a nod. “I’m on it.”

Mera then stared at the male vampire of the group.

“Calvin,” she called out, “you continue feeling for that mage’s powers. He’ll likely use it once again and by then, we’ll find him.”

“Affirmative,” he replied with a proud grin.

“Let’s just hope our plan will be successful,” she expressed. “I for one don’t want to see the Master’s dark side ever. There’s just too much death. Too much pain. It’s something that won’t just be forgotten in an immortal life.”

“We all do, Doc,” Calvin sighed. He stared at Cord, unconscious on the floor, and squinted his eyes. A gentle wind lifted him then and carried him into the bed.

Cord’s induced sleep from the doctor’s enhanced tranquilizers went on for five days as expected. However, unfortunately, not Calvin or Charlie got any progress on finding Amanda or Matteo’s lair.

Noman had expressed to help them, finding a secluded house kilometers away from the city to relocate their sleeping Master. Mera and Pamela restrained him in bed, putting chains around his hands and feet and even his torso for good measure.

That was useless though. Mera knew it was useless. She had seen the strength and power of Cord and it was beyond imagination.

She had hoped though, that through her injectable solution — the same component as the blood tablets she had given him — Cord would return to his controlled state.

This however wasn’t meant to be.

By early dawn of the sixth day, Cord awoke still under his dark side. Easily, he broke the chains and waltzed out of the pathetic prison of a room and bellowed his subjects’ names.

“Calvin! Mera! Charlie! Pamela!” His brows were in a grim line of displeasure.

Calvin was the first to show himself, swooshing in while his fingers trembled. He knelt at the base of the stairs while Cord looked down at him from the landing. The three female vampire’s followed, ready to receive his ire, but Cord kept his anger in check and gazed at his vampires sharply.

“I want you to scour every corner of this country. Find her. Find my woman. I want her blood and nothing else,” was his strict order.

‘Our headline today still focuses on the mysterious deaths in and around Wellington. Now, new bodies are found some miles away from Newtown Fruit and Vegetable Market. One is a female janitress from a University while two are males of the same age, still wearing their soccer practice clothes. They suffered the same deaths as those previous victims last week and the other weeks before. Authorities are still scratching their heads as to the cause of death but they already confirmed that a serial killer is on the loose targeting random people. Due to this, they highly urge the public to be vigilant anywhere they go, stay indoors as much as possible, or report to the authorities any unusual or questionable persons within your area. Here at Daily Press studios, we pray you and your family to be safe.’



Amanda stared at the television set with wide eyes and open mouth the whole time the news was transmitted. True that the news hadn’t explained the cause of deaths of the victims, but Amanda had a nauseating feeling that she knew who the culprit was. Or at least she had an inkling who it could be.

The reports said the bodies of the victims looked like they were sucked out of life. A vampire, after draining blood from it’s chosen human, would have that specific effect. Although the news didn’t report about pinpoint wounds on the neck of the victims, Amanda exactly knew vampires had the ability to heal it, thus covering up their work.

Her body trembled at the thought of Cord. Who else could have done such a grotesque thing if not him? He was out of his mind after all, possibly on a rampage, thirsting for blood. With the way she left him six days ago, albeit unintentionally, it was a high possibility these deaths were on him. He was very much a walking death sentence to anybody who he’d come across that day and the days after if he didn’t return to his merciful self.

But that hopeful part of her prayed it wasn’t him. God, she dearly hoped it wasn’t him. She’d likely partly feel guilty. She was the reason after all why he had to come to New Zealand.

After remembering the place where she last saw him, Amanda quickly stood up from her bed and gasped.

“Oh God, no,” her lips trembled at the thought of her step-father. “God, I hope he didn’t kill him or anyone of the residents in the house.”

With firm resolution, she walked past the bathroom and into the walk-in closet where she tried to find a dress that would suit her. She couldn’t find one as all the clothes inside the closet were for a man.

“Don’t tell me this is Matteo’s room?” she cringed as she stood up, deciding to stop from rummaging more of his clothes.

She watched her entire form in the full-size mirror: wavy hair that was partly unkempt, not a touch of make up, in a chemise that hid the basic parts of her as a woman. Good. It was enough. But to fight with the evening cold once she’s out of the house, she’ll have to borrow one of Matteo’s trench coats.

Amanda took one that reached her knee. It was made of cashmere, the color red. Quite suitable to the occasion that lay ahead.

Using an available bedroom slipper, she waltzed out of Matteo’s room in a hurry, crossing hallways and passing rooms and staircases until she reached the living space that was next to the garage. She almost released a relieving breath, happy that there was no Matteo to deter her, but as soon as she twisted the doorknob towards the garage, Eloisa passed the room and saw her.

“You’re up, Sweety,” she stated, throwing a rather forced smile on Amanda’s way. Furrowing her brows, she examined her daughter’s look, her attention falling on the coat she wore, and then shook her head. “What do you plan on doing?” she asked.

“Mom, I’m sorry but I must go,” Amanda replied. Hurriedly, she twisted the knob and pushed the garage door but then she heard her mother yell.

“You can’t go!” There was a hint of worry there, of desperation, but it was enshrouded by the authoritative voice Eloisa used.

Amanda looked at her and arched a brow.

“Matteo forbids it, Sweety. Plus, you can’t go out of the house wearing just a chemise.” Her mother’s voice dialed down a little softer, but still it came out forced. Amanda noticed it and mentally noted it.

“I’m leaving, mom,” she answered. “Matteo can’t forbid me and I don’t care what I’m wearing.”

Turning around, she walked forward and into the key box of the garage. Knowing Matteo, he had an extensive collection of cars and wouldn’t mind if she took one to use. She sensed he also created a hiding spell around the house and probably created one that would hinder a person from leaving the house—her specifically—but she wasn’t worried. She had enough anger and motivation to nullify it.

“Amanda, I forbid you to go!” Eloisa cried out just as Amanda took a shiny silver key from the box. “Surely you’ll listen to your mother.”

“Mother?” Amanda shot an accusing glare at her. “Are you really sure you’re my mother? Because if you truly are, you wouldn’t force me like this. My mother may have betrothed me to a mage, but she’ll understand once she sees my heart. I love another man. I care for the another man. And with that, she’ll respect my decision. She’ll accept him even if this man is the vampire master.”

Eloisa clenched her fists. “I am your mother, Amanda,” she stated, about to break into tears.

Amanda scoffed and shook her head.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “I maybe blind at first, but I see it now. You are nothing like my mother, Auntie Eloise, but nice job acting like her. Quit it with your fake tears.”