I Thirst for You — Chapter 40 - Epilogue

“Sire, everyone is gathering in the throne hall,” the Head Majordomo announced the moment he was given permission by Cord to enter in his bed-chamber. His head was bent low; eyes cast downward giving his Master and Mistress some privacy.

Cord retracted his hand from Amanda’s flushed cheek. She was but sleeping soundly, too tired and spent because of the energy she consumed while on a rampage, and because of this, he was able to study her, from her smooth face down to the curve of her lashes. He kept a mental picture of her, the colorful one, before his time for blindness returns.

“I will go there now, Jerome,” he sighed and then stood up, but not before planting a kiss on her forehead. “Have Arissa and Noman stay by Amanda’s side until I return.”

“Yes, Sire.” Jerome nodded. “They are just waiting in the receiving room. They will come inside once you leave.”

When a foot away, Cord took something from Jerome’s offered palm, something black, and tucked it inside his coat pocket. Then, he left his bedroom with his butler in tow.

Moments later, Cord materialized in his throne, standing beside the regal chair with his eyes now wrapped in a blindfold. His shadows surrounded him, all mixing with the dark corners of the hall, but he ordered them to stay there, not wanting anyone to feel uneasy.

He stepped forward, his head positioned straight to his subjects before him - or what little subjects left after Amanda ossified most of the biters - those ones that were present in the north wing hall; those ones that wanted her dead.

“I would assume you all know what transpired thirty minutes ago in the north wing,” he questioned.

Everybody present nodded silently, all red eyes on him. But reds that weren’t filled with anger or treachery, but reds filled with worry and confusion, and sympathy for their Master.

“Then, you all know why we are gathered here,” Cord cleared his throat and then attempted to inhale, at least to lessen the seriousness of the moment, until he remembered, he wasn’t a human anymore.

Bagheera suddenly slipped under him, pressing his furry body against his knees and purred low. This made Cord tug a small smile, feeling at ease a bit because of the cat.

“Centuries had passed,” he started with determination, closing his lids from behind the blindfold, “and yet I hadn’t asked for your forgiveness on behalf of my family... my father’s mistake.”

Calvin, Pamela, Heather, Jerome, Diana, and the rest of the Vitalis Castle servants and a few family friends focused on listening. All of them somehow were taken aback when they heard their Master mouth those words. They had known him to be reserved, keeping his feelings to himself, but now, he seemed to be spilling his emotions free for them to see.

“I admit that I acted like a coward for not facing the problem head-on. I destroyed your life. I destroyed your chance for freedom. I erased your chance for a normal life. And for that, I’m sorry. I...truly am.”

Pamela covered her mouth, keeping herself from sobbing, and then Calvin comforted her with a hand on her back.

“I know...” Cord paused and cleared his throat again. It’s unnatural for him to act like this, but he just had to do so for Amanda. For the love of his life. “I know I don’t deserve to ask this of you, but I’m begging this now.”

He then placed a hand on his unbeating heart and continued, “I love Amanda. I love her with all my heart, or...” he managed a small smile, “or what’s left of it. I can’t sacrifice her life in exchange for undoing our curse. I can’t kill her.”

The tension in the room somehow lessened. Gone were the accusing eyes of some of the vampires. Gone were the confusions that rode together with the murmurs.

“I know this is a selfish act but I hope you understand. And I hope you would forgive me for deciding this on my own.”

Silence punctuated the air for a while. Cord wondered if he had expressed his emotions right. He waited and waited, watching his subjects through his gray and white outlines, and hoped that somehow someone would speak.

“Sire,” to Cord’s relief, somebody did, and this somebody was his head butler. He stood in front of the group, his gloved hands on each side.

“We are loyal to you forever,” Jerome announced, true to his heart. “Whatever you decide, we will respect it. Our lives have come and gone. Our loved ones have died centuries ago leaving us, but you have found yours now and it is as new as the call of Spring. We can’t blame you on the curse that wounded us. You are a victim too. We want you to be happy. We want you to love freely.”

“Jerome...” Cord spoke, gratitude filling his voice.

“We will respect your decision, Master Cord,” Heather stepped in and then looked from left to right, on Diana who nodded and some other female vampire maids who smiled at him.

“Heather, Diana, everyone.”

The remaining vampires nodded too, confirming the majority’s decision.

“Thank...you,” Cord spoke and out of relief, he sank in his chair, palm against his face. “Really, thank you.”

For now, this solution would do. If he couldn’t find an alternative answer to the curse, at least Amanda was safe from the burden and guilt. He of course would never allow himself to drain her blood just so all of them would be free. He was willing to be cursed forever if it meant she’ll live, and live by his side.

If he could cry, then he would have done it seconds ago, but he can’t so all he could do was to stay silent and relished the feeling of lightness inside him.

He was free, maybe not from the curse, but he was free to love, care, and live his immortal life with meaning.

Finally.

And with a woman whose blood sings to him.

***

It was a few minutes past when the throne hall was vacated except for Jerome, Pamela and Calvin staying. Cord still sat on his seat but with his arms relaxed on each armrest. His head rested on the cushioned headboard while his lids were pressed together.

“You have something to ask, I bet,” Cord remarked as Pamela and Calvin neared him with expectant eyes. He didn’t even have to look at them to see that they were standing at the bottom of the dais.

“Yes,” Calvin spoke first, “we want to clarify something Cord.”

“Speak then,” was the Master’s reply. His eyes were still closed.

“As per Garrett’s words, and you yourself know, the owner of your shadows was the witch Arriana, right?”

“Yes,” Cord confirmed.

“But Arriana...” Pamela, this time, inserted herself. She watched as the Master straightened his head and looked at her direction. “And Amanda, they have the same blood of witches coursing through their veins. Why wasn’t the curse lifted when you drained her blood years ago? Didn’t you feel it?”

“I didn’t,” quickly, Cord replied. “Nothing changed inside me.” He paused for a moment, remembering himself as his fangs sank into her flesh. “But the moment I bit her, I discovered she was my half-sister.” One side of his mouth lifted into what looked like a cocky smile but it disappeared in just a blink of an eye. “Hmf, you can only imagine how happy I was to get my revenge in full at that time.”

Calvin and Pamela looked at each other, knowing exactly what their Master had said. It was just unfortunate that one of their vampires, Garrett, had fallen in love with her. Maybe it was by mistake. Maybe it was because she used him as a shield against the other vampires. Or maybe she was truly in love with him, but no matter. All was done now and fixed. To ponder more on it was useless.

“But,” Cord then continued, furrowing his brows as he watched the pouring rain through the stained glass windows above his head. “What I felt when I drained her of blood was evil. Pure evil.”

Calvin’s jaw dropped a little. “Was that it then?” he said, realization hitting him. “The reason why the curse wasn’t lifted?”

It wasn’t Cord that nodded but Pamela in response to his question. “Good always triumphs over evil, Calvin,” she stated, placing a hand on his right shoulder. “How would a curse created by darkness be undone by darkness too? There should be a balance.”

“And Amanda was that balance,” Cord finished. “She is my light. My salvation.”

“I see, but,” Calvin inserted, disbelief in his tone, “Are you really serious? You want to stay forever as a vampire?”

A small smile grew from Cord’s lips as he answered, “I’m beginning to like the term, Calvin. A vampire. And besides, being immortal isn’t painful if Amanda is with me.”

“Huh.” Calvin combed his hair with his fingers and stepped backward. “Well damn me. Does that mean I can still use my wind powers on poor unsuspecting ladies in the streets?”

Cord remained silent but rolled his eyes he did underneath the blindfold.

But on Pamela’s point-of-view, a brow quickly shot up while she ungloved her hands and made a tight fist, “If you want me to crush your face, then go ahead. You can,” she icily remarked.

Calvin rushed to put his hands up. “Aww, little sister, you know I am joking.”

Pamela thinned her eyes at him. “Right.”

With how the siblings acted as if Cord wasn’t even on their front, he decided to give them privacy. In a snap, he disappeared from the throne hall and transferred to a place where he had always wanted to be.

In his bedroom.

***

“I am just glad you’re alive,” Amanda stated as she stared at Noman grinning at her like a bobcat. She had been sitting in bed for half an hour with pillows stacked behind her back. On her lap was a wooden tray with a bowl of mixed fruits and a pineapple juice, readied by Arissa just before they entered the Master’s chamber. At one time, she had thought that Matteo killed Noman before abducting her from the Vitalis Castle. She just felt happy now that her best friend made it safe and sound.

“And I am just glad you returned to normal,” was Noman’s retort whilst standing just a few feet away from the mattress, “Not to mention taken.”

Amanda didn’t miss his hint and so for that, she picked a blueberry from the bowl and threw it to him. Noman chuckled, dodging the said fruit successfully.

When Amanda woke up earlier, Noman refrained from jumping into her to share an embrace. He reasoned that he didn’t want to spoil the bed that she and the Master had shared, and will be sharing together soon. He just instead gave his best friend a small peck on her forehead and a thumbs up indicating he was pleased with the progress.

Meaning Amanda and Cord’s relationship.

She didn’t really need to tell him the details for being in the Master’s chamber was evidence enough for him.

“How are you feeling now?” Noman inquired as he sat on a rectangular cushioned stool.

“I’m feeling energized,” Amanda smiled at him. “Like I had just unlocked a treasure of Gatorade and drank them all.”

“Huh, quite a fitting example, Deary, but seriously, after what happened in the north wing,” he paused and carefully chose his next words, “Don’t you find anything unusual on your body?”

Amanda contemplated his words for a moment. Then, she sighed and gazed at the droplets of rain visible through the balcony glass door. “Well, my mother once told me that when I turn into a full-fledged witch, I’ll have a mark of a witch.” She then raised her left shoulder and glanced at it. “As you can see,” she pointed out. “I have crystals sticking on my fingertips too if that’s what you mean by unusual.” She raised her hands in the air and studied them. “Although, they are too minute to see with the naked eye, they are there just waiting for my order.”

Noman released a smile filled with pride. “Oh gosh, you are so badass now. It’s like you’re Medusa, but a version of her that turns people into stone not through sight, but touch.”

“At least I can control them.” Amanda puckered her lips. True, that this made her feel stronger, capable, and more confident. It was a sure change from her normal life. A normal life that her mother always wanted for her.

A new chapter of her life had come though and she was willing to embrace it with her beloved.

With Cord.

“Well, you should, because I certainly don’t want to turn into a statue whenever I hug you,” Noman complained.

Both of them then laughed, Arissa smiling to herself as she watched them, but those carefree sounds were stopped abruptly when Noman’s cellphone rang inside his pants pocket.

“God, finally!” Noman expressed, making a roll of his eyes heavenward. “Someone finally remembered my existence other than you Cait. Seriously, I’m beginning to think I am just a supporting character in a vampire story. Sheesh. Can’t I have my own man who worries about me?” he paused and then fished out the gadget from his jeans. “Hello?” he said after pressing the answer button.

It was an unknown number.

Then, his brows twitched and wrinkled.

The voice from the other side sounded familiar.

“Err... It’s for you Cait,” Noman handed the phone to her with confusion in his eyes. He wanted to ask something but he deferred it instead.

Amanda arched a brow and squinted her eyes at him, “Who is it?” she asked.

“I can’t say. I’m not sure. You should take it now.” He shoved the cellphone to her chest and so, Amanda frantically took it.

With a last pointed glare on his way, she then pressed the phone on her ear and answered, somewhat unsure, “H--ello?”

“Hello Caitlin,” the hoarse voice from the other line said.

Goosebumps erupted in Amanda’s arms straightaway.

“Matt--eo?”

A faint chuckle was audible right after Amanda said the unexpected name.

“Yes, me,” Matteo replied.

“You’re alive.”

In Amanda’s front, Noman’s jaw dropped. He may not really know the whole detail of his two friend’s disordered situation, but he sure can say that Amanda was trying to hold back from trembling, judging from her tight grip on his cellphone.

“Yes, I am.”

Amanda swallowed.

“God, I thought you were-”

“Dead?” Matteo finished. There was a hint of amusement in his tone of voice that Amanda couldn’t ignore. It was truly him. The Matteo that she remembered. But he also sounded like he was in discomfort as if undergoing pain. “No, Cait,” he continued, “but I am recuperating. I have...suffered quite a fatal blow from that vampire’s bullet.”

A flash of that memory appeared in Amanda’s head when he said that. It was an unpleasant and unwelcomed memory that she didn’t want to remember, but it was already too late.

“Oh, Matt... I’m sorry,” Amanda broke out. Despite how villainous he acted, she truly worried about him.

“No, don’t be. I don’t need your pity. I just need you, Caitlin.”

“Matteo, please...” Amanda snapped her eyes shut. “Don’t start this again.”

She was over and done with his obsession. Why can’t he just move on, stay with her as friends, and find a woman who can fill his need for love?

“I won’t. Don’t worry,” was Matteo’s reply in the other line.

This at least made Amanda feel at ease, but still, there was this nagging feeling at the back of her mind that he wasn’t truthful with his words.

“Uhm...” She didn’t know what to say after that. Thank you? Take care? Or are you sure? Hell, she really didn’t know what.

Luckily, it was Matteo who spoke again.

“Goodbye, for now, Cait. I’ll see y-”

Without warning, the cellphone was swiped out of Amanda’s hands. With round eyes, she stared at Noman who immediately pressed the phone to his ear and yelled, “You fool! Be a man and owe up to your mistake! Whatever you did, apologize to Caitlin now!”

A light scoff was heard in Matteo’s side and then, the line went dead.

“Shit,” Noman cursed, his teeth gnashing. “Matty just hung up on me. Stupid son-of-a-bachelor.”

With this, Amanda inhaled, and then, out of nowhere, she laughed, covering her flushed face.

Noman and Arissa were confused with her reaction.

“Thanks, Dom,” Amanda said, combing her hair back from her face.

“What? What did I do?” Noman crossed his arms to his chest.

“Well, you just lightened the anxiety I was just in.”

Noman grinned in response, understanding what she had exactly said. To some, it might have insulted them, being interrupted in a phone call, but to Amanda, it was welcomed. More than welcomed. He just saved her from an awkward situation.

“Here,” he then placed one knee at the edge of the mattress and then stretched his hand to her ribs, “let me lighten you more.”

“God, Noman stop!” Amanda giggled as he tried to tickle her worry away. She doubled over, then pulled out a pillow from her back, smashing the downy material into Noman’s face.

Then, they stopped upon hearing a loud clearing of a throat.

Arissa, who was standing near the bed, scurried to take the tray away and lowered her head, while Amanda and Noman froze on the spot.

“It seems I’m unwanted in my own bedroom?” Cord stated, his blindfolded eyes fixed on his woman.

Noman quickly pulled himself away and shook his head.

“Nope! Not at all, man. Not at all. Go ahead. Take your Mistress. Arissa and I will-” He craned his neck just as his eyes turned into saucers, “Hey Ris! Wait for me!”

Amanda chuckled low just as Noman and the maid raced to leave the room.

The wooden door eased shut on its own, or rather, Cord’s shadows did it for them.

He waltzed into the mattress and stopped just a few feet away from where Amanda sat; his focus on her smiling form.

“Are you sure Noman isn’t my rival in disguise?” he asked whilst pulling the blindfold out of his head.

Amanda bit on her lower lip, her heartbeat hammering against her chest. “No, don’t worry. He won’t even compare to you.”

Cord chuckled. He pulled a metallic object from his coat’s pocket right before joining her in bed. “Well, that’s a relief,” he said and then secured her wrists with his hands, placed it over her head against the headboard, and then locked them with the chained handcuffs.

“Cord!” Amanda blinked fast and wiggled underneath him. “What the? Are you literally going to chain me?!”

He broke into a wide grin. “It’s just a precaution,” he said, watching her vulnerable form with delight.

“You...you sly vampire,” Amanda lifted herself, just high enough to meet his face.

Cord lowered his head and whispered in her ear, “Why? Don’t you like it?”

Amanda inhaled, feeling herself getting intoxicated with his male scent. Whether a vampire or a human, he was still himself, the man who had jumbled up her senses in more ways than one.

“I...I like it, Cord.”

She parted her mouth and not less than a second, he covered it with his own.

The End.

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Or so it seems.

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading my dear readers. Join my Facebook Group, JMFelic Awesome Readers, for news about my books. ^_^ Take care!