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Chapter 8 The Bodyguard

  • Cord’s mind reeled at the thought of Amanda’s experience on the race track. To have her experience such life-threatening event was traumatic. However, it even worsened when she mentioned Matteo’s name. If the crash was a natural-occurring event, he would have been accepting of it, but knowing now that it wasn’t, he couldn’t keep the warning bells in his mind from ringing.
  • Certainly there was more to this story. There always was when it came to witches and mages. He had learned that vital fact while he was still on a rampage in his first years as a dark one.
  • Witches were the embodiment of beauty and grace. However, they were also lethal. They had a thorn that was ready to puncture through every flesh their opponent had. Mages, on the other hand, were like foxes, sly and opportunistic. They always had a back-up plan and they were like cockroaches, hard to kill.
  • Exactly just like Matteo.
  • Cord wasn’t threatened by Matteo’s possible comeback. Oh no, not even an inch. He may be Amanda’s groom as per her mother’s request, but they weren’t romantically connected to each other.
  • Amanda doesn’t even feel that way towards him.
  • But if it meant her safety then Cord had a good reason to be guarded. Matteo could well use that element to get her back.
  • “Once you’re discharged here, I want you to go straight to the mansion, ” Cord stated, looking down on Amanda through the blindfold.
  • The latter gave him a lopsided smile. “Of course. You know I’d do that, Cord.”
  • “And I don’t want you to leave Bath, ” he added and this time, the smile on Amanda’s face faded.
  • “What?” Her voice rose a decibel higher. “What do you mean I can’t leave Bath? You know I need to go back to New Zealand, see my father, and arrange everything before I spend the rest of my days with you.”
  • “No, that’s not happening, Amanda, ” Cord shook his head. He turned around, moved a few steps away from the bed, and faced the glass window of the room.
  • In there he sensed the busy street below lit up with electric lamps and neon lights from the food stalls. Based on the noise, people were everywhere probably wearing coats, trying to drive away the cold. There were some bystanders along the streets and a couple standing in the alleyways. They were harmless enough.
  • Until he sensed a certain form along with the bystanders. This one had the makings of a supernatural entity in disguise. He could be the mage or he could be someone else entirely. His powers were faint though. Either he had intentionally willed it so with a barrier or he really was weak. Whatever the reason was, it was enough for Cord to spot him down.
  • “You are to stay inside the mansion indefinitely. I can’t risk your safety, ” he proclaimed.
  • “My safety?” Amanda stared at his back with confusion. “Is this about Matteo, Cord?”
  • “Yes, ” was his plain reply. This time, the faint energy of the man disappeared. What was left was the simple hustle and bustle of the humans.
  • “I get it, ” Amanda added, her eyes giving him sharpened glares. “You’re jealous but you can’t forbid me to leave Bath, Cord. Plus, I can handle myself.”
  • “Like you handled yourself in that race?” Cord faced her this time.
  • Amanda sensed his ire growing, just like hers. Their energy had been basically dueling for dominion all over the room since their little argument had started.
  • With Cord’s latest comeback though, she knew he had the upperhand.
  • “Point taken, okay.” She bit her bottom lip, feeling ashamed of her past actions. “I admit, I may not have controlled the situation properly. The apparitions caught me off-guard.”
  • “Exactly why I want to be cautious, Amanda. I don’t want it to happen again, ” he replied and returned to her side.
  • Amanda reached for his hand and squeezed it tight.
  • “Cord, I’m not going anywhere, ” she assured.
  • “I know, Amanda, ” he replied, stooping low to give her a kiss he so wanted to give her earlier.
  • But he was interrupted when a ringing of a cellphone cut through the air. Both of them looked towards the sound and found the gadget vibrating on top the bedside table.
  • “On, that’s my phone!” Amanda exclaimed.
  • Cord reached for it and handed it to her.
  • “Noman must have brought this here, ” she said. “I left him my belongings before the start of the race.”
  • “Who is calling you?” Cord arched a brow, his attention pointed at the noisy thing wondering if it was a certain mage who had called.
  • “My step-dad, ” Amanda stated and then answered the call.
  • Cord gave her some privacy. He pinned his attention back to the noise past the glass mirror and waited until the phone conversation ended.
  • “He’s just checking up on me, ” Amanda announced once she placed the phone down. “Said he wanted to fly here and visit me but I didn’t allow him. I’m doing fine anyway. I’m not a bedridden patient needing full support.”
  • “Your fortitude is commendable, Amanda, but sometimes, let other people worry for you. Give them at least that chance to show they care for you, ” Cord suddenly advised as he turned to look at her again.
  • Amanda twisted her lips and thinned her eyes at him. “I getting the feeling you’re also talking about yourself.”
  • Cord produced a smirk in reply. “Depends on how you look at it.”
  • Cord stayed the whole night keeping Amanda company and staying vigilant with any dangers in and around the hospital.
  • By dawn, he left while Amanda was still asleep. She needed rest after all and he couldn’t bear to hear her voice lest he’d be tempted to stay the whole day.
  • He teleported into his throne room directly and in there summoned Calvin who summoned a certain person from the North Wing as instructed.
  • “Make sure she is well-guarded, ” said Cord to a vampire kneeling in front of him.
  • “I will, Master Cord.”
  • “Good morning Miss O’Malley, ” was the cheery greeting of a young man as soon as Amanda opened her eyes.
  • She frowned for a moment and studied the stranger who was standing too close for comfort, at the left side of her bed.
  • He wore a semi-formal outfit: a white t-shirt and tux duo, partnered with black slacks. It looked almost like he was on his way to prom night.
  • Amanda readied her crystallized touch if she were to sense him an enemy. But so far, she only sensed goodness in him, or at least past the reek of vampire blood inside him.
  • He was handsome, but of course not as staggeringly handsome as the Master of Vampires. He was a foot shorter than his master too and had this medium-length, curly brown hair that perfectly framed his square jaw.
  • “I’m sorry but do I know you?” she asked whilst sitting up. She lowered the crystals on her fingertips feeling safe for now. Just for now.
  • “My apologies, ” the stranger bowed his head low. “I am Jonathan Abram, Ms. O’Malley. I am Master Cord’s cousin in the mother’s side. I’m here as your bodyguard.”
  • “My what?” Her voice screeched and her eyes rounded.
  • “I’ll ensure your safety while you’re still in the hospital, Miss. That’s Master Cord’s order.”
  • Amanda released air in between her teeth, trying to keep her cool. ‘This is ridiculous,’ her mind immediately confessed.
  • “Tell me something, ” she said and gave him an intimidating glare. “You’re a vampire, right?”
  • “Yes, Miss, ” was Jonathan’s confident reply.
  • “Then you should be sleeping by now. It’s morning for crying out loud. Aren’t you afraid of the sun?”
  • Her displeasure on having a bodyguard could not have been more obvious.
  • Jonathan saw past her friendly demeanor but wasn’t affected with this however. He shifted his sight on the dripping IV solution of Amanda and cleared his throat.
  • “Uhm, yes, I’m supposed to be sleeping by now, Miss, but I aim to fulfill Master Cord’s order to guard you. Plus, I’m immune to the sunlight just like him. I...ah...I happened to steal a witch’s ability of cloaking and shield creation.”
  • Amanda’s mouth dropped. A fleeting jump of her heartbeat occurred when she was reminded of them being natural enemies. What would her mother actually say if she were to know she had allowed the Master of Vampires into her life and worse, into her bed?
  • She didn’t want to entertain the thought. At least now, her mother was long dead to even know it. Plus, Cord was trying to fix the past, or at least trying to avoid it from happening again. She hoped her mother in Heaven could see his efforts and understand why she had to choose him over Matteo.
  • “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that Jonathan, but...uhm...thank you for your honesty, ” she stated, successfully breaking out from her melancholic state.
  • “My pleasure, Miss.” Jonathan gave her a tight-lipped smile.
  • Amanda directed her attention to a closed door on her left. Conveniently, it led to a small balcony enough to fit two persons. She welcomed an idea then, taking advantage of the centuries-old design of the hospital.
  • “Just please stay under the radar, ” she pointed out. “I can’t have the nurses in the hospital fawn all over you.”
  • Like an obedient dog, Jonathan nodded. “Of course, Miss.”
  • “Now move to the side, ” Amanda flipped her hand backwards.
  • The young vampire, innocent of her plan, did as told without questions.
  • “Here?” he clarified after taking two steps backward.
  • “A little further, ” she voiced out, bobbing her head at the same time.
  • “Here?” Jonathan once again clarified. He was next to the armchair Cord had sat earlier.
  • “A step more, ” Amanda added and he did so without question.
  • “Is this correct?” he asked, now finding her request weird. He was standing at the threshold of the balcony.
  • “No, open the door and step further back, ” Amanda instructed and when Jonathan did so, she was pleased with the output.
  • “Good. Now stay there, ” she ordered.
  • Jonathan bent low and peeked through the door.
  • “But I can’t see you from here, Miss, ” he voiced out, looking at his charge with a worried face.
  • Amanda released a long sigh.
  • “I can’t have someone staring at me too for the whole day, Jonathan. I’m sorry if I had to do this.”
  • The young vampire furrowed his brows, looking a little affected with her words, but only just briefly.
  • “That’s okay, Miss, ” he smiled then and straightened. “This place is fine. The sun above me, the birds chirping in the trees and the noisy traffic below — they’re a good distraction to boredom. But I’ll just make sure to be as vigilant as possible for your safety.”
  • “Oh wow, you’re an optimistic one, ” Amanda bit her bottom lip, suddenly feeling a tad bit of guilt creeping up to her consciousness. But she reminded herself it was better this way.
  • She may had been slowly opening up with the residents of the Vitalis Mansion, but that didn’t mean she’d lose her guard on them.
  • As soon as Jonathan closed the door, she returned to relax on her bed, lying against the mattress with two pillows propped up behind her.
  • Her mind then wandered.
  • Would Cord actually grant her request if she were to ask him to take her bodyguard away? Probably not, but she’ll try anyway.
  • It wasn’t her big concern as of the moment though. It was Noman and how he would react to this new specimen in her hospital room.