And pierce her skin he did. Cord’s fangs hit the soft flesh of Amanda’s neck. Blood instantly oozed, but he pressed his mouth and sucked the crimson liquid into his system. Amanda, feeling the piercing pain, woke up gasping and with her eyes almost popping out of its sockets. She felt the heavy weight on top her, she felt the restraining hands on her wrists, and she felt Cord’s warm mouth on her skin. Alarm immediately flooded through her. “Cord!” She tried to push him back, but was met with a tighter grip on her wrists. She had trusted him. Trusted his full capacity to control whatever was changing him. He had returned to his formal dark self -- that much she could deduce. Otherwise, if he was in his right mind, he wouldn’t have placed her in this danger the second time. “Cord!” But the cur

Amanda and Cord’s plane landed twenty-five hours after at the Wellington International Airport. It was an arduous flight, one that he definitely disliked but being at the Premium Class of the plane at least lessened the stress of flying. The last time Cord was in New Zealand, it was over seven hundred years ago via a galleon ship. He was on a rampage then. He stepped out of the ship with all the crew and passengers sucked of blood. Mera, Calvin and Pamela were with him to handle the damage. It was the one story he disliked to share when Amanda asked, wanting to kill time during their flight. Once they arrived, they headed straight to Heather’s pre-booked hotel, the Wellington Best Point Hotel. It was the one nearest to Amanda’s house, at least a thirty-five minute walk. After check-in, Amanda met Noman at a cafe near her house some time past ten in the morning with her luggage in to

 Cord grabbed a nearby chair and steadied himself as his muscles undulated painfully under his skin. Despite burying them deeply inside his mind, visions of his transformation into a dark one and his rampage in the past started appearing along with the seizures. It started off as a single memory of when he was once human. He was sleeping soundly, in the realm of dreams when midnight hit the clock. In his thirtieth birthday the curse would begin, that was what the witch, Eloise, said and indeed, it happened. First, Cord’s mesmerizing bluish-green eyes had changed into obsidian. He groaned, clawing his naked chest as he felt his insides tearing him up apart. His skin, already a pale complexion, turned even paler, all manner of color drained from its pigments. Second, his human heart stopped beating. He could feel the fibers shrinking, tightening until it lay dead like a stone. In int

As expected, the door to Cord’s suite was locked, but Amanda wasn’t concerned. She rummaged through her sling clutch bag and looked for the card key, silently thanking herself she didn’t leave it on the table earlier. She found it seconds later, the extra one she took after they checked in the other day. She held it against the automatic lock and after a beep, the door opened. What greeted her when she entered the room was Cord, on his knees, his elbows and forehead touching the foot of the bed. If anything, it looked like he was praying, but Amanda knew better. He was in pain and possibly even in the middle of fighting his dark side from emerging. She heard him grunt and groan, saw him heave and clench his fists to the point that his knuckles turned white. His profile was a picture of agony and torture, and her heart sank for him. Why didn’t he tell her he was suffering all this time? Here she wa

Amanda didn’t take Matteo’s offer to drive her to the restaurant. Instead, she asked her step-father if she could borrow a car from the large garage they had in the building. Mr. Arnold allowed it and gave her the only car exempted in the contract: a red Camarro that had been his first automobile when he established the Company. It had sentimental value. With a grin, Amanda took the keys from the front desk and drove it out of the building like a professional race car driver she was. The restaurant Matteo picked was located a few miles away from the office. It was mostly surrounded with lush green trees and had a breathtaking view of the city. When she arrived at the entrance, a valet took her keys and drove the car out into the parking lot. Matteo was already waiting in the foyer when Amanda waltzed in. He had two sparkling wine in hand, the first one he offered to her accompanied with a dashing grin. &ldquo