CHAPTER FOUR

|•| ANDRÉ BAUDELAIRE |•|

"Get your hands off me! Asshole!" The redhead's enraged voice was heavy with malice, enveloping the nearly empty street in its shrill resonance and I found myself wincing in irritation where I leaned on the black SUV, watching her every move like a hawk.

"Leave," The biggest of the bouncers ordered her.

"Lux club is not for a cheap whore like you." He added, and the two other bouncers snickered between themselves.

"Oh, fuck you!" She yelled. The quaver in her voice indicated that tears were beginning to well up in her eyes and it was so obvious that she was hurt by the abusive words they were hauling at her.

"I never wanted to come anyway!" She added in a weak attempt to defend herself. She let out a scream of frustration, stomping off and pulling down her red dress at intervals while their sardonic laughter echoed behind her.

They spun on their heels after confirming that she wasn't coming back, heading back to the entrance of the club.

I averted my eyes off them and took that as my cue, moving breezily onto the road. I tucked my hands into the pockets of my coat, trailing after her as she continued stomping off.

I took my pace up a notch and when she noticed she was being followed, she whirled around in fear, her watery eyes darting around the empty streets of Nocturne Ville. It didn't seem to help much that no one was in sight because her heart quickened in pace, hammering against her ribcage.

"Who is there?" Her voice rose a notch as she called out shakily. She looked around for a moment, moving backwards and then she spun around quickly, hurrying off in the direction of the Alley.

A sadistic smirk crawled up my lips for the first time tonight and I decided to change the rules of the game, speeding forward. The inhumane speed I moved at sounded like a whoosh, causing her to turn back. 

And, there it was.

The fear I desperately wanted to see.

Her lashes fluttered rapidly, sticking to her face as tears streamed down her face. 

"Who is there? Whatever you are trying to do is really not funny! Stop it right now!" She fired, her voice breaking bit by bit. 

An amused smile tugged at my lips behind the car I was hiding.

"Shit!" That was all it took for her to break into a run. Her bag dropped to the floor and she dashed towards the direction of Alley and a frown automatically settled on my face.

I followed right after her, and when she got to the Alley, I was already waiting for her, tilting my head to the side. A look of surprise, mixed with fear, flashed through her eyes and she took a step backwards.

"Who are you?" She frowned. "Have you been following me?" Her voice gained a higher pitch as she moved backwards while I prowled forward, watching her eyes well up with tears.

"I don't have any money to give you. Please, let me go." She pleaded, tears streaming down her face. 

I stopped walking, sighing softly.

"I just want to talk." I simply answered, raising my hands in surrender. Seeing as I retreated, she thought I had let my guard down and she tried to make a run for it, but I was vamping towards her in no time, yanking her by the arm and slamming her against the wall.

She screamed.

"Please, don't hurt me!" She cried.

"I told you," I breathed, pinning her against the wall and a sinister chuckle exited my lips. "I just want to talk." My words came out in a growl.

She thrashed around in my hands, baring her neck to me in the process and my senses heightened. The sound of her heart pumping blood to every inch of her body, erratically and the increase in her adrenaline propelled my fangs to stick out where they had been tucked, poking the inner part of my lips.

My throat felt so scratchy and my veins simmered with angst. My hunger was much more intensified and the urge to sink my fangs into her neck and bleed her dry was so overwhelming and very hard to fight.

'Think about her.' The tiny, sane voice in my head echoed softly, trying to keep me in check but the sound of her blood coursing through her veins at an alarmingly high speed was more grounded, tapping into my predatory instincts.

"Stop fighting me!" I shouted.

Her teary green eyes clashed with mine, brimming with so much liquid that indicated her fear. I brought my fingers to her cheek and she recoiled, eliciting a chuckle from me.

"Please," She whimpered.

"Shhh," I muttered, swiping my thumb against her lips. Her mass of red hair seemed to have covered her neck and my fingers trailed her lips to her jaw and down to her neck, sweeping her hair off her neck.

I brushed my thumb against his porcelain surface, sighing in contentment.

"I will do anything you want, just don't hurt me, please." A loud sob tore through her lips and it almost, almost softened my heart.

"Aw, don't cry." I exhaled, reaching for her face and wiping off her tears.

"Are you going to let me go?" She whispered.

"Of course," I answered back in the same tone. The relief that washed over her was so priceless. The hopeful look in her eyes nearly had a maniacal laughter spluttering out of my mouth but I had to keep it together to convince her.

"Don't worry. It's all going to be over soon." I said with a sick grin and my fangs slowly poked out, eliciting a blood-curdling scream for her. The anguish-laced sound tore through the streets, enveloping it with how unsettling it sounded.

And without further ado, I grabbed her neck and my mouth descended on her neck. My fangs poked into it and the thick liquid that oozed off her neck flowed directly into my mouth. 

My eyes snapped shut in euphoria, and I pulled her to myself, drowning in her agonising screams. She flailed her arms in a desperate attempt to get away from me but my nails sank into her skin. Her body thrashed around helplessly in my arms. It didn't deter me from draining her of every ounce of the blood that coursed through her.

Bit by bit, she lost her will to fight and her body began growing lax in my arms. I knew I should stop but I didn't. The ecstasy that came with feeding off her had sunk its claws into me and lured me into its hold. 

And slowly, her body grew cold and still. I detached my fangs from her neck aggressively, relishing in the rich taste of her blood. 

I stared down at her neck which had holes punctured in it, oozing with blood that trickled down her neck. My hands gave her away and she dropped to the floor with a heavy thud.

Her wide, lifeless eyes stared back at me and I stared back at it with no ounce of emotion, kicking her body off my path.

I dipped my hands into my pocket, took out my handkerchief and dabbed my mouth hurriedly, licking off the patches of her blood off my fingers. I tucked it into my pocket and proceeded to leave.

"You are very gorgeous, by the way!" I hollered at her dead body, not sparing her a glance.

                                     •••••

As I traipsed through the woods, crushing the dry leaves in my path with my boots, I shoved my sweaty palms into my pockets and the feeling of dread that hung around me earlier seemed to have consumed me as I approached the house.

There was this lingering urge to turn around and head back to where I was coming from but it wasn't safe. By now, the Alley will be crawling with passersby, reporters and the police.

The tall, dark iron gates swung open at the harsh gust of wind, flying backwards like it was being puppeted by someone. The force at which it moved backwards synchronised with the dry leaves that were previously on the floor, tossing them in different directions.

I didn't allow the theatrics to deter me from stepping forward as my eyes travelled through the lifeless arched branches that surrounded the compound, shielding my view from the ancient property that soon came into sight.

The dark, enormous castle that it's Grey walls were surrounded by intricately woven thin tree branches stood proudly in the middle of the compound, engulfed by an eerie atmosphere that seemed to control the air lingering around the surroundings because I awfully felt colder than I was and I could feel goosebumps sprouting all over my skin.

It was unnerving.

The full moon bathed the Victorian building in its silvery essence, casting a regal glow on everywhere it touched but the darkness that surrounded the area seemed to have morphed it into something sinister. The mysterious building oozed off an allure that was capable of sucking people in, absorbing the entire woods and bending to its will in its unnervingly enchanting glory.

I threaded the cobblestone pathway that led me to the house and the door swung open itself, causing me to roll my eyes at how overly dramatic she was being.

I stepped into the house, shrugged off my coat and tossed it onto the rack. I was tempted to turn on the lights but I knew she could switch them on in the blink of an eye, so I left it alone and walked over to the bar to pour myself a glass of whiskey.

And just like I predicted, the lights came on, illuminating every nook and cranny of the massive living room. But it was only a while before they started flickering and a strong wind began blowing every object in different directions.

I just sat there, taking a swig from my whiskey with a blank face.

The strong wind suddenly concentrated in place and I swung my head in the direction of the stairs. Normal people will ascend the stairs with their legs but she chose to walk on air, her white robe flowing in different directions.

"Good evening to you too, André." Her silky voice was coated with a sarcastic effect.

"Your dramatic entrance is beginning to get boring, Ophelia." The disinterest that oozed off my voice was enough to indicate that I didn't want to have a conversation with her but Ophelia was just…Ophelia.

She huffed, strutting towards me. Her amethyst orbs lingered on me, intently. She stopped a few feet away from me, throwing her silky black hair off her shoulder.

"You are still wearing your dinner," She deadpanned, tilting her head to the side. She was referring to lingering feminine cologne on my shirt and judging by the disgusting twitch of her lips, I could still tell that I had some blood stains on my mouth.

"I am not in the mood," I grunted.

"YOU PROMISED, ANDRÉ!" She fired harshly at me.

"Promises are meant to be broken!" I retorted, the harshness of my tone matching hers.

"Oh, spare me that! Like you ever listen to anyone but yourself!" She snapped, marching forward.

"That's enough, Ophelia," I warned her, my voice dangerously calm.

"You said you were going to keep it under control. How long before the trail of bodies you leave starts drawing attention towards us?" She queried with a scoff.

"This is a new town, André. Don't mess this up!" Her eyes darkened in rage and the sternness of her voice showed that she was hanging on a thin thread.

She stared at me for a moment and sighed, walking towards me. 

"You can't keep doing this. It will only cause more harm than good—" She was talking but I interrupted her abruptly.

"I'll do whatever it is I want. You don't control me. Now, get out of my way before I rip your head off your neck!" I growled, shooting up from the bar stool and striding out of her presence.

"André!" She called out to me but I didn't listen. 

So much for moving to a new town.