CAUSE AND EFFECT

CHAPTER SEVEN

MATE?!!

Deafening silence reigned.

The room is dead quiet as the four Master Vampires were unable to think or feel properly. They are simply....stupefied!

Their head and upper bodies were drawn back as if they experienced a great blow, their usually chilly eyes were wide in disbelief, their mouths gaping.

Everyone's expression is a complete reflection of each other's surprised faces.

They are so stunned, so shocked that they are unable to speak nor react normally.

Having a mate is more than winning the lottery!

Then a series of soft explosive sounds and curses echoed within the room as they started to talk all at once. Like bees buzzing.

This mate business is serious business!

Stefan struggled to stand only to stumble like a drunkard.

"H...h..how can one acquire a mate just by merely sleeping?! Did he really sleep or what?!" Stefan sputtered. His voice is getting louder the more enthusiastic he became.

"H...h..how did Damien meet his mate the moment he woke up?!" Alexandru stammered in disbelief. His eyebrows were raised almost as high as his hairline.

Isn't Damien's luck world defying?! Having a mate is their pie in the skies fantasies! But this pie in the sky actually landed on Damien's lap just as he opened his eyes?! What kind of shit luck is that! Alexandru can't help but grab his hair in exasperation! They were busy traipsing the Earth hoping to bump into their mates. But the one who spent more time sleeping and less time searching got the winning prize! What the.....!

Marius jumped with unsuppressed energy. His head almost went through the ceiling!

"Fuck it! Are mates that easy to find nowadays?! Huh! Huh!" Marius clenched his hands into fists and waved them in the air. He wants to cry! He wants a mate too!

Luca looked at all three of his brothers. His brows drew together as his forehead creased in contemplation.

Maybe he should follow Damien's example and also go down and sleep? Luca pursed his lips as he looked up at the ceiling.

When it comes to age, Damien is the oldest among all of them. More antique than the Sumerian language. And he is next in rank.

Damien has already met his mate. Maybe it will be his turn? Wrinkles appear at the corners of Luca's eyes. The corners of his mouth slightly turned up. This thought deeply satisfied him.

He is next. Luca chuckled as he walked out of the solar with light steps.

All three of his brothers looked at Luca with weird faces. Then they looked at each other with their eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Did their Eldest Brother just had a mental breakdown?

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Over dinner, Adrianna's family was happily eating while watching the news on TV. When it was commercial break, Andrei glanced at Adrianna.

"Would you be going to school on Monday?" Andrei asked casually as he took a platter of rice and gave his wife a scoop.

COUGH! COUGH!

Adrianna's eyes went wide as she touched her throat. She felt the food went to the wrong pipe! With tears in her eyes, she coughed as she patted her chest wildly.

Her mother frantically patted her back as she swiftly handed to her a glass of water.

Adrianna gave her mother a grateful look as she drunk the water in large gulps.

The meat she just ate almost did her in!

With half lidded eyes and pursed lips, she glanced at her father with a far away look on her face.

Her father asked her about school?

In her last life, since she lost the music box, she has found that she has this extreme masochistic side that is driving her to the point of madness.

To feel alive, she has to kill herself. Isn't this a sign of madness?

It hurts her to be away from her beloved parents. But before she kills herself and drag her family along with her madness, she decided to ran away.

When she ran away, she did not get her college degree. She went to Manila and worked as a Receptionist at Mandarin Oriental Manila on 2001. There she met a coworker who was into drag racing.

When her coworker brought her to Manila Harbour Centre Dragway to participate in a battle between racing cars, it was the first time she felt alive after losing the music box.

They joined a battle between V6 and V8 muscle cars and the 4-cylinder turbocharged Hondas and Mitsubishis.

After that thrilling experience, she found out a temporary cure for her madness. A quick fix for her unbalanced mind. Drag Racing.

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to time gear changes while keeping the car about 400 HP in a straight line doing 10 seconds? With other cars chasing her ass....conquering the 1/4 mile gives her a huge adrenaline rush.

Feeling the roar of the engine, smelling the high octane fuel, seeing the smoke.

Watching how some cars get sideways while some cross the finish at an angle and sometimes crashing, it heightens her senses and keeps her blood boiling in thrill and excitement.

In a split second, anxiety, fear and hesitation would envelop her senses.

She would sometimes ask herself ----would she be the next one to crash?

But despite her anxiety, something in her would rebel and thrive from her fears. Egging her on.

That's when everything really started to change.

Her near death escapades started from this unexpected discovery.

Then her needs gradually morphed into greater heights and she wanted an even more dangerous sport until everything in her was distorted. She crave and needed this kind of death defying stunts.

So, she traveled to different countries and became a part of various death sports competitions just to satisfy her ever growing mental instability.

Thinking about her past, Adrianna looked at her parents. She just doesn't understand what triggered her to go almost insane.

She looked at her parents with hazy eyes. All she fervently wish is to be ordinary just like any other girls. An ordinary normal girl living a happy normal life with her family.

Adrianna pursed her lips. She half closed her eyes as she considered what to do. There are still a lot of puzzle pieces she is missing.

She absent mindedly took a drink of water as a menacing glint appeared from the corner of her eyes.

Regardless of anything else, one thing is for sure. In this life, she will not allow herself to sink in that quagmire of insanity.

Never again.

"Well, do you want to go back to school next week? I have to ask for a medical certificate for your leave of absence." Her mother prodded her in the arm to stop her from daydreaming.

Adrianna's lashes fluttered like butterfly wings. Then her face cleared as her eyes sparkled with life.

"Can I stay at home for another week?" Adrianna set aside the glass of water she was holding then used one of the infamous tricks in her arsenal.

Acting pitiful and helpless.

With down turned eyes, her mouth in a pout, Adrianna faced her father. With her head and shoulders bent forward, she clasped her hands together in prayer.

"Tata, I want to stay at home for another week." Adrianna uttered in a soft, small voice. Looking defeated, pitiful and weak.

Her father is the weakest link when it comes to emotional traps.

If she play the emotional card to her mother, she would be completely crushed even before she could fart!

But her papa is different.

And as she expected, seeing her pitiful appearance, her papa's lips curved into an arc. His eyes squint slightly as he looked at her with indulgence.

"Da."

"Thank you, tata!" Adrianna jumped slightly from her seat with excitement.

Her mother snorted at the father and daughter. But she said nothing.

Adrianna felt relieved!

She has to do some serious reviews! It has been 14 or 15 years since the last time she held an educational book!

As far as she could remember, she was always at the top. And her mother has never failed to put a high hat on her. She would tell all, especially those who are willing to listen, how excellent and accomplished she is in school.

Everyone in their village and even the neighboring ones, knows of her greatness! Her mother almost painted her as an almighty immortal!

Adrianna secretly snickered.

Her mama is a person who habitually responds to situations in a melodramatic way.

Now, if she drastically change and plummets to an unacceptable rank from such outstanding heights, it would give her mother a huge blow!

Her mother would have a heart attack!

It wouldn't do if her grades suddenly fall to the bottom. She wouldn't want to be the brunt of her mother's melodramatic practices.

She has to study!

Study! Study! Study!

So tonight, she would make a study plan.

After dinner, she hurriedly helped her mother gather the dirty dishes and wiped the table clean. But when she wanted to do the washing, her mother chased her out!

"You just recovered from your illness. Go to bed and rest early." Her mother took the apron, tied it around her waist then gave Adrianna a warm bright smile.

"Go back. Sleep early." Liena turned her back as she got ready to start washing the dishes.

Adrianna's eyes teared up. She hugged her mother from the back. Hoping her warmth would reach her mother's heart.

The moment Adrianna wrapped her arms around Liena's waist, Liena's body tensed in surprise then relaxed again as she laughed softly.

She patted Adrianna's arm and tilted her head at the side. She then hooked one arm around Adrianna's head and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Go rest, baby." Liena whispered softly.

Adrianna felt a huge hand tightly clutching her heart as she is assaulted by strong emotions. She felt strangled. Her eyes turned red and watery.

In her past life, how can she be so heartless and mean that she left her good parents without a word?

"I love you, mama." Adrianna whispered achingly with a catch in her voice.

Liena smiled and patted Adrianna's arm again.

"Go." Liena choked the word. Clearly as emotional as Adrianna.

Adrianna kissed her mother's head then turned around to go.

"Papa! Good night!" Adrianna jumped towards her father's direction.

Her father is sitting on the couch absorbed in watching basketball.

From time to time, he would give a loud shout of approval and encouragement to his favorite team. At times he would curse the opposing team. As if the rival team is his mortal enemy.

Adrianna smiled.

Andrei looked at Adrianna in surprise. He was so absorbed in the game he did not notice Adrianna's approach.

Adrianna hooked her arms around her father's arm and laid her head on her father's shoulder.

"Papa, you love basketball more than me."

Andrei chuckled and ruffled Adrianna's hair into a bird's nest!

Adrianna forcefully took off her father's hand from her hair while she pulled back her head away from her father's grasp.

"Papa!!!" She shouted in exasperation.

Andrei laughed in glee.

"Hmpf!" Adrianna stood up and glared at her father.

"I'm going to bed."

Andrei smiled.

"Goodnight, Fiica."

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Damien has been waiting for his mate to sleep. For now, the only way he can reach her is through dream walking. He wants to know where she is.

If only she has awakened her vampiric blood, he will instantly be able to know where she is.

Damien frowned.

He remembered when he first occupied his mate's consciousness, he felt a spell that has been controlling her vampiric essence.

The spell is containing her already developed qualities while holding back her future vampiric developments.

As if her family is trying to conceal her.

From whom or for whatever reasons, he has to find out.

Because of this spell potion, the first time he was able to connect with her, his mate only has a hint left of her vampiric essence. It was so fragile that the connection did not last long.

It was even a wonder she was able to awaken him from his deep slumber. And it was even more of a surprise that she can harness his power. Not to mention he was at the opposite end of the world! The distance was so great that with her threadbare vampiric essence, it shocked him that she was able to connect with him! And she was young then!

The second connection happened just recently which woke him up early. His mate unconsciously reached out to him again. And he instinctively wrapped her with his power. Shielding her from the onslaught of her long buried essence.

That connection, quick though it was, he felt the struggle of her vampiric urges. Her blood is in chaos. As if angry at her for containing them. Angry at her for forgetting them.

He wondered what triggered her blood to be this chaotic? If this spell potion is a dam containing her vampiric urges, then this dam is about to burst.

Her vampiric blood is about to fully awaken. And in great torrents.

Right now, its just stirring up. But if this blood is still contained, his mate will go crazy.

Worse, she will die.

He has to reach out to her.