CURSE OF THE BLOOD MOON

Stephan walked behind the small huddle that had formed around Kayla and her phone. He stood and watched the rest as they climbed over each other to talk into it. When he heard Scarlet’s voice, he walked towards them and extended his hand towards Kayla. He wanted the phone and although she was reluctant at first, she couldn’t help but hand it to him.

She wasn’t afraid of him, but she felt sorry for him. He was the picture of a broken man. He was not the smart good looking half-breed anymore. He looked exhausted and scruffy. His black hair was out of place and his shirt was on inside out.

Stephan took the phone and placed it against his ear. He listened to her sweet voice first before he spoke.

“Hello?”

Scarlet froze for a second, she knew it was Stephan but did not recognize the voice at first. He sounded hurt and in pain.

“Stephan?” She tried to control her unstable voice. She needed to sound calm and in control and her quivering voice was about to sell her out.

He walked upstairs to her room the phone glued to his ear.

“You owe me an explanation.” He banged the door behind him.

Scarlet heard his cold voice then the loud noise she immediately knew was her door, she wondered whether it still stood or had been broken off its hinges.

“I know Stephan, but I had to do it. You will understand all of it later, but for now, I am doing this my way.” Scarlet tried to hold her own, she was not going to let Stephan rattle her.

“I want to see you. You can explain all of these to me when I get there.”

“No!” Her voice had risen unexpectedly, much calmer she continued to protest, “Stephan you can’t come here, not now anyway. Maybe later.”

“Why not now?” His voice sounded more like a growl.

She remembered the last time he had taken that tone with her; she was glad she wasn’t there to see him turn into an animal.

“Why can’t I see you? Scarlet, I know you are hiding something from me. I thought we weren’t supposed to keep secrets from each other?”

“Stephan, you will understand all of this soon. Please just give me some time.” she ignored the claims of her hiding something from him. She wasn’t hiding anything; she was being a mother. Protecting her child was her priority.

“Scarlet I am coming down there in two days.”

He was adamant about it, and she knew he meant what he said. In two days, Stephan would be at her new home and he would bring whatever danger with him. She could not allow that, she had to bring this conversation to an end.

“Haven’t you put me in enough danger already? I want to enjoy this peace before you disrupt it again. Stephan do not come here and don’t call me. Ever.”

Scarlet hung up the phone before he had a chance to react to her open hostility. She knew she had hurt him and she didn’t think she had the strength to hear the pain in his voice. She dropped her hand to her belly and comforted the frustrated baby.

She set about doing her chores, putting the apartment in order, and cooking. She tried to distract herself from the sadness building inside her by focusing on scrubbing off the stain on the cooker.

When the grief became too much, Scarlet couldn’t help but succumb to it. She dropped to her knees and cried her heart out. Being away from Stephan was hard enough but knowing how much pain she had caused him in the processes was excruciating.

***

“Kayla, I want her address.” Stephan marched into the living room where they all sat. “I want her address and I want it now.”

Kayla couldn’t help but stiffen at Solara’s side. She tried not to show any fear and was determined not to be intimidated. “I can’t do that, she needs time. Stephan if you force yourself on her you will push her away.” She tucked her arm under Solara, looking for some backup but Solara remained silent.

“I will get it for you, I overhead them talking and arranging for the place a week ago.” Nikki grabbed a pen and a paper and scribbled down the address.

When Kayla looked into her mind she saw that she had gotten it right. “You have no right Nikki.” Solara held her in the seat as she made a move to stand up.

“It’s on the twenty-third street northwest, just next to the hospital.” She handed him the scrap paper a smug look on her face. She ignored all the glares they all directed at her.

“I think you are going to like what you see,” Nikki added before taking a seat.

Stephan didn’t understand what she meant by it and why she was willing to help him, but he didn’t care either. He took the paper and with a tip of his head thanked her. He tossed Kayla’s phone to her and left the room.

He went back to Scarlet’s room, he was still contemplating whether it was a good idea to go see her or not. Stephan understood where she was coming from, but his need to be with her was much greater than anything he had ever felt before.

Stephan grabbed his jacket and walked out of the house without saying a word to anyone.

***

Scarlet woke up the next morning, her eyes were puffy and sore from all the crying she did before she slept. She had to go out again. There was still a second round of shopping to be done and she desperately needed the distraction.

She went back to the same grocery shop as before, it wasn’t the best but it was close to home and the only one she knew. This time she only had two bags to carry making her trip back home easier than yesterday. She opted for plastic bags, although they were totaling against the good of the earth, she was able to carry them without her vision being impaired. Scarlet turned around when she felt the bag in her right hand become strangely lighter. She turned to find Archie standing behind her attempting to help her with her load.

“Hey, you can’t restrain yourself from helping pregnant women and their shopping can you.” She was smiling up at him.

Archie was about five-eleven, he was physically lean and fairly attractive. His eyes were his most attractive feature they seemed to have a life of their own, lighting up the little paradise that lived in his head. His ginger head complimented his brown eyes.

“Nope, I can’t it’s a weakness.” His genuine smile was all the more beautiful when his eyes smiled with him.

“Stalking is a crime in all American states FYI.” She laughed as she continued her way home.

“What about kidnapping? We are going to have some tea.”

“Tea?”

“The tea is for you and coffee for me. There is this little coffee shop next to your building are you interested.”

Scarlet mused over the idea, she didn’t want to go back to the empty apartment. And the longer she prolonged the inevitable the better.

“Come on please, I will even throw in an ice cream for the kid.”

“You are ridiculous. Sure tea sounds nice.” Scarlet laughed with him and at that moment she forgot all about her problems.

They walked into the shop, the little clang of the bell reminded her of the diner and how she missed working there. They sat at the booth next to the window. Scarlet couldn’t remember the last time she felt this relaxed. Not worrying about vampire hunters, rogue beast, and Zen. It felt good to laugh without a care in the world. Her life was getting back on track, she was going to start her fellowship the next day. Everything was falling into place.

“Did you ever get to meet any of those jerks from high school?”

“Yes, I have. Before I used to think that I would duck in a corner or ran away from the nearest trash can. But I didn’t.” He was staring at her as he talked a crooked smile forming on his lips.

“I met Billy Ray and he looked miserable. As mean as this may sound it comforted me a little.”

“Archie I cant believe you said that. And here I thought you were a knight in shining armor, helper of all in need.” Scarlet blew into her hot tea. She was pretending to be interested in it. Like most foods, she had lost her taste for tea.

“No, I am, but he didn’t meet the criteria of being helped. You need to be pregnant and have a whole lot of shopping in your hands.” He winked at her again.

“Isn’t that biased, considering men can’t be pregnant?”

“Exactly my point, you understand me so well Scarlet.”

She was laughing so hard she thought she was going to choke on her breath.

“I heard about your parents. I am sorry about that.”

“Thanks. That’s why I am interested in child psychology, help kids who went through what I did.” She thought about her parents and the grief she felt about not being with them. Her dad would know what to say to her, and her mom would have been real handy in dealing with the situation she was in now.

“That’s great and GWH is the lucky place?”

Scarlet got an eerie feeling like someone was watching her. His voice droned on in the back of her mind. She gasped when the baby made a somersault. Her hand gently caressed her belly and she began whispering to the person within.

“What’s wrong?” Archie leaned over the table and looked down at Scarlet’s protruding stomach.

“No I am...” she froze when she saw a figure that she knew only too well.

***

Stephan stood outside the coffee shop and looked into the window. He stared at how Archie leaned over her and how close their bodies were together. Anger built up in him as he assumed that this was what Nikki had meant. In his mind, Scarlet had left him to be with someone else. He suspected that they had been seeing each other for a while by how comfortable they looked together. He felt betrayed. He didn’t move when Scarlet looked up and saw him. He stared at her for a while before he decided to leave. He wasn’t going to give her a chance to get near him. Never again would he trust her.